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With over a decade of building Surge from a solo venture into a fifteen-strong digital agency, David has learned first-hand what it really takes to scale (growing people, sharpening processes and leading with transparency). His experience shapes his role as one of our Entrepreneurs in Residence for the 2026 Scale-up Leaders’ Academy.
Can you give a quick snapshot of your entrepreneurial journey?
I started Surge back in 2014 with a laptop, a phone, and a clear idea of how digital should be done, with honesty, accountability, and a proper focus on results. What began as a one-man operation has grown into a full-service digital agency with a fifteen-strong team delivering strategy, design, development, and marketing for businesses across the UK.
It hasn’t been a straight line. Like most entrepreneurs, I’ve had to learn the hard way, managing growth, building a team, and learning when to slow down to move faster. But through all of it, the aim’s been the same: create an agency that genuinely helps businesses grow, while being a place where people love coming to work.
What key experience or lesson from your scale-up journey do you bring to the Entrepreneurs in Residence programme?
For me, the biggest lesson is that scaling isn’t just about growing revenue, it’s about growing people and processes.
You can have the best strategy in the world, but without the right culture, communication, and clarity, it won’t stick. At Surge, we learned the importance of transparency, sharing performance figures, opening up decision-making, and making sure every person understands where we’re heading and why. That shift changed everything: stronger buy-in, better delivery, and a team that actually pulls in the same direction. I bring that experience, the practical reality of turning chaos into structure without losing the entrepreneurial spark that started it all.
Why are you excited to support founders through the Scale-up Leaders’ Academy?
Because I know how lonely leadership can feel when you’re in the thick of it. The Scale-up Leaders' Academy really helped me, my team and the business so I am keen to ensure others get the same value from it.
When you’re scaling, every decision feels big, every mistake feels personal, and it can be hard to find people who get it. If I can help other founders skip some of the pain, make clearer decisions, and build businesses that work for them (not just because of them), that’s a win in my book.
I’m passionate about sharing the real, unpolished lessons, the ones you only learn by being in the trenches. The Academy brings together like-minded leaders who want to grow with purpose, and that’s exactly the kind of environment I thrive in. The Scale-up Leaders' Academy really helped my business.
