Clarity is underrated.
We help growing teams, founders, and investors uncover what's working, what's not, and what to do next. We do that through fractional tech and data leadership, data platforms, and hands-on support for your team.
🧠 About us
Data should make the next decision easier.
Startups grow fast. Scaleups get complex. Investors want confidence. But messy data, technical debt, and unclear systems get in the way.
Decide With Data is led by Paul Monk, a London-based tech leader who's spent more than 10 years in data and engineering, five of them leading teams, across fintech, healthtech, events, education, and mobile gaming.
We won't hit you with hype or jargon. Just sharp thinking, lean systems, and the confidence to move forward, based on what your tech and data actually says.
Discover
We start by looking properly. We read the code, the data models and the pipelines, and we talk to the people who run them. You get a clear picture of what's working, what's not, and what's risky.
Design
Then we agree the few changes that matter for your next stage. What to build, what to stop, who to hire. Not a 40-page strategy deck. A plan your team can start on Monday.
Deliver
We work inside your team to ship it, and we write things down as we go. The aim is a data function that keeps working after we've gone.
🎯 You shouldn't have to guess
We help you set up the right tracking, make sense of your product and growth metrics, and build a system your whole team can trust. So when it's time to raise, scale, or pivot, you're not guessing.
We'll meet you where you are, and build from there.
🚀 Who we help
🛠 Startups
You don't need a massive data stack or a big team. You need to know what's working. We'll help you build the right foundations so your team can learn fast and act on what it finds.
📈 Scaleups
Things are flying, but also breaking. We'll simplify the complexity, connect your systems, and make sure your data's working for you, not against you.
💼 VCs & Investors
We help you understand the technical risks, spot value others miss, and give your portfolio companies a plan they can act on.
🛠 How we help
Fractional Tech & Data Leadership
🎯 Strategic thinking. Without the full-time salary.
We work directly with founders and teams to bring in senior leadership that understands product, data, and engineering. Whether you need help scaling systems or just want someone who's done it before.
📃 AdvisoryData Infrastructure & Platforms
🧰 Build for now. Plan for the future.
We'll help you avoid over-engineering and focus on systems that grow with you. Keeping things clear, connected, and genuinely useful. Technology which works with you and not against you. If you want AI on top, we'll build the data foundations it needs.
Technical & Data Due Diligence
🔍 Founder friendly. Investor trusted.
We work with VC teams and operators to surface what's working, what's risky, and what to fix fast. Clear findings, delivered without drama.
📃 See more💬 People We've Helped
“We brought Paul on as interim Head of Data for a six-month project to establish a solid foundation for our data stack and team, and he exceeded all expectations. Paul quickly integrated with our team and set clear, actionable priorities that elevated our data function. His methodical approach to hiring was impressive, crafting playbooks, competency matrices, and interview assessments that have proven invaluable. The two hires he made have been outstanding, seamlessly passing through their probationary periods. Paul's extensive experience from start-ups to scale-ups helped us strategically plan the next stages of our data function's growth. His strong technical skills allowed him to contribute directly, taking on a significant amount of individual work as well. Above all, Paul was a pleasure to work with — reliable, dedicated, and deeply invested in delivering high-quality results. I highly recommend him to anyone looking to elevate their data operations.”
“We engaged Paul on a 3 month contract at Benifex to help us with analysing and making recommendations on our Data Warehouse and Data Platform to set us up for success with the next phase of growth. He also created the technical test and technical interview for the Senior Data Platform Engineer we have now hired and provided technical mentorship to our data engineers. Paul integrated very well into the team and worked with them to iteratively improve their ways of working. Paul created a blueprint and map for the team on the tech, people and processes in the data engineering area. His documentation is very high quality so I am confident he has not only had a positive impact whilst he was with the team for those 3 months but that we will continue to benefit from that positive impact for months to come. It was a real joy to work with you Paul, thank you for all your hard work!”
❓ Frequently asked questions
What is fractional tech and data leadership?
It's senior engineering leadership on a part-time basis. Instead of hiring a full-time CTO or Head of Data, you get an experienced leader who sets technical direction, builds your data platform, manages engineers, and makes the calls that move you forward. You pay for the expertise, not a full-time salary.
What does technical and data due diligence involve?
We evaluate the people, processes, and technology behind a business: codebases, architecture, data models, and teams. You get a clear report on what's working, what's risky, and what to fix, so investors can judge whether the team can deliver and scale.
Who do you work with?
Startups building their first data foundations, scaleups untangling growing complexity, and VCs and investors who need a clear-eyed technical view of the teams they back. All of them want to learn faster and decide on evidence, not guesswork.
What is a data platform, and do we need one?
A data platform is the connected set of tools and pipelines that collect, model, and serve your data so your team can trust it. You need one when a report takes days, two dashboards give two answers, or nobody can say which number to trust. We build platforms sized to your stage rather than over-engineered.
Do you do AI work?
Yes, where there's a real use for it. Most AI projects fail on the data underneath, so that's where we start. Clean models, clear ownership, and governed access. We've helped teams put that data in front of AI agents and assistants, and we'll tell you which AI ideas are worth building and which are a demo.
How do your engagements work?
Advisory runs as one focused monthly session with support for your team between sessions, on a quarterly commitment. Due diligence is a fixed fee per engagement, with scalable support for fund or portfolio-wide needs. Fractional leadership and platform work are scoped to what you need.