Andrea is building IMAGN8, a platform that connects idea-stage founders with the mentors and investors who back ideas at the earliest stage. The starting point was a pattern Andrea kept noticing: the ideas that moved usually had a network behind them, and the ones that stalled often had no mentorship or access to funding.
IMAGN8 is still pre-launch, so this Q&A covers the early groundwork: how the first sign-ups are being found, what didn't work on Reddit, and why the launch is planned as in-person events.
Where things stand (as of October 26, 2026): IMAGN8's waitlist is live at imagn8waitlist.co.uk, with separate sign-ups for founders and for mentors and investors. The app is still being built, and there's no launch date yet.
What's the idea behind IMAGN8, and what gap did you see between idea-stage founders and the people who back them?
IMAGN8 connects idea-stage founders with investors and mentors who can either guide them or back them. The idea came from meeting so many people with amazing ideas, alongside having them myself. I noticed that the ideas which succeeded usually had a network behind them, while some stalled because they had no mentorship or access to funding. IMAGN8 is there to close that gap, so ideas get seen no matter who you know or don't know.
Who are you building it for first, and how are you finding those people?
We're building for two groups at once: founders who are struggling to get their ideas off the ground, and the investors and mentors who back ideas at that earliest stage. On the founder side, it's people with a strong idea but a lack of network.
Where did your first sign-ups come from?
We find them through direct outreach, mainly by messaging early-stage founders on LinkedIn and Instagram, and by sharing our waitlist in startup communities. For investors, we look specifically for angels, VCs and accelerators that invest at the idea stage, contact them directly, and talk with each one about their portfolio.
What have you tried to get early traction that didn't work?
Early on, we cast a wide net with our founder outreach through Reddit, and found that a lot of the people we reached weren't the right fit. So we got much more specific: we now hand-pick founders with a clear idea and a page that shows they're serious about building it. It means fewer messages, but much better conversations.
What does the platform need to get right to be useful to founders and investors at the same time?
It has to be worth everyone's time on both sides. Founders need to know their idea will actually be seen by investors and mentors who back the idea stage, and that they'll hear back from them. Investors need a steady flow of serious, well-presented ideas that fit what they want to back. Quality matters more than numbers for us, which is why we talk to every investor about their portfolio and are selective about the founders we bring in.
What's live today, what's still a plan, and what does launch look like?
Today, our waitlist is live at imagn8waitlist.co.uk, with separate sign-ups for founders and for investors and mentors, and we're already talking to investors about their portfolios. The app itself is still in progress: our team is building it now. We want the launch to happen in person, with events that bring founders and investors together in the same room. Our aim is for those first connections to happen face to face before everything moves onto the platform.
What would you do differently if you were starting again?
I'd commit to one idea sooner. I've worked on a few projects, and the moment I put all my focus into IMAGN8, things started moving much faster. I guess they did give me the great experience needed to understand the founder side of why IMAGN8 is so important, though.
Join the IMAGN8 waitlist
Founders can join the waitlist here, and mentors and investors can sign up here.
This Q&A is unpaid editorial content. We Are Founders received no payment for this feature, and the answers are Andrea's own, lightly edited for length and clarity.
