From Farm to Tech: Meet the East Lancashire entrepreneurs doing it all
We caught up with Patch co-founders Paul White and Conor Walsh to discuss Patch’s journey and hear about the other entrepreneurial plans Paul and Conor have up their sleeves. This dynamic duo are on a mission to build a digital ecosystem in East Lancashire… and we have every faith in their ability to do just that.
What is Patch?
The short and sweet version: The Patch app, launched by co-founders Paul White and Conor Walsh, makes it easier for people to find, book, and pay window cleaners.
While Patch may still be in its infancy, its future is bright.
Paul and Conor secured £200,000 in pre-seed funding. This early-stage funding has come from several Lancashire-based backers and the investment will be used to take Patch to market, develop the team and build bespoke technology.
About Paul White and Conor Walsh, co-founders of Patch
Paul’s entrepreneurial journey has opened doors to a myriad of opportunities. From training as an estate manager to working in outdoor events, politics and marketing, Paul then went on to co-founded the Modern Milkman — a highly successful fresh produce delivery app. After exiting Modern Milkman, Paul moved into start-up consultancy before following one of his passions of building a farm from scratch and, of course, setting up Patch alongside Conor.
Let’s not forget that he was also named Young Lancastrian of the Year — an ode to his love of our red rose county.
Though Paul isn’t the only one who with accolades to his name.
Conor Walsh, Patch’s other co-founder, is a Lancashire Innovation Finalist. Conor trained as an Electrician working his way up the ranks from apprenticeship-level and winning Apprentice of the year to being at the helm of many large-scale EV projects and having his own company. While working as an electrician, Conor started developing a tool to streamline electricians’ work while reducing waste. Conor’s prototype wowed judges in a Dragon’s Den-style panel and earned him third place in Lancashire Innovation Challenge.
Getting Patch off the ground
After growing Modern Milkman, Paul recognised a gap in the window cleaning industry. Modern Milkman was, if anything, proof that Patch could work.
And so, the cogs started turning as Paul started to visualise all the ways in which he could help window cleaners manage their jobs and keep customers happy — and, with that, the idea behind Patch was born.
Paul mentioned this idea to Conor who immediately pushed him to pursue it. Conor was bought into the idea from day one. As soon as Paul told him of the idea, Conor said “If you want to do it, I’ll quit my job now”.
When asking about what drew him to the idea of Patch, Conor remarked “Taking a cash-based business model and putting it on technology is a gamechanger for an industry.” From the get go, Conor could see the potential behind Patch and how it would help so many people in the window cleaning industry.
Together, the two became a powerhouse determined to bring this tech idea to life.
But their business ownership journey doesn’t stop at tech. After handing in his notice at his current job, Conor dived head first into Patch and the world of farming. An unlikely duo that, if anything, speaks volumes for the resiliency and drive that Paul and Conor both have.
Owning multiple businesses is no easy feat. Throw in the mix the curveballs of farming and keeping animals alive, and you have a whole new challenge on your hands. While Conor and Paul both admit that it’s hard balancing two businesses, neither of them would change it for the world.
Commenting on the experience, Paul admitted that “you have to just pick what is the most important task to work on. The world’s not going to end if you don’t get round to everything”. The beauty of having so many responsibilities to juggle is, in Paul’s eyes, that you can “only prioritise when you genuinely have too much on”. It means Paul and Conor have had to get smart about the way they work.
Having leaped into the Tech industry after previously working as an Electrician, Conor reflected on how his life has changed.
“I wouldn’t change it for the world. Even on a Sunday, you don’t get that Sunday scare anymore. It’s hard work but it’s fun.”
The Sunday night dread is a thing of the past for Conor and, as he said himself, he now wakes up wanting to go to work every single day. He’s in an environment where his thoughts and ideas are genuinely heard. He’s surrounded by people who encourage him to achieve his full potential — something that he never got when working as an electrician.
“To actually start using my knowledge to expand businesses is amazing. I feel like the sky is my limit.”
The business has been life-changing for Paul too:
”It’s changed my life completely as well… It’s given me a whole new lease of life. I can’t imagine 12-months ago how I would even have the energy to do what I’m doing now. I have more energy than ever before, even though I am living with heart failure… and that’s come from meeting Conor and starting this business.”
Using everything they’ve learned to help other Lancashire businesses
Confident in their idea, Paul and Conor took some gambles getting Patch off the ground with Paul stating “The gut feeling I was getting from the reaction from people is that it was right. We didn’t just blindly commit to the tech. We had spoken to potential fundraisers prior to that.”
Nonetheless, those gambles paid off and they both loved the experience of raising funds for Patch as they secured over £200,000 in pre-seed investment from 32 different investors.
When speaking of their experience getting pre-seed funding for Patch, Paul and Conor both remarked that it wasn’t easy. Many investors overlooked them simply because they were Lancashire-based. As a proud Lancastrian, Paul was determined to show that Lancashire is worth investing in.
”One of the biggest challenges we had is that fundraising in Lancashire is tough. Fundraising pre-seed is tough and fundraising in the current economic climate is tough. Everybody said you’ll never do it, not at the moment. So, obviously, we were delighted to get it.”
Their experience securing investment led them to launch Ditabo Ventures. Conor explained “We loved doing the fundraising and this is why we started the venture capitalist company because we enjoyed it that much.” They want to pave the way for other Lancashire-based entrepreneurs by making Ditabo Ventures the vehicle for Lancashire investments.
Through Ditabo Ventures, Conor and Paul want to help anyone looking to get started with investing.
Paul remarked “We’ve had a lot of young people coming to invest who have always had an investing-mind but who are now wanting to play a more active role. There are people here who want to invest but no one has ever shown them how to do it.”
While Connor added “We can give them all the lessons they need about being an active investor in the UK. People really don’t know. We do know so we want to educate other investors on this and entice more people to get involved. We are educating people on how it works — not just what you see on an Instagram advert and lose hard-earned money on.”
Ditabo Ventures also supports early-stage founders looking to raise funds for their business and grow their idea, even if they don’t feel like they are investment-ready yet.
Conor explained “Even if it’s just an idea on a post-it note. We will come in and help you.” and Paul noted “We are here to encourage people to do their ideas.”
Commenting on their relationship, Paul acknowledged that while himself and Conor are two very different people, they both bring unique perspectives to the business to which Conor agreed, adding “To bring Paul’s age culture and business culture with my age culture and business aspect together in the 21st Century is great.” Together, they’re determined to do all they can to grow the Lancashire’s ecosystem.
“We are absolutely determined to create a tech hub in East Lancashire — and working with the local community is also really important in terms of trying to encourage more people into tech… we are keen to build our own tech team in-house and bring those skills back into Lancashire.”
Many Lancashire tech companies face the same issue with people succeeding to work in Manchester, rather than keeping their roots within Lancashire. This is something that Paul and Conor are keen to change.
“We need to be prouder about what Lancashire can achieve. This is the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution. We built things that power the world and we need to bring back that can-do attitude. There’s a real industrial heritage that I love here. I don’t just want to live here. I want to encourage the economy to be better here as well.”
As always, we asked Paul and Conor if they had any words of wisdom they wished to share with other early-stage founders or people interested in getting into tech. Conor’s answer is as simple as three words:
”Talk about it.”
”Stop sitting on it and thinking on it. Follow what you want to do. People trap themselves. At the same time, for younger generations, everyone thinks they're in a race to get a house, get a job, find the right partner, and have children. Just stop and think about where you want to go and how you want to get there. Because running toward all these things of being an adult is just putting another obstacle in front of becoming a business owner — if that’s what you really want to do. When you’re young, it’s a much easier time to take a leap. Stop putting obstacles in front of yourself.
Talk to people and ask questions. ”
Paul agreed that taking a risk while you can is paramount. When asked about putting obstacles in front of yourself, Conor explained “You can have a backup plan if things go wrong. You don’t have to hit nothing and stay at nothing. If anything, that’s another lesson and a step forward.”
So there you have it: Talk about it, take risks and remember that you can always have a backup plan.
Final thoughts — Talk to people, take action and invest in Lancashire
When asked about any other exciting projects on the horizon, Paul announced, ”we’re co-parenting a dog.”
From farms to tech, investments, building a Lancashire ecosystem, developing a tool for electricians, and co-parenting a dog, it’s clear that Paul and Conor are in this for the long-run.
“We need to be prouder about what Lancashire can achieve. This is the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution. We built things that power the world and we need to bring back that can-do attitude. There’s a real industrial heritage that I love here. I don’t just want to live here. I want to encourage the economy to be better here as well.”
To hear more about Patch’s story, keep up to speed with Paul and Conor on LinkedIn. If you’re keen to invest in Lancashire businesses or raise funds for your early-stage business, visit Ditabo Ventures.