Eight Months In Inside the growing pains - and gains - of a UK start-up choosing substance over speed

Over half way into 2025, clarity is coming into focus for many start-up founders - not just on what's working, but on what no longer serves. For Nnamdi Emelifeonwu, CEO and co-founder of Definely, the legaltech start-up simplifying how professionals work with complex documents, this year has marked a shift in how the company operates, grows, and leads.

Definely has seen strong traction in the legal sector, but beneath the product milestones and momentum lies another transformation - one that Emelifeonwu says has been key to operating at scale. "Hiring a Head of People has been a game-changer," he says. "As we scale, I can say with certainty: we wouldn't be functioning at this level without someone fully dedicated to building and maintaining the culture, systems, and processes that hold everything together." That's a sharp contrast to how things looked just a year ago. "We were still able to communicate informally, solve people challenges reactively, and rely on founder intuition. That stops working once you hit a certain size."

Now, with a formal people function in place, Definely is "more structured, more intentional, and better aligned - and it's made a huge difference to our momentum." In other words, culture and systems aren't nice-to-haves - they're infrastructure.

Cutting through the noise
Focus has been another key evolution in 2025. Like many early-stage start-ups, Definely once cast a wide net - entertaining tentative partnerships, hopeful synergies, and vague long-term plays. But that's changed. "We used to entertain a lot of exploratory chats. Now we qualify these rigorously. If the partnership doesn't map directly to our strategic objectives or product distribution, we politely pass." It's not about being closed off - it's about being clear. "It's made us faster, leaner, more focused, and ironically, more in demand." In a year where attention is finite and pressure to deliver is high, efficiency is emerging as the real differentiator.

Leading by letting go
Founders often feel pressure to be the expert - the decision-maker, the problem-solver, the one with the answers. Emelifeonwu admits he used to buy into that mindset, but 2025 has shifted his perspective. "I used to think my job was to be the expert in the room. I've realised it's the opposite - my job is to ask the best questions, recruit people better than me in every function, and make space for them to lead." That kind of leadership - rooted in humility rather than control - has become increasingly important as teams grow and complexity rises. It's also an invitation to other founders: being the best doesn't mean knowing everything; it means building the environment where others can.

The underrated edge of UK start-ups
Beyond Definely, Emelifeonwu sees something bigger unfolding - particularly within the UK start-up landscape, and he believes British founders may have an unexpected advantage. "We're underestimated - and that's a secret weapon." He continues: "UK founders build capital-efficient businesses out of necessity. We've operated with tighter budgets, less hype, and more scrutiny. That forces focus, resilience and product obsession. When the market shifts to valuing substance over noise - we're already there." In a climate where funding is harder to come by and hype cycles are flattening, that efficiency-first DNA might prove more valuable than ever.

Building what comes next
As for what comes next - not just for Definely, but for the ecosystem - Emelifeonwu is optimistic. "A UK start-up ecosystem where global category leaders don't need to leave London to scale. More repeat founders, more operator-turned-angels, and more deep tech." But alongside the structural changes, he's also hoping for a change in mindset. "I'd like to see a cultural shift that celebrates ambition without self-deprecation, and of course, more opportunities for diverse founders within the start-up ecosystem." That move toward greater confidence, greater diversity, and greater belief in what's possible from the UK - is already underway. But Emelifeonwu knows belief is the final piece of the puzzle: "The infrastructure's catching up - now we just need to believe it." At this point in the year, Emelifeonwu isn't talking about explosive pivots or chasing trends. What's working for Definely is sharper focus, deeper trust, and smarter hiring. It might fly under the radar, but it's exactly what drives real progress. In a time when many founders are recalibrating, his advice carries weight: focus on substance, invest in people, and don't be afraid to ask better questions. The answers - and the scale - will follow.