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MAINstream at Michelmores
MAINstream connects early-stage companies seeking funding and a network of angel investors. It aims is to support innovative businesses at the beginning of their growth journey, while giving investors access to high-potential opportunities. For trainees in the Corporate team, MAINstream brings a unique set of responsibilities.
Day-to-day, you manage the MAINstream inbox as applications and queries come in. You are the first point of contact for founders navigating the application process, guiding them on the information needed, the format of submissions and what the selection process looks like. Once the panel has made its decisions, you liaise directly with both successful and unsuccessful applicants providing next steps and feedback.
In the run-up to the events, you work closely with the Events team and senior colleagues in the Corporate, Commercial, and Tax, Trusts and Succession teams to ensure everything runs smoothly. This involves coordinating logistics, preparing briefing materials, guiding companies on their presentations and making sure both applicants and investors have the information they need.
On the day of the event, you play a hands-on role. This means greeting founders, talking them through the structure of the session and ensuring they are ready to pitch to the investor group. Being present during the pitches gives you a front-row seat to how investors assess opportunities, and the nature of the questions they ask. This is a valuable opportunity to experience the dynamic between early-stage businesses and potential funders.
MAINstream sits at a unique intersection, exposing trainees to the commercial pressures and opportunities shaping early-stage businesses while complementing the legal work we undertake as part of the Corporate team.
Developing Commercial Awareness
Working with Founders
Working closely with founders was a key opportunity for me. Engaging with them throughout the application and pitching process gave me a clearer sense of the pressures they face, from refining their business model to preparing for investor scrutiny. It also highlighted the types of support early-stage clients often need and the importance of clear explanations, practical guidance and a structured approach to documentation. Seeing this firsthand made the connection between our legal work and the real challenges our clients navigate and helped me understand how to communicate effectively with entrepreneurial clients.
Working with Angel Investors
Sitting in on pitches helped me appreciate the criteria investors prioritise, which was equally valuable. Often the questions posed revolved around shareholder rights, IP ownership and governance. It was useful to be able to link these questions back to the work you are exposed to as a trainee in the Corporate team. The opportunity to witness how these considerations play out before they are relayed as instructions to solicitors was a really valuable experience for me and someone in the early stages of their career.
Appreciating cross-team collaboration
Another key aspect of MAINstream is how clearly it showcases the firm’s collaborative culture. Because the initiative brings together various teams within the firm, along with Events and Marketing, you quickly see how different parts of the firm work together. This gives trainees two real benefits. First, you see cross-team collaboration between the different teams. It shows how much effective client delivery depends on joined-up working rather than isolated legal input. Second, MAINstream helps you build relationships outside your seat. You naturally interact with colleagues in different departments and offices, which gives you a wider network and a better understanding of how the firm operates.
Key takeaways – what I’ll carry forward
Overall, MAINstream has broadened my perspective as a trainee. It has helped me see beyond the immediate legal tasks and understand how businesses think, what they prioritise and how early-stage companies navigate growth. This experience has made me more rounded and commercially minded.
MAINstream has taught me the value of understanding a client’s commercial circumstances as well as their legal position. It has strengthened my communication skills, as guiding founders through the process requires clarity, structure and empathy. It has also reinforced the importance of adaptability. Every start-up operates differently, and both investors and founders often need support presented in a way that aligns with their goals and working styles.
MAINstream has given me a front-row seat to the challenges and opportunities of early-stage investment. The opportunity to work with innovative and entrepreneurial clients, and to see first-hand the energy, pace and strategic thinking involved in early-stage funding is something I’ve found incredibly rewarding and which I will carry forward into my next seat and future career.