Built by a founder who's been through it.
Fortitude Foundation is being created to fill a gap that shouldn't exist — practical, fast support for entrepreneurs in crisis.
Who's behind this
Ross Williams, Founder
I built and ran a tech company called Venntro Media Group for 21 years. When it went into administration, I lost not just the business, but my sense of who I was.
The months that followed were some of the hardest of my life. I was grieving something most people around me couldn't understand — because to them, "it was just a business." I looked for support and found almost nothing. Insolvency practitioners showed up to handle the paperwork. Friends tried to help but didn't know how. The "founder wellness" space was full of generic advice about mindset and meditation, none of which was useful when you're fielding calls from creditors and can't pay your mortgage.
Fortitude exists because that gap shouldn't exist. Founders in crisis need real, practical help — fast. Not platitudes. Not a six-week waiting list. Not someone who's read a book about entrepreneurship. They need people who've actually been through it.
I'm building Fortitude as a registered UK charity because this needs to be bigger than me, with proper governance, accountability, and long-term sustainability. I'm not a therapist or a counsellor — I'm a founder who survived collapse and wants to make the path less brutal for the people who come after me.
We're building an advisory group of founders, professionals, and sector experts to shape Fortitude's governance and programmes. If you'd like to be involved, get in touch.
Why this needs to exist
Founder crisis is far more common than most people realise. Behind the glossy success stories lies a reality of relentless pressure, isolation, and the very real risk of losing everything — including your sense of self.
When things fall apart, it's isolating. Friends don't always understand. Family can struggle to help without making things worse. And the "support" out there? Often too vague ("just work on your mindset") or too late (insolvency practitioners arriving after the damage is done).
Fortitude exists to offer something different: early, practical support from people who've been there. Real intervention. A community of founders who get it. And a structured pathway from crisis to stability to momentum.
What we believe
- Founder crisis is common, isolating, and solvable with the right structure.
- Most help is either too vague ("mindset") or too late ("after the damage"). We focus on early, practical intervention.
- Recovery works best when it blends real-world steps (money, legal, work) with human support (community, accountability).
Founders don't need saving. They need stability, clarity, and momentum.
How we're different
There's no shortage of advice for entrepreneurs. But when things go seriously wrong, most of it falls short.
We're not a wellness programme.
We don't start with meditation and journaling. We start with "can you pay your rent this month?" and "who do you need to call today?" Practical first. Always.
We're not a professional service.
We're not insolvency practitioners, therapists, or financial advisors. We help you find and access those professionals — and we help you figure out which ones you actually need, when everything feels urgent at once.
We're founder-led, not consultant-led.
The people supporting you through Fortitude have actually been through business failure, burnout, or crisis themselves. They're not reading from a playbook. They've lived it.
We focus on the gap everyone ignores.
There's plenty of help once you've decided to go insolvent. There's plenty of help if you can afford a therapist. But the space in between — where you're overwhelmed, isolated, and not sure what to do next — that's where Fortitude lives.
We're building in public.
We're not waiting until we're a polished charity with a board of ten trustees. We're sharing our progress, being transparent about where we are, and inviting people to help build this alongside us.
Governance & independence
Fortitude Foundation is being established as an independent UK registered charity — separate from any commercial interests.
Ross Williams also runs Fortitude Group, a private investment company. The foundation and the commercial business are entirely separate entities with no shared finances, governance, or operations. The shared name reflects a shared value — resilience — not a shared business.
As we formalise the charity structure, we're putting in place:
- Independent trustees (not just the founder)
- A clear governing document setting out charitable purposes
- Financial transparency — we'll publish how donations are spent
- A safeguarding policy for vulnerable people we support
- Charity Commission registration (targeting 2026)
We'll share updates on governance milestones as they happen.
Where we are now
Fortitude is in pre-launch. Here's what's happened so far:
- Ross shared his founder story publicly — June 2025 — it resonated with thousands of founders, many of whom reached out privately to say "this happened to me too"
- 100+ people have registered interest — since June 2025 — as volunteers, mentors, or supporters
- Founders have informally reached out for support — confirming the need is real and urgent
- Volunteer network is being built — including founders, solicitors, and financial professionals
- GoFundMe fundraising is live — donate to help us reach our launch target
- Charity Commission registration — in progress, targeting late 2026
- First pilot triage sessions — planned for post-registration
This is early. We're not pretending otherwise. But every registration, every volunteer, and every donation gets us closer to a launch that can make a real difference.
Help us build this.
Fortitude is early-stage and openly so. If you believe this should exist, there are ways to help.