We started YOAK with a shared conviction: that business can, and must, be designed to serve life.
About the Name
Our name Yoak comes from an old English spelling of "yoke"- a device that joins two forces to achieve more together than they could alone. This is the heart of our work: we connect what's often kept separate. People to purpose, money to meaning, structure to soul.
Our name also evokes two solid English trees, representing the strengths we bring to our partners:
The Oak: Grounding, strength, and resilience. The practical wisdom to build things that last.
The Yew: Transformation, renewal, and adaptation. The visionary courage to evolve and grow.
At Yoak, we help you stand firm in your roots while navigating necessary change - the essential dance for any purposeful leader.
Founder experience meets legal depth
Between us we bring decades of practice. From structuring multi-million pound corporate deals to scaling purpose-led start-ups, shaping governance models for ‘ahead of the curve’ companies and advising on systemic investment funds. Yet YOAK is more than the sum of our past work - it is something new that emerged when we came together.
PREVIOUS CLIENTS + PARTNERS INCLUDE:
About Us
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Patrick Andrews
Patrick Andrews is a lawyer, author, and venture catalyst who helps founders and funders align ownership, capital, and governance with purpose. He has advised mission-led enterprises including Riverford Organic Farmers and Riversimple, and is the author of The Incomplete Circle, a philosophy of regenerative business that underpins his work at Yoak.
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Erica Neve
Erica Neve is a venture catalyst with over two decades of experience helping organisations transform and grow with purpose. She has scaled mission-led start-ups, designed transformation programmes for companies like Google and HSBC, and now, through Yoak, supports founders and funders in navigating pivotal ownership, investment, and governance decisions.
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"Working with Erica and Patrick is hugely motivating and inspiring. They help you understand the potential of your impact in such a positive and supportive way, that you feel anything is possible!"
Emily Monsell-Holden
Co- Founder, The Impact Apothecary, -
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"Patrick helped us navigate from a complex and confusing structure to something clear, investable, and true to our mission. His legal expertise was invaluable, but what really stood out was his ability to listen deeply, simplify, and guide us towards a pragmatic solution. We also felt he was walking alongside us, not advising from a distance. We now have a governance and investment framework we trust — and the confidence to move forward."
Pete Russell
Founder, Oooooby -
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“Patrick guided us through the rebirth of our company. He was our reassuring expert throughout the journey, there whenever we needed him to help us secure our mission and navigate the path to raising investment.”
Emma Shaw
Co-founder, Library of Things -
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"Thanks once again for all your help. I have enjoyed working with you and I am really pleased with what we have ended up with"
Guy Singh-Watson
Founder, Riverford Organic Farmers
Why Us?
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Practical depth, not theory
Over 40 years’ combined legal and hands-on advisory experience. We’ve structured corporate deals, scaled purpose-led start-ups, and supported founders through real-world transitions.
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Lawyer + entrepreneur
One of us a corporate lawyer, the other an entrepreneurial partner. Together we bring both legal rigour and a direct track record in SMEs and scale-ups.
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Deep founder empathy
Founder-first, always. We meet you where you are, whether you’re pivoting, raising capital, or facing new hurdles — we’ll walk alongside you. Having been there ourselves, we bring steady experience and compassion.
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Convenors and connectors
We’re lifelong field-builders, committed to the power of all of us, not one of us. Our role is to connect founders, funders, and partners to grow a stronger ecosystem together.
Deep roots
Like the yew and the oak, our namesake trees, YOAK brings resilience and renewal together. We help founders and funders keep their purpose alive through the inevitable pressures of growth and change.
Yoak is a compass and a companion: Practical, steady, and quietly radical. We walk alongside purposeful founders, funders, and partners, combining our own experience with the collective wisdom of our networks. We offer the counsel, structures, and connections that make the difference between drifting off-course and building something that lasts.
