Alas I found the solution, actually required a slightly different approach in AppDelegate.m
#import "AppDelegate.h"
#import "WelcomeViewController.h"
@implementation AppDelegate
- (BOOL)application:(UIApplication *)application didFinishLaunchingWithOptions:(NSDictionary *)launchOptions
{
// Override point for customization after application launch.
UIStoryboard *storyboard = [UIStoryboard storyboardWithName:@"MainStoryboard" bundle:nil];
WelcomeViewController *modalWelcomeView = [storyboard instantiateViewControllerWithIdentifier:@"Welcome"];
[self.window makeKeyAndVisible];
[self.window.rootViewController presentViewController:modalWelcomeView animated:NO completion:NULL];
return YES;