I was offered an investment opportunity by a sole trader who was seeking £1M of investment for a 10% share in the profits of a new product that was starting to take off. I gave some initial reaction to why this method of investing was not generally valid, as well as the over inflated […]
I was approached by a startup fund with a view to taking a position. It was something I was very interested in having decided some time ago to look at co-investment options. The fund was launched in 2014 by the founder who started investing his own money and soon outgrew his limited funds, so was […]
This brief guide should help founders understand the process and timescale investors follow when considering investment in a company. Timescales and details change with each investment and so this should be consider a rough guide only. First, as a founder, make initial contact with your 1 – 2 paragraph elevator pitch. This has […]
Blockchain is an amazing tool first proposed in 1991 and first implemented exceptionally well by the nom-de-plume “Satoshi Nakamoto” in 2008 to build the algorithm for the first Crypto Currency; Bitcoin. This was an brilliant attempt at creating a non fiat (formal Government backed) currency that contained the attributes of a finite resource […]
So for the past few months I have been changing the way I do business. Up until now, I have only accepted referrals or extremely well constructed or interesting LinkedIn invitations. However recently I have started accepting all LinkedIn connection requests. Since then, my LinkedIn profile has increased to nearly 1,000 connections. Most of […]
I’ve written many articles on the woes of overvalued startups and why yours isn’t worth £1M. So where is the value in your company? Below are the main areas of value that a startup can influence within their own company. IP, ideally in the form of patents, ideally granted. Patent values increase dramatically when contested […]
Just like prospective employers, investors are interviewing you and assessing everything you say and do. When writing to the investor, check your spelling, punctuation and grammar. Consider using a thesaurus and perhaps seek out a friendly proof reader. When you request a LinkedIn make sure you compose a relevant message that explains why you are […]
I’ve been meeting more and more companies attempting to raise significant sums using Crowdfunding sites. The principle of Crowdfunding is brilliant and has evolved the investment community, enabling anybody to take small positions in exciting startup businesses. This in turn has helped created a vibrant startup ecosphere. However, the crowdfunding platform is a competitive industry […]
Our culture is based around brands and protecting IP and patents. We firmly believe, in our culture, that patents, trademarks and IP should protect the holder, even if the practicalities behind it are less than perfect. Yet culturally, China is at complete odds to our protectionist systems. They believe in sharing IP and collaboration. Brands […]
For any readers interested in this series of blogs, I thought I would compile a list of terms used along with explanations. I try as much as possible to avoid using jargon, but just in case I have strayed to the dark side: Bootstrap – Enough money and facilities to get started Seed – […]