Public pitch - Tim Whiston of isme|&|co
Delighted to share, and it's optional, Tim Whiston of isme|&|co's video pitch.
#PublicPitch
Delighted to share, and it's optional, Tim Whiston of isme|&|co's video pitch.
isme|&|co is a B2B services marketplace using technology to connect independent businesses with valuable information, top providers, and a community of leaders.
Please let me know if you would like an intro or feel free to reach out directly.
Choosing between wildly different investments
It's challenging choosing between investments in entirely different spaces. Some of the recent pitches I have seen are in:
It's challenging choosing between investments in entirely different spaces. Some of the recent pitches I have seen are in:
B2B Insurtech
B2B Marketplace
B2B HRtech
B2B Climatetech
B2B Paymentstech
B2C MentalHealthtech
You need a consistent framework to choose between them despite the wild differences in market and business model.
Otherwise you are just guessing.
#founders #startups #venturecapital #buildinginpublic #investinginpublic
Evening update - 21 Feb 23
Today I…
#TodayI
Posted about US vs European valuations
Had a call with Callum Rimmer of Swallow.
Was pitched by 🚀 Ivan Arozamena of Edworking.
Had a quick coffee with a friend.
Shared Jamie Traynor of DriveBox.app's video pitch.
Had lunch with a friend.
Was pitched by Jack Rogers of Keychain.
Was pitched by Matt Ong of Ctrl Alt.
#NowI
Have to get back to some founders.
Have to send funds for a follow-on investment.
Have a Zoom and a glass of wine with a friend.
Have to take the bins out.
#founders #startups #venturecapital #buildinginpublic #investinginpublic
Public pitch - Jamie Traynor of DriveBox
Delighted to share, with permission (and it's optional), Jamie Traynor of DriveBox.app's video pitch.
#PublicPitch
Delighted to share, with permission (and it's optional), Jamie Traynor of DriveBox.app's video pitch.
DriveBox.app automates driving instructor business tasks and gives learner drivers a new way to book, manage, pay and learn.
Please let me know if you would like an intro or feel free to reach out directly.
US vs European valuations
It's well known in venture capital that US valuations are higher than European ones.
It's well known in venture capital that US valuations are higher than European ones.
Why? The main reason is the US market is significantly bigger and therefore you can scale to a much larger size without thinking about what you need to change for other geographies.
Implications? UK and European startups that can as easily access the US market should have higher valuations.
This can be hard for European investors to get their heads around when they are used to what they are used to.
#founders #startups #venturecapital #buildinginpublic #investinginpublic
Evening update - 20 Feb 23
Today I…
#TodayI
Posted about the weekend away test.
Had pilates with Maria Jose Freeman (Fernandez).
Was pitched by a founder who wishes to remain anonymous.
Had a quick call with Shane Smith of Pitchflix.
Was pitched by Ash Vipani of SupportRoom
Attended lunch break meditation at Guille-Allès Library.
Was pitched by Stephen Lewin of GetMyEquipment.
Took a walk without my phone.
Did some admin for the Guernsey Cambridge Society.
Was pitched by Sanoma Jean and Abhishek Bhaduri of Aya Therapy.
#founders #startups #venturecapital #buildinginpublic #investinginpublic
The weekend away test
When hiring, think about if you'd want this person to join the team on a weekend away. Cultural fit is important. If something doesn't feel right to you, dig into that. Why not? Is that something important to you?
When hiring, think about if you'd want this person to join the team on a weekend away. Cultural fit is important. If something doesn't feel right to you, dig into that. Why not? Is that something important to you?
It might tell you something about the person. It might tell you something about your culture.
#founders #startups #venturecapital #buildingingpublic #investinginpublic
Evening update - 17 Feb 23
Today I…
#TodayI
Posted about employee tours of duty.
Chatted with James Townsend of Mobilise.
Signed some investment docs.
Had coffee with Simon de la Rue of The Little Big Group.
Shared paul doran of Nuon AI's video pitch.
Was pitched by a founder who wishes to remain anonymous.
Spoke with Petr Horky of RSJ Investments.
#NowI
Am taking the kids and friends to see Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
#founders #startups #venturecapital #buildinginpublic #investinginpublic
Public pitch - Paul Doran of Nuon AI
Delighted to share, with permission, paul doran of Nuon AI's video pitch.
#PublicPitch
Delighted to share, with permission, paul doran of Nuon AI's video pitch.
Nuon AI's vision is to apply AI at every stage of the Insurance Product Lifecycle, from the quote and purchase stage to claims and renewal.
Please let me know if you would like an intro or feel free to reach out directly.
Breaking HR norms
When hiring, the elephant in the room is that most candidates will have careers that will take them through many companies. And yet the most common question is where do you see yourself in ten years.
When hiring, the elephant in the room is that most candidates will have careers that will take them through many companies. And yet the most common question is where do you see yourself in ten years.
Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn, talks about tours of duty - you achieve this in your three years with me and you will accumulate these skills which will accelerate your career.
Honesty prevails and everyone wins.
What other norms in HR need to be broken?
What would this approach look like on steroids?
Warning, I have strong views on this space!
#founders #startups #venturecapital #buildinginpublic #investinginpublic
Evening update - 16 Feb 23
Today I…
#TodayI
Shared my starting insights into why unbundled vc.
Got my hair cut.
Had breakfast with Barrie Baxter of Brixx Software.
Arranged a trip to London.
Did loads of admin.
Had lunch with one of my sons.
Did even more admin.
Dropped another son at table tennis (so many sons).
#NowI
Am going to improvise my joy back with Sarah Hansmann Rouxel.
#founders #startups #venturecapital #buildinginpublic #investinginpublic
National Innovation Day
6 months ago yesterday I chose to set out on my own journey and see what I could do differently.
Today is National Innovation Day (thank you The Content Architects).
6 months ago yesterday I chose to set out on my own journey and see what I could do differently.
To innovate you need to have the freedom to see clearly the space you are targeting. It's hard to do that when embedded in a system.
My starting insights were:
All markets get more competitive over time.
They tend to fewer large players and niche smaller players.
Venture has a lot of players and that will change in the same way.
Those that are left behind will get the deal flow others don't want.
If you're not a large player or a niche smaller player you better know how to get there or you won't exist in ten years.
How do I become one of the above?
This is the first in an occasional series of why unbundled vc and why I have made the decisions I made.
#founders #startups #venturecapital #buildinginpublic #investinginpublic
Evening update - 15 Feb 23
Today I…
#TodayI
Posted about not all businesses being venture businesses
Had Pilates with Maria Jose Freeman (Fernandez).
Spoke with Ric Porteus of ONE TRIBE.
Had a call with Daniel Levy of AccountsPro and Jhive.
Discussed Guernsey Cambridge Society plans with Mila Whitman
Caught up with Dami Hastrup of MOONHUB.
Gave some pitch deck feedback.
Made some intros.
Chatted with Farhan Lalji about his plans for LTV Capital.
Ran some more ChatGPT experiments.
#NowI
Have to submit my son's Year 9 subject choices.
#founders #startups #venturecapital #buildinginpublic #investinginpublic
Not all businesses are venture businesses
If you can bootstrap, maybe you should. You will be your own boss and can decide how fast you want to grow and how much risk you want to take.
Founders, not all businesses are venture businesses. This is fine.
If you can bootstrap, maybe you should. You will be your own boss and can decide how fast you want to grow and how much risk you want to take.
If you want venture money, you better have huge ambitions in a market that can match those and be prepared to spend a lot of time raising money from people like me.
The right choice will be different for every founder. You will each have different priorities.
#founders #startups #venturecapital #buildinginpublic #investinginpublic
Evening update - 14 Feb 23
Today I…
#TodayI
Asked for advice on operational complexity.
Had a site meeting for our house build by Infinity Construction and DLM Architects Ltd.
Had a coffee postponed.
Shared Tom Harding of nemo's video pitch.
Was pitched by Tim Whiston of isme|&|co.
Chatted with Matt Jonns and Daniel Christey of Founder and Lightning.
Spoke with Joe Adams of Tangent.
#NowI
Have to take the bins out and get back to some founders.
#founders #startups #venturecapital #buildinginpublic #investinginpublic
Public pitch - Tom Harding of Nemo Travel
Delighted to share, with permission, Tom Harding of nemo's video pitch.
#PublicPitch
Delighted to share, with permission, Tom Harding of nemo's video pitch.
nemo is a bespoke trip planning platform disrupting the travel planning space by building a unique multi-stop live one-click booking product.
Please let me know if you would like an intro or feel free to reach out directly.
Operational complexity
Founders, how do you think about operational complexity in your businesses? They necessarily get more complex as they grow. How do you manage that?
Founders, how do you think about operational complexity in your businesses? They necessarily get more complex as they grow. How do you manage that?
I think hard about operational complexity. To invest well and be able to get better all the time, I need to move fast and have an agile approach to my processes (not quite move fast and break things). Operational complexity can ruin that.
#founders #startups #venturecapital #buildinginpublic #investinginpublic
Evening update - 13 Feb 23
Today I…
#TodayI
Shared that I am a procrastinator and how I try and deal with it.
Had pilates with Maria Jose Freeman (Fernandez).
Was pitched by paul doran of Nuon AI.
Shared Saul Truman and Wojciech Woźnicki of quester's video pitch.
Had lunch and listened to Michael Buerk courtesy of Gordon Irish and Investec.
Was pitched by Callum Rimmer of Swallow.
Chatted with 🎥 Gabriel Isserlis of Tutti.
Missed some parents' evening video calls due to poor tech.
#LaterI
Hope to attend the remaining parents' evening calls.
#founders #startups #venturecapital #buildinginpublic #investinginpublic
Public pitch - quester
Delighted to share, with permission, Saul Truman and Wojciech Woźnicki of quester's video pitch.
#PublicPitch
Delighted to share, with permission, Saul Truman and Wojciech Woźnicki of quester's video pitch.
quester is a platform that enables content curation for Gen Z through community collaboration, aiming to unify all online content curation.
Please let me know if you would like an intro or feel free to reach out directly.
I am a procrastinator
If I have to do something hard, like writing founder feedback emails, or dull, like admin, I procrastinate. I find myself doing things that are lower priority or reading the news or anything.
I am a procrastinator.
If I have to do something hard, like writing founder feedback emails, or dull, like admin, I procrastinate. I find myself doing things that are lower priority or reading the news or anything.
If I notice, I take a break. I set a timer and give myself 5 minutes or 15 minutes and just sit and breathe. Then I'm ready to go again.
Rachael Crook of Lifted wrote recently about using the Pomodoro Technique to do something similar. Caitlin Rozario's whole business, interlude, is based on breaks being integral to productivity.
Do you take breaks? How do you maximise your productivity?
#founders #startups #venturecapital #buildinginpublic #investinginpublic