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Angel Insights | Your guide to angel investing

Angel Insights | Your guide to angel investing

By Angel Insights

Angel Insights takes you deep into the world of angel investing and what makes some of the most successful angel investors tick. Join our host Tom Britton in conversations with the world's most successful investors, and some of their portfolio company entrepreneurs, to understand their investment strategy, approach to due diligence, and tips that can dramatically improve your own approach to investing.

Angel Insights is created by SyndicateRoom:
www.syndicateroom.com
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The Maturation of The Seed Funding Environment with Dominic Wilson @ Pi Labs

Angel Insights | Your guide to angel investingJul 05, 2016

00:00
21:28
Hannah Leach and why so many investors get ESG wrong.

Hannah Leach and why so many investors get ESG wrong.

Hannah Leach, Partner at Houghton Street Ventures & Co-founder at VentureESG, joins us on this exciting episode of Angel Insights where we delve into ESG and what it really boils down to when it comes to startups and Venture Capital.

In this episode we look beyond the products and services being built to the supply chains, hiring processes, and a whole lot more.

As always, if you'd like to learn more about our fund you can read here about Access EIS and if you'd like more on the tax reliefs offered you can read hear about the Enterprise Investment Scheme.

Apr 04, 202328:03
How to review and choose an EIS fund with Dr. Brian Moretta of Hardman & Co
Mar 01, 202325:31
From a Magic Pony to Angel Investing with Zehan Wang
Jan 23, 202338:31
Addie Pinkster lessons from the city to angel investing
Nov 07, 202245:10
Andy Ayim MBE chats Angel Investing and Purpose

Andy Ayim MBE chats Angel Investing and Purpose

Andy Ayim MBE joins us on Angel Insights to discuss all things angel investing and how he finds time to balance family, work, and purpose. From product manager to entrepreneur, to angel investor,  and opening his own angel investing school, Andy is on a mission to make the angel investing pool as diverse as the entrepreneurs starting companies. Andy's journey is filled with drive, self-discovery and a number of insights he shares with us in the episode. Always learning, authentic, humble, and a force of nature for good, if you'd like to learn more about Andy do follow him on Twitter, you will not be disappointed by the knowledge he imparts.


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Srin Madipalli - Lessons from selling Accomable to Airbnb

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Matt Lerner - Successful companies do things differently

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Mac Conwell on what drives Rarebreed Ventures

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Oct 21, 202125:38
Sarah Turner on the importance of bringing more women into angel investing

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Sarah Turner, co-founder of the incredible Angel Academe, joins us today to discuss the changes she has seen in the angel investing ecosystem over the last decade and shares thoughts on what more needs to be done to bring more women into angel investing.
Sep 21, 202132:13
The parallels between Molecular Marine Biology and Angel Investing

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Dr. Silvia Mah, PhD, MBA, is a founding partner of Ad Astra Ventures, Stella Angels, Stella Labs and Women's Venture Summit, and is a prolific angel investor.
Sep 06, 202150:10
Peter Cowley on angel investing and the importance of being coachable

Peter Cowley on angel investing and the importance of being coachable

Peter Cowley started life as an engineer but quickly developed a passion for entrepreneurship which has stuck with him his entire career. He fell into angel investing before he really knew what it was all about and soon became a true student of the game.
Jun 21, 202127:05
Backing diverse founders with Denzel Walters

Backing diverse founders with Denzel Walters

Denzel Walters, co-founder for Community Growth Ventures, sat down to chat with us about his professional experience, his approach to angel investing, and the gap in the market in backing diverse founders that led to the founding of Community Growth Ventures.
May 19, 202142:08
Investing in Cleantech with Caroline Halliday

Investing in Cleantech with Caroline Halliday

Today we had the privilege of chatting with Caroline Halliday, from the Green Angel Syndicate. Caroline has a wealth of experience working with environmentally-minded businesses and investing in cleantech startups. Listen in to learn how she approaches a cleantech investment opportunity.
Apr 22, 202130:41
Angel investing lessons learned with Kirsten Connell

Angel investing lessons learned with Kirsten Connell

Super Angel Kirsten Connell talks to us about her career, both before angel investing and since, and the lessons she's learned along the way that have led to her becoming one of the top business angels in the UK with a particular focus on cybertech.
Mar 22, 202129:29
Angel investing lessons learned with Simon Thorpe

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We had the opportunity to chat with Super Angel Simon Thorpe about his career, before angel investing and since, and the lessons he's learned along the way that have led to him becoming one of the top business angels in the UK.
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Angel investing lessons learned with Chris Mairs CBE
Jan 25, 202125:36
Angel Investing Lessons Learned with Ros Singleton
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Nov 08, 201619:16
What Happens If The Valuation Is Too High At Angel Stage with Jonathan Hakakian

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Nov 03, 201620:25
The Core Components To Build A Startup Ecosystem with Deb Kemper @ Golden Seeds

The Core Components To Build A Startup Ecosystem with Deb Kemper @ Golden Seeds

Deb Kemper is the Managing Director of the Boston chapter of Golden Seeds. Her involvement includes deal flow, membership, education, and operations. She is an active early-stage investor, mentor to entrepreneurs, and board member. Prior to Golden Seeds, Deb spent many years in management consulting at McKinsey & Company where she served clients in the healthcare, energy, and electronics sectors. In Today’s Show We Discuss: How did Deb make her way into the angel ecosystem? What has caused the huge rise of Boston’s startup ecosystem? What are the required components for successful ecosystems to thrive? How important is intellectual property for Deb when considering a prospective investment? What advice does Deb give most often to new angels to the ecosystem? Does Deb agree that all angels have a duty to follow on in investment rounds if they have backed early rounds? Learn more about SyndicateRoom: www.syndicateroom.com
Oct 14, 201621:00
How Angels Can Ensure Their Voice Is Heard with Nick Lyth @ Green Angels Syndicate
Oct 02, 201623:38
How To Make The Successful Transition From Operator To Investor with Thatcher Bell

How To Make The Successful Transition From Operator To Investor with Thatcher Bell

Thatcher Bell is a venture partner @ Gotham Ventures and Thatcher has spent more than a dozen years in the startup community as a venture capitalist and operator. Prior to joining Gotham Ventures, Thatcher was a Senior Analyst at North Hill Ventures, the venture capital affiliate of Capital One Financial. Before joining North Hill, Thatcher held business and corporate development roles at OpenPages (acquired by IBM) and SharkTank. If you love the show with Thatcher today and want to hear more, head over to syndicateroom.com where you can find more articles, podcasts and resources.

In Today’s Show We Discuss:

How did Thatcher make his way into the angel ecosystem?

What were Thatcher’s biggest takeaways from his operational experience? How does that lend to his investment role?

Do all investors need to have operational experience? What is required to make the transition from operator to angel?

How does Thatcher look to split his time between portfolio companies? Where does he spend the majority of his time?

When an investment is not working, how does Thatcher convey that to the entrepreneur? What does the feedback process look like?

Learn more about SyndicateRoom: www.syndicateroom.com
Sep 25, 201621:48
Why Having A Flexible Cheque Size Can Help In Early Stage with Meghan Cross @ Red Bear Angels

Why Having A Flexible Cheque Size Can Help In Early Stage with Meghan Cross @ Red Bear Angels

Meghan Cross is the Managing Director @ Red Bear Angels which she joined with nearly a decade of operating experience launching and growing media & software companies in New York and Silicon Valley. As an early Director at StyleCaster Inc., Meghan led the digital media conglomerate’s marketing team through the business’ exit to She Knows Media. Before that, Meghan was in PR, helping to build Skype and Foursquare into household names. She also draws venture experience from working with Bowery Capital, Foundation Capital, Metamorphic Ventures, and StarVest Partners. Megan is also the founder of Cross Venture Services LLC, a launch advisor to such commerce platforms as Sailo (TechStars ’15), Shareswell, and Thursday Boot Co. Learning process In Today’s Show We Discuss: What angels really look for in VC partners? How Megan approached the learning process of becoming an angel investor? What were Meghan’s biggest takeaways in working with Foursquare and Skype as they entered hypergrowth mode? How does Meghan view investor value add? Is all money green? What would Meghan like to see more of in the early stage angel ecosystem in NYC? Learn more about SyndicateRoom: www.syndicateroom.com
Sep 11, 201619:09
How To Establish Pattern Recognition Entering Investing with Elizabeth Galbut @ SoGal Ventures

How To Establish Pattern Recognition Entering Investing with Elizabeth Galbut @ SoGal Ventures

Elizabeth Galbut is a Founding Partner @ Sogal Ventures, the first female led cross border venture capital firm and Prior to finishing business school, she founded A-Level Capital, the first student-led venture capital firm powered by Johns Hopkins students. Before graduate school, Elizabeth was a strategy & operations consultant at Deloitte Consulting focusing on large healthcare clients. Outside of her client-facing work, she contributed to business development efforts that led to over $200M of new work. If you love the show today then you can head over to syndicateroom.com and see all the previous episodes as well as accompanying angel articles and resources but for now I am delighted to hand over to Elizabeth Galbut, Founding Partner @ Sogal Ventures. In Today’s Show We Discuss: How Elizabeth made her way into the investing world? How Elizabeth looks to establish pattern recognition as a recent entrant to the VC community? What does Elizabeth look for in her co-investors? What does Elizabeth’s diligence process look life for prospective investments? How do this differ from deal to deal? What was the hardest element in establishing SoGal Ventures? What would Elizabeth most like to change about the early stage investing world? Learn more about SyndicateRoom: www.syndicateroom.com
Aug 31, 201621:34
How To Harness An Early Angel Ecosystem with Jon Lerner, Managing Director @ Smedvig Capital

How To Harness An Early Angel Ecosystem with Jon Lerner, Managing Director @ Smedvig Capital

Jon Lerner is a Managing Director @ Smedvig Capital where he actively looks for the best tech enabled business in the UK and currently sits on the board of Mediamorph and Captify. Prior to Smedvig, Jon was a Senior Consultant at Bain in London and Toronto. If you love the show today then you can head over to syndicateroom.com and see all the previous episodes as well as accompanying angel articles and resources but for now I am delighted to hand over to Jon Lerner, Managing Director @ Smedvig Capital.

In Today’s Show We Discuss:

What angels really look for in VC partners?

What are the most common elements of contention and disagreement between angels and later stage VCs?

How does Jonathan look to harness the early angel ecosystem to provide him with a strong incoming quality of dealflow?

How does Jon approach valuation and ownership? Does he adopt the Sheryl Sandberg approach of it does not matter where you sit as long as you have a seat on the rocketship?

What would Jon like to see more of in the early stage angel ecosystem in London?

Learn more about SyndicateRoom: www.syndicateroom.com
Aug 23, 201619:07
Why Ideas Are Worthless & It Is All About Execution with Simon Bichara

Why Ideas Are Worthless & It Is All About Execution with Simon Bichara

Simon Bichara is an active angel and advisor with investments in the likes of Jinn, Ignite, Fit Gurus and many more incredible companies. He is also the founder of Hired By Me, the tool that helps contractors get hired faster. Prior to being immersed in the world of startups and investing Simon spent several years at Barclays before seeing the late and moving to the tech space. Now if you enjoy the show and would like to see more information then you can head over to www.syndicateroom.com where you can find the investor academy with more articles podcasts and information.

In Today’s Show We Discuss:

How did Simon’s financial background lend to his role now as an angel?

What elements of a founding team gives Simon confidence?

How does Simon view of the maturation of the early stage investing environment?

Is all money good money? In what cases is dumb money a problem?

How does Simon analyse the current levels of valuation? How does Simon determine valuation at the earliest of stages with no measurable data?

Learn more about SyndicateRoom: www.syndicateroom.com
Aug 19, 201619:43
What Do Investors Want To See In An Investment Opportunity with Fran O'Brien

What Do Investors Want To See In An Investment Opportunity with Fran O'Brien

Francesca O'Brien is Head Associate at SyndicateRoom where she is responsible for management of dealflow and liaison with entrepreneurs. In today’s episode we take a deep dive into the DD process and reveal how exactly Fran sources companies, how those companies are viewed once in the investment pipeline and what an investment community want to see in an investment opportunity. You can also find further resources on the show and investing articles on the site at syndicateroom.com.

Today We Discuss:

What is Fran’s preference on founders? Single or co-founder?

How big does a market have to be for it to be an investable proposition?
Does this vary if you are an angel as opposed to a VC?

Is too much dumb money a bad thing for the ecosystem? How can founders optimise for this and avoid potential pitfalls?

What do investors in the platform most like to see in an investment proposition?

What would Fran most like to see change in the early stage funding environment in the UK?

Learn more about SyndicateRoom: www.syndicateroom.com
Aug 13, 201623:44
The Ultimate Investor Resource Kit (Series Highlights)
Aug 06, 201624:40
The Ultimate Guide On How To Become An Angel Investor (Series Highlights)

The Ultimate Guide On How To Become An Angel Investor (Series Highlights)

Now for today’s show we thought we would go for something slightly different, I have had many emails from people asking about how to get into the world of investing in startups and we thought today we would take some our favourite entrance stories and show you a collection of how they did it. The ultimate guide to how to make your way into the world of early stage startup investing.

Discussed In The Show Today:

1.) How Tim Mills came into the industry from the world of banking and came to be at The British Business Bank?
2.) What was John Spindler’s start in the angel investing industry and what is his route to where he is today with the London Co-Investment Fund and Capital Enterprise?
3.) How did Dominic Wilson make the transition from the world of property to the world of property tech investing, now being Managing Director @ Pi Labs.
4.) Every startup founder needs a mentor, so when did Jonathan Pfahl appreciate the importance of mentors and being the founding of Rockstar Mentoring?
5.) Like mentoring, all startups need fantastic PR. So how did Colette Ballou, make her way into the world of angel investing from founding one of Europe’s leading startup PR agencies in Ballou PR?
6.) David Rose is a serial entrepreneur, prolific angel investor, Ted Speaker and multiple author, but how did he first become an angel investor?
7.) An appropriate finish, what is the founding story of Syndicate Room from Tom Britton and what was it about the space that made Tom so excited?

Learn more about SyndicateRoom:
www.syndicateroom.com
Jul 20, 201617:31
Investing Is All About Brand with Colette Ballou, Founder & President @ Ballou PR
Jul 13, 201628:13
The Maturation of The Seed Funding Environment with Dominic Wilson @ Pi Labs

The Maturation of The Seed Funding Environment with Dominic Wilson @ Pi Labs

Dominic Wilson is Managing Partner @ Pi Labs founded on the thesis of becoming of the centre of innovation in the property ecosystem creating scalable businesses that will disrupt the property sector. As for Dominic himself, he has a wide background in Private Equity Real Estate having worked with both AEW Europe and Savills Investment Management and transacted over €3bn of deals across Europe. You can also find further resources on the show and investing articles on the site at syndicateroom.com.

Today We Discuss:

How Dominic made his way into the world of early stage investments?

What are the pros and cons of operating in a largely antiquated incumbent heavy industry?

How does Dominic view the early stage angel network in London? How does he look to work with them?

With the rise of tax reliefs, this has spurned many more angels, is this money ‘dumb money’? If so, is all dumb money bad for the ecosystem?

How does Dominic view the wider macro economic effects of Brexit?

What does he predict for both the macro-economy and the wider economy?

As always, you can learn more about SyndicateRoom here: www.syndicateroom.com

and see Dominic's twitter page here: www.twitter.com/Dom7Wilson
Jul 05, 201621:28
Taking A Data Driven Approach To Founder Evaluation with Paul Arnold @ Switch Ventures

Taking A Data Driven Approach To Founder Evaluation with Paul Arnold @ Switch Ventures

Paul Arnold is the founder of Switch Ventures, a seed stage venture capital firm focussed on identifying the most talented startup entrepreneurs by taking a very data-driven approach to founders. Paul was a senior executive at AppDirect, helping build it from a small startup into the unicorn ($1bn+ valuation) it is today. He oversaw company-wide operations, built and led multiple teams, and learned what it takes for a startup to scale rapidly. Prior to AppDirect, Paul was with McKinsey & Company in Silicon Valley. He worked with C-suite, Board, and frontline employees to drive changes. In Today's Episode with Paul We Discuss: 1.) How Paul made his way into the world of tech and early stage investing? 2.) When examining the data on founders, what elements of pattern recognition has Paul found with regards to founders? 3.) What is Paul's take on follow on funding? Is it always obligatory for seed investors to follow on with their investments? 4.) How has Paul's investment decision making process changed with time and with larger cheque sizes? As a result, how important is valuation to Paul when deciding whether to make an investment? 5.) How does one's mindset shift when moving from angel to VC? What are the challenges and what does one need to remember? As always, you can learn more about SyndicateRoom here: www.syndicateroom.com and Paul's twitter page is here: www.twitter.com/paul_arnold
Jun 29, 201619:01
What Is A Reasonable IRR For Angel Investors with Tim Mills @ British Business Bank
Jun 22, 201627:21
The Benefits of Mentoring & Why You Should Have One with Jonathan Pfahl @ Rockstar Mentoring
Jun 15, 201618:26
How Will Brexit affect London's Tech & Investment Scene with John Spindler @ Capital Enterprise
Jun 08, 201619:27
'We specialise in product': The Benefits of Specialisation with Katie Leviten @ Jamjar Investments
Jun 01, 201619:07
Henry Joseph Grant on Lessons From Watching JustEAT Scale & Applying That To Angel Investing

Henry Joseph Grant on Lessons From Watching JustEAT Scale & Applying That To Angel Investing

May 25, 201618:52
Syndicate Room's Tom Britton on What Makes A Business Right For Crowdfunding?

Syndicate Room's Tom Britton on What Makes A Business Right For Crowdfunding?

Joining me today is our very own Tom Britton, Co-Founder & CTO @ SyndicateRoom, one of the UK’s leading equity crowdfunding platforms having raised £40m in funding for startups last year and having recently raised their own round on their own platform, so a big congrats to them for that and in the show today we discuss the future for crowdfunding in fluctuating credit cycles, why one business is more suitable for crwdfunding than another and the effect of Title III, will it have the ramficiations everyone is expecting? 1.) How did Tom come to co-found SyndicateRoom from a little office in Cambridge? 2.) How will crowd investing perform during a different part of the credit cycle? Does Tom think crowd investing will do well when interest rates rise and defaults rates increase? 3.) What makes a business suitable for crowdfunding vs suitable for VC, and in which case should a business do something like Beaulah did and utilise both? How does Tom compare SyndicateRoom to Angelist? 4.) With the recent announcement of Title III in the US, a friend Ryan Caldbeck, Co-Founder @ CircleUp told me that unaccredited investors would get the worst dealflow as the best startups go to VCs and get funded, those that do not get rejected by them, then go to angels, then go to HNW’s and then when everyone else has rejected them then they go to unaccredited giving them the worst dealflow. What are Tom's thoughts on this and how can we solve for this? 5.) Does Tom see institutional capital entering crowd investing at any point? Would Tom be averse to this? 6.) What does the roadmap look like for the crowdfunding space as a whole in the next 10 years? What are Tom's predictions? Items Mentioned In The Show Today: Tom's Fave Book: Talk Like Ted by Carmine Gallo Tom's Fave Blog: CB Insights, Both Sides Of The Table As always, you can learn more about SyndicateRoom here: www.syndicateroom.com and see Tom's twitter page here: www.twitter.com/tombritton
May 18, 201620:56
Impact Investing and LP Returns Are Not Mutually Exclusive with Orson Stadler @mustardseed

Impact Investing and LP Returns Are Not Mutually Exclusive with Orson Stadler @mustardseed

Orson Stadler is an investor @ mustardseed. mustardseed seek to enable the creation of world class businesses that generate positive and sustainable outcomes and they do this by connecting influential investors with socially driven entrepreneurs. Orson himself is a former associate at Blackrock and now at mustardseed his responsibilities include fund strategy and operations, as well as an array of other biz dev roles. If you like the show then headover to syndicateroom.com where you can find a whole host of past episodes and articles from the show.

Discussed Today:

1.) How Orson came to be an investor in early stage social impact startups?

2.) Why is there so much skepticism towards the ability for both impact investing and LP returns? How does Orson respond to this?

3.) What needs to change in the public's perception of impact investing? How has crowdfunding affected both the seed and impact investing scene?

4.) How mustardseed look to measure the impact their companies are making? What are the metrics that suggest success?

5.) Where does Orson believe the next wave of impact investing will take place?

Items Mentioned:
Fave Investing Resource: Crowdsurfer
Most Recent Investment: Beulah London (https://www.syndicateroom.com/beulah?tab=0#deal)

As always, you can learn more about SyndicateRoom here: www.syndicateroom.com

and see Orson's twitter page here: www.twitter.com/orson_stadler
May 11, 201619:33
The Importance Of Founder/Market Fit with Avin Rabheru, Founder & CEO @ HouseKeep

The Importance Of Founder/Market Fit with Avin Rabheru, Founder & CEO @ HouseKeep

Avin Rabheru is the Founder and CEO of Housekeep (https://housekeep.com), London’s top rated cleaning service which allows you to find and book a local and trusted house cleaner in minutes. Prior to being an entrepreneur, Avin worked in venture capital at Smedvig Capital in London, investing in early stage, high growth companies with an investment range of £2-15m. Throughout both Avin’s operational and VC experience, he has been a prolific angel investor having made over 40 direct investments in the likes Zipcar, Crowdcube and Kabbee just to name a few.

In Today's Episode You Will Discover:

1.) How did Avin make his way into the world of startup investing? How did Avin’s mindset alter when comparing his angel investments to his VC investments?
2.) How does Avin decide his capital allocation profile? Does he set aside an initial pool of capital and have a set investment range and set portfolio size he is looking to achieve?
3.) How does Avin look to differentiate himself in the ever increasing angel market? What is the value add? Is the brand important for Avin?
4.) How does Avin go about sourcing companies to invest in? Is Avin a hunter? A referrer? What has Avin found to be the optimal process for deal sourcing?
5.) How does Avin approach the due diligence process of the deal? How does Avin look to deep dive into companies and their teams? Founder evaluation is probably the most important skill an angel can have, how does Avin approach this and how has Avin honed this with time?
6.) What are the biggest mistakes and challenges that Avin has made and faced? How did he combat them and learn from them? How did they influence his thesis?

As always, you can learn more about SyndicateRoom here:
www.syndicateroom.com

and see Avin's latest tweets here: www.twitter.com/AvinRabheru
May 04, 201619:49
How To Spot The 1 Out Of 100 Who Is A Born Entrepreneur with David Rose @ Gust

How To Spot The 1 Out Of 100 Who Is A Born Entrepreneur with David Rose @ Gust

David Rose is the Founder & CEO @ Gust, the platform that has allowed $1.8bn to flow through Gust to startups. David himself is a serial entrepreneur having personally raised millions in VC funding and being named a ‘world conquering entrepreneur’ by BusinessWeek. David is also a prolific angel investor himself having invested in over 70 early stage companies and having founded and chairing the New York Angels. It has to also be said that David is a master of the VC pitch and you can check out his incredible Ted talk here. Topics Discussed Today: 1.) How did David make his way into the world of investing in tech startups? 2.) What were David’s biggest lessons from watching the success and achievements of his entrepreneurial father and grandfather? 3.) How has David seen the startup and investing ecosystem evolve over the last few decades? 4.) Is entrepreneurship itself an element that can be taught or is it an innate being within an individual? 5.) What are the commonalities amongst the great angel investors David has worked with and been invested in? Items Mentioned In The Show Today: David’s Fave Investing Resource: Gust.com David S. Rose: Sayings From My Father Angel Investing: The Gust Guide To Making Money and Having Fun Investing In Startups The Startup Checklist: 25 Steps to a Scalable, High-Growth Business As always, you can learn more about SyndicateRoom here: www.syndicateroom.com and see David's latest tweets here: www.twitter.com/davidsrose
Apr 27, 201624:34
World Beating Investors Are Just Round The Corner With David Barrie & Deepali Nangia

World Beating Investors Are Just Round The Corner With David Barrie & Deepali Nangia

We have a very special show for you today both in terms of people and organisation. Firstly, we have two guests joining us today in the form of David Barrie, David has created and managed several ventures that have been credited with raising £300m+ of new investment through public-private partnerships. In 2013, David proposed to the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea a seed investment in the foundation of the new Wild Blue angel investment network. David is joined by his investment director Deepali Nangia, who has enjoyed a career spanning the heights of Wall St to the financial hub that is London to founding a business in India. Now the second element that is slightly unusual today is the organization that David founded, Wile Blue Cohort an angel investment network with a specific hyper location focus on West London investing in business close to home. Today's Episode Covers: 1.) How did David and Deepali make their move into the world of investing? 2.) What was the impetus behind the founding of Wild Blue? What were the benefits and then once decided, what were the steps to take to legitimize the process? 3.) A group is like a product, the value is in the users, so how did David and Deepali attain the initial user base? What were the member acquisition channels? How important was the hyperlocality to the success of the angel network? Can you have long distance angel networks that are super effective? 4.) What is the investment thesis, with the social responsibility aspect, how do David and Deepali manage to balance the financial returns with social impact? 5.) What does success look like to David and Deepali with Wild Blue? What potential pitfalls will be encountered and how will David and Deepali combat them? Mentioned Today: Deepali and David's Fave Blog: CB Insights, Term Sheet by Dan Primacy Wild Blue Most Recent Investment: HomeTouch As always, you can learn more about SyndicateRoom here: www.syndicateroom.com
Apr 20, 201622:52
Investing Lessons From Sequoia and The Importance of Machine Learning with Chris Mairs

Investing Lessons From Sequoia and The Importance of Machine Learning with Chris Mairs

Chris Mairs (https://twitter.com/Chris_mairs) is the chief scientist at Metaswitch where he has seen the company exponential growth over the last few decades including the raise of their first vc money in 2008 with the likes of Sequoia and Francisco partners investing, he is also a prolific angel investor and has an immense portfolio with the likes of MagicPony, SmartUp and Adbrain all being investments of Chris’. Chris is also the chair of Code Club and the UK Forum for Computer Education. Finally to cap it all off he is also a Fellow of the British Computer Society and a Fellow of The Royal Academy of Engineering.

In Today’s Episode You Will Learn:
1. How Chris made his way into the world of tech and then later angel investing?
2. What were the lessons that Chris took from his communications with Sequoia and Jim Goetz, that he has applied to his angel investing thesis?
3. Which element of the Metaswitch journey was Chris favourite time of the experience to work in?
4. How was the scaling process for Chris and Metaswitch in terms of hiring and maintaining the Metaswitch company culture?
5. Does Chris apply the same educational focussed hiring strategy to his founder assessment approach when he is angel investing? What does Chris look for in the founders he backs?

Items Mentioned Today:

Chris' Investments: MagicPony, Adbrain, Tractable

As always, you can learn more about SyndicateRoom here:
www.syndicateroom.com

and see Chris' latest tweets here: www.twitter.com/Chris_mairs
Apr 13, 201623:15
Simon Thorpe On The Ups And Downs Of Startup Investing

Simon Thorpe On The Ups And Downs Of Startup Investing

Simon is an active angel investor in UK companies with a focus on the technology sector. His current portfolio consists of twenty companies and to date has achieved four exits, including the likes of SwiftKey to Microsoft.
Simon is also a member of Cambridge Capital Group (CCG) and Angel Academe (a predominately female network), where he is on the advisory board. He participates as a mentor for the University of Manchester, Cambridge Judge Business School's Accelerate Cambridge programme and Angel Academe's female entrepreneur programme.

In Today’s Episode We Dive Into:

1.) How Simon made his entry into the investing world? What was it that attracted him to the world of startup investments?
2.) With 4 exits in the last 12 months, how has this affected you mindset to investing? What have been the commonalities when looking at those investments?
3.) At what point can an angel decide not to follow on in a round without providing a negative signaling function? Does it matter if you are the cornerstone investor?
4.) On the flip side of the 4 exits, what has been the most common reason Simon has seen startups fail? What attributes lead to a startup not reaching their potential?
5.) Where do Simon lie on the relationship between growth and revenue? Is revenue always required or can the sole aim of a company be growth? When does a company have to start considering monetisation?

Action Points for Today:

Fave blog or newsletter: Ben Evans

As always, you can learn more about SyndicateRoom here:
www.syndicateroom.com

and see Simon's latest tweets here:
www.twitter.com/thorpesi
Apr 06, 201623:07
Investing For The Long Term with Russ Shaw, Founder @ Tech London Advocates

Investing For The Long Term with Russ Shaw, Founder @ Tech London Advocates

Russ is an angel and venture investor and non-executive director of a number of high growth businesses. He is also a limited partner in Ariadne Capital’s ACE Fund and an investor in and advisor to Amazing Media Group. Russ is also a board member of the Tech City Advisory Group. Previously, Russ was Vice President & General Manager at Skype with responsibility for its mobile division globally. Russ exited when Skype was sold to Microsoft. Before Skype, Russ was at Telefonica, where he was the Global Innovation Director. This included managing a venture fund and an internal ‘incubation’ initiative. Prior to this role, he was with Telefonica’s O2 mobile business, as Marketing Director, responsible for initiatives such as The O2 venue in London. In Today’s Episode You Will Hear: 1.) How Russ made his entry into the investing world? What was it that attracted 2.) What were Russ’ big takeaways from his career investing institutionally? How does he allocate his portfolio in terms of differing asset classes? How much of his angel capital pool does Russ set aside for follow on rounds? 3.) What does Russ believe are the right reasons for founders to be raising money? What does Russ want to hear founders spending angel money on? 4.) How has Russ’ investment decision making process changed when approaching prospective startups to invest in? 5.) What is the TLA? What is the main purpose and function? What more can London do to become and be seen as the hub of tech behind Silicon Valley that we all so desperately want it to be? Items Mentioned In Today’s Show: Fave startup or investing blog? Huff Post, Tech City News As always, you can learn more about SyndicateRoom here: www.syndicateroom.com and see Russ' latest tweets here: www.twitter.com/RussShaw1
Mar 30, 201623:01
How Angels Can Use Social Media To Increase Deal Flow With Jonathan Struhl @ Indicator Ventures

How Angels Can Use Social Media To Increase Deal Flow With Jonathan Struhl @ Indicator Ventures

Jonathan is a General Partner at Indicator Ventures, however, Jonathan has not always been an early stage investor! After graduating from Yeshiva University, Sy Syms School of Business, Jonathan was the Director of Marketing at Sheets Brand Energy and Sleep Strips, helping launch their national advertising campaign in over 50,000 retail locations. He parlayed his experience into founding Socialosity, a digital marketing agency connecting brands with top-tier celebrities and influencers (LeBron James, Serena Williams, Pitbull, Chris Paul, etc.) through social media. Most recently, he was Co-founder of Kodiak Samurai, a NYC-based social media agency catering to complex global brand clients including Amazon’s Audible.com, Rolling Stone Magazine and Polaroid, among others.

In Today’s Episode We Discuss:
1.) How Jon made his way into the world of early stage investing?
2.) What does the Jonathan make of the evolution of social with the rise of the mobile? What does Jonathan think will be the platform for social in the future?
3.) How can angels use social media to assert their presence and thought leadership in an industry?
4.) How can angels bridge the divide of being a thought leader in one industry without losing the deal flow from another?
5.) How can angels build better relationships with current portfolio company founders through different social platforms? Does taking the conversation off email make the relationship deeper?
6.) Tell us about a war story, can you give us a little detail on an investment that went awry, what went wrong and how you changed your style as a result

Shopping Basket For The Show Today:

Favourite investing blog or newsletter: Launch, Strictly VC
Most recent investment: Wade and Wendy

As always, you can learn more about SyndicateRoom here:
www.syndicateroom.com

and see Jonathan's latest tweets here:
www.twitter.com/Struhl
Mar 23, 201624:10
The Importance Of Finding That Founder High with Nancy Fechnay @ Flight Ventures

The Importance Of Finding That Founder High with Nancy Fechnay @ Flight Ventures

Nancy Fechnay is a Partner @ Flight Ventures where Nancy runs the UK syndicate which now has over 430,000 comitted to the syndicate and Nancy moved to London from Silicon Valley in 2014, having spent time with the likes of Kleiner Perkins and GE Ventures. Now in the UK, Nancy is the Interim Director at Techstars London as well as an advisor to several select UK and U.S. based startups and has a soft spot for wearables and other digital hardware plays, but invests across all sectors. Contained In Today’s Episode: 1.) How Nancy made her entry into the tech and investing world? What was it that attracted Nancy to the world of investments? 2.) Having working in both the US and UK venture scene now, when comparing the US and European scenes what are the biggest differences? Do the entrepreneurs have a fundamentally different mindset? Are UK entrepreneurs more risk averse, as is always suggested? Are investor expectations different in the US? 3.) Does the narrow exit funnel for European startups not concern NancySome suggest that startups must go to the valley if they are to be acquired for $bn plus or have a successful IPO. Does Nancy agree? 4.) Why did Nancy agree to setup Uk Technology by Flight Ventures with Gil Penchina? What is the mission? What is the average investment? Is there a plan to be investing further in Europe in time? 5.) At a talk with the Chicago Angels Network Nancy said that European investors are much more KPI led, in comparison to US investors who follow the passion of the team and the vision? Which side does Nancy fall on and what are the pros and the cons? 6.) What have been Nancy’s biggest takeaways from working with Gil Penchina? Shopping List From Today’s Show: Favourite book and why: Machine Learning: The Art Of Science & Algorithms That Make Sense Of Data by Peter Flach Fave blog or newsletter: The Memo, Term Sheet Most recent investment and why: Lystable As always, you can learn more about SyndicateRoom here: www.syndicateroom.com and see Nancy's latest tweets here: www.twitter.com/NancyFechnay
Mar 16, 201619:06
What Working At Skype Taught Me About Angel Investing With Ruzbeh Bacha, Founder & CEO @ CityFalcon

What Working At Skype Taught Me About Angel Investing With Ruzbeh Bacha, Founder & CEO @ CityFalcon

Ruzbeh Bacha is the CEO and Founder @ CityFalcon and has worked in finance and strategy roles at KPMG, Nokia, Skype and Microsoft and With more than 15 years of investing and trading experience, he looks for parallels when investing in start-ups, and has invested in more than 10 start-ups since 2013. He also runs London Value Investing Club where members discuss stock investment opportunities and share their investing views and theses.

In Today’s Episode You Will Learn:
1.) How Ruzbeh made his entrance into the world of startups and investing?
2.) What were the biggest takeaways from working at Skype and how Ruzbeh has applied them to his role at CityFalcon?
3.) What were the hardest elements of starting and then building CityFalcon? What are Ruzbeh’s thoughts on the progression of London’s ecosystem as a fintech hub? Where are we doing well? How could we improve?
4.) What made Ruzbeh want to make the move into the investing world? How has his operational background impacted your investing perspective?
5.) What was the most challenging aspect about making the foray into the world of angel investing? How did Ruzbeh attempt to develop some form of pattern recognition when starting out investing?
6.) How has Ruzbeh honed his investment decision making process over time?

Items Mentioned In Today’s Episode:

Favourite blog or newsletter: Linkedin NewsFeed
Most recent investment: Lobster Media

As always, you can learn more about SyndicateRoom here:
www.syndicateroom.com

and see Ruzbeth's latest tweets here:
www.twitter.com/ruzbehb
Mar 09, 201621:02
What To Look For In Early Stage Consumer Startups with Sara Thomas, Principal @ Maven Ventures

What To Look For In Early Stage Consumer Startups with Sara Thomas, Principal @ Maven Ventures

Sara is a seed-stage investor in consumer startups at Maven, where she works with 20+ companies in the Maven portfolio and manages the Maven mentor network. Prior to joining Maven, Sara ran early-stage startup programming at The Idea Village, an entrepreneurship engine in New Orleans. While at The Idea Village, she built and managed a team of over 40 employees, contractors, and mentors to deliver direct services to over 1,200 companies. An enthusiastic supporter of entrepreneurs, Sara launched her own business in 2014 to help founders and investors launch and build networks that help startups thrive. She shares some of these experiences in her TEDx talk (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uR4-aEk5lQ).

In Today’s Episode You Will Learn:

1.) How Sara made her way into the world of tech and investing?
2.) What does Sara believe is the most important value add to startups and portfolio companies? How can investors differentiate themselves from fellow angels?
3.) What does Sara make of the importance of startups for being located in a tech hub? Does it really matter? What are the disadvantages, what are the advantages? How does it affect startup valuations?
4.) What are the determinants of a successful incubator? How can incubators differentiate themselves in the sea of incubators on the west coast?
5.) How can entrepreneurs learn to not get confused and disheartened by the famous investor whiplash? Is it right to hear feedback and not react to it?
6.) What does Sara believe is the optimal way for angels and incubators to act? How can angels get the most from the accelerator process?
7.) What Sara make of Sam Altman’s famous incubator hopping essay, where do Maven stand with regards to multiple accelerator startups?

Items Mentioned In Today’s Show:

Fave book and why: The Alchemist
Fave Blog or Newsletter: Mattermark Daily
Most recent investment and why you said yes: HomeMade

As always, you can learn more about SyndicateRoom here:
www.syndicateroom.com

and see Sara's latest tweets here:
www.twitter.com/saraannet
Mar 02, 201619:43