The EIS & VC Navigator

Andy Davidson has created the Nova Co-foundery to help develop businesses from before day one. We discuss how it works and how he developed his company building philosophy. As well as his practical experience, he has extensively researched the issues that startups have. A significant focus is the 5 reasons that startups fail (100firsthits.com). We discuss what these are, why they are a problem and...

Hardware investing is a relatively niche area within EIS investing, but still has many attractions. Dr Ilian Iliev of EMV Capital talks about how the capital intensity has improved and how the ecosystem is attractive. We also draw on his background in intellectual property to discuss the different strategies that startup companies can use. We go through the pros and cons, with lots of information...

Film investing through EIS has changed radically since the Patient Capital Review. Andeas Roald is CEO of Sovereign Media, whose background is in making films rather than simply financing them, talks about the return to more traditional structures. We go through some of the basics of film investing, discussing where and how investors get their returns. Distribution is key, and the landscape is cha...

While equity crowdfunding hasn't taken off the way that many hoped, it is an important influence on startups and the EIS industry. Rob Murray Brown is one of the few crowdfunding experts outside the platforms, with strong opinions on what is and isn't working for investors. We discuss many of the issues for investors, the challenges of getting the right information, what diligence the platforms ar...

As investors, it is easy to focus on the process of making investments and forget that the real work happens afterwards. Dr Andy Round discusses supporting companies after an investment is made. We cover getting the right board in place and different sources of support, including various government schemes. We also discuss the challenges of fund managers supporting companies, including getting the...

We are joined by Pippa Gawley from Zero Carbon Capital who are focussed on climate investing. We talk about Pippa's belief that the climate crisis is the most important issue an investor can look to help solve. We discuss the challenges of small companies making meaningful contributions on a global scale and making judgements about what will and won't work. We also discuss the challenges of improv...

We are joined by Matthew O'Kane from Nexus Ventures. Nexus are thematic investors and we discuss how to find and invest in good themes. Matthew gives a couple of examples, showing how he built an investment thesis and how these have worked out. Nexus Ventures website Scale-up Fund website Matthew's suggested books: Dexy Midnight Runners: Young Soul Rebels - Richard White Second Bounce of the Ball...

This is the second of our bonus episodes introducing EIS and tax-advantaged schemes. This time we take the perspective of companies trying to raise money. To help us, our guest is Simon Thorn from Acceleris. We discuss some of the options available to companies and what considerations they should think about when choosing an investor. HMRC guide to raising money under EIS HMRC guide to raising mon...

Interview with Paul Miller, Managing Partner and CEO at Bethnal Green Ventures. We talk about running an acclerator, what Paul thinks is important for companies to develop and how the markets for startups are changing. We also discuss social impact investing and how companies can move from ideas to having a measurable impact. Suggested book: "Wilding: The Return of Nature to a British Farm" - Isab...

We had requests for episodes that were more introductory, for those new to investing in the Enterprise Investment Scheme, the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme and Venture Capital Trusts. In the first of two bonus episodes, Mark Brownridge, Director General of the EIS Association, talks about the schemes from the perspective of investors and advisors. We outline why the schemes exist, what the adv...

Interview with Dr Reuben Wilcock, Ventures Director at Blackfinch Ventures. We talk about the challenges of creating an investment process from scratch, including establishing a quality pipeline and creating effective decision making. We also talk about some of the challenges of the Advanced Assurance process. Suggested books: "How to Win Friends and Influence People" - Dale Carnegie "The Hard Thi...

Interview with Andrew Castell from Par Equity in Edinburgh. We talk about angel investing, running an angel syndicate and the merits of being an angel versus a passive investor.

A brief discussion of this new podcast on EIS and venture capital and what you can expect to hear about very soon.