1. An Entrepreneur’s Perspective
Investability
March 29th 2011

2. Objective
• Help entrepreneurs decide how to approach
seeking investment EFFECTIVELY
• Show investors what is going through those
young entrepreneurs heads

3. Richard Pitkin
• Serial Entrepreneur
• rbase - IT Technology and Services Company
• TwentyNinety - Intelligent Electronics for
Photovoltaics

4. Themes
• Funding options
• Gaps
• Presentation

5. Advice
• Think big
• Be ambitious
• Leave that British reserve in Midsomer
• Dig deep

6. Funding Options

7. Funding Options
• Grants
• FFF
• Angels Grey Area
UK
• Funds
• Venture Capital

8. Technology Pitch
• You’re always pitching to a VC
• UK technology is always undercapitalised
• What would you do with a million?

9. GAPS

10. Gaps
• Equity Gap
• Crossing the Chasm

11. Equity Gap
• You’ve raised the early capital up to £500k
with FFF an angels
• What next?

12. Equity Gap
• “A lot of small businesses desire funding, but
are not in a position to be invested in.
Whether they are unrealistic about how much
they are worth, or have not developed a
strong enough team, or their core proposition
is simply not scaleable, they have fallen short
on some basic criteria. There is a great deal
that we can do to help entrepreneurs help
themselves.” Doug Richard

13. Crossing the Chasm

15. Gaps and Chasms
• Hey – I’ll cross it when I get there
• But a VC and knowledgeable funders are
ready to help you cross it
• Be ready and get your message right

16. PRESENTATIONS

17. Create value
• Presentations cost money
• Do your due diligence
• Do your homework

18. Uniqueness
• “You do not merely want to be considered just
the best of the best. You want to be
considered the only ones who do what you
do.” Gerry Garcia

19. Presentations
• Angel groups cost money
– Do the due diligence
– Do they invest?
– What’s their history?
• Take every opportunity to present
• Take every opportunity for free training
• Work out your team strengths
• Your spokesperson is the shop window

20. Some brick walls I walked into
• 16:00 - 17:00
BALANCE OF SYSTEMS
• Guy Sella, SolarEdge, Israel
• Brian Dupin, ActSolar, USA
• Richard Pitkin, TwentyNinety, UK

21. San Francisco 2008

22. London 2010

23. Summary
• Everybody wants you to be the next big thing.
So project “next big thing”
• Control your destiny
• Chasms and gaps are for companies who can’t
see further than the chasm. The penknife is
part of the company kitbag
• Take every opportunity to tell your story

24. SPark

25. March 2011

26. The SPark Approach
• Common objectives –
• A hub to enhance the economic strength of Bristol & Bath
– build key sectors – aerospace, creative & digital, semiconductor, environmental, marine
– enhance the opportunities for cross-sector collaboration
• Open up access to cutting edge technologies
– Point of Presence
– High cost, specialised equipment – silicon chip design/bio-pharma
– Eco-transport
• A place designed to accelerate:
– the profile of the Bristol-Bath region in the national and global marketplace
– the commercialisation of science & technology
– inward investment
• On-going commitment to building and operating in a low carbon and
sustainable environment
• Local management integrated into commercial, social and cultural
life of the region
– Creating opportunities for new linkages across sectors and silos

27. My Vision
• Interactions are where new ideas start.
Quantum SPark makes serendipitous
meetings more likely
• Entrepreneurial companies see Quantum
SPark as the only place to be to achieve
commercial success
• SPark is the Sand Hill Road of the UK

28. How?
• Innovation Centre
– Small, low commitment office space
– High interaction
– Premium IT and comms capability
– Hot Desking and Virtual Office
– Hub Offices for common interest companies
• Grow-On Space
– Lab and Office
• Sustainability
– BREEAM
– EV

29. And Finally let’s not forget who’s
already on the Park
• NCC