Your job as CEO and founder of a growth startup is to convince investors that you can deliver a significant return on investment. Then once they are convinced get their money into your account. How to convince investors to invest isn’t as complicated as many think. The best way is to have a steady stream…
In 2011 I wrote a blog for Sapphire Capital Partners (https://info.sapphirecapitalpartners.co.uk/blog/bid/200229/crowdfunding-sees-the-banking-crisis-as-an-opportunity-with-danger) discussing the continuing fallout of the 2008 banking crisis and the opportunities for the then revolutionary idea of Equity Crowd funding and P2P lending. The title of the Blog was “Crowdfunding sees the banking crisis as an Opportunity with Danger”. In hindsight, it should…
This recognition is well placed and the ranking is all the more impressive when you look at the populations of the cities in the top 9 places. Andrew Jenkins, Fintech Envoy for Northern Ireland was quoted to say: “Confirmation that Belfast has been ranked in the inaugural top 10 “Tech Cities of the Future” for…
Like everyone, we’ve been listening to a lot of zoom calls organised by HBAN, EBAN ( and their members), Greenbackers, Seedrs, Ignite, Expotential, Angels Den and our Raise sessions to name a few. These are the key themes and messages we’re hearing regarding fund raising: Some of the best returning investments in angel…
Before an early stage startup founder approaches investors they have to put themselves in the position of the investor and make sure they have the answers to the questions below. The idea – does it solve a problem? Does this idea capture my imagination? Can I see it in action solving a…
The Covid lock down has led to an increase in webinars and blogs from the investment community. They have given a great insight into the current state of play. The general themes are: Priority is keeping the lights on or helping them shine brighter. The priority of angels, VCs and funds is to protect their…
While our priority at Raise is to support our portfolio companies and the wider community as we deal with the pandemic but we have to keep looking forward. This blog is in comment to an article in the Sunday Times Business Section. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/past-six-days/2020-03-29/business/coronavirus-start-ups-facing-funding-collapse-v0fbwwkqz The Sunday Times has reported on a significant drop in levels…
The response to the Covid crisis from the Northern Ireland startup and wider business community has been very positive with many firms stepping up to provide their services and innovate new ones. The team at Shnuggle have designed and are manufacturing protective face mask equipment for NHS staff. They have launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise…
As the world battles Corvid-19, climate change and rollercoaster financial markets it’s worth focusing on some reason’s Northern Ireland’s startups have to be cheerful! More support is available for startups than ever before. We would obviously point out that Raise should be first port of call for any entrepreneurs with great ideas –…
A well recognised route a startup can take to find investors are crowdfunding and angel investment platforms. They provide businesses with a stage to present their investment opportunity and the administrative systems to accept investment in an orderly manner. This has been achieved by the use of new technology and the implementation of efficient business…
