 |
|
|
|
 |
In
this Edition |
Issue
No.49 |
|
|
|
|
| 'Welcome'
from the Editor |
Dear
Reader
It is the last few days before the UK Government’s Consultation
on the Enterprise Investment Scheme ends. I hope you will fill in
our survey AngelNews EIS Survey 2008 so that you
can help us to prepare a response that truly reflects the views
of the market. The EIS scheme has been stagnant for the last four
years, despite rising levels of investment activity, which suggests
that there is something wrong with it. This is our chance to suggest
changes.
This month we are launching Gabriel and The Cherub
– a new section where readers’ queries are answered
by Gabriel our friendly angel investor and by his new partner in
crime, The Cherub – enjoy it and start sending in questions.
The only thing we promise you is that when Gabriel and The Cherub
do reply you will find the answers original and perceptive.
Lastly, please read this month’s The Interview of veteran
venture capital corporate finance adviser, Philip Marsden from Vantis
plc.
Enjoy the sunny weather which appears to have arrived at last.
If you fancy escaping to the English countryside for a short break,
why don’t you try out Charlton House Hotel
which is our AngelNews recommendation of the month.
Best
Modwenna
[Top of page] |
|
| That’s
neat, that’s neat, that’s neat, that’s neat, I really
love your….apologies to Mud |
 |
Acquisition
Noble announces acquisition of Clear Capital |
 |
Appointment
Data Discoveries Further Expand Their Team |
 |
Biotechnology
Aseptika Ltd launches Time Saving Single-use Bioreactor Sampler |
 |
Brokers’
Tips - Daniel Stewart
2 June 2008 Imperial Energy Corporation (IEC.L) - BUY Price: 980p
Target price: 1500p |
 |
Computer Software
Datactics Delivers Data Quality Management Across Multinational
Domains |
 |
Consumer Gaming
The online gambling sector share prices remain relatively volatile,
with bulls and bears pulled between the potential positives from
market growth, consolidation and a mooted settlement by the majors
with the US DoJ, offset by potential negatives from adverse regulatory
risk. |
 |
Environmental
Varma Invests Two Million Euros in SoftBatteryTM Developer, Enfucell
Oy |
 |
Event
CUTEC TVC Conference 12th June |
 |
Financial Services
Noble announces acquisition of Clear Capital |
 |
Fundraising
South East Seed Fund announces first investment in Helvata |
 |
Italy
Italian Business Angels visited Slovenia |
|
New Product
Launch
Love2reward & G-T-P Launch Love2Choose Gift Cards |
 |
Robotics
Acrobot awarded international quality certifications |
 |
Technology
As interest in Dip Pen Nanolithography (DPN®) continues to
grow worldwide, NanoInk is pleased to announce a forum for users
and those interested in the technique to share news and views. |
|
| ALERT!!! |
LAST CHANCE TO HAVE YOUR SAY
ON EIS
HM Government’s Consultation in the Enterprise Investment
Scheme closes on 19th June. So this is your last chance to have
your say on how you think EIS could be improved!
If you want to read the consultation paper please click here: http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/media/4/C/bud08_eis_758.pdf.
We are currently preparing our response and we would be delighted
to include your views. So we have a survey which lists all the questions
from the Government and even suggests a few answers. Please click
here AngelNews
EIS Survey 2008 to tell us what you think and we will reflect
in our response what you think. There are lots of questions so feel
free only to answer the ones that you feel are most relevant to
you.
Thanks in advance for your help.
[Top of page] |
|
| EASY
Investment Forum, London, 26th-27th June 2008 |
 |
| EASY
Investment Forum, London, 26th-27th June 2008
Institute Chartered Accountants of England
and Wales, Moorgate, London
EASY London Partners GLE Growth Capital and NESTA partners
announce that the Summer 2008 EASY Investment Forum will be
held in London, UK.
The EASY cross-border investment forum will be hosted by
GLE Growth Capital and NESTA, supported by Media Deals.
The Forum will be held at the Institute Chartered Accountants
of England and Wales prestigious Accountants’ Hall in
Moorgate. Starting in the afternoon of the 26th the presentation
event will be followed by a Gala Dinner at the Tower Hotel
near Tower Bridge. The event will continue on the second day
with the remaining companies pitching their businesses.
The sectors will be:
- ICT
- Media
- Medical Technologies
- Clean Energy Technologies
During the event, 10 additional selected Spanish companies
will be allowed to display their activities through video
presentation.
Entrepreneurs:
Entrepreneurs wishing to apply to participate in
the EASY Investment Forum event will need to comply with the
following core requirements:
- High growth potential in the agreed sectors
- Marked international focus
- Funds required should be lower than €2m
All the selected companies will receive coaching for preparation
for the event and further specific preparation the day before
the Investment Forum event presentation.
The deadline for receipt
of applications is scheduled for the 29th June 2008.
Please register to the EASY Investment
Forum by clicking
HERE
Investors: The Easy Investment
Forum in London on 26th-27th June 2008 is aimed at investors
interested in seeking cross-border investment opportunities
in internationally focused businesses across Europe seeking
up to €2m in the above 4 sectors.
You will receive details of all of the selected companies
in advance andw see pitch presentations from each of the companies,
including the opportunity to meet and network with fellow
early stage investors from across Europe and with a view to
potential syndications.
If you are interested in participating in this event, please
register to the EASY Investment Forum by clicking HERE or
contact info@earlystageinvestors.org
Please
find here the Forum Brochure
[Top of page] |
|
|
 |
|
| Broker
Tips |
| AngelNews is now working
alongside Daniel Stewart to publish their morning reports on the
state of the stock market and to give you up to the minute research
on stocks and shares covered by Daniel Stewart’s team of analysts.
We have been publishing these morning reports since 19th March,
but here is an idea of how some of the shares have performed over
May since Daniel Stewart tipped them:
The five best tips in April
|
Date of Tip |
Company |
Share Price at time of Tip |
Target Price |
Advice |
Price at 03.06.08 |
| 01.05.08 |
Faroe Petroleum |
170p |
200p |
BUY |
190.5p |
| 15.05.08 |
Stem Cell Sciences |
16p |
16p |
HOLD |
16.25p |
| 19.05.08 |
Portland Gas |
427p |
200p |
SELL |
374p |
| 20.05.08 |
Imperial Energy Corp. |
934p |
1500p |
BUY |
1038p |
Brokers’ Tips includes a short summary of the recommendations
made by Daniel Stewart. We will also shortly be adding Daniel Stewart’s
general sector research to our site.
[Top of page] |
|
| What
is in a place |
| Does
a really successful business have to be located in an urban hub or
a centre of tech excellence? Here at AngelNews we are based in converted
farm buildings in the middle of the Somerset countryside and apart
from being at the end of the line for broadband which means when the
cloud cover is low we are on and off rather than always online, I
reckon we don’t do so badly.
Our team are highest quality, we have a warm modern office, electricity,
a mobile phone signal, a kettle and a sink. What more do we need?
And our added benefits are relaxed landlords and the chance to look
over a beautiful rural scene with a church spire in the distance.
In fact we are in our very own hub ourselves. Our latest co-tenant
is a spa and beauty parlour. It seems to co-exist pretty happily
with a working farm, us and a software company. I should think turnover
per square foot is pretty good in the 50 yards radiating from the
desk where I am writing this. But we have no BusinessLink to support
us or friendly VC waiting to invest in us while it sits in a bush
in the next field supping on a Starbucks. Perhaps there is a correlation
here that we have not previously identified!
People talk to me about the amazing environment that is Cambridge
and Silicon Fen. They are right, but for everyone I meet there is
someone else who feels disenfranchised from the “exclusive”
group that is the powerbase of entrepreneurship in that region.
They grumble that there are two classes of entrepreneur there, those
in the inner gang and those who are not and never will be. Maybe
they are right; maybe they are wrong, I guess it is a matter of
perception. Personally I know lots of charming investors and entrepreneurs
from Cambridge. They don’t seem exclusive to me. However,
even Doug Richard regularly tells us that the Cambridge phenomenon
is not big enough to make the very best management teams relocate
from London and he is forced to move entrepreneurial company head
offices into town, if he wants the best teams. The message from
the market is: R&D can remain behind in the sticks or the university
labs, but the big boys live in the smog of a great metropolis.
I sometimes wonder how different it would be if my own business
was based in Silicon Valley. I am pretty sure it would only be worse
if I was based in London – more expensive, more stressful
and probably no hope of a revenue premium for being based in a flash
post code. But Silicon Valley? I suspect it would be if reports
are anything to go by. Not just the physical location, but also
because of the attitude of people. The US, for now (we keep watching
India & China), is the master of entrepreneurship. There they
build businesses worth billions not millions and yet so many Americans
have never left their own shores. Us, their more “cosmopolitan”
European cousins, boast about the success of just a few companies
that have made it really big in the last decade or so, ARM, Skype,
Dyson, Virgin.. and then I get stuck for others.
Some will blame national borders within the European continent
as the problem – whether the division is caused by language
or politics - but perhaps despite all the rhetoric here in Europe
we are just still not culturally attuned to entrepreneurialism.
Last month I went to Tel Aviv for the Israeli annual Venturing Association
Conference. I was knocked over that a country with such a small
population could have such a dynamic attitude to building business
and whose ambitions are to create enormous world beating companies,
not just a quick sale and a fast buck.
Wherever they may be based physically, the best people to help
and support entrepreneurial businesses thrive are people who are
or have already run entrepreneurial businesses, like the farmers
who own our offices. As a result of them converting their farm buildings,
for a commercial motive for themselves, they have done more for
the GDP of Knowle Hill than any “initiative” from Westminster.
So, what is in a place? Well its not the physical place that matters,
it is the dimension in which that place hangs. The UK political
parties are operating in an entrepreneurial vacuum, not even debating
the issues the entrepreneurial citizenry care about. Perhaps, regrettably,
we need a real economic downturn, where businesses start failing
on a bigger scale, causing a dip in tax take to make the politicians
realize that economies thrive on strong corporates and that these
organizations and their investors need to be treated with a light
touch if they are going to continue the financial bread basket of
the country.
[Top of page] |
|
| Imperial
Innovations Incubation services |
 |
| Imperial Innovations, the
IP commercialisation and investment company based at Imperial College
London, was ranked second in the UK on volume of deals by Director
magazine in 2007. We thrive on being at the forefront of innovation
and start-up company incubation.
To enhance the quality of our deal flow pipeline in the cleantech
sector, we are collaborating with the Carbon Trust and WRAP to deliver
incubation services to the best low-carbon and recycling technology
start-ups in the UK.
What we are looking for?
Low carbon or recycling potential (for the Carbon Trust and
WRAP respectively)
- Strong IP position
- Commercial potential
- Working prototype
- Committed team that we can work with
|
|
What's in it for you?
We are able to provide up to £60,000 worth of services
sponsored by the Carbon Trust or WRAP.
These services include: IP guidance, business plan preparation,
market research and customer engagement. Through our network
of strategic partners we are also able to make introductions
to legal firms and investors. |
What's in it for us?
An opportunity to work with the best UK-based businesses and potentially
invest in their further development.
If you are interested, please contact:
|
Mr Fabien Holler
Imperial Innovations ltd
12th floor, EEE building
Imperial College
London SW7 2AZ |
Email: f.holler@imperial.ac.uk
Tel: 0207 581 4949 |
[Top of page] |
|
| Ask
Gabriel and the Cherub |
| Welcome to the latest development
at AngelNews. We have asked our old friend Gabriel and our new friend
The Cherub to give us their views on the key questions our readers
ask us about. This month it’s all about salary….
I am about to invest in a business where the founders want to pay
themselves £70,000 a year each in salary. Is this too much
for them to earn?
Gabriel says:
 What
a great question to start off our new AngelNews agony aunt
column. The knotty issue of salary always provokes me to respond
in clear and uncertain terms. I started my business from scratch
and did not take a proper salary for four and a half years.
We lived in a small flat and the kids shared a bedroom. My
wife worked to support us all, whilst I slogged it out trying
to build the business.
I think this is the way all entrepreneurs should work and
what investors (including me) should expect. All the talk
these days of the need to pay a mortgage or the children’s
school fees is nonsense in the entrepreneurial world, especially
in a country with state education available on tap. And, after
all, the median wage in this country is still about £24,000
a year, so why do you need more than that? I think that if
you are a big shareholder in the business and will benefit
from the upside when it gets sold, you should take salary
sacrifice until the company can afford to pay you better. |
|
The Cherub says:  Well
now, I look at the whole founders’ salaries issue a
bit differently from the norm I suspect. I have had my career
in venture capital and am a bit new to angel investing, but
I look at what works in the venture and private equity industry
and it seems clear to me that the right thing to do as an
investor is to pay the market rate for a job to be done, IF
the person is right for the job. Pay people properly and they
do not have to worry about the mortgage or their family, so
they can commit 110% of their brain power to the business.
With a good salary they can make sure they look the part and
have the confidence to believe that they have real credibility
when talking to customers and strategic partners. It also
sets a benchmark for the rest of the team to aim at. Another
good reason for paying well is that the founders will be less
tempted to have a flexible attitude to their expense claims
and there will be no excuse to blend the family holiday with
a work trip so it can be charged to the company.
But perhaps the main reason I think you should pay market
rate for a job is that if you do not, you are cheating yourself
as an investor. Not putting into the P&L the true costs
of running the business as a commercial concern means you
are deluding yourself about its prospects and putting yourself
into a position of dependence on the continuing goodwill of
the founder. Not a good position to be in as a financial investor
to my mind. Much better that they depend on you! |
If you have a question that you would like Gabriel and The Cherub
to answer please email it to gandc@angelnews.co.uk.
[Top of page] |
|
| How
to make money out of angel investing part 8 |
| The
shock of the credit crunch is now over, but the impact has only just
begun. How is the angel investment market going to deal with this
new economic climate where arguably the easiest thing for an investor
to do is fly to safer investment opportunities or even to literally
fly away for an extended holiday?
The view of many experienced angels is that a bit of a set-back
in the market is over due. During 2006/7 valuations were getting
increasingly toppy and good deals (from an investor perspective)
were very hard to find. Angels tell me that this has got better
in the last six months, but I am not sure that this has really stimulated
investment levels. We are currently gathering the statistics for
the Venture Index for the quarter ending March 2008 and this will
tell us more, but I fear we will see December 2007 as the peak of
this cycle. But if there is going to be a downturn, it will create
additional opportunities for the angels who continue to invest.
Not only will they have a greater choice of investment opportunity,
but also they will be able to strike better terms for themselves.
Early stage entrepreneurs are pretty immune to the worst effects
of recession, not least because they are so used dealing in an environment
where they are cash strapped. They may actually have greater opportunities
to exploit the situation – just one example is that their
marketing budget will probably stretch further as advertising rates
fall.
The typical recession will only last for a number of months, probably
a shorter time than it will take for a small company to really get
on its feet and therefore the effects are more likely to pass them
by than would be the case for a more established business. Research
also suggests that because smaller businesses are less driven by
a culture of implementing grand plans, they are more able to adapt
to the changing environment and to their customers’ changing
needs and objectives.
As an angel investor it is also necessary to take a more adaptable
approach to your investment strategy in this type of environment.
In the first instance the ability of companies to borrow will probably
mean that you have an opportunity to act as banker as well as equity
investor to your investee companies. Consider lending them a chunk
of the next funding round as a convertible loan rather than taking
straight equity.
It will be tempting to negotiate hard on valuation, but be careful.
If you squash the equity position of the founders too much, they
will be demoralized and demotivated at the same time as trying to
address much harder commercial challenges. Now may in fact be the
time to be more generous.
Seek out entrepreneurs who have a variety of solutions to optimizing
their market rather than just one. This is probably not the time
to tie investment to the business plan they have written to win
your interest and it is definitely not the time to tie performance
related awards to tight milestones. Beware of setting up ratchets
which may force the company into the wrong corner. If you must set
targets, tie them to high level objectives like sales growth or
overall cost control.
Now may be the time for a company to spend time investing in its
future value. So consider whether to apply resources to intellectual
property protection rather than an expensive sales team which won’t
find any customers when it goes out on the road. It is also the
time to invest in increasing the skills set of the existing team.
If the marketing team wants to re-brand, persuade them to learn
how to do more design work in-house rather than paying outside experts.
It is probably also the time to bring in advisers who can help the
existing team to deal with the effects of recession, rather than
hiring in a new expensive team and sacking the old one.
Keep an eye out for excellent people who are being made redundant
from competitors, especially if they are leaving with a good redundancy
package and can afford to take a pay cut to join you.
Have a review of employment contracts, making them as flexible
as possible. One of the biggest costs in a downturn is shrinking
the team through redundancy. Make sure the team understands that
a ready bonus or regular pay rise is not the order of the day.
The team should chasing every bit of revenue they can. Instill
this culture throughout the organization. Why not get as many people
as possible to have a specific target of either selling enough or
saving enough to pay their own salary, as a way of getting them
engaged with issues senior management are facing?
When it comes to cost control, take the financial projections and
shift revenues later by six months, whilst keeping costs the same.
This will help you to assess how much money the company will really
need. Invest accordingly.
Even though times are tougher in the UK today, other economies
are still growing strongly. This may be the time to consider investing
in businesses that are looking to India and China for their customers
and not western Europe. You may have to accept that your locally
based management team really does need to hot foot it off abroad
to where the biggest opportunities exist. If this is the case, agree
a communications strategy with them before they go!
Cash is going to be king in this period, so request that you are
kept informed about cash flow on a weekly or bi-weekly basis rather
than monthly. As well as looking at absolute numbers, keep an eye
on the relative percentages. If something starts getting out of
sync, address it immediately. Make sure that the management is not
being tempted to put some bills into a drawer rather than through
the books. A good financial controller will be one of the best investments
you can make during this phase of the economic cycle.
Lastly think about your investment strategy. Follow the institutional
investors who buy into sectors that will see a quick upturn when
economic conditions recover, even if prices are falling right now.
If you are looking at more mature small businesses, seek out those
in defensive industries and those which are not led on technology.
These will be less cash hungry and find it easier to make sales
even if margins fall.
Now is also the time to take a step back and do a bit of crystal
ball gazing for yourself and not just following the herd. Keep an
eye out for truly visionary businesses which may seem crazy now,
but will be in spot on for their market in 2-3 years time. But take
great care in industries where technological development is going
through an exponential curve – the chances are the business
you invest in will be overtaken by someone else before you have
had a chance to turn around unless it is truly ahead of the curve.
If you are going to back clean tech, hi tech or biotech, call in
the specialists to give you their view during due diligence and
take up customer references. Finally talk to people younger than
you about what they think of the business you are going to back
– after all, one day they will be the generation directly
or indirectly buying the products, or not.
[Top of page] |
|
 |
|
| Something
to make you smile |
| Cake Or Bed?
A venture capitalist is at home watching a football match when
his wife interrupts, 'honey, could you fix the light in the hallway?
It's been flickering for weeks now.'
He looks at her and says angrily, 'fix the lights now? Does it
look like I have 'Powergen' written on my forehead? I don't think
so!'
'Fine!' then the wife asks, 'well then, could you fix the fridge
door? It won't close right'
To which he replied, 'fix the fridge door? Does it look like I
have 'Frigidaire' written on my forehead? I don't think so!'
'Fine!' she says 'then you could at least fix the steps to the
front door? They are about to break'
'I'm not a carpenter and don't want to fix steps', he says, 'does
it look like I have 'Taylor Woodrow' written on my forehead? I don't
think so! I've had enough of this; I’m going to the pub!!!!'
So he goes to the pub and drinks for a couple of hours................
He starts to feel guilty about how he treated his wife, and decides
to go home
As he walks into the house he notices that the steps are already
fixed.
As he enters the house, he sees the hall light is working
As he goes to get a beer, he notices the fridge door is fixed.
Honey, he asks, 'how'd all this get fixed?'
She said, 'well, when you left I sat outside and cried. Just then
a nice young man asked me what was wrong, and I told him. He offered
to do all the repairs, and all I had to do was either go to bed
with him or bake a cake.'
He said, 'so what kind of cake did you bake?'
She replied, 'hellooooo.., do you see 'Mr Kipling' written on my
forehead? I don't think so!'
[Top of page] |
|
| Reordering
angel investment in an economic downturn |
|
A key question
which arises in the current economic situation is how much angel
investors would like to change their approach to increase the probability
of success. In recognising this opportunity for change, the need
for exceptional (and experienced) management becomes much more important
than during boom times when almost anyone can ride the wave. So
surely, the drive must be to achieve good management teams at the
earliest possible opportunity?
Typically angels first meet businesses when they are looking for
cash, even if the team is not complete, and some of this cash is
applied to salaries to build the team. Angels themselves often become
part of the team in some form or another, whether or not they intended
to “buy themselves a job.” I firmly believe that this
is the wrong way around. The team should be built before any money
is handed over.
If the team is right and includes someone who is prepared to back
it with his or her own money, surely that is a stronger investment
proposition for other angels or even VCs, than a part baked team
of inexperienced entrepreneurial enthusiasts?
The result of adopting this more prescriptive approach would be,
in most cases, a much shortened quest for investment and a clearer
exit path to more definitive timescales.
Whether it is the economy that will force us to think and act like
this or some other factor, I am certain of one thing, that one day
we will see events where companies pitch to build their investable
management team and only afterwards pitch for any money.
For further information contact Dermot Hill at Intramezzo. Email:
dh@intramezzo.co.uk.
[Top of page] |
|
| Lucifer
Lines:
|
Thomas Edison said “Just because
something doesn't do what you planned it to do doesn't mean it's
useless.”
Lucifer says
Just because something does what you planned it to do doesn’t
mean anyone will want it
|
|
| This
is the deal that was |
| If you
had been investing back in May 1983, these are the sort of opportunities
that would have been on offer to you!
Did you back any of them or do you know someone who did? Perhaps
you know what happened to them for some other reason. If so, please
let us know – we would love to find out (email replies to
modwenna@angelnews.co.uk)
| Company Name |
Management |
Location |
Funds Sought |
Hist. Turnover |
Activity |
Stage |
| Games Software Publishing |
David Levy |
London |
£500,000 for 33% |
- |
Software for personal computers |
Launch |
| Convertible Dory |
Peter Sylvester |
Berkshire |
£20,000 for 45% |
- |
Design for a boat |
Development Capital |
| Prestige Painters and Seamless Gutters |
James Dodwell |
East Sussex |
£50,000 for 50% |
£12,500 |
Maintenance work |
Expansion |
| Saffronrose Ltd. |
John Sommerwill |
London |
£60,000 for 40% |
£108,912 |
Specialist software |
Development Capital |
| National Geranium Park |
Dr Eric Inman |
Kent |
£400,000 for £39% |
- |
Gardens |
Launch |
| Complete Extraction Exhaust |
Patrick Hansen |
Brighton |
£25,000 for 30% |
- |
Exhaust system |
Development Capital |
| C.A. Systems Ltd. |
Neil and Richard Charrington |
Birmingham |
£30,000 for 25% |
£22,600 |
Computer Dealership |
Expansion |
| Surface Grinder |
Michael Guest |
Wolverhampton |
£27,000 |
- |
Plano surface grinder |
Expansion |
| Small Cinema/Film Production |
Ray Brett and Davis Warren |
London |
£2,300,000 for 50% |
- |
Building small cinemas |
Launch |
| Private School Expansion |
St. Francis School |
Wiltshire |
£155,000 |
- |
Purchase land and buildings |
Expansion |
| Micro Watchdog |
David Underhill |
Birmingham |
£60,000 for 40% |
- |
Central heating boiler control unit |
Development Capital |
[Top of page] |
|
| Events |
| We
know you all want to meet each other, get more out of us and our
Preferred Partners and generally make AngelNews work for you. So
we have decided to up the ante on the number of events we would
like to invite you to. Here is a list of them. We do hope you will
be able to make it to one soon.
|
Technology
Venture Conference (TVC) |
|
Date: |
12th June 2008 |
|
Place |
The Cambridge University Arms Hotel from 8:45am through to 5:30pm |
|
About the event: |
This year, the TVC will
feature keynote speakers Garret Camp (co-founder & chief
product officer, StumbleUpon), Michael Liebreich (founder
& CEO, New Energy Finance) and Peter Hartzbech (co-founder
& CEO, iMotions).
Come and enjoy three stimulating panel discussions:
“The Future of Biofuels”, “Personalised Medicine” and “What’s
beyond Web 2.0”. The conference also includes a showcase
session of the latest technologies in the respective areas
by companies requesting to take part.
Interested in participating
or demonstrating your technology in the show case session?
Visit www.cutec.org for
more information and to register. We’ll look forward to
meeting you there for what will quite possibly be, the most
enterprising networking opportunity of the year.
This year the TVC is
part of Enterprising Cambridge. This is a series of events
from 11th June to 13th June all of which promote enterprise
in the Cambridge area.
The aim is to inspire novice entrepreneurs, raise awareness
of activities in Cambridge and bring together a rich mix
of aspiring and experienced entrepreneurs with
members of the academic and business community.
|
Cost: |
Early Bird (EB) prices
until May the 19th, do not lose this opportunity!
Professionals - £80
(EB)/ £90, Students and Postdocs - £20 (EB)/£35, Cambridge
Alumni - £70 (EB)/£80, Company Showcase - £90 (EB)/£100,
Showcase for finalist of the business plan competitions
- £20 (EB)/£35
|
|
Contact: |
For more information visit www.cutec.org
|
|
ICON's
CEO Leadership Summit 2008 |
|
Date: |
18
June 2008 |
|
Place |
London Stock Exchange, 10 Paternoster
Square, London EC4M 7LS |
|
About the event: |
Tech CEOs
are facing ever-increasing challenges in today’s dynamic
and fast changing world of business.
The CEO
Leadership Summit explains what the world’s most visionary
leaders do differently, how they organize their companies
to succeed and which management practices produce exceptional
results.
With the
ever-increasing challenges that CEOs face today, the Summit
is a unique business event providing CEOs and Entrepreneurs
with advice on how to accelerate growth and maximize shareholder
value.
Come and
hear top tech CEOs reveal the secrets of their success.
By attending this Summit
you will:
- Find
out from Adobe how to create and dominate a new market
- Learn
from Oracle how innovation can fuel your top and bottom
line
- Hear
from Cisco how to integrate acquisitions successfully
and accelerate growth
- Understand
from Apple how to compete globally including how to succeed
in China & India
- Learn
how other successful leaders formulate strategy and key
decisions
- Discover
the top three leadership priorities to improve a company’s
performance
- Understand
what creates successful channel strategies
- Make
better and faster decisions and execute strategy more
effectively
- Hear
from top VCs how to finance your growth strategy
|
|
Cost: |
Members £295+
VAT(£51.63)
Non-Members £ 395+
VAT(£69.13)
|
|
Contact: |
For more
information please contact Tammy Greeno on 020 7331 2037
or email her at tammy.greeno@intellectuk.org.
Alternatively you can visit http://www.iconcorpfin.co.uk |
|
For: |
CEOs/ Managing
Directors/FDs
Chairmen & Non-Exec Directors
VC Investors & Portfolio Companies
VP Business Development/Sales & Marketing Directors
Entrepreneurs |
|
London Stock Exchange: Investor Relations
Seminars |
|
Date: |
24th
June 2008, 21 October 2008, London. 8.30am to 4.30pm |
|
Place |
London Stock Exchange, 10 Paternoster
Square, London EC4M 7LS |
|
About
the event: |
This course
aids IR practitioners in dealing with the increasing pressures
of the corporate communications market.
Topics will include:
- Understand
the needs and wants of the key audiences
- Communicate
with the buy and sell side
- Manage
relations with the financial media
- Target
your shareholder base
- Explore
the opportunities the internet presents for communicating
with investors
- Gain an insight into the mind of an institutional
investor.
|
|
Cost: |
Angel
News subscribers get 20% discount off usual price of £650
+ VAT = £520 & VAT
To receive the discount, please quote code “Angel2008” when
making a booking by telephone or post |
|
Contact: |
To
book please click on this link: Or tel: Claire McKoy
on 020 7797 1739 or email cmckoy@londonstockexchange.com |
| For:
|
- Chief
executives and finance directors
- Company
secretaries
- Investor
relations officers
- Corporate
communications staff
- Newly
appointed board directors
- New
entrants to the IR profession.
|
|
Intelligent
Talking Events |
|
Date: |
20th
June 2008 |
|
Place |
Adam
Street,
London |
|
About
the event: |
In the
competitive market for venture funding, the proverbial ‘investor
pitch’ is critical. Approached by hundreds of businesses
each year hoping to finance their entrepreneurial aspirations,
VCs have no shortage of ideas looking for their contacts,
brains and capital, and when one company fails to measure
up, in quickly steps a commercially savvy entrepreneur building
the right proposition to secure the investor’s pounds.
There
are some great ideas out there. Innovation within the UK
is far from a dying art, and hoards of entrepreneurs present
their companies on pretty much a daily basis – taking part
in business plan competitions and investor roadshows, pitching
during private meetings behind closed doors and discussing
their ambitions over coffees and beers at informal networking
events across the country. And yet if you were to be a fly
on the wall during some of these conversations, you’d be
surprised at what gets discussed. The worrying fact is that
the majority of entrepreneurs pitching to investors struggle
to communicate their ideas and added to this fail to understand
what is being assessed, for example how an investor will
be looking at numerous aspects in addition to the core technology
or idea, such as the commercial scalability, defensibility,
route to market, management team, corporate structure and
so on. In stalling at this first pitch stage, the sad fact
is that many entrepreneurs are simply reducing their chances
of financing their businesses.
Aimed
squarely at this problem, Mudhut, the venture market consultancy
launched by Andrea Blakesley in 2005 which has worked with
over 250 entrepreneurs on investor and commercial pitches,
is launching a series of investor pitch masterclasses across
the UK called intelligent talking. With an investor
advisory board behind the scenes, and a core group of partners
and sponsors committed to the entrepreneurial sector including
Angel News, Mudhut is effectively offering ‘concentrated
consultancy’ to de-risk the one moment that an entrepreneur
can ill afford to get wrong. |
|
Cost: |
Structured
to include up to three director level representatives from
each business, attendance costs £600 + vat per company |
|
Contact: |
For more
information on what it’s all about and how to apply, see
www.intelligent-talking.co.uk. |
|
The
Corporate Finance Faculty AIM Forum series 2008 |
|
Date: |
2
practical half day forums in:
Bristol
13 June
Leeds 20 June
|
|
Place |
AIM
Forum Bristol, Bristol Marriott City Centre – 13th
June 2008
AIM
Forum Leeds, The Met Leeds – 20th June 2008
|
|
About
the event: |
This unique
interactive event, designed by practitioners and the ICAEW
Corporate Finance Faculty, brings together all the relevant
advisors for a company considering the AiM market, in workshop
and 'surgery' format. You can ask the questions you want
and get the information you need directly from the experts.
There are
three events running in June. The event is aimed at senior
executives from companies considering their funding options
and in particular whether an admission to AIM is suitable
for them. The forum is designed to provide a practical,
step by step walkthrough to an admission to AIM. There
will be workshops run by Nomads, brokers, lawyers and accountants
led by specialists.
This forum
also includes a networking lunch. |
|
Cost: |
Company
rep* Free*
Faculty
member £52.88 including VAT
Non-member
£58.75 including VAT
*The
event is free to representatives from companies and business
considering a listing.
|
|
Contact: |
Book
online at http://www.icaew.com/index.cfm?route=154619
and download a booking form at http://www.icaew.com/index.cfm?route=154031
Alternatively you can phone Richard Steele on 0207 920 8769 |
|
Six Degrees Of Separation - Effective Networking Skills for Business
Development & Career Management |
|
Date: |
Thursday, 24 July 2008
09.30 – 17.00, with coffee, lunch and tea breaks |
|
Place |
Central London |
|
About the event: |
A good idea, a well-thought out business plan, and seed funding are
necessary, but not sufficient, conditions for business success.
You also need to be able to recruit a talented and committed
in-house team – and, equally importantly, nurture a network
of people who can and will support you in every way conceivable.
If you’re already running a start-up – or are an investor looking for
a potential success story to invest in – you’ll have already
realised that you can’t do everything yourself. The old
image of the entrepreneur or investor as a solo hero is
outdated, and has been replaced by a view of the business
person as rather like an orchestra conductor, bringing together
a whole host of people and resources.
But how do you go about building, and maintaining an effective network?
Networking is about creating, nurturing and maintaining
relationships; it's about finding the right person to speak
to; it's about making effective cold calls and follow up
calls; it's about meeting people and doing something productive
with that contact ... it's about finding out what really
makes people tick and recognising that sometimes giving
can be better than getting.
Numerous research studies have demonstrated that networking plays a
vital role in career progression, business development &
sales, team building and general business leadership. The
good news is that the skills needed to network effectively
are also skills which can be codified, taught and put into
practice with immediate effect.
This one day course offers practical coaching in a ‘workshop’ environment.
There’s ample opportunity for role play to try out new techniques
and approaches in a safe, supportive environment.
The workshop covers the following key topics:
- How
networks really work – Harnessing the power of
your network
- Making
a good impression and getting the best from events and
meetings
- Creating
rapport and building relationships
- The
importance of effective follow up
- Contact
management essentials
- Networking
for long term benefit
- Setting
goals and making it happen
At the end of the day participants will:
- Appreciate
networking as a tool for business and career development
- Be
able to network effectively with colleagues and new contactsView
networking as a positive and enjoyable activity
- Have
added lots of practical tips and tricks to their personal
‘toolkit’
- Be
able to make more (and better) telephone calls
- Be
more confident when meeting people at networking events
- Know
how to stay in touch with contacts and develop long-term
relationships
|
|
Cost: |
AngelNews has negotiated a discount for subscribers of 10% on this
workshop. The cost (which includes refreshments, lunch and
comprehensive Course Notes) is just £256.50 (+ VAT).
The normal price is £285 (+ VAT). |
|
Contact: |
- Download
a booking form: http://www.manadvan.com/booking_forms/24jul08londonsds.pdf
- Please
mark the form clearly ‘AngelNews discount’.
- Contact
Judith Perle by emailing jperle@manadvan.com
or calling 07947 010 342
|
|
For: |
Anybody who needs to network in order to:
- Find
a business to invest in
- Launch
a new business
- Develop
and maintain client relationships
- Improve
their personal profile
- Gain
sales
- Stay
‘in the know’ about what’s happening externally and internally
- Raise
finance
|
PUT A TIGER IN YOUR TANK? Innovative strategies for the
knowledge economy |
|
Date: |
17
September 2008 |
|
Place |
Churchill College, Cambridge |
|
About the event: |
Forget
being cash strapped and get bootstrapping – this is just
one of the strategies that fast growing early-stage business
should consider before looking for external funding, especially
in the current straitened climate. Both financial and environmental
challenges will be tackled at the Ninth Cambridge Enterprise
Conference on 17th September at Churchill College.
The
conference – ‘Put a Tiger in Your Tank?’ – is coordinated
by the St John’s Innovation Centre, one of Europe’s first
incubator centres for early-stage businesses. The Centre
was founded in 1987, when the need for practical help to
support innovation was recognised.
The conference aims to address many of the questions facing
young knowledge-based companies seeking accelerate growth
and be a ‘roaring success’, including:
- How
do you know when a company is ready for investment?
- How
do you choose the best investor to get more than just
money?
-
How do you turn IP into a strategic asset?
- How
do you foster a company culture that will enhance the
value of a business?
- How
do you take on tiger economies?
“Even
in adversity, true innovators will find an opportunity,”
comments conference chair Walter Herriot, long-standing
director of St John’s Innovation Centre. “The credit crunch
and current environmental challenges mean that young businesses
need to act responsibly, get creative with their business
models, and get smart with resources.”
The
conference provides positive messages in a time of difficulty,
by bringing together an impressive panel of experts including
entrepreneurs, academics, advisors and policy-makers to
deliver insights and information aimed at helping companies
become a ‘roaring success’.
The
key-note speaker is Professor Sir David King, Director of
the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment at Oxford
University and former government science advisor. He is
ideally placed to discuss opportunities arising for businesses
from the current environmental crisis, and will consider
how climate change and the need for a sustainable future
can provide a source of inspiration for entrepreneurs.
“Speakers
will also provide advice on efficient business practices,”
says Walter Herriot. “For instance, if companies want to
squeeze every drop of value out of their funding, they need
skilled, experienced investors who can bring more than just
money. Serial entrepreneur Sherry Coutu will address this
topic at the conference.
“Staff
are another crucial resource, but company culture is an
often overlooked area. Simon Galbraith believes that it
was key to his success, and he will be telling us how it
helped his business to become Cambridge’s fastest growing
technology company. There are lots of positive messages
for business, even in the current difficult circumstances,
and the line-up of excellent speakers promises to deliver
real benefits to delegates.”
Walter
is known with affection and gratitude by several generations
of entrepreneurs. He will be giving the closing address,
sharing insights gained from over 40 years of helping small
businesses to succeed.
Other
speakers will include: Rebecca Harding, a leading expert
on enterprise; VC Eddie Anderson, explaining the secrets
of bootstrapping; Martin Brennan, entrepreneur and inventor
of the JB7 digital juke-box, telling of his personal route
to success; and Patent Attorney Peter Finnie, who will look
at how small companies can use intellectual property as
a strategic asset.
Alongside the conference will be the ‘Tigers of Tomorrow’
technology press event where entrepreneurs and early-stage
companies will be given the opportunity to demonstrate their
technology or product to conference delegates and members
of the media.
|
| Cost: |
The
delegate fee for the conference including refreshments is
£225 (VAT exempt) £175 if booked before 20 June 2008. |
|
Contact: |
For
more details please contact Helen Goldrein at Holdsworth
Associates on 01954 202789 or email Helen@holdsworth-associates.co.uk
Further
details of the conference are available on www.cambridgeenterpriseconference.co.uk
|
| OSim World: Open Source in Mobile 2008 |
|
Date: |
17th-18th September 2008 |
|
Place |
Hotel Place, Berlin, Germany |
|
About the event: |
Now in its 3rd Year, OSiM World 2008 is the ONLY Mobile Specific Open Source Conference
and Exhibition in the
World. After the success and growth of our previous Open
Source in Mobile conferences, and in consultation with the
industry, Informa Telecoms & Media has evolved this event to meet
the differing needs of all players in the OSiM ecosystem.
Time for networking has been
carefully built into the conference programme and features
such as a cocktail reception, a gala dinner, speed networking,
face-to-face meeting facilitation and an online networking
tool will ensure that you make the necessary contact with
your targets. A truly global event! Attendees from OSiM 2007 came from
over 42 countries.
OSiM World 2008, the leading open source event in the telecoms
calendar boasts an international speaker faculty of more
than 80 industry leaders in a 2 day, multi tracked summit.
The conference itself
attracts senior level decision making delegates and our
ground breaking DevSesh new this
year, will feature dedicated developer breakout sessions
along side the main agenda.
Why You Cannot Miss OSiM World 2008
·
OSiM
is a Reality. Recent advances made by Android and the LiMo Foundation have
changed the industry for good. The future of Open Source
has never been so hotly contested. This is your chance to
join the party
·
Information
Rich Agenda. Featuring over 80 expert speakers in two multi-streamed days,
free to attend Developer Seminars,
OSiM training modules and coding sessions, OSiM World will
leave no question unanswered
·
The
Largest Exhibition and Product Showcase. See and experience
the latest releases and handsets, attend coding sessions
and software demonstrations and meet the people behind
the developments
·
Meet
Over 1,000 Attendees from across the OSiM Value Chain.
Now in its third year, this event is the key annual landmark
for all players in the Open Source in Mobile Ecosystem
·
Designed
for Networking. OSiM World has been designed for | | |
