Nic Newman

Very much looking forward to talking to founders that are enabling enterprises to get their data ready for AI consumption. Sign up below!

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Survival of the Fittest in a Shifting Funding Landscape Founders are adopting a low-key approach, focusing their energy on internal growth. Armed with capital secured in 2021, many are strategically revitalising their businesses. But the big question remains: What will the dealmaking landscape look like in 2024? "Overall, capital infusion will be concentrated on a narrower spectrum of companies than in all. The private capital raising landscape is anticipated to be robust, showcasing significant improvement from 2022. However, the capital infusion will be concentrated on a narrower spectrum of companies compared to the prolific scene of 2021." Read More: https://lnkd.in/d3536qvA In the meantime, share your thoughts! Are you a founder facing a funding crunch? How are you adapting your strategy? #StartupFunding #Founders #Growth #DealMaking #SibaPanda

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Why Now is the Time for HealthTech Founders to Engage with the New UK Government https://lnkd.in/dnPRU2iK > Engaging with government and policy makers is important – for ensuring you understand current or impending regulation, for getting the backing of important policy-shapers as you disrupt markets, and crucially, helping to create the soft power that can help your company’s favourability and growth. > Take a health scaleup. The Labour manifesto pledged to streamline public procurement, providing a faster route to get new products into the NHS. Incoming Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Wes Streeting, has expressed a strong belief in the necessity of public and private collaboration for increasing efficiency and solving the NHS crisis. Engaging with Streeting’s team now could help your health tech commercially, creating a clearer path for growth. To find out more about how Founders Comms can support your startup or scaleup, get in touch at hello@founderscomms.co or check out the website here https://lnkd.in/dkgGsgNq Founders Forum Group https://lnkd.in/dnPRU2iK

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💡 The Real Challenge Begins After Raising Investment: With the Labour Party winning the UK general election, the focus on leadership and strategic decision-making is paramount, not just in politics but in business too. In the final episode with Edward from West Hill Capital, we reflect on the true challenge for entrepreneurs: transitioning from raising capital to effectively delivering results. We explore the importance of strategic allocation and the potential risks if funds are not managed wisely. Thank you for joining us on this journey. Let's continue to drive innovation and growth together. If you're looking to raise investment or need support within your business, let's connect: https://lnkd.in/e8Wf2TTa #Entrepreneurship #InvestmentStrategy #StartupSuccess #DigitalHealth #BusinessGrowth #Leadership #ExecutionMatters #WestHillCapital #InvestorInsights

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Great insights from Adam Agius on what to consider when raising debt for a search fund buyout. Most relevant to the UK market, but a worthwhile read for all searchers. There's more debt capital keen to support search acquisitions than ever before, but approaching it naively can be very costly...

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I couldn’t be prouder to be a Venture Partner at Isomer Capital (aka the best European FoF - at least for me) as we just announced the launch of our pioneering £100m secondaries fund. This fund is dedicated to acquiring stakes from LPs in various VC funds, tapping into a massive and largely unexplored market. 🌟 Key Highlights: - Focused Investment: Primarily targeting stakes in VC funds, with selective investments in private companies. - Robust Funding: Already over 20% funded, thanks to strong support from Nordic family offices and a German foundation. - Market Potential: With a growing number of private tech companies and a VC liquidity crunch, Europe's VC secondaries market is poised for rapid growth. - Track Record: This isn’t Isomer’s first foray into the secondaries market. As a firm we’ve done several secondaries deals with portfolio companies and VC firms, including early-stage VC Seedcamp (in 2021) and mobility giant Bolt (in 2023). - Expert Team: Welcoming the amazing Omolade (Rachel) A., formerly of Coller Capital, as a principal to lead this initiative. 💡 Investment Strategy: - 65-75% of the fund will buy "LP interest" stakes in VC funds. - 15-25% will be directed towards stakes in companies. - Up to 15% reserved for flexible investment opportunities. 📈 Looking Ahead: We're targeting returns of 2-3x, with significant distributions expected in the next 4-7 years. As one of the few players in this space, we're not just participating in the market—we're driving it forward. Read all about it here: https://lnkd.in/dc7sbC3G #VentureCapital #SecondariesFund #EuropeanVC

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I’m happy to share one of Prolific's new endeavors: the Prolific Participant Wellbeing Report. This pioneering study explores and evaluates the mental wellbeing of online research participants, leveraging the Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (SWEMWBS) to uncover insights. The findings? A reassuring confirmation that participant wellbeing on Prolific is solid, underscoring our unwavering dedication to ethical practices in research. This is a first-of-its-kind publication for our industry. It casts a spotlight on the critical importance of ensuring participant wellbeing - a timely addition to the ongoing debates about the impact of online research and AI training methodologies. Read more about our findings here: https://bit.ly/3UmnFNF EDIT: Full report is also available here: https://lnkd.in/eBVNE68J

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📊 Investing in Innovation: With the UK gearing up for the July 2024 general election, the investment landscape is evolving rapidly. In today’s discussion, Edward from West Hill Capital and I delve into the types of companies ready for investment beyond just tech. We explore the importance of innovation and unique selling points in attracting equity funding. If you’re looking to raise investment or need support within your business, book time with me: https://lnkd.in/e8Wf2TTa #StartupInvesting #Innovation #UKPolitics #Entrepreneurship

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Founders, improve your future by letting the experts know your challenges so they can build the solutions you need. Long-standing friend Christina Richardson (and VenturePath partner) is researching founder resilience issues to help founders (just like and likely including you). It's an important cause and 10 mins of your input today will be useful for all founders. Please do it 🙏

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Welcome to the club! At Antler, we are proud to announce that we have just invested over £1m into nine new British tech startups. Our tenth residency in the UK attracted more than 1,100 ambitious founders, with 66 founders taking part. Representing 27 different nationalities, with women comprising 24% of the cohort, it was truly a diverse group of amazing people. Spending 10 weeks with us allowed us to undertake over 200+ hours of due diligence, helping us make high-conviction investment decisions, in which we end up investing in 1% of all applicants. We are delighted to welcome the following eight startups to Antler’s portfolio, and we’re excited to be on this journey with you! ⚙️ AlphaLoops - Automating investment management operations using AI ⚠️ BankBridge - Bridging the due diligence gap between financial institutions 🔎 Capsa AI - AI Operating System For Private Equity 📝 Falco - powered platform that empowers financial firms to identify and translate regulatory changes into actionable insights 🚚 Fleevo - The AI-driven Operating System for Modern Commercial Fleets. Driving Efficiency, Uptime, and Sustainability 🛍️ frnt - Optimising retail operations with digital workers 🎯 Intriq - Transforming businesses with the power of AI through the use of private equity playbook strategies 🦾 RoboMinder - Elevating industrial robot uptime with AI-powered computer vision In addition, Antler has made one seed investment in the first quarter of 2024, into a tech startup that is currently in stealth mode. Check out the press release in the comments section! #VentureCapital #Investments #Founders #TechStartups

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Thanks to The Quoted Companies Alliance(QCA) who invited me as a guest on their Growth Capital Podcast recently to discuss the interesting topic of ‘Public or Private?’. James Ashton, Ray Anderson and I discussed timings for founders to go public and how the stock market could increase its appeal so that more entrepreneurs take the plunge. I emphasised the need to give people the confidence to succeed, whether public or private. I also shared some of my personal experience about how we’ve successfully helped smaller companies to scale and grow, setting growth agendas for 6–7 years and working with them towards entering the public market. In this episode we covered key topics such as: · funding gaps, venture capital and how we could use the UK tax system to incentivise businesses · what motivates companies to turn to overseas investment · long-term planning and what the components of the journey to success look like · why some companies would rather stay private than going public – and the benefits of doing that, such as taxation. It was great to hear the thoughts of Ray Anderson; he has more than 30 years’ experience in starting, growing and selling businesses, and is executive chair and founder of Bango. Listen here https://lnkd.in/eseWiqrK #GrowthCapital #PublicVsPrivate #Entrepreneurship

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Last week 93% Ventures brought together an incredible group of founders, operators, investors, and partners to discuss social mobility in UK tech with Dom Hallas and the Startup Coalition It's great to see more people talking openly about a problem the industry has faced for too long: UK tech has a huge socioeconomic representation issue. Key Takeaways are: 1️⃣ Data Collection and Data Coalitions: we need scalable methods to collect socioeconomic data of the UK tech workforce 2️⃣ Sponsorship Not Mentorship: how can we create a scalable solution to the "nepo-baby" problem of UK tech 3️⃣ Apprenticeship Levy Reform: create more pathways for enterprises to spend on hiring from underrepresented communities not just upskilling 4️⃣ Private Sector Engagement: scalable solutions for engagement with schools and academic institutions for greater awareness and access If you're interested in joining the next event, please drop me a note. David Black Gary Izunwa Raj Kaur Khaira Vinay Solanki Oli Tao Binda Patel James Turner Nicolas Cary Edwin Appiah Colin Jones Mark Sims Zoe Peden Zoe Stern Ambi Mistry Libby Dangoor Ellie Steel Francesca Arese Lucini Elinor Honigstein Stuart Mundy Thanks to Catherine Lenson and LocalGlobe for hosting!

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Great article by Partners Group pointing out advantages of our quarterly semi-liquid venture fund, Loyal VC, that I didn't even realise we had. Loyal deploys, and gives returns on, all your capital all the time. Other VC funds force you to hold capital for future deployment in low-yielding assets, and don't count that forced low yield in reporting your returns. To add insult to injury, they still charge you management fees on that low-yielding committed capital!! To us the Loyal way is just more sensible, and better for LPs. It is good to see others agreeing with us. Claudia Zeisberger https://lnkd.in/gbint4Jt

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AI Tech in Focus   Brain Scans and AI Used to Detect Dementia Nine Years Before Conventional Diagnosis Researchers at Queen Mary University in London used machine learning to assess cognitive communication between 10 areas of the brain that have been shown to be vulnerable to dementia. The study involving 1,100 people found that using AI analysis of the MRI brain scans of these neural networks accurately predicted about 80% of cases of dementia nine years before a formal diagnosis was actually made. Further, the AI technology was able to predict within two years exactly how long it would take before the onset. The test takes 10 minutes. Dementia is caused by certain proteins in the brain, but patients can live for years with those proteins and show no signs of dementia. Current methods used to detect dementia involve memory tests and measurements of brain shrinkage. It’s hoped that the early detection using the AI trained scans will help identify people who are going to develop dementia and benefit from early treatments. VC Investors are always adjusting their "Play Book" with a variety of options for investing. Mikal Ventures is one of those alternatives, offering curated solutions to real world problems. Reach out if you have questions on how we can be of assistance and bookmark https://mikalventures.com/ for additional insights and information.

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🚀 Join Us at AI Forge Incubator: Meet Solo Founders Seeking Co-Founders! 📅 When: Wednesday, 29th May 📍 Where: The Old Street Gallery, 62 Paul Street, London, EC2A 4DQ 🕒 Time: 5pm-9pm Are you a visionary CTO, CPO, or commercial expert ready to make your mark in the AI start-up space? Here's your golden opportunity! ✨ What's Happening? Our solo founders are in week 5 of a 12-week intensive incubator program. They are actively seeking co-founders to join them as CTOs, CPOs, or in commercial roles. These companies will be pitching to 450+ investors during the week commencing 8th July, with a high probability of securing funding. 🌟 Why You Should Attend: Dive into the world of promising AI start-ups. Contribute your skills immediately by joining an existing business. Be part of the prestigious AI Forge incubator program. Potentially integrate your own business ideas into an evolving proposition. Network with talented individuals and successful entrepreneurs. Gain invaluable insights and advice from seasoned founders and mentors. 🔎 Types of Businesses Seeking Co-Founders: Our 9 solo founders are leading ventures in: EdTech SalesTech LegalTech FemTech MedTech MarTech 🎉 Event Highlights: 💬 Speed Dating Sessions: Quick, focused interactions to maximize connections. 🔍 Pre-Matchmaking: Initial meetings set up to streamline the matchmaking process. 🤝 Networking Opportunities: Explore collaboration possibilities with like-minded entrepreneurs. Don't miss out on this unique chance to partner with innovative AI start-ups and accelerate your career in the tech industry. Register at Seeking AI Co-Founders · Luma - https://lu.ma/f22d1ih9 #AIStartups #CoFounders #TechInnovation #Entrepreneurship #Networking #AIForge

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A HUGE thank you to everyone involved in publishing the latest report from ESG_VC and the British Private Equity & Venture Capital Association (BVCA) today! The report is packed full of useful insights into how start-ups are actually performing across their work on environmental, social, and governance issues. There's also a brand new roadmap for ESG in start-ups with specific guidance on the initiatives to implement from Pre-Seed through to Series C and beyond. A particular shout out to everyone involved in the production including Suzi Gillespie and Ewa Skornas at the BVCA, David Strong and Dianne Skurray at Marriott Harrison, and Susannah Philipson and Nadeem Muzaffar at Seven Hills, who designed this beautiful report. I'm also massively grateful for all of the hard work that our VC contributors put into compiling data from 587 portfolio companies across the UK, Europe, and around the world - a few names to mention include Ashleigh, Shanice, Lauren, Laure, Michelle, Jason, Hessel, Emily, Beth, Joe, James, Eugenia, Alex, Grace, Emma, Emily, Lucy, Cordelia, Nina, Raj, and Rob. Thank you to you all! And thanks as ever to the remaining members of our steering group for their ongoing support of ESG_VC - Antonia at Seedcamp, Leslie at Astanor Ventures, Natalie at Lakestar, Andrew at Par Equity, and of course Karen McCormick for all of your support at Beringea! Check out the full report via the link in the comments! And let us know what you think about it! #ESG_VC #sustainability #venturecapital

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A masterclass in private markets. A guest who has seen it all joined the latest Alt Goes Mainstream podcast. We welcomed HgT Chairman of the Board Jim Strang to the show and school was in session. Jim is a deeply experienced private equity professional who has been part of the industry as a GP, LP, investor, consultant, and now a teacher, board member, and advisor to a number of firms, including most recently as MD & Chairman EMEA Hamilton Lane and now as an advisor to CVC Capital Partners, Bain & Company, Pictet Group Alternative Advisors. Jim and I had a fascinating conversation about the evolution of private markets and what the future holds for large and small funds alike, as well as LPs. We discussed: * The step function changes that take private markets from $15T to $30T of AUM. * Why traditional asset managers may struggle to replicate the capabilities of alternative asset managers in private markets. * The importance of partnerships having a clear ambition and alignment if they want to build a scaled platform. * The challenges that managers in the middle face as large platforms and specialist managers are the differentiated firms in the eyes of LPs. * Why GPs need to find innovative solutions to address the needs of different types of investors. * Why building a strong brand is crucial to success in the wealth channel. Thanks Jim for sharing your wisdom and experience on private markets. We also welcome our new sponsor to Alt Goes Mainstream. We are thrilled to announce Ultimus Fund Solutions as podcast sponsor. This episode is brought to you by Ultimus Fund Solutions, a leading full-service fund administrator for asset managers in private and public markets. As private markets continue to move into the mainstream, the industry requires infrastructure solutions that help funds and investors keep pace. To assist with these challenging opportunities, more and more fund sponsors and asset managers are turning to Ultimus, a leading service provider that blends high tech and high touch in unique and customized fund administration and middle office solutions for a diverse and growing universe of over 450 clients and 1,800 funds, representing $500 billion assets under administration, all handled by a team of over 1,000 professionals. https://lnkd.in/eJ_enGzQ

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🌱 Calling all Seed Founders! 🌱 Are you an early-stage startup seeking investment? My latest article is a comprehensive guide to the UK's SEIS and the investors participating in it. Here's what you'll find inside: ✨ Understanding SEIS for early-stage 💼 Must have documents to secure funding 🕵‍♀️ List of 24 active SEIS funds across sectors If you represent a SEIS fund not yet featured, feel free to comment below or reach out to me directly. 💬 I'd love to include you and help connect more founders to the right investors. Link to article in the comments 🔗

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