Lois Day

"Funding Collapse sends investment in start-ups to six year low" The Times today covering the shocking stats that VenturePath uncovered, with our partner Beauhurst. Great quotes from supporters Michael Moore CEO, BVCA and Julian David CEO, techUK. * UK VC funding at Series A is -44% from last year, and worsening * Q3 24 is down a staggering 57% from Q2, itself down from Q1 * 9 in 10 seed funded startups cannot access Series A VC funding, the next 'rung on the funding ladder' * Just 32 future scaleup companies across the whole of the UK were able to access their first VC funding round in Q3...a 6 year low * Half a billion less capital is going in to UK scaleups at Series A, than just 2 years ago! As the UK scaleup funding gap widens, we are losing ground against other countries, at both startup stage (a position the UK worked hard to achieve, since 2011), and for scaleup support. OECD data: 13th in the world for scaleup support, and that's before Series A funding access dried up. I get that its confusing. Another report (BBB, Nations & Regions) released this week spoke of positive trends in private investment, stating "The data for Q2 2024 shows that investment value has continued to grow". Great, I love to see optimistic data. But under analysis that bundles venture with private equity (later stage), where a few megadeals skew the numbers. Otherwise the exact opposite is true. Our independent research here, for the UK ScaleUp Investment Mission, is laser beam focussed on Series A. The funding round where companies move from the c.1m startups launched each year, through the 2,179 that access seed funding, into the rarefied category of being recognised as future scaleups, attracting Series A funding (£2-10m). The UK venture landscape is currently funding just 248 pa of these companies, and declining. We've been sharing this urgent call for support with the new Government since the day after the election. I've personally met with several Ministers, and spoke to all the relevant Government departments. I will shamelessly repeat loudly what is at stake. UK scaleup funding at Series A has nearly halved in a year, and continues to decline steeply, more than halving in the last quarter. VenturePath developed The UK ScaleUp Investment Mission to convene the scaleup support ecosystem and £7bn of funders to help address this problem, to improve nationwide access to VC investment, and create more venture-backed successes. We have clear support, clear recommendations to reverse this decline in UK scaleup investment, and have made a clear ask of Government for participation in this, to ensure immediate action is taken to create the conditions for success for UK scaleups, ensuring the focus on growth isn't undermined by lack of capital, or equitable access to it. Government decision makers, we'd love your interest, to progress to action. HM Treasury: Rt Hon Rachel Reeves Spencer Livermore James Murray & CC Poppy Gustafsson (welcome to the debate).

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Take a deep dive into the state of play in private debt, opportunities for investors in real asset debt, asset allocation, fundraising and the denominator effect, and much more at the Women in Private Debt Forum, as part of the Women in Private Markets Summit on 4-5 December. Download the first release of the agenda to discover what's in store this year. #WomeninPrivateDebt #PrivateDebtInvesting #WomeninPrivateMarkets #WomeninAlternatives #PrivateDebtEvents

Take a deep dive into the state of play in private debt, opportunities for investors in real asset debt, asset allocation, fundraising and the denominator effect, and much more at the Women in Private Debt Forum, as part of the Women in Private Markets Summit on 4-5 December. Download the first release of the agenda to discover what's in store this year⬇️ https://okt.to/Q4NoaI #WomenInPrivateMarkets #WomenInAlternatives #WomenInPrivateDebt #WomenInPD #PrivateDebtInvesting

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⏱️ Everything you need to know about our strategies in less than 20 minutes. Click below for Q1 2024 strategy updates. #ActualInvestors

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Who said finance couldn't be fun? See how forward-thinking CFOs are transforming: ⚡️ Long hours into strategic impact ✅ Manual tasks into automated workflows 📊 Data chaos into clear financial insights Ready to see finance differently?

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Growth comes when companies innovate to meet society’s needs. We support management’s focus on long-term goals: https://lnkd.in/eWkRJ6ip #ActualInvestors

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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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With the ongoing volatility in the stock market, private markets can shine a more stable light in investors’ portfolios.   At Newlook Capital, we continue to invest in some of the same industries that we have been for the previous 10 years. In these changing, turbulent times, our investment choices can look boring.   But we love BORING. #recurringrevenue #alternativeinvestments #privateequity #investment

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After a long bull run, private-equity investment fell off significantly last year. Will dealmaking return in 2024? Get a frontline perspective on the current state of private equity investing, from fundraising to value realisation from Peter Ward and Richard McDougall https://bit.ly/4av5MBV #privateequity #investing #investors #LEKFinancialServices

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After a long bull run, private-equity investment fell off significantly last year. Will dealmaking return in 2024? Get a frontline perspective on the current state of private equity investing, from fundraising to value realisation. https://bit.ly/4av5MBV #privateequity #investing #investors

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Want a deeper glimpse into how people are feeling in the run-up to the UK elections? 🇬🇧 This whitepaper reveals the real human emotions behind the numbers. 🔍 Using Prolific’s pool of 200k+ participants and Voiceform's #AI technology, this poll captures authentic responses on a range of key political issues. It’s got extensive insights into how the UK truly feels about: * The current Conservative Party leadership under Rishi Sunak. * Keir Starmer’s opposition Labour Party and its changing direction. * Which policies and themes register as most critical for voters. * What it could take to sway voting intentions at this stage. You can download the full whitepaper here: https://lnkd.in/e9qSTQQd #UKgeneralelection #PoliticalInsights #UKPolitics

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🚀 Tech Tour Energy & Decarbonisation 2024 🌍 It’s been an fantastic experience connecting with great founders in the energy tech space, catching up with some of our amazing Vireo Ventures portfolio companies, and engaging with LPs, co-investors, and fellow VC funds. With 80 startups showcasing their innovations to 140 investors and corporates, the event was a testament to the immense potential and innovation driving the energy-tech sector. 🌟 The quality and passion of the founders I met reaffirm that the future of energy is bright—and we’re just getting started! We're excited about the opportunities ahead and can’t wait to collaborate with some of the inspiring companies and investors from the event. Let’s keep pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in energy and decarbonisation. #EnergyTech #VentureCapital #Decarbonisation #Innovation #Sustainability #TechTour

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Always capitivating the audience with your strategies.

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At Neo we help you define and implement a sound FX policy for your organisation. Our experts can design and build cash management and FX risk hedging solutions for companies of any size. We can help you to identify, measure and hedge any type of FX risk. Find out how to get started: www.getneo.com #FX #FXExecution #FXRisk #FXHedging #CurrencyManagement #TreasuryManagement #CorporateTreasury

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👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 The care economy is bigger than the US pharmaceutical industry and ripe for technological disruption but gets limited interest from VCs. At 3 Sisters Ventures (3SV), we recognise this huge opportunity, with the care space being a core focus for Dalia and me ever since we founded 3SV. I am therefore proud to announce that we are now working with the phenomenal Rachel Drapper on new research that will help improve understanding of the sector—so watch this space! 🔍 At 3SV, we also invest with an impact lens and are on a mission to close gender gaps, including the Gender Leisure Gap. Doing so starts by leveling the playing field when it comes to unpaid domestic work, and tech-enabled care is key in helping us achieve this. #careeconomy #venturecapital

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I'm speaking at SuperVenture 2024 on the 5th of June in Berlin. The topic of the panel is emerging VC managers: time to shine or out of their depth? Are LPs fleeing to established names and those that cut their teeth during previous cycles? Or is now the time for emerging managers to bring something different to the table? Is volatility leading to true innovation and disruption? We’re on track to see approximately 44% of the total LP capital committed to US VC funds since the start of the year go to just two large established VC platforms, according to PitchBook data. While many established VCs maintain their allure, there is a subset of LPs who are making a deliberate choice to increase their allocations to specialist emerging VC managers - managers who have spun out from established funds and have an attributable track record, founders with deep operational experience turned funders or academics with deep domain expertise. There is non-trivial added complexity when it comes to emerging VC selection – given the large number of funds needed to be screened and the more complicated referencing and DD process. Data highlights how important it is for GPs to identify & back ‘big winners’ early on to drive fund returns. Typically, ~5% of invested capital in a few winners drives most of the return (>50%). The VC model is built around investing in early-stage companies each with the potential to more than return the whole fund. Who has the right to win? Who will the best founders (and LPs) decide to partner with? #SuperVenture #VC SuperReturn

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Very proud to see the WVC:E dream team - Anisah Osman Britton MBE & Rachel Drapper - alongside long time friend and rockstar Ekaterina Gianelli on stage at TechBBQ discussing "Fixing the Talent Exodus in VC". Key Takeaways: 💰Impact of Consolidation on Culture and Talent: The ongoing consolidation in the VC industry is reshaping company culture, affecting morale, and influencing talent. 🚀Emerging Managers Aren’t Diversifying VC: Despite the rise of emerging managers, the industry remains largely homogenous, with many new managers still coming from the same traditional, non-diverse backgrounds. ⚠️Perceptions of Diversity as High Risk: Many in the VC industry continue to view diverse hires, investments, and business models as "high risk," "too time-consuming," or "too costly," perpetuating a cycle of exclusion. 🚼 Parental Leave Inequality: Inequities in parental leave policies are disproportionately affecting women in venture, creating additional barriers to progression. But there are funds, investors, LPs and organisations (like us!) that are trying to change this!

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