PROVEN STRATEGIC NAVIGATION

Recent Articles in Investor Notes

Dragons Den Episode 3: Six questions Entrepreneurs need to answer
Aug 26, 2013

Episode 3 included an online magazine hoping to go against the flow in the publishing industry by moving to print, a new type of toilet brush, a tummy time platform for babies, a password USB key, organic ingredients to your door, a board game, stone-paper, cuddly toys and a therapy concept for dementia patients. An eclectic mix of product and service that boiled blood and sharpened tongues.

Thomas Shellfish
Aug 25, 2013

"Aquaculture, not the Internet, represents the most promising investment opportunity of the 21st Century."

Paul Drucker, Economist and Noble Laureate

I wrote this article back in 2010 and, subsequently, we worked with Thomas Shellfish to establish Wales' only producer of rope grown mussels:

Preparing your Pitch
Aug 22, 2013

How do you make your pitch deliver?

Put yourself in the investor’s shoes. Why are they there and what do they need to know to have an active interest in talking to you further? Remember, they hear lots of presentations, don’t really care about the product or service and are really interested in the risks and rewards for their investment. 

Analysis by an Angel Investor: Dragons Den Episode 2
Aug 19, 2013

Episode Two of the new format Dragon’s Den began with what was described as a “Pitch Malfunction” and it wasn’t the only poor performance of the night. Having sat through my fair share of pitch malfunctions, I think I was yelling “get back to the drawing board” before Peter Jones could even mouth the same words.

Despite the fact that this is clearly theatre, rather than a credible investment presentation forum, there are still valid lessons to be learnt from this episode.

Passion is overrated. Commitment is better.
Aug 15, 2013

I recently read a KPMG High Growth Technology Group post titled “Which comes first – the idea or the passion?” which concluded that they are a ‘little chicken and egg – nobody can quite agree which comes first!”

I’m not convinced that the emphasis on passion is either important or logical. I get turned off when someone says “I’m passionate about my idea” in an investment pitch.