Neural’s Post

Please join us for our first Redlands Angels Pitch night for 2024, on the evening of Monday the 26th of February at Fiction Bar and Restaurant in Cleveland Harbourside. Pitches are now visible for members to view in the AngelLoop App. We're also including a brief investor education session, this month we'll dive into the Due Diligence process, Plus Simon Horne can give an update on the current early-stage investment landscape and upcoming deal flow. After the meeting please stay on for post-pitch discussions and networking over dinner/drinks (at own cost) We welcome anyone interested in Angel Investing to attend our events, it's a great way to meet like-minded people and learn what it takes to become an Angel Investor, so please extend this invitation to anyone you think may be interested, tickets for non-members can be accessed via Trybooking here https://lnkd.in/gSX5zZQr Tickets for members can be accessed via your HelloClub portal. Simon Horne Joanna Apps John Burkett Greg Beaven Garry Hargrave Greg Pagendam-Turner MBA Tony Wheeler Robert Easton Andrew Laming Mark Schroder Rodney Winkleman Stuart Clough Mark Jones James Stokes #AngelLoop #StartupRedlands #RedlandsAngels #angelinvesting #innovation #entrepreneurship #commercialisation

Want to know 10 things I heard about #angelinvesting last week at the Angel Investor Summit? 1. London dominates all angel deals. 48% of all deals in 2023 took place in London. 2. Some #angels admit to being addicted to angel investing. They can’t stop. They enjoy taking the risk (even though one said they know it’s the children’s inheritance). 3. Some #angelinvestors rush in head on. An executed founder I met told the audience he’d made too many investments too soon, without enough due diligence. 4. Fewer angels than I thought have grasped the importance of building a diversified portfolio of 10 or, better still, 20 investments to spread their risk. 5. An exited founder turned angel admitted that he was ‘too gullible, too impatient and too optimistic’ to be a successful angel. I suspect this is a bigger risk the richer you are. Another said ‘Everyone’s going to be brilliant, right?’ 6. Very few angels make a lot of money. One well respected Angel who I already knew had made 75 investments over 15 years, had 20 exits and 20 gone to the wall, and 35 with an as yet unknown outcome. Overall gain on his investment portfolio about 3x. 7. Most angels have too many startups in their portfolio that they call the ‘Living Dead’, (not necessarily to their faces). 8. There was a broad consensus that when you invest the number one thing is the founder. Can he or she execute on their dream, can they ‘have what it takes’, and does the founder care enough about the problem they are trying to solve? This decision remains an impression without any systematic analysis. 9. At early stage, valuation remains an art. Hit some metrics and it’s a negotiation around price. 10. Failure was simply described as not reaching #productmarketfit before the money runs out. It was a good reminder to revisit Paul Graham’s default alive or default dead. It was a great day out and South East Angels is building a great community. I’m looking forward to next year’s event already Kristina Pereckaite #AngelThink

Last night spent some time with John Kojiro Moriwaka talking about the role off emerging fund managers to spur innovation in AI and Cybersecurity. We also touched on how international LPs can get exposure to new technology through investing in funds in Silicon Valley and Boston. See John present on this topic at SusHi Tech Tokyo 2024 Global Startup Program Official Account this week in Tokyo! And yes that’s the Mendoza Ventures pitch deck in Japanese! #tokyo #lp #ai #cybersecurity Senofer Mendoza Adam Kerr Jossy Rodriguez

Tired of Hearing “Keep Me Posted” from Investors? 🤔 If you're like most founders trying to raise, you have heard these phrases over and over? “I love the product, just come back to me when it’s further along.” or “Great product and great team, keep me posted on progress.” After setting up nearly 10,000 investor pitches for startup founders in the last 12 months, I can translate for you: “Thank you, but I’m not interested.” Don’t worry—this isn’t necessarily your fault. Often, it’s something small in your pitch that’s turning investors away. For a limited time, I’m sharing the exact Pitch Framework that is typically reserved for private clients. Inside, you’ll discover: 1. Flip the Script: Make investors pitch YOU on why they’re the right fit. 2. Get a Definitive Answer: No more “maybe” land—get a clear yes or no. 3. Set the Timeline: Avoid the painful 6+ month due diligence process. (And a few other bonuses 😏) Think about it… How many investors have you pitched that are perfect for what you’re building, but didn’t invest… From what I’ve seen, it’s normally not about the product itself… It’s about how that product was shared to them. If you want to see what’s working right now to raise millions of dollars. Check it out here: https://lnkd.in/epXryVPK P.S. It's $37. If you are afraid to spend that, how will you convince someone to invest in your round?

Raising capital for your startup is exciting but time-consuming and requires, like a heist, a proper plan. So here is what I would do: 1) Assemble your team: Like any good heist crew, you need a team with the right skills and dedication. 2) Identify your ideal investor: You want to make sure you "rob" the right bank. 3) Plan your heist: Plan when, where, and how to approach your targeted investors. 4) Gather the right tools: Before reaching out, ensure you have all the required docs ready to go because nobody likes to wait. 5) Execute with speed and focus: Don't try to rob all "banks" at once. Stay focused and be prepared to adjust your approach to increase your chances of success. Join me and our special guest this Wednesday to learn more about what it means to be investor-ready. Event Details: When: Wednesday, 10th April 2024 Time: 12.30 PM - 1:30 PM AEST Where: Tank Stream Labs, Level 8, 11 York Street, Sydney NSW 2000  Cost: Free Secure your spot here 👉 https://lnkd.in/gbj4WpVB Feel free to send me your questions via DM, and I will ensure that we provide you with an answer during the session. We also have time to review 1-3 pitch decks during the session. So, if you are open to receiving honest and straightforward feedback, please send them through! See you on Wednesday!

Take some time out of your day to listen to DC Cahalane on The Entrepreneur Experiment. A candid conversation about growing a business, looking after your mental health & always being transparent. As a four-time founder, DC has lived through the ups & downs of running a business and shares thoughts with Gary Fox on: ✔ Nonsense of hustle culture & understanding ADHD/ Entrepreneur link ✔ Why SVV has backed companies purely on the basis of the founder ✔ Understanding the business model of investors you're pitching to ✔ Ireland's superpower - connectivity - and how founders should leverage this ✔ Biggest red flags when founders pitch to us DC has been an invaluable addition to Sure Valley Ventures & our companies since he joined us last year to head up our Cork office 🎧 Have a listen 👇 Enterprise Ireland Barry Downes Brian K. Jayne Ronayne

I've spent the past couple weeks digging into different investment firms, learning about their Founders, Partners, Values, and of course portfolios. One has really stood out - RareBreed Ventures McKeever (Mac) Conwell,II could not have picked a better name for his firm. Just read through The RareBreed Manifesto on their website to understand why they are so "rare". Number ii stood out the most: "Some of these entrepreneurs are building products and serving communities that many traditional VCs do not understand or are not willing to understand. This leads to many missed opportunities to fund great companies" This is so true. Unfortunately, the lack of understanding doesn't stop many of them from just throwing cash (although a little more rare today). I've seen a lot of investors throw cash at founders and basically just walk away. Why? Bc they weren't truly invested. SOME of these founders still make it. Many do not. This is a terrible disconnect that needs fixing. Founders need REAL investors. Be more like Mac and his Partners!

A wonderful review for our Specialist Childcare Sales Negotiator, Steph Quinn 👏 We're proud to have received over 500 Trustpilot reviews, with a 5 star average rating 🌟 Check out more reviews here: https://lnkd.in/exZNACYm #RDK #Testimonial #Review #Trustpilot

🌐 While 80% of Reg CF investments concentrate in the top 13 states, the real story unfolds at the community level. How do ecosystems in Texas, Arizona, and Nevada compare to giants like California and New York? Our annual report dives deep into the rankings, revealing the strongest hub for startups based on investor sentiment, business health, and more. Las Vegas was dethroned as the top ecosystem — but by whom? Discover the full geographical landscape and more exclusive insights only in our annual report. Essential reading for a heightened geographical understanding of private equity markets. 🚀 Get your copy now: https://lnkd.in/gq3UmwUQ #EcosystemInsights #AnnualReport2023

Angels don’t just invest in businesses. They invest in people. “The number one thing for me is a great founding team,” says Claire Lewis, CEO of Baltic Ventures. “I like to see domain expertise, so there’s a breadth of experience that gives the team a competitive advantage.” Of course, that’s not all we look for. At Manchester Angels, we’re passionate about investing in the North West tech community, and making a difference while we do it. Find out more about our investment criteria at manchesterangels.org 👈 #northwestinvestment #techfounders #techfundraising #angelinvestment