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Posts Tagged ‘venture capital’

An afternoon with: M8 Capital

Posted in Events, Local News, tagged on 9 July, 2010| 1 Comment »

Many thanks to Joe Neale from m8 Capital for taking some time to meet entrepreneurs from the Edinburgh area. The initial feedback is very positive.

From their website: “M8 Capital invests exclusively in mobile technology. Mobile technology is changing everything we do. Mobile technology is enabling services, products and information to be more pervasive, more relevant, and more convenient. m8 Capital looks to support entrepreneurs and their companies, that are positioning themselves to be at the forefront of all things mobile.”

Also, huge thanks to Jess and Bela for putting the event together.

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An afternoon with: M8 Capital

Posted in Events, Local News, tagged on 9 July, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Many thanks to Joe Neale from m8 Capital for taking some time to meet entrepreneurs from the Edinburgh area. The initial feedback is very positive.

From their website: “M8 Capital invests exclusively in mobile technology. Mobile technology is changing everything we do. Mobile technology is enabling services, products and information to be more pervasive, more relevant, and more convenient. m8 Capital looks to support entrepreneurs and their companies, that are positioning themselves to be at the forefront of all things mobile.”

Also, huge thanks to Jess and Bela for putting the event together.

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A letter to a depressed VC: Healthy debate!

Posted in Local News, Opinions, tagged , , , , , on 14 May, 2010| 5 Comments »

VC Eddie Anderson of Pentech Ventures is being held accountable for curing his own depression. At TechCrunch Ediburgh on Wednesday, Eddie confessed he has become a depressed VC due to the lack of innovation in Scottish startups. Sitting next to TechMeetup founder Sam Collins in the audience, I was glad to see somebody else terribly frustrated with the fact that these accusations lacked a plan of action. Q&A did not due the issue justice.

Thankfully Sam has written him a brilliant letter, which has sparked a great debate in the last 24 hours (50 comments already!). Copy of the letter below, but please put your comments on the original post here so they are all in one place.

Dear Eddie,

First of all, thank for you for coming to Engage Invest Exploit/TechCrunch Edinburgh and being so open in your thoughts on the Scottish startup space. This letter would not be possible, nor could any progress ever be made without you first being so honest about your feelings – so please accept my appreciation. Those that know me will know I’m not a moaner – I write this letter with the sole purpose of resolving this problem and with your assistance, will commit time and effort to achieving the desired result. (more…)

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Events Menu: 22-28 March

Posted in Events, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on 22 March, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Monday, 21st March: JCI Showcase, 6pm at Royal Terrace Hotel

Never heard of JCI (Junior Chamber International)? You will have the opportunity to find out more about the organisation over a glass of wine or two and some nibbles whilst meeting some of our members and hearing more about what they have got from being a member of JCI. You will also have the chance to find out more about our programme of events, as well as meeting some of our patron organisations. For more info contact Laura Hutton laura_hutton@jciedinburgh.org.uk. I would guess you can still RSVP for tonight, so do check it out if you’re interested.

Tuesday, 22nd March: E-Club Committee Interest Meeting, 5:30-6:30pm at Business School LT3

For the first time, the Edinburgh Entrepreneurship Club is forming a committee to drive the club forward with more power and zest, and anyone is welcome to get involved. Want to help organise new events? Want to reach out to other cool groups? Want to initiate other projects within the club? If you are interested, either for the next few months or for the Fall, join in 5:30pm in Lecture Theatre 3 for an initial discussion. Or email entrepreneurship@ed.ac.uk. (more…)

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How to Drive Startup Activity, Investment, and Economic Growth (Part 3)

Posted in Guest Blogger, Opinions, tagged , , , on 15 November, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Lock the money up, or get it invested?In light of our current situation and lessons learned across the Atlantic, what is Scotland to do? The final piece of our Venture Capital and Public Policy series from Michael Clouser. We hope you feel a bit more enlightened and sufficiently armed for any government policy discussions during Entrepreneurship Week (and beyond!). If you have any further thoughts, questions, or points of view, by all means chime in by adding your comments below.

INCREASING THE SUPPLY OF VENTURE CAPITAL THROUGH POLICY

Learning from the US example, the government can enact policies to increase the supply of risk capital in the Country (used interchangeably to mean either devolved Scotland or the UK – while their powers are different, the issues are basically the same).

Tax Policy is OK, but Not Enough:

Tax policy can help. Already this has happened in the angel market, with tax benefits for these investors who are part of venture capital trusts. However, tax policy is but one option. It hasn’t yet been able to (more…)

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How to Drive Startup Activity, Investment, and Economic Growth (Part 2)

Posted in Local News, tagged , , , , on 14 November, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Building companies and attracting talent - show me the money!The Venture Capital and Public Policy series continues, brought to you by Michael Clouser. If you missed Part 1 yesterday, entitled The Rise of Venture Capital in the US: An Unintended Consequence, you may like to read that first to get the background. Otherwise, jump right in and look out for Part 3 tomorrow.

WHY AREN’T THERE MORE START-UPS AND TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES OF SIZE IN SCOTLAND

There are not as many start-ups and technology companies of size in Scotland because of the lack of risk capital at all stages of the lifecycle of a high growth venture. Especially in early and mid-stage venture capital. Arguably, currently there are only two substantial players in the technology venture capital game here in the early stages, and another one that is playing in the later stage and is pan-European. The angels in the Country have all but shut down, especially in (more…)

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How to Drive Startup Activity, Investment, and Economic Growth (Part 1)

Posted in Guest Blogger, Opinions, tagged , , , on 13 November, 2009| 4 Comments »

Wait, so where'd these come from?This weekend, as we mentally prepare ourselves for Entrepreneurship Week (16-22 Nov), we bring to you a 3-part series on driving startup activity in Scotland. With an understanding of the Silicon Valley’s roots below the surface, Michael Clouser offers insight on what it will take in Scotland to better support high-growth companies.

The case will be delivered in 3 sections:

Today: The Rise of Venture Capital in the US: An Unintended Consequence

Saturday: Why There aren’t More Startups and Technology Companies of Size in Scotland

Sunday: Increasing the Supply of Venture Capital Through Policy

We guarantee that by Monday, we’ll have you prepared for any discussion or debate on government policy, startups, and driving Scotland forward with its existing assets. Thanks to Mike for sharing his work with us.

VENTURE CAPITAL AND PUBLIC POLICY: HOW TO DRIVE START-UP ACTIVITY, INVESTMENT, AND ECONOMIC GROWTH

Americans often deny that government intervention is a good thing in the entrepreneurship and venture capital game. Most of them believe that the growth of the venture capital industry and the high growth technology start-up phenomenon was the result of some sort of pure capitalistic forces that were devoid of any sort of government intervention. That is simply not the case. (more…)

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