What investors look for in Early Stage Opportunities

1. Wake up Investor – I‘ve got a great proposition

2. Tim PowellSenior Executive University of Warwick Science Park Director of the Minerva Private Investor Network and Access to Finance Programme Tim.powell@uwsp.co.uk 024 7632 3114

4. We have 100+ members and operate two syndicates who meet monthly to consider opportunities

5. In the last 15 months I have seen over 120 Business Plans- interviewed 54 companies and invited 36 to present of whom 15 received offers with 11completing deals attracting £1.07m from Minerva Investors whose money helped lever in another £2.6m

7. Can Private Investors fill the funding Gap ? Early Stage Ventures are considered HIGH RISK Seed Funding is in short supply & often sector limited Banks do not fund unsecured high risk ventures – Banks will fund revenue earning concerns & provide significant “ooomph” to aid growth Friends and family often carry the start up burden but are limited in funding, experience, time Angel Investment is filling the ever widening gap But with the supply of money limited it’s attract the early stage capital – a simple matter of supply & demand But the combination of Angel money plus expertise may be the difference between failure & success

8. What do Private Investors/Business Angels do? Consider investing in pre-revenue early stage High Risk ventures in exchange for Shares in the business But HIGH RISK doesn’t mean Gamble or Speculate They anticipate a difficult journey but will have identified characteristics that suggests they might make a profit They buy “in low” and hope to “sell high” Some are passive - most will get involved individually or collectively through a group of investors Bringing expertise, experience & Contacts hopefully Drive towards a profitable exit – usually by attracting a trade sale/acquisition and/or “cash in” when the opportunity arises

10. Well balanced team –if only for this stage of its development

11. Product or technology that has some element of Proprietary ownership :- Patent, Design Rights, Niche …

12. Pre-Revenue – validated time and cost of developing a market ready product - accurately documented and assumptions evidenced.

13. Upto date Intelligence on the Market, Competition, Technology and evidence of demand/appetite – “Voice of the Customer “

14. Sales & Marketing Realism – covering time & cost to enter, launch & penetrate the market.

15. Financial forecast that reflects all the above and not wishful thinking

16. Profit…….and

18. What do Angels want ? They don’t want is to lose money Honesty – No surprises They don’t want to run your business A realistic valuation ... and trust Dilution is OK if for the right reasons ! You to have as much pain as they if it goes wrong EIS approval Profitability & Potential A shareholder agreement that underpins your relationship Clear descriptions of your roles, responsibilities and rewards They are backing your ability to deliver at least the first part of the plan so they will want to see plenty of :- Energy, Enthusiasm, Ambition, Focus and Direction

19. Preparing for Investment If you have decided to go for investment Get professional advice – understand what it is you are giving up and what might be expected of you Build a business plan you believe in ….not dream about! Realism in everything …A problem shared can be solved A problem hidden will surface later when you least expect it! Identify & address the strengths and weaknesses Understand the “risks” ..the “what if’s” and the “pinch” points Validate and evidence assumptions – avoid the “ I think” syndrome Be ready for Investigation (“due diligence” ) it will take a lot of time Most investments take between 3-6 months to complete – so start asking for money before you need it!

20. Getting Prepared – the “What” Questions What is the history of the business – how long established, What previous funding have you had? What have you invested in hard cash ? What have you done to date and what you intend to do ? What experience do you have about market What are the skills in the team and what is missing? What do you know about your competition? What exactly is your product/service & What IP do you have? What Resources do you need to launch/commercialise ? What are you going to spend the money on ? What are the time lines and what are the key risks? What do you want to achieve ? What’s the deal ?

21. Getting Prepared – The “Who “ Questions Who prepared the plan Who prepared the forecasts Who has the Vision Who is the leader – driving force Who has most to lose Who owns the IP Who owns the shares Who does what – roles & responsibilities Who are your advisors/partners Who works full time in the business Who else is investing

23. Honest

24. Committed

25. Hungry to learn

26. Hungry to succeed

27. Tenacious

28. Hard working

29. Fit for purpose

30. Able to work togetherTell me again … What are we looking for?

32. Finance & control

33. Selling/Marketing

34. Operations

35. Raising more capital

36. Executing the planIf there is a group of investors call on their collective experience knowledge and contacts Most investors are good at “doing” and where they are involved businesses tend to succeed quicker.

37. What do you want in return for their money? You don’t want any surprises either – use the “Due Diligence “ period to get to know the investor :- The chemistry must be right The investor must be a good fit A shareholder can’t be sacked Don’t be short changed in Expertise You have surrendered shares and therefore some ownership – if you have got the forecasts horribly wrong you may have to sell more and with it may go control & ownership ….

38. What does a typical deal look like EIS status approved & in place Angel must have Ordinary Shares with no special powers attached VC Funds may vary their stake with preference shares /debt aswell as Ordinary shares Angels are restricted on clauses in in the shareholder agreement – but a VC is not … There will be restrictions on what you can and can’t do You will have to negotiate a NEW employment contract Funding is often released in tranches against delivery of business plan milestones- so make sure milestones are realistic!! Some Investors will insist on following their money onto the board THE BIG QUESTION – how much of my equity will they want? THE ANSWER – One that reflects the risk and your potential !

40. Early stage investment is usually seed or pump priming capital and therefore you will always be selling at a lower valuation than later but without the money and hopefully the added expertise would you make it to “later” ?

41. Always consider the range of other types of funding

42. Take advice, don’t rush, be prepared and start early if you want to raise money

43. Financing a business is rarely a single stage process - it takes time to build and grow and along the way different types of finance are needed at different stages of development.