Funding
Fintech companies offer innovative and much-needed financial services and products; however, they have not been heard and seen at the political level sufficiently. EFA aims to become the united voice of the Fintech companies in Europe.
The amount of information we are exposed to exceeds our ability to process it. Out of the about 70,000 thoughts we have per day, our short term memory can hold no more than seven for only about 20 to 30 seconds. How does this relate to branding? Our long-term memory stores our associations with specific brands which is also ultimately the desired effect of marketing campaigns or PR activities – for people to remember your company (or you as a person!) when in need of the products or services you provide.
The Future Fund is the UK Government’s funding scheme designed to assist early-stage, high growth firms across the UK meet the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The current financial climate is disturbing for technology founders. At the European level, we have over 300 VC funds continuing to actively invest and grant-making programmes in every country, yet founders face many hurdles accessing capital.
I was asked very recently by a company to explain how I would approach their projected Intellectual Property (trademarks, patents, code of the platform) concerning their Balance Sheet or Statement of Financial Position. To make it even more complicated and they have asked me to consider both UK accounting rules as well as the US.
Asto Business Capital loans are now available on the Funding Options platform as part of a long term partnership with the business finance marketplace. The Santander-backed app joins Funding Options’ roster of more than 200 lender partners, offering loans of as little as £150 or as much as £150,000, to help small businesses plug urgent cash flow holes.
2019 was a record breaking year for VC investment in UK startups ($13.2bn, an increase of 44% compared to the previous year) and the amount of VC dry powder in Europe is higher than ever before(more last year’s raises here). Success stories of companies raising millions without a formal pitch deck (Hopin, an online events platform) or still in beta and during lockdown (Clubhouse, a voice-based social media app) do sound inspiring.
Conducting a regular business audit is a vital document that is needed to help monitor and inspect the financial situation of a company. To prevent losing track of assets and overheads a business has, audits help bring clarity to managers where their cash in-flows and out-flows are going to and from.
Since the Coronavirus outbreak, multiple concerns about the pandemic deepening social and economic inequalities have been raised. The latest ‘Ecoystem’ webinar session brought together leading investors and one of world’s largest engineering and manufacturing companies in a conversation on challenging industry perceptions to break down barriers to VC funding and innovation.
Raising funding for your startup can be a challenging task at the best of times. And then along came a pandemic, making it even harder.
OurCrowd, a crowdfunded-venture investment platform, has announced the launch of its Pandemic Innovation Fund. The Fund plans to raise $100m for investment in urgent technological solutions for the medical, business, educational and social needs triggered by global pandemics and other health emergencies.
We are in a state of an unprecedented global health crisis. Coronavirus has spread with similar speed and impact to an earthquake – with confirmed cases surpassing 5.5 million people in under six months’ time. Economically, according to IMF managing director Kristalina Georgieva, the world is facing the ‘deepest recession since the 1930s Great Depression’. A shock to the system, which has transformed the way we work, communicate and live. And fundraise. Last week a research by Plexal and Beauhurst revealed investment in UK tech startups has dropped by 50% year-on year. What should companies fundraising know, how to prepare and how has the VC landscape changed?
For many businesses, cash in the bank is often a concern especially during periods of uncertainty. Making sure you know exactly what’s going in and out and when has never been so important.
Over £7.25bn has now been paid to more than 40,500 businesses under the UK government’s Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS). More than 130,000 applications were also received for the newer Bounce Bank Loan Scheme (BBLS) on the first day of launch alone, with SMEs able to apply for between £2,000-£50,000.
As we are all starting to hope that the end, or at least a temporary reprieve, is in sight, thoughts are starting to turn to how we and our businesses can bounce back. In fact, another week and another acronym.
With most countries in some form of lockdown to slow the spread of CoVid-19, the business landscape for both startups and investors is almost unrecognisable to the start of 2020.
The UK government has taken a number of steps to support businesses and entrepreneurs during the Coronavirus pandemic. One of its flagship schemes is the Future Fund, a £250m package that provides a financial lifeline for innovative startups.
Money most certainly does not buy happiness, but it does make the world go round. And the lack of money can lead to hardship in many ways. A question that I keep overhearing recently is about whether it is still possible to raise finance during the coronavirus pandemic. The simple answer is yes… maybe!
We are now a few weeks into the UK’s ‘lockdown’, and the existence of many small – and large – businesses is under threat. An inability to operate cash flows as normal is undoubtedly a major concern and so many are seeking ways to cut costs and access cash, and fast.
A staggering 66% of startups have less than 12 months runway and 39% have less than six. These bleak statistics paint a somewhat gloomy picture and yet, in the UK alone, we saw a steady 8.5% increase in the number of companies being registered last year, so these figures are certainly not deterring the business leaders of today. Here James Hyde, CEO and co-founder of James and James, explains more…
