Andrew Gerrard

techUK recently asked me to share views on #scaleup #investment challenges, which are condensed into a 3 minute blog post below. Hopefully an interesting read for UK tech entrepreneurs, VCs and policy makers... The opportunity to improve the landscape is clear. 🇬🇧

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The article outlines five critical priorities for the UK government to support SMEs better: improving access to finance, enhancing digital infrastructure, reducing regulatory burdens, fostering innovation, and expanding international trade opportunities. These actions are essential in empowering SMEs, the backbone of the economy, to thrive in a competitive and rapidly evolving market. The government can help SMEs overcome challenges, drive economic growth, and create more resilient and sustainable businesses by addressing these key areas.

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Battery and energy storage innovation is key to reaching climate and sustainability goals 👏 so with that in mind - looking forward to supporting the Faraday Battery Challenge and the 18 founders participating on everything #fundraising and #investor related.

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Looking forward to this, and in the coming weeks will be badgering people for contacts in the German energy networks, supply chain, authorities etc to see how we can help speed up good decisions relating to #hydrogen on the what/ where/ when/ how #wasserstoff

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Scotland's ecosystem for nurturing tech start-ups continues to transform into a powerful support network, greater than the sum of its parts. The latest example is the new partnership between Scottish EDGE and TechScaler. By combining two of our most effective assets within Scotland’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, we significantly increase the value that they bring to our start-ups. Alumni start-ups from Scottish EDGE can now access an ongoing development path within Techscaler, while Techscaler’s network of startup founding teams is strengthened further by dynamic businesses curated by EDGE.  https://lnkd.in/eZcM9RYR

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Announcing South Yorkshire and Sheffield's UKBAA Angel Hub! Investors and Angels can access start-up and scale-up opportunities filtered by Venture.Community members, as well as being supported with acceleration, long term mentorship, training and co-operation with other founders. Join here: https://lnkd.in/eEC29S42 We're gearing up for a huge investors day (penciled for 20th-21st February 2025), with visits from national and international investors in co-operation with the Charles Harrewyn UKBAA Stuart Brown, Martin Avison, angelgroups and Cris Auditore Zimmermann Medici Global Ventures - watch this space! There are big tax benefits available with SEIS and EIS, as well as being able to support and invest in the success of some amazing founders trying to make a global impact. Venture.Community in South Yorkshire is operated under license by the Co-operative Venture Society of South Yorkshire Limited; Registered with the FCA as a mutual co-operative society. Capital is at risk. #startups #angels #sheffield #southyorkshire

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I'm excited to let you all know about an upcoming webinar I am hosting with top UK VCs on the topic of giving yourself the best chance of raising a Series A 🙌 Off the back of the benchmarking report I published for Episode 1 Ventures "The Definitive Guide to Raising a Series A in the UK in 2024", I will be joined by the following to discuss some key trends and topics: Simon Murdoch - Managing Partner at Episode 1 Laura McGinnis - Principle at Balderton Capital Nelly Markova - Partner at Molten Ventures Sasha Vidiborskiy - Partner at Atomico Among other things, come find out: - What are the critical metrics you need to hit? - How fast should you be growing? - How should you think about retention? - How do funds think about product-market-fit? - How should you think about competition? - And how mature does your GTM function need to be? Raising your Series A is tough, only 1 in 5 Seed-backed companies make it. Join me on Monday 13th May at 5pm UK time to help give yourself the best chance of a successful raise. Link to sign up in the comments below along with a link to the report... Thanks to OrbitalX for managing the webinar!

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Great to see the hard work many industry bodies have been doing to create a digital assets ecosystem is bearing some fruit with the UK Chancellor Rt Hon Rachel Reeves yesterday announcing that the government is progressing on a pilot to deliver a digital gilt. (https://lnkd.in/eG5d49XF) This is a great next step after the previous HM Treasury Asset Management Taskforce, of both showing the rest of the world that UK is open for digital assets business as well as getting the industry here in the UK properly coordinated and ready to start to work with digital assets. #dlt #digitalassets #markets3.0

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The case for GB Cloud The AI revolution will need massive computing capacity to enable it. In this paper Demos ‘ Elizabeth Seger with UKDayOne calls for the next government to invest in sovereign compute - GB Cloud - to develop cost effect and resilient compute. GB Cloud should be a public interest company offering discounted access to the NHS, public services and researchers and start-ups and could have parliamentary oversight and public consultation to ensure it is a trusted resource for the nation. The next will have to pick some targets to stimulate growth. This is a good bet. https://lnkd.in/eg28dipv

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Looking forward to attending Futurescot DigitalScotland 2024 tomorrow and learning lots more about how the public sector is leveraging smart data to deliver genuine improvements to citizens' lives. #ds24 #smartdata #digitalgovernment

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As part of Manchester City Council's strategy around investment in Digital and Technology, I'm working with Manchester Digital to get input from founders, investors and accelerators in Greater Manchester (or those supporting businesses in Great Manchester). This piece of work is intended to document where each of the major pieces within the eco-system sit, identify any gaps and make recommendations to public sector stakeholders as to how they can support Manchester in its ambition to becoming a major force for UK startups. Your views are key to getting this right, so we would highly appreciate it if you could take a few moments to complete the short Founder survey whether you have received investment or not, and ensure we get the best outcomes for the tech startup scene. 🔥 Founders - https://lnkd.in/ewGHbxPM 💰 Investors - https://lnkd.in/e7yadFH8 🚀 Accelerators - https://lnkd.in/eTpGUsKf

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Unlock Local Economic Potential with Go4Growth Core. The Go4Growth Core programme is designed to bridge the gap between SMEs, VCSEs, and the public sector. Tailored to support your organisation’s goals, Go4Growth Core empowers smaller businesses with practical tools for sustainable growth and public sector success. Here’s what’s included: - Comprehensive Marketplace Support: Access a self-service platform, webinars, and market research, along with one-on-one coaching to help potential suppliers navigate public sector procurement. - Online courses and dedicated skills based workshops for providers, local business and voluntary sector organisations - Personalised Journeys: Customised support plans target bid preparation, financial credibility, and collaboration. - Community Partnerships: Engagement with local businesses through Chambers of Commerce and networks for growth. - Evidence-Based Insights: Use surveys and data analysis to make your procurement process more inclusive. - Cost-Effective Access: Funded by the public sector, Go4Growth is free for providers, including SMEs and VCSEs making it a valuable resource for local business growth. Find out more here - https://lnkd.in/e3H9jc6u or contact us in one of the below ways: Tel: 07534 114271 Email: [email protected]  #publicsectorprocurement #procurement #freetraininguk

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Want a sneak peek of UK funding data and trends we're seeing on shipshape.vc? Come along on Thursday, June 27th, to an event hosted in conjunction with HSBC Innovation Banking, Newfound and Fundraising Bootcamp. Why should you attend? 1) There'll also be a panel covering challenges tech companies face when seeking private, government and non-dilutive funding; strategies on how to drive and accelerate revenue growth; venture and growth support; and other strategic funding solutions. Including industry specialists Lauren Mathurin James Campbell, Francois Mazoudier and Jon Keating, moderated by Monik Pham, Founding Partner of Pact. 3) A great excuse to meet and network with other founders, CEOs, CFOs, investors and advisors over drinks and nibbles, on a Thursday evening, in the City of London, before everyone goes on summer holidays. 🔗 Register now by following the link in the comments and we look forward to seeing you there! #capitalraising #startups #fundraising #founders #venturecapital #investors #vc #vcfunding #technology #startup #tech 

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Join our Tech Tidbits, grab your coffee, settle in and get insights from ScotlandIS #members who have lived experiences on various topics that will help you/your team and your business in your #growth #journey If you're a ScotlandIS #member and would like to deliver a Tech Tidbit - please do get in touch. #ScotlandISSupporting #Members #Insights #PeertoPeer

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Gathr® - Formerly London Tech & PE Drinks, isn't just an events company. We also have built a B2B services marketplace to help Founders & Investors find the best providers for free. Check out our video below which explains it all. Looking for any provider for your company? Get in touch and let us help you! Check it out at GathrtoFind.com!

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The UK Venture Capital Financial Returns 2024 report provides a comprehensive assessment of the performance of UK VC funds since 2002. The report draws together data directly sourced from fund managers, from the British Business Bank’s equity programmes, as well as from commercial data providers PitchBook and Preqin. The report contains the following chapters: 🔹 Chapter 1 provides an overview of UK VC financial returns in comparison to the US, and the rest of Europe (ROE), and breaks this down into different vintage year cohorts. 🔹 Chapter 2 explores global VC fund performance in the life sciences and green technology sectors, including how industry returns have evolved over the past twenty years. 🔹 Chapter 3 assesses the performance of VC funds the Bank has invested in through its Enterprise Capital Funds (ECF) programme and through British Patient Capital (BPC). 🔹 Chapter 4 provides an overview of current VC market conditions, covering fund managers’ perspectives on fundraising, competition, valuations and exit opportunities using the results from our UK fund manager survey.

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Positive news to see the UK tech sector surpassing China to become the second-largest global ecosystem in funding. This impressive achievement highlights how innovative the UK has become, fuelled by substantial investments and a newly energised post-covid start-up culture. The article in Fortune notes that the UK's tech scene secured $45.2 billion in 2023, surpassing China and demonstrating the country's growing influence in the global market. One key takeaway for me is the diverse range of industries benefiting from this boom, including fintech, health tech, and (of course) AI. Do you find this surprising, or do you already think of the UK as fostering a supportive ecosystem for entrepreneurs? #UKTech #DigitalTransformation https://lnkd.in/eYjxQXbK

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Well worth reading the latest annual ‘Equity Investments into Spinouts’ report from our award-winning EIS fund manager, Parkwalk Advisors. The report highlights the opportunities and some of the issues facing industries across the university spinout sector in the UK. It is extremely encouraging to see evidence of an investment recovery and further projected growth for spinouts. Government support for this vital growth engine must continue – helping to build a thriving ecosystem to create more billion-pound spinouts here in the UK, delivering investment returns, a strong economy and positive impact.

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