Gabriel Pizzolante

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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Calling fellow startup founders based in or around London... this is a great event that we (adeus) have attended a few times. It's not your typical start up pitch event. It's the opportunity to intro your business to a really friendly room of business people who are open to sharing ideas and providing advice to founders early in their journeys. ___ Join VOCASOs next MIC NIGHT event in London, near London Bridge on Tuesday 5th November from 6pm. Up to 15 founders each do a 1-minute elevator pitch to our member community of seasoned executives, sharing their company's tale and toughest business hurdle ahead. It's not a pitch for money but an opportunity to gain the insights desired for that next stage of growth. A great chance to connect with potential perfect match mentors or advisors within the community who have the expertise or connections you relish. Spaces are limited. Learn more about the event and RSVP or add your name to wait list here: https://lnkd.in/e3iRy9Uf     VOCASO, a fee-free community of founders and advisors. An ecosystem that brings its members, all senior executives aspiring to become Mentors, Advisors and NEDs together with growth companies seeking wisdom and door opening connections to drive growth. VOCASO kick-starts board careers today to impact the economy of tomorrow.

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🚨🚨 Event Tech World Meet-Up – free for corporate event profs and commercial conference/expo folks: 10th October, Central London. If you run events (you’re still reading, so probably!) and use tech for registration or delivery, this is for you. Actually, it’s a must. Join me and 15 event profs to share actual real life practical experiences on how to achieve a single attendee view, even when juggling multiple tech platforms. Goldman Sachs and a Big 4 firm are already signed up. 📍 5:15-8pm, 10th October at the stunning etc.venues, Chancery Lane. This is your chance to swap success stories (and maybe some of those more challenging lessons learned) with fellow event tech buyers and users. Thanks to sponsorship from @First Event, it's completely free 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼 Last time, we discussed 28 tools and platforms, shared real-world examples, and even explored some AI use cases. It was brilliant 🤩. So, if you’re a corporate event prof (or even in the marketing team and run events) or in commercial conferencing/expos, register via the link in comments. But please, this is only for the tech users and buyers – event tech/martech suppliers, I’ve got something in the works for you! DM me for details, but kindly don’t sign up for this one 🙏🏼. Got questions? Ask away! #eventprofs #eventtech #community

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Whilst working on GoPlugable we’ve often talked about our bootstrapping journey where we funded our first year of development almost exclusively through grants competitions and accelerator programs. And whilst we can’t win everything, with £150,000 of equity free funds raised in 10 months it’s fair to say we’ve had a pretty good run at it! I always recommend to startups to avail of the support out there and bootstrap for as long as you can, we’ve gotten support both locally and internationally and it definitely can be done. 💸 Part of what I love so much about being in the startup world is not only working on my own startup but also hearing what others are working on. I get quite a lot of messages from very early stage founders asking how we managed to build our platform and get it off the ground on bootstrapped funds - every founder I have the opportunity to help in some way has also taught me something. As always my inbox is open and I’m more than happy to answer any questions you have but I wanted to gauge interest for offering more in depth one hour calls to help you to be able to present your startup in the best way possible whether it be through an application programme, pitch deck, website or MVP. Things are always busy at GoPlugable so for a very small fee I can allocate more of my time to give this more in depth advice based on what you need help with most. So if interested please give me a dm 🙋🏻‍♀️ Things I can help with: 1. Writing application forms and how to speed this process up when applying for many things at a time (we have this down to a fine art at GoPlugable!). 2. Putting together pitch deck in 3 min, 5min and 10 min formats and what is needed for each. 3. Help with what is needed for an MVP/wireframe, advice around budgeting and can provide intros to developers/ web designers who can provide quality work at a startup friendly price. 4. Give you a heads up on what applications you should be applying for and update you on this via email. 5. Basics of financial projections modelling- particularly for B2C/marketplaces. 6. Go to market strategies, marketing and PR advice. Applications and programmes I have experience with: -QUB Dragons Den winner 2023 -QUest Programme participant and pitch winner -INVENT winner 2023 -Techstart 10K and 35K proof of concept grants -Invest NI from student to first sale grant -innovateUK -Catalyst Cofounders -Enterprise Ireland New Frontiers Programme -Student Entrepreneur Awards -Santander X semi finalist -FIA mobility startup winner -Impact shakers urban impact pitch winner - and a lot more!

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I've just read that Nesta has just launched a UK social enterprise award with Boston Consulting Group (BCG) where the winner gets ... (You best sit down for this big news) ... two months of free support from a BCG team ‘to help them scale’? Sounds great, right? But let’s get real for a second. What can actually be accomplished in two months? Are they going to swoop in with their generic frameworks and growth strategies, offer some PowerPoints, and then vanish before any of it can be put into action? Here’s the problem: consultants don’t get what it’s like to run an underfunded social enterprise. Scaling isn’t just about strategy. It’s about surviving under constant resource strain, building resilience in your team, and somehow staying afloat while juggling a dozen different crises. Two months of high-level, out-of-touch consulting is hardly going to solve any of that. What happens when the two months are up? Will the social enterprise be left holding a strategy that’s impossible to implement because no one addressed the actual realities of their situation? If BCG really wanted to help, here’s what they could do: - Offer long-term, embedded support—not just a couple of months and a wave goodbye - Open up their networks to bring in real funding and partnerships - Mentor the leadership team and help them navigate the constant challenges they face - Better yet, provide financial backing for the changes they propose, instead of leaving the enterprise to figure out how to fund their grand ideas This kind of performative ‘help’ looks good on paper but offers very little substance. As a social enterprise founder I can vouch to the efficacy of many of these schemes having found them pretty useless previously. As someone who has been there and got the t-shirt, I wouldn't bother a second time. If we’re serious about scaling social enterprises, we need more than a two-month consulting sprint. But that’s not really the point here, is it? Nesta and BCG, do better! Anyone with an ounce of common sense is going to view this 'prize' as lip service, at best.

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River City Labs certainly has an incredible international network. Our friends at Oury Clark are over from the UK next week and we can't wait to catch up with them! Jessica Bass and Zara Speller are highly experienced in providing commercial solutions to a diverse clientele, ranging from large multinationals to early-stage startups. And next week they will be sharing their insights into everything you need to know about setting up your business in the UK. Oury Clark provide a unique combination of professional services including legal, accounting, tax, financial, payroll & recruitment. Their specialists work together to cut through the complicated layers of the legal and accountancy world, offering clear and concise advice. Jess and Zara will be offering a virtual session for Labs members and the wider entrepreneurial community on Thursday 16th May from 1-2pm 💪 If you have the UK set in your sights and keen to know more about 'the how' - join us next week for what will be an awesome session. Don't forget to register below 👇 #internationalexpansion #goingfurther #ukexpansion #businessgrowth #scaleup #startupcommunity #entrepreneurship #educationseries #virtualevent

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⭐ Kudos to the team behind UK Tech Week for lighting up the UK's many fantastic groups, campaigns and initiatives. Stuart Clarke MBE and colleagues have done a fantastic job! https://uktechweek.org/ 🗓️ I had a flashback to 2012 when, through StartUp Britain we created the glamourously-named Enterprise Calendar because we were fed up of finding out about events just after they had happened. In print (no, there were no photos), and quickly online, hundreds of events appeared, helping people spot opportunities they might have missed. 💡 This week I've learned about the tech scene in Wales (thanks Tramshed Tech and Startup Coalition), about a new fund in Sheffield (thanks Peter Hopton), about Angel Investors in York (thanks Tech York), tech collaboration across the East of England (thanks Cambridge Tech Week), and about a whole host of activities across the West Midlands (thanks Yiannis Maos MBE) all because they have been illuminated by UK Tech Week. That has increased my understanding, helped me to connect with people, and sparked countless ideas on how to do things differently. 🌍 One advantage of living on a relatively small island (Australia is 32 times bigger, the USA 40 times), is that if we want to see each other easily, we can. And of course in the meantime, we can connect virtually. It has been inspiring over the past few years to see Tech London Advocates & Global Tech Advocates launch Tech West England Advocates, Tech North Advocates, and Tech Scotland Advocates (to name a few), to see Grow London including companies from Scotland and the West Midlands on its programmes or to see Janet Coyle CBE (one of London and the UK's most connected business leaders) joining the TechWM Digital Advisory Board. This is connecting the UK in action. 🎼 Being in a Team doesn't mean all saying the same thing. It means playing well, together. In music, harmony is often far more interesting than unison. Yes, there will be times when one, united note is more appropriate or powerful, however most of the time, it is the rich blend of voices and tones which make the whole what it is. ⭕ When I was a Butlin Redcoat, we were given two key pieces of advice. The first was not to try to emulate another Redcoat. We didn't have to be "loud" or "funny". We were encouraged to find our own style. The second piece of advice was to spread out and not hang about in Redcoat groups. To avoid a "clot". Today I see the magic in bringing connectors together occasionally (I'll host a Connecting the Connectors event next week at Home Grown Club). But this is a rare moment for busy schedules. Supporting each other matters, whatever our chosen style or format. There is a wealth of talent and generosity in the UK, and "tech" is exactly the kind of Sector-Spanning Force which can cross divides and build bridges. ✒️ For me, UK Tech Week has underlined just how much visibility matters. 📌 Next stop, London Tech Week (June 10th, in case it's not in your calendar!) #UKTW

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Check out Alcea's latest blog on how #SMEs can overcome the seven typical challenges faced when looking to adopt #AItools into their businesses. The opportunities are enormous and the challenges are all surmountable! #AI #SMEs

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2024 is no better than 2023. UK Tech investment landscape surely can't get any gloomier than this, could it? Up to date data from https://deallite.uk Please note we only cover UK Tech Companies. #techinvestment #venturecapital #vc #privateequity #equityinvestment #equity #tech #uktech #techcelerate #deallite #deals #techdeals #funding #techfunding #investment #seed #seriesA #preseed #growthcapital

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This week has been a game-changer for UK tech startups, with a total of £139.2m raised across 11 funding rounds - a staggering 379% increase from last week! Amber Therapeutics - £80m Echion Technologies - £29m Sidekick - £8.5m Rendesco - £6m Visibly - £5.9m OnSecurity - £5.5m Workl - £2m (Recruitment) Gener8 - £2m (Privacy software) Real World Health - £1.37m (Health tech/data) VoltShare - £500k (EV charging) Bluedot - £473k (AI) #UKTech #StartupFunding #Innovation #TechNews #HealthTech #Fintech #ClimateTech #Cybersecurity #EdTech #EnergyTech #Startup #fundraising

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Why the UK Needs a Public Performance Dashboard for Government Metrics With the UK general election on the horizon, regardless of political views, here are my thoughts for whoever gets into power next. Picture this: a public dashboard for all government metrics, just like any decent organisation would have. Imagine if we could all easily access and track crucial metrics such as housing availability, NHS waiting times, and crime reduction efforts. Each of these metrics would have a RAG (Red, Amber, Green) status, making it crystal clear how well the government is performing in various areas. Not only would this increase transparency, but it would also allow citizens to see who is responsible for what. Just like in any well-run company, accountability is key. When performance is visible to everyone, there's a natural incentive to improve and deliver better results. Now, I know this is a bit of a pipe dream and might not happen anytime soon, but you can't deny it's a good idea. A public performance dashboard could be a game-changer for government transparency and efficiency. Let's hope the idea catches on, and we see some movement towards greater openness and accountability in the future. So, as we head to the polls, let's keep dreaming big and pushing for the kind of transparency that could truly transform our political landscape. After all, a little more clarity never hurt anyone! #UKElection #Transparency #GovernmentAccountability #PublicDashboard #NHS #HousingCrisis #CrimeReduction #RAGStatus #VoteForChange #FutureOfPolitics #AccountabilityMatters #Election2024 #DreamBig #PoliticalReform

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We’ve been looking deeply into the infrastructure and ecosystem around #digitalskills in UK education and anticipating what might be needed to address the skills shortage and youth underemployment, (or…. paint a realistic and genuinely exciting picture of future jobs for those coming into the workforce). Not just immediately but over the coming decade. It’s been a fascinating research sprint with the wonderful brains Kathryn Skelton Justin Spooner and the many more contributors and thought leaders. As with all of our social impact research, whilst it’s going to help us develop interventions we love to share far and wide so all boats rise. #digitalskills #education #youth #tech #socialmobility

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Whatever happens next we'll be starting from the lowest of low bases. In 2018 I was invited by UK Gov to lead on a Europe-wide initiative to agree a meaningful set of comparative measures, exploring the wellbeing of young people. Whilst the UK quietly withdrew from this initiative, things have moved on all the same. So, here we are now: * 30% of all UK children living in comparative poverty * Over a third of young people reporting evidence of depression or anxiety * 90% of young people below the basic threshold for financial literacy * Young peoples’ happiness in work, education, qualifications and money at an all-time low. That's a worthwhile list of things to fix.

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Breakthrough Comes From Anywhere #BCFA | Video Podcast | Episode 1 On 15/05/24 early stage founders, investors and industry leaders gathered at Future House in East London to start to challenge, probe and unpack what does it now take to actually make the early stage ecosystem more agile, adaptive and open? This was the start of a collective and emerging conversation to explore and demonstrate that if we start to prioritise and value in an early founder’s journey: > an ability to demonstrate a capacity for agile R&D > a willingness to incorporate real time prototyping > an appetite for rapid ideation > a capacity to increase the cycle of learning > a competency for reducing the cost of failure Then we might recalibrate the current founder <> investor asymmetry at top of the funnel and enable early stage deal flow to increasingly become more open and diverse. Watch the Video Podcast below that captures and summarises the evening below. As this conversation continues to build and evolve, we want to now focus on and expose the drivers and dynamics that inform the much too frequently cited and too frequently leveraged “9 Out Of 10 Startup Failure” rate. So if anyone has insights, thoughts comments into this "failure" rate we'd love to now hear from and talk you. #BCFA #BreakthroughComesFromAnywhere Osmin Callis Gideon⋅ Barker Henry Marsden Tom Balchin Susan Callan CAIA Benjamin Chiou Joseph Reeve Alasdair Scott, FRSA MBCS Tom Watts Tom Butterworth Aisling McCarthy Dan Pritchard Dan French Alexandre Covello Dan French Sukhi Bhullar Sam Nallen Copley Ian S. Tim Meehan Blessing Mutamba Tom Hunt Melek Erdal Michael Wilkinson Patricia Bacon Caroline Teunissen AJ . Andrew Ellis, FRSA Marcus Exall Leke Sholuade Martin SFP Bryant Guy Kaufman Rachel Botsman Richard Taylor Sam Clark

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This is a fascinating example of what AI can do in the research industry. YouGov asked over 2,000 people to say *in their own words* what they thought of the John Lewis Christmas advert, then used a new AI tool to analyse the results. You get so much closer to the nuances of what real people think - and why - than if you rely on topline quantitative polling alone. Because AI is cutting the cost and time required to do it, increasing amounts of polling and research will include this type of deep-dive in the future.

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My second panel is Wednesday morning: yes, comms and policy are important at an early stage, yes, if you build in tech you will be regulated, and yes, there are ways to be smart about this with limited resources! https://lnkd.in/eTM5E_mT

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I did mention I'd joined at a pretty exciting time... 🚀💜 If you're a Talent Team, RPO, or enterprise Recruitment Agency and you have an interest in increasing your revenue per head, whilst decreasing OpEx (read all talent leaders) then you should be speaking to Popp. This latest round allows us to build bigger and build better, but crucially allows us to service more clients. There couldn't be a better time to be speaking to us. Popp: Your digital resourcer for hiring at scale 💜

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Top 9 Reasons to Invest in Wedissimo in Our LAST 7 DAYS of Crowdfunding Wedissimo is a brand new B2B2C wedding supplier marketplace. We are aiming to revolutionize the way that couples find and book wedding suppliers with a trusted and intuitive marketplace. We use geolocation and calendar synching tech so that couples can see those wedding suppliers who are available on their date and at their wedding. We started locally offering wedding photographers in London only...our vision is to offer all wedding services globally, and disrupt the $275bn wedding services market. Since launching our #crowdfunding round on Crowdcube we have been overwhelmed by the support and have now raised 180% of our initial target. Here are our top 9 reasons why you should invest before our round closes in 1 week's time: 📈 Wedissimo experienced more than 8 times growth from within our first 9 months. 👍Since launch we have amassed a social media audience of over 100k within the first year. 💎 The wedding market is huge - worth over $275bn per year globally and growing at 7% a year 🧑🏻‍🤝‍🧑🏽 Strong founding team with founding team with experience at Google, Amazon, KPMG and a range of start-ups ✅ Backed by well known Angel Investors - including Simon Collins - ex Chair of KPMG 📃EIS - wedissimo has EIS advanced assurance, which means most investors who pay UK income tax can receive 30% of their investment back as an income tax break. 📷 We are launching a wedding photography awards with the royal photographer, Millie Pilkington 📈 Our organic search traffic has grown 199% quarter-on-quarter 🚀 We have hired a new performance marketer to light a fire under our performance marketing ahead of next season INVEST HERE 👇 https://lnkd.in/dTf4CnrU Don't invest unless you're prepared to lose all the money you invest. This is a high-risk investment and you are unlikely to be protected if something goes wrong.

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