Panos Anagnostopoulos

Startups and Crypto sound like a marriage made in heaven - low-cost transactions, new markets, lower-risk payments. But how do Founders get started? Read this piece in Startups Magazine to determine if crypto is right for your business.

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Are you looking for investors? At foundercentre we have a FREE interactive directory of over 240 UK INVESTORS! https://lnkd.in/ekYQBPZF Filter through which investor best suits your startup needs, and simply start sending applications out. Create a startup profile, and showcase it now! We use specific, targeted questions during the signup stage to ensure that all profiles contain the relevant information in a standardised format for Investors. No more sending back-and-forth emails. Simply copy and paste your unique URL- and Investors can see everything they need about your startup. At foundercentre we are the only FREE startup site to contain centralised directories for everything a UK startup needs. From Investors to Co-Working spaces, founders can now find everything they need, with the click of a button. Grow your startup now for free... #foundercentre #investors #startups #founder #startupspace #ideas

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Start up investment schemes have been extended by 10 years 👏 This includes: ➤ The Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS)  ➤ The Venture Capital Trust Scheme (VCT) Both of which will now be in place until 5 April 2035. So what does that mean in reality? Here are my key take outs for UK challenger brands: ➜ Life is tough right now for challenger brands, but the UK economy NEEDs consumer brands to succeed in order to grow. This change in legislation recognises and supports that growth. ➜ The schemes are designed to encourage investment in new start up or scale up companies, which will enable a greater number of investors to invest within early stage companies. ➜ As more eyes turn towards the challenger brand community, ensure you have your brand strategy nailed down, your investor pitch decks ready and that you’re 100% clear on your place and the growth potential you can unlock within your category. Thanks for sharing Simon Devonshire OBE --------- If you need some support with insights and data to back up your investor presentations, drop me a DM 📩 

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The UK is home to 1,800 VC-backed AI startups, and 16% of all UK VC investment went into AI in the first quarter of 2024. The UK’s AI sector is valued at $92bn (£72.3bn), the largest in Europe. The question is... how confident are we that the ecosystem will rally and ensure responsible development of AI? [Data from Tech Nation] #tech #ai #startups

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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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Access the #London-Funded Startups List. Check out the list of startups in #London that have secured funding, available for you at any time. Find the list here https://lnkd.in/d5hEbrVA #startup #startups #vc #venturecapital #investmentbanking #privateequity #managementconsulting #b2b #founders #entrepreneurs

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❓ Is the UK Primed to Birth the Next Generation of Tech Decacorns, and if Yes, What's the Blueprint? Jody Ford, CEO of Trainline, drew attention to the UK's illustrious past in industries such as steel, oil, and banking, followed by successes in pharmaceuticals and consumer goods. However, he pointed out a glaring gap: the tech sector's underperformance compared to the US counterparts. Ford stressed the urgent need for the UK to foster an environment where tech companies get easy access to capital, a fair regulatory framework that companies can flourish, expand, and compete worldwide. But here's the exciting part: We have the potential to birth tech giants not only in traditional sectors but also in innovative areas like oral health. Take Presto Dental, for instance—a pioneering startup poised to revolutionize oral healthcare globally. Let's seize this opportunity to propel the UK's tech scene to new heights. Time to make it happen! #techEntrepreneurs #companybuilders #UKTechRevolution #Innovation #PrestoDental #Oralhealth #Dentaltech #preseed #funding

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Yesterday was a pinch me kind of day. We launched Brunel AI. Four months ago, I made the difficult decision to leave my role as a strategy consultant at Eden McCallum. Now, I'm excited to be building this new venture with my close friend and Chief of Product, Montgomery Binns. Together, we’ve been hard at work developing our first product, FundFit. Last week we kicked off a trial with our very first customer. She puts it best: “𝘍𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘍𝘪𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘴 𝘢 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘧𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘯𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵” – Emilia Mackenzie, 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘎𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥. I’m incredibly grateful to Imperial College London, and my professor Ramana Nanda, who first sparked my interested in entrepreneurship. The Imperial Enterprise Lab and Sarah Ranchev-Hale have also provided incredible support. I also want to acknowledge Maryliz Ivan and Chris Tchen for encouraging me to explore AI in my consulting work. Emile van Hoof, I trust you’re carrying the torch. Thanks also to Hilary (Meyrick) Corroon Coroon for those chats over coffee – the next round is on me. Finally, a special thanks to Dave Norris and Paul McCafferty, for their invaluable tech / strategy / everything guidance over the past few months. P.S. Please reach out if you’re interested in learning more or just want to connect! Find out more at www.brunelai.co.uk #startup #AI #entrepreneurship

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UK venture capital fuels startup triumphs The UK is home to some of the most successful venture capital firms in the world. These firms specialize in providing funding and resources for startups, as well as guidance on navigating the early stages of business ownership. Some of these VCs have made massive investments into early stage companies, leading to their incredible growth and successes. UK's venture capital expands global investment reach The UK venture capital landscape continues to grow. With some of the top firms in Europe being situated in the UK, It's no surprise that there are a number of venture capital firms from the country which are leading the way when it comes to investing in European and global startups. Here two of my favourite lists please comment like and share :- Mountside Ventures’ list of 50+ VC firms with fresh capital and UK focus: https://lnkd.in/dAFrtNaz . https://lnkd.in/e7nwKMBv

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🎉 Exciting News! ThirdRetail has secured SEIS advance assurance within 24 hours of self-application! 🚀 🔍 What is SEIS? The Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS) is a UK government initiative designed to encourage investment in early-stage startups. It offers tax reliefs to investors, making it easier for young companies like ours to raise capital. 👋 Who are we? ThirdRetail is revolutionizing offline distribution for D2C brands! 🏪 We're the Airbnb of retail shelves, making it affordable and accessible for direct-to-consumer brands to scale their physical presence. Our AI-powered platform removes cross-channel blindspots, providing seamless integration between online and offline retail. 💡 Our mission: - Empower D2C brands to expand offline - Optimize retail space utilization - Bridge the gap between digital and physical retail 🤝 Calling SEIS Funds! Are you interested in being part of the third channel of retail sales? We're currently raising our pre-seed round and would love to chat with SEIS funds looking for exciting investment opportunities. Let's connect and explore how we can shape the future of retail together! 📈 Anil Junagal #RetailTech #SEIS #SEISFUNDS #Startup #D2C #Retail #Marketplace #B2B #SaaS

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Economic Growth Engines Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are the driving force behind UK economic growth, playing a crucial role in innovation and employment. In the UK, SMEs make up a remarkable 99% of all businesses, employing around 50% of the private sector workforce and significantly contributing to private sector turnover. Their agility and creativity enable them to pioneer new products and services, fostering innovation and dynamism in the economy. These dynamic enterprises are major job creators, employing millions of people across various sectors and supporting local communities through increased employment opportunities. By enhancing competition and efficiency, SMEs boost productivity, benefitting both supply chains and larger businesses. Moreover, SMEs extend their impact globally, participating in international trade and bolstering the UK's reputation on the world stage. Despite their significance, SMEs encounter challenges such as limited access to contracts. The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) acknowledges SMEs as vital partners in aid delivery and global networks, aiming to enhance SME engagement through the SME Action Plan. As we navigate economic recovery post-pandemic, supporting SMEs remains critical for propelling growth, creating jobs, and fostering innovation in the UK economy. #SMEs #UKBusiness #Investment #EconomicGrowth #Innovation #JobCreation #GrowthEngines #ProductivityBoosters #Resilience #GlobalImpact #UKRecovery.

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UK-based AI startups are now worth $256bn, according to new data from Dealroom and HSBC Innovation Banking. They also account for 22% of the country’s innovation ecosystem value — up from 12% in 2019. In the first half of 2024, startups in the field raised $2.1bn. And this amount is projected to more than double in the coming five months. This means they’re on track for another record-breaking year, following a $4.1bn total investment in 2021. The leading AI rounds span a wide range of applications, covering sectors such as energy, healthcare, law, and finance. #ai #business #tech

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The UK is struggling to scale businesses beyond the start-up phase. Despite our strong start-up culture, the drop in funding to a six-year low is a clear signal that we’re not doing enough to support the next stage of growth. If we want to drive innovation and future-proof our economy, we urgently need to inject substantial new capital into scale-up companies or we’ll lose the next generation of UK-born success stories. Interested - how can we (mainly government) fix it? 🔊 https://lnkd.in/dfUcV8M6

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It is great to see so many start-ups founded outside the London bubble. One company receiving recognition this week is Ittybit - one of our portfolio companies. Ittybit is an API platform designed to equip developers with essential tools for uploading, storing, transforming, and extracting data from various media types, including video, music, and images. By streamlining the handling of multimedia content, Ittybit enables its users to integrate complex media features into their applications seamlessly. The platform facilitates smooth interaction with video, audio, and image files, offering a comprehensive range of functionalities that enhance both developer efficiency and the user experience. Read more about the feature in EU-Startups' article, here: https://lnkd.in/dBQjt3eF #StartUps #Recognition #BackingFounders #EIS #VentureCapital

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Thanks Moshin Raza and EU Tech Chamber (EUTECH) for the invitation to speak at a panel on the topic of digital transformation of wealth management and Investment. Really enjoyed learning from the insights of the other panelists ▫️Aladár Tepelea and Gregor Boltar, so here's a brief summary for those who missed out: 1. WealthTech is making financial services more efficient, accessible, personalized, transparent, and cost-effective. 2. With the technological advancements, it's still our responsibility to educate ourselves and our children about basic finance. 3. The value of money exists because of trust, so people will always stay at the core of wealth management, with technology as an enabler. Follow & Connect 🤝

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I met the UK Gov Secretary of State for DSIT aka the 'Tech Minister'. And he’s got an AI Strategy brewing. It's top of the agenda, which is refreshing to see, considering the super-charged levels of expectation on this new government. Decisions and plans around it will shape the lives of millions across the UK for years to come. Will the UK government capitalise on the opportunity AI brings? How fast can they act. How inclusive can they be with their approach. I was thankful to attend a Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) ministerial event last night and meet the Tech Minister Peter Kyle to hear more about those plans. They’re gearing up for a so called “bold and inclusive approach”, but that’s going to require a mindset shift, delicate balance of regulation and skills development, and airtight comms plan. It’ll no doubt start with AI adoption in the public sector but ensuring the UK is bringing industry and government to train the next generation of AI talent, whilst spreading skills across existing workforces, is key! Whether it’s navigating the services you use to coordinate free childcare or upskilling yourself on how you grow your business, we’ll see AI powering this moving forward. Ace to catch up with some friendly faces, Dorothy Chou, Deborah Okenla, Jemma Waters, Phil Smith CBE, Katie Gallagher OBE, and Faye Van Flute. Looking forward to seeing what's on the horizon. #DSIT #AIStrategy #UpSkilling

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💥 Spring EIS/SEIS Fashion, Beauty and Lifestyle Virtual Investment Showcase 15th May - 1pm BST - Online💥 A great selection of early-stage investors and angels have already signed up to be in the virtual audience for our 15th May EIS and SEIS showcase, including: Fuel Ventures 🚀 Octopus Ventures Lyra Ventures TLF Ventures PDS Limited Captis Ventures True Global Ventures JamJar Investments Red Bus Angel Investment Network 💫 Calling all startups there is still time to apply to spotlight your company and ongoing raise to a pre-qualified audience of early-stage investors in the fashion and fashion tech sectors – apply here by 6th May https://lnkd.in/eHHF4vas 🚀 Investors and angels looking for validated EIS/SEIS opportunities, secure your spot - sign up here https://lnkd.in/eDQZRcfz Please share with anyone you think would love to showcase or attend as an investor. Don't worry if you can't make the live event; a recording and comprehensive startup details will be shared with all registrants.

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