Jo Spolton’s Post

Applications to pitch at Britain's Got Startups close tomorrow! Scotland’s startups and scaleups are brimming with potential, but they need their fair share of investor attention. Consider these stats: -Scottish businesses saw a 50% decline in investment value in 2023. -Only 1 Unicorn out of 39 in the UK is based in Scotland, compared to 32 in London. Britain’s Got Startups aims to change this by increasing regional investment, spotlighting talent, and connecting founders with investors. It’s your chance to make an impact! Apply to pitch by midday tomorrow: https://vist.ly/3mnv4rk More about the event series: https://vist.ly/3mnv4rn

Strength to strength

Interested to see who's making waves this year as the fastest growing startups in the UK & Ireland? 🌊 Sifted have released the inaugural Sifted Leaderboard, the Sifted 100: UK & Ireland, which ranks the fastest-growing startups across the UK and Ireland by revenue growth 🚀 Coming in as the top 5 💥 1.Allica Bank 2.Artios 3.Zilch 4.Seat Unique 5.Peppy The full article is below 👇

Are you a startup looking to expand into the US? Recently we were lucky enough to be joined by Shaun Vanderkaap, Founder of Aus to America, to learn about the realities of expanding into America that all startups should know. With some valuable insights from a subject matter expert, it's a must-watch for any founders looking to enter this highly competitive market: https://lnkd.in/gKCxV-8N

🧐 Looking forward to being a judge at Britain's Got Startups event in early April in Guildford!   If you're a startup or scale-up business in the South-West, applications close this Friday at midday.   What is it? 👇 Britain’s Got Startups is a national event series spotlighting the best startups and scale-ups. The event brings together investors, business leaders and local stakeholders to provide an active platform to pitch to. The best businesses from the regional finals will be invited to London for an event series finale on an international stage. Why am I bothering? 🤓 Regional businesses are undervalued and don’t get the attention they deserve. The goal is to boost investment to improve the flow of early-stage capital across the UK.

“The idea is to break all of the mental barriers but also the barriers that we put on ourselves when building a business, “ says Valentina Primo Founder of Startups Without Borders, during her talk at the 5th edition of the Summit. Valentina emphasizes the importance of breaking mental barriers and the self-imposed limitations when building a business. Primo also highlights the significance of looking beyond traditional measures and building a global network for entrepreneurial success. The summit aims to provide opportunities for networking and fostering innovation among startups and investors from various backgrounds. #925egypt #startupwithoutborders #swbsummit2024

🎉 Switchee is excited to share that we’ve been featured as the 159th fastest growing startup, on the Sifted 250 Leaderboard. This ranking highlights the 250 fastest-growing startups across Europe in 2024 based on revenue growth over the last three financial years. Tom Robins, Switchee CEO says "I’m so proud of Switchee’s growth, it’s a testament to the fantastic work of our teams who continue to deliver in a challenging environment to improve the lives of residents in social housing. Our work with our partners also continues to thrive and we’re excited about the next chapter in our journey" 👀 Want to see who else made the cut? Check out the full ranking here: https://lnkd.in/dNnqkV6V Interested in the big themes of European tech 2024? 👉 Download the report here: https://lnkd.in/dufNR866 #Sifted250 #SiftedLeaderboards #StartupEurope #Growth

A tale of two startups…. One startup celebrates their huge milestone as Africa’s latest unicorn by acknowledging the dedication and sacrifice of their Co-founders. Earlier in the week, the co-founder of another startup stepped down due to co-founder misalignment, amongst other concerns. We have a lot to learn from both Moniepoint Group and Leatherback. Finding a partner to go on such a journey is fraught with unexpected and sometimes unfavourable outcomes is more art than science. Yes, the number of years co-founders have known each other has a part to play but that’s not all. It is also far from being an emotional decision.  It’s that deep alignment of purpose that transcends financial rewards. It is intentionally choosing to be accountable to each other, and then choosing a set of unbiased, purpose-driven advisors/mentors that’ll hold these co-founders  accountable to the vision of the company. Co-founder alignment is non-negotiable. Cheers to seeing more African startup co-founders celebrate their little wins, and in due time, their big wins 🥂

Another successful workshop with startups and scaleups from various industries – 🇬🇧 Essential Sales and Business Development Strategies for the UK Market! Vinit Shah, our founder, setting the stage once again! We explored 7 sector-agnostic components of sales strategy and go-to-market planning, delivering the essentials for entering the UK market. Key takeaways were re-evaluated, and the interactivity was perfect – we love it because it’s more effective! Great to see hands going up throughout the session! So proud to #LearnMoreSellMore. Empowering startups & scaleups with the knowledge and support they need for global expansion – a big thank you to Innogate - Always On - powered by NBT (Next Big Thing) for supporting this mission. #UKMarketEntry #SalesStrategy #BusinessDevelopment #StartupGrowth #UKBusiness

Good report, thanks about sharing Ville Herva! The state of European Angels report is a good read for all of us supporting startup ecosystem in Europe. #startupfpunders #venturecapital #familyoffices #angelinvestors