The global VC industry has tripled in size over the last decade to an estimated $160 billion (£124 billion) in 2018, with the UK leading the pack in European investment.  With so much capital burning a hole in their collective pockets, the venture industry is under pressure to deploy capital, despite persistently high valuations.  In the private investing arena, well, everyone loves a tax break.  So this is the time of year when we are prompted to take advantage of the government’s generous incentives to invest in start-ups and SMEs: up to 30% tax relief within the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) and up to 50% with SEIS.  An immediate saving on your tax bill and a chance to invest in the next unicorn – what could possibly go wrong?

Statistics show that most start-ups fail.  The odds of survival for the average new business are not rosy, and the chances that it will reach Unicorn status are as good as …well, catching an unicorn.  Before throwing caution to the wind, whether investing on behalf of a fund or for ourselves, the more information we have on a particular opportunity the better we can manage the risk of losing our hard-earned funds.

Beyond Business and alumni from Cambridge, Columbia and LBS invites you to attend an evening with experienced investors sharing their thoughts on start-up and early stage investing.  Topics we will cover include:

Topics we will cover include:

• Pre-investment best practices: How do you spot warning signs before investing, and how can investors help entrepreneurs to avoid bear traps?

• Relationship management:  How do VCs and private investors best manage the relationship with their start-ups?
• What is success and what is failure:  what are the early warning signs of problems ahead, and what does throwing in the towel actually involve

• Exits:  how do you get across the finishing line, and how do you avoid being squeezed by later investors?

Schedule:
6:30-7:00pm – Arrival drinks and registration
7:00-8:00pm – Panel Discussion
8:00-9:00pm – Reception, drinks and light bites