The Spark. Our latest articles
Is Now A Good Time To Raise
Overall, Crunchbase is showing 521 recorded raises in Q2 for UK-based startups at preseed to Series A, with total investment of over £1B. Compared to the same period in 2019 (which was a record-breaking one), that’s a volume drop of 69%, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t money out there - many startups will have […]
Returning to ‘Normal’ After Lockdown
While we’re definitely not out of lockdown yet here in the UK, it’s important to turn your attention to how you return your company to ‘normal’ after this unprecedented period of change. Just as every good company should have a Crisis Management Plan to govern how they behave during crisis, they should also have a […]
6 reasons why Investors care about ‘Team’
Read my latest article on why Investors Care about 'Team' 6 Reasons why Investors Care about 'Team'
Why the UN Sustainable Development Goals are vital for your startup
A basic requirement, from an Investor’s perspective, is that a startup can articulate the problem they solve. That problem can be quite small, or it could be a global issue. Whichever it is, increasingly investors are looking for investments whose problem-solving delivers social impact and/or makes positive contributions to sustainability – and this is where […]
What should your equity raise pay for?
Read my latest guide on what your equity raise should pay for What Should Your Equity Raise Pay For?
The first 7 mistakes Startups make when raising investment
Welcome to our guide on “the first 7 mistakes Startups make when raising investment” It’s part of our #8weeksinvestorready series and look out for all of them on our LinkedIn page
Forget Tech. Customer Experience is the new Revolution
There’s a common misconception that the startups doing well, the ones really soaring to Unicorn heights, are there because they’ve built amazing tech that differentiates them – the buzzwords of FinTech, HealthTech, PropTech continue to dominate. While it’s true that 18 of the top 20 valued Unicorns have a heavy tech emphasis, what actually lifts […]
Do you really need AI?
AI, or Artificial Intelligence, is the latest buzz-word. Everyone wants it… but the real question is, do you need it? To be able to answer that question, you need to know two things: what AI is capable of – the ‘art of the possible’ – and how your business works: What is AI capable of? […]
Get Your Virtual Reality Headsets on, its time to look at your Vision
Whenever someone comes up with a list of corporate terms they hate, you can pretty much guarantee that ‘Vision’ will make the list, along with ‘Mission Statement’ and probably ‘Blue Sky Thinking’. Some corporate terms have undoubtedly earnt their place on the list, but Vision is a term that gets an unfairly bad rep. When […]
