Dealroom数据 筛分分享 显示，英国科技公司获得的融资降至18美元.2023年将从31亿美元增至40亿美元.2022年为30亿美元，2021年为410亿美元. 被描述为英国科技“发人深省的一年”, 在新冠疫情后的繁荣之后, 2023年融资困难，2024年可能也是如此.
通货膨胀等因素, 生活成本危机, increased operating costs and market volatility have played a part in the level of funding available.
但如果放弃，后果自负, as there is always money available for a promising young business with heaps of potential – even if it is much harder to raise money.
为此目的, here is an investor’s take that doesn’t follow the same generic advice being peddled constantly in all corners of VC land…
1. Brand yourself, not just your business – VCs remember people, they don’t always remember ideas
大多数创始人宁愿让他们的企业替他们说话, 宁愿让自己的故事, 使命陈述或案例研究推销他们的愿景. 但正如我们的联合创始人兼管理合伙人大卫·福尔曼所指出的那样, 投资者对一个人的信任往往不亚于对一个想法的信任.
Your first interaction with an investor may not necessarily be in a pitching environment. It may be a brief introduction; however, your chances of making an impression can greatly improve if investors already have an idea of who you are and what you’re doing, 这样以后投球就更容易了.
As well as being an active member of an early-stage founder ecosystem and taking part in events, start thinking about your online presence and creating content to pique investors’ interest. Treat your own personal brand as if you already have the funding you’re seeking; it will make you appear more backable.
2. Be more brutal with your time, cut what doesn’t matter and double down on what does
It is very easy to go to every event and spend what little time you might have left networking with the same people. 在某一时刻, you’ve got to ask yourself which events are worth attending and which circles are worth being part of. 如果这些活动只是一个社交场合，并没有打开新的大门, 把它们, 重点关注那些对创始人有益的活动.
除了事件, 如果你处于早期阶段, you may want to spend the additional time you’ll save applying for accelerator programmes, 如波罗的海企业或从部门的交流计划. 另外, 完善你的演讲, work on the business or (where possible) arrange face-to-face meetings with angel investors, 导师或投资总监在更非正式的场合, where there is less pressure to stand out in a crowd of people with the same agenda.
3. Don’t just focus on what the six months after investment look like, plan for the years that follow
All investors have an exit timeframe in place and a target year for when they expect to start seeing a return. 对我们来说, 这通常是在4到7年之间, 所以当我们评估一家公司的时候, 我们在考虑遥远的未来. 是的, there will inevitably be conversations about how the money is initially utilised post-investment, 但你应该考虑长远——你的大愿景是什么? 你会在什么领域? 2028年的车队会是什么样子?
How you communicate the long-term vision is paramount to your success when pitching. Saying you want to be the next unicorn will not win you favour with an investor; plotting out how you plan to build and futureproof a growth-oriented business and weather potential headwinds can be the difference between getting what you want and your fundraising efforts dragging on.
还记得, 随着货币紧缩, 投资者对他们的现金变得更加挑剔和谨慎, 这就加强了对证据的需求, 保证和准确预测. 你的视力听起来令人印象深刻, 你的知识产权可能有很高的防御能力, 但你的计划必须经得起越来越严格的审查.
4. 设身处地为投资者着想, predict the reasons why they would choose not to invest and address these areas
One of the most common mistakes a founder can make is not researching a potential investor. The next most common mistake is to do a quick glance at an investor’s website and conclude your research there. 在这个艰难的筹款环境下, 哪里的金钱和机会更有限, this approach is not enough and will only give you a surface level understanding.
As our Investment Director Louise Chapman explains: “Founders should do nearly as much diligence on us as we do on them. 与我们投资组合中的公司交谈, learn about our More Than Money approach and read our portfolio and investment playbooks to get an idea of who we are and how we came to be.”
This isn’t just to make an investor feel special; it’s to help you get into their mind and understand – with complete clarity – what they are looking for in a business and what their investment appetite is for certain sectors.
Putting yourself in the shoes of an investor enables you to identify any areas you should iron out before a pitch. 例如, if you know (from research and talking to other founders) that a particular investor favours businesses with strong case studies and a proven track record of returns, you may want to consider waiting until you have these proof points before you pitch, or seeking out angel investment if that investor is likely to deem you too early-stage.
Finally, decide when it’s time to stop what you’re doing and consider changing tact
风险投资并不是创始人的唯一投资途径, so if you’ve been pitching to VCs for a long time and haven’t yet got anywhere, 改变策略并没有错, 要么寻求债务, 众筹或其他替代投资途径. 近年来，自力更生可能已经过时了, 但它可以形成有弹性的长期习惯，帮助你度过困难时期.
