2017 has been called the year of the ICO with the emergence of Initial Coin Offerings and over $6.1 billion raised for more than 870 different companies. This was almost 70 times the amount raised in 2016. The $6.96 billion already raised in 2018 for over a thousand companies, suggests that 2017 was not […]
Blockchain – A catalyst for transformation
The internet has created a global marketplace over the past forty years. A consequence has been a high level of fraud resulting in an increasing trust gap. Intermediaries help to add a level of verification but there still remains a leap of faith that the intermediary is trustworthy and competent. With the number of smart […]
Artificial Intelligence – Who will be the Winners and Losers?
Artificial intelligence (AI) is predicted to boost UK productivity by a much needed 30 per cent whilst generating cost savings of up to 25 per cent. The government is targeting for AI to add £232 billion to the economy by 2030. London is currently leading the world in AI through companies such as DeepMind and […]
Big Tech Valuations – Tesla a case study
Last September Tesla’s market value briefly passed that of General Motors, America’s largest car maker, despite Tesla having made fewer vehicles in its lifetime than GM makes in a month. Shares in the group have dropped by more than 21 per cent since. Nonetheless, investors have stuck by Tesla, hoping the company will lead the […]
How to Profit from the 4th Industrial Revolution
First came steam and water power; then electricity and assembly lines; then computerisation… So what comes next? Technologies are emerging and affecting our lives in ways that indicate we are at the beginning of a Fourth Industrial Revolution, a new era that builds and extends the impact of digitisation in new and unanticipated ways. The […]
Early Stage Companies show an average of 30% increase in valuation per year, why wouldn’t you invest?
Can a sector as diverse as venture funding be judged on an average performance basis? If you are considering investing in this area what can you learn from successful VC investors?
Successful companies are only as strong as their management teams
Most experienced investors know that when they are assessing investment opportunities, the right management team is vital. This is even more true for smaller entrepreneurial companies, where the founding team is the driving force in the company’s growth strategy. The problem is that if the founders have a track record of building successful companies then […]
How will the recent changes in the Enterprise Investment Scheme affect private investors?
The November 2017 Budget announced several changes to the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS). EIS is designed to help smaller trading companies to raise finance by offering a range of tax reliefs to investors. The changes are part of the government’s Patient Capital Review of support for small businesses. Below we look at the main changes […]
Where to Invest in 2018
Every New Year brings the opportunity to address those things we feel we can do a little better. That equally applies to our investment portfolio and is dependent upon assessing the opportunities for the year ahead. Here we take a look at the prospects for: Equities Bonds Property Venture Capital Bitcoin
Artificial Intelligence – The Most Transformative Technology of the Century?
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been mooted as the most transformative technology of the 21st Century as we allow computer algorithms to run more aspects of our lives. Amazon Echo, Apple’s Siri and Google Home all demonstrate consumer appetite for AI-enabled products. Over the next few years, AI is expected to deliver driverless cars, better healthcare […]
Is the Enterprise Investment Scheme Working?
The Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) is an initiative by the UK government offering a range of attractive tax incentives to encourage investment into growth companies by private investors. EIS has helped many small companies develop new technology, new drugs, engineering innovations, biotech, fintech and data processing solutions. The latest figures show over 24,500 UK businesses […]
Chasing Unicorns?
With stock markets hitting all-time highs in 2017, there has been an increase in the number of highly-valued tech start-ups going public. Four Unicorns, private companies valued at $1 billion or higher, completed initial public offerings (IPOs) in the second quarter 2017. That was double what was seen in the first quarter and equal to […]