What I learned raising $10M from angels and VCs

In this episode we welcome back Lucas Carlson to talk about what he’s learned when it comes to pitching for investment, including insight into the ‘investor mindset’ and tips for those seeking investment.

[audio http://traffic.libsyn.com/breakingbiz/LucasCarlsonBreakingBiz2.mp3 ]

 Here’s a link to all the startup investors we’ve interviewed on the show so far.

As a successful startup founder, Lucas has been through the motions himself, so this is an opportunity to learn from his real life experience. His first interview outlining lessons for startup founders can be found here, and his blog (which I highly recommend) is here.

Social entrepreneurship: Making money vs making a difference

In this episode we speak to Jack Graham, the CEO and founder of Year Here, a postgraduate leadership programme that challenge Britain’s brightest talents to a year of tackling society’s toughest problems.

[audio http://traffic.libsyn.com/breakingbiz/BreakingBizYearHere.mp3 ]

The more you learn about Year Here and its mission the more you might consider what would happen if the same energy & talent that goes into traditional tech startup was thrown at social entrepreneurship instead.

If social innovation/entrepreneurship interests you, check out the following resources recommended by Jack:

YearHere.org

TED

Year Here’s Golden List

Open innovation: The Marriage of Big Brands and Technology

In today’s episode Alex Dunsdon talks about the importance of big brands and companies creating effective partnerships with technology companies.

[audio http://traffic.libsyn.com/breakingbiz/InnovationBreakingBiz.mp3 ]

The big players like to ‘own’ stuff. And they like to own it 100%. Especially technology and innovation. They like to develop it themselves, which means they own every aspect of it. But it’s slow, difficult in a risk-averse culture, and the chances of success are low. Is there a smarter way, with less risk? Unilver seem to think so.

For startup episodes click here, for Investing advice click here or for CEO interviews click here

Things to know before setting up your own Digital agency

In this episode I talk to Kim and Dan, the founders of London based agency Saint Digital.

It’s a great chance to ask the guys about the things they wish they knew before going through the whole process and should provide anyone thinking of doing the same thing with some useful takeaways. We discuss hiring the right talent, process and the lovely world of contracts.

To hear from more CEO’s click here, or to listen to investors click here

Why do tech or music startups need a lawyer?

This week we welcome Sachin Premnath. Sachin is a Senior Associate at the law firm Reed Smith. He specialises in digital media and technology and helps big business such as Sony with digital legal issues, while also working with several start-up clients in the music and technology sector.

[audio http://traffic.libsyn.com/breakingbiz/BreakingBizSachinPremnath.mp3 ]

He’s dealt with lots of companies at different stages in their business and is really well placed to talk about how to make start-ups work, the importance of getting lawyers involved early, and traps to avoid. Sachin also has a particular expertise in digital music, so we’ll also be talking about digital music, licensing and making music profitable.

For interviews on startup investors click here, for interviews with startup CEO’s click here.

7 minutes of simple learnings for future startup founders

Today’s episode is a collation of useful sound bites from four previous Breaking Biz guests, all of whom run their own successful businesses. It’s basic advice/learnings delivered in around 7 minutes.

[audio http://traffic.libsyn.com/breakingbiz/7MinAdvice.mp3 ]

The contributors are: Tucker Max, Lucas Carlson, Apu Gupta, Charlie Hoehn and Nathan Kontny. Access the original episodes by clicking on the respective name. All Breaking Biz interviews with CEO’s can be found here.

Lauren Maillian Bias gives advice for startups seeking investment

After selling her first startup (a boutique winery), Lauren Maillian Bias moved on to become the founder and CEO of Luxury Market Branding and founding partner at Gen Y Capital Partners.

[audio http://traffic.libsyn.com/breakingbiz/BreakingBizLaurenMaillian.mp3 ]

Lauren gives us some great insight into what she looks for in a company before investing and what she looks for in a pitch. In addition to this, Lauren has also released her new book ‘The Path Redefined’ which is definitely worth checking out.

“It’s a synthesis of my story of an entrepreneur and I hope people will learn to embrace what makes them unique”

Although we originally wanted to talk about the book with her, it was just too tempting to squeeze out some advice for startups who are preparing to pitch to experienced investors.

How to become a startup investor from your living room

Mark Hepburn has now invested in 5 startup companies, including Loyal Zoo (loyalty app) and Humble Grape (small wine merchant). But how can he do this alongside his full time job?

[audio http://traffic.libsyn.com/breakingbiz/BreakingBizSeedrs.mp3 ]

The answer is Seedrs, the crowdfunding platform allowing anyone to discover and invest in great startups. In this interview I chat to Mark to find out how it works, how simple it is, what questions need to be asked and whether it’s as good as it sounds.

Check out Mark’s blog on investing and markets here. For more interviews with Investors click here, or for interviews with startup founders/entrepreneurs click here

How investors think, what makes a great pitch & the way to become an investor

Alex Dunsdon returns following his first episode on Breaking Biz to go into further detail about the world of startup investment.

[audio http://traffic.libsyn.com/breakingbiz/BreakingBizAlexDunsdon2.mp3 ]

Alex discusses the ways in which investors tend to think, what makes a great pitch and how he made the bold transition to become a full time startup investor after 10 years at M&C Saatchi in London.

All Breaking Biz ‘investor’ interviews can be found here, and interviews with startup founders are here.

Some takeaways were:

• As a founder you must never get bored of telling your story
• The most attractive setup for a tech investor is a CTO plus a Business Development professional
• Investors love founders who clearly demonstrate strategic thinking as far as 3-5 years ahead, regardless of whether the predictions come true or not.

Business planning & strategy for startups. Boring or essential?

You’re a founder but now you must become a global CEO. Working at the intersection between ideas and action, Richard Hughes Jones helps startup founders to navigate the complexities of scaling a business.

[audio http://traffic.libsyn.com/breakingbiz/BreakingBizFirewerks.mp3 ]

In this episode we discuss the less glamorous side of startups, the importance of business planning, strategy and what it takes to move from being a startup founder to a well rounded CEO that can attract investors.

If investing in startups is of interest to you then check out this interview with Alex Dunsdon (Citymapper investor) as well as this interview with Tucker Max (serial investor). Two very different investors with a lot of good insights to share.

You can find Richard’s guest blogs for KPMG here and his company website here.