Undral Ganbold

Thank you Funds Europe for including my voice in the new UK Budget coverage. VC industry was expecting the tax on carried interest - private equity managers’ share of profits on successful deals - to increase. However many of my fellow Venture Capitalists raised a concern about removing the right incentives for taking risks. These incentives are even more important for the founders creating strategic technology assets in the UK than for their investors. "Carried interest rewards fund managers who take long-term risks, which frees the capital needed to support early-stage innovation, particularly in R&D-intensive fields like quantum computing and AI. These sectors require sustained, high-stakes investment, where tremendous strategic asset value can be created, but the journey involves a great deal of risk-taking and patience." Thank you to everyone who led a dialog on this topic in the past few months and made sure that incentives are largely not removed for the founders and capital to stay in the UK. OpenOcean, British Private Equity & Venture Capital Association (BVCA), Michael Moore, Daniel Harrington

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This excellent deck compiled by my fellow partner, Thomas Olszewski, who is happens to be an ex-Fintech founder, is a must read for anyone considering investing in the UK Fintech scene. It provides an excellent compass to navigate the investment landscape and if you are currently a fintech founders particularly the slides on active UK Fintech investors is very useful. Great job Thomas! #fintech, #UKfintech, #6DC, #6Degrees Capital

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This chart from Dealroom is telling. The UK is not the friendliest or simplest place to raise and run a venture fund, yet we are one of the top three tech ecosystems by investment size. How is this possible? Simples, most of the funding is coming from the US. What does this mean? The UK is doing a fantastic job attracting foreign investments, but its tech ecosystem is heavily dependent on said foreign investors. When things are going well, this may not seem significant. However, any crisis that leads to a pullback of international capital will leave UK's startup investment sector in serious trouble.

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If you are a FinTech founder or VC, you need to have a look at this! We just put out a deck (link below, no login required) that has a in depth breakdown of the UK FinTech ecosystem. It has: - List of FinTech investors with offices in the UK - Who is investing at various stages - List of funds with "dry" powder, newly raised funds that invest in FinTech - How the UK compares to its closest rivals, Paris and Berlin - Comprehensive list of FinTech exits (200+ since 2005) - Celebrating success stories, Revolut and Transferwise ($1bn+ revenue) - How FinTech unicorns are training the next generation of entrepreneurs - UK as a magnet for equity growth capital - Early stage startups to watch - How valuations have changed over the past few years Full presentation (no paywall or login required): https://lnkd.in/eZx2ZCvz If you hate it or love it, please like or leave a comment and let me know what you think is missing Some of the early stage startups to watch: Superhog, Banked :,Barte, Adhara, Artificial Labs, Blockpit AG, in3, Pomelo Pay, Rivero Thomas Olszewski, Wouter Volckaert, Thibault D'hondt, Filip Coen, Bob Rode, Hilmar Eggertsson, Kim Jory

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Venture capital funding raised by UK start-ups dropped sharply in the third quarter of 2024, new research from Dealroom.co has found; adding further pressure for founders in search of new investment.  British start-ups secured around $2.9bn in VC funding in Q3, a 50% drop from the previous quarter but the funding trend is broadly consistent with levels seen in 2023. Fintech has been Britain’s best-funded tech sector so far this year, pulling in $3.3bn, down from $4.5bn in 2023.  

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Delighted to share news that Bizumi has just received SEIS Advance Assurance! This is great news for private investors looking to offset the inherent risks when investing in startup companies in search of great returns. In summary, the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS) provides: Income tax relief of up to 50%: A £100,000 investment could provide a £50,000 saving on that year’s income tax bill.  Up to 50% capital gains reinvestment relief: You could reduce the CGT on gains made elsewhere by up to 50%.  Loss relief: If things don’t go to plan, you can choose to offset any loss, less the income tax relief received, against your income tax bill.  Now don't get me wrong, I have every confidence that Bizumi is a fantastic opportunity, but de-risking your investment through SEIS is a no-brainer! Get in touch to explore how we can become successful together.

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ANNOUNCEMENT: We just launched our diversified fund investments feature on Mainshares 😲 Starting today, accredited investors can invest in SMB acquisitions managed by sophisticated investors via Mainshares I’ve been telling you all that we’re here to change the game of SMB investing for the better, and this is a huge step for us. Before, SMB investing was commonly done on a deal-by-deal basis, and depending on who you are, you may not have the time to spend parsing out every deal. Well now, investors on our platform have access to deals across a variety of industries, geographies, and deal structures in this (traditionally) inaccessible and fragmented asset class. Invest in ~20 SMBs, all with a single investment. Join the Mainshares train before we take off like a 🚀 Link below for diversified SMB investing 👇

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🌍 Attention fellow investors! Join me in exploring some of the most promising startups across Europe and the UK at Startupbootcamp's upcoming Investor Roadshow Series! Each event is carefully curated to spotlight startups from specific regions and sectors, ensuring that we find opportunities that align with our investment strategies. Here’s what’s on the agenda for our upcoming EU and UK roadshows: May 22nd: Dive into the EU's thriving Fintech scene. Details & Registration: https://lu.ma/IREUIFD May 23rd: Connect with Energy startups across the EU. Details & Registration: https://lu.ma/IREURNZ May 28th: Focus on the UK's dynamic energy sector. Details & Registration: https://lu.ma/IRUKRNZ June 11th: Explore Fintech innovations in the UK. Details & Registration: https://lu.ma/IRUKIFD Don't miss out on these exclusive online events! Let's connect and explore exciting investment opportunities together! #Startupbootcamp #InvestorRoadshow #TechStartups #Fintech #EnergyInnovation #StartupLife #Entrepreneurship #InvestInInnovation #EUStartups #UKStartups 🚀

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PE and VC firms still only have women in 11% of key investing positions. Only 2p out of every 100p invested goes to backing female-led companies. Unlocking the potential of female-led enterprises will contribute about £250 billion to the UK economy. The bottleneck for female entrepreneurs is still access to funding. I’ve been there, pitching your business to a room full of men always feels a little strange. While some of them are supportive, there remains an unconscious bias against female-led companies. This is heightened when pitching companies that solve problems and pain points specific to women. The answer to this problem is creating and supporting more female angel investors. With the support of the British Business Bank, the Invest in Women Taskforce is exploring ways to amplify the value of women backing other women through match funding. Forbes did a feature on IWT’s work titled “When Women Mean Business For Women”. To learn more, read the full piece for yourself here: https://lnkd.in/ezN9AjTQ

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We don't spend enough time thanking the teams that enable the engine to run under the hood. Thanks Kasun De Silva & team for the great work and interesting article for anyone that wants to know more about what happens behind the curtains of hedge funds, venture debt funds and Bootstrap Europe!

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🌱 Looking to Connect with Leading VCs and Early-Stage Investors? 🌱 At Virtualnonexecs, we don;t only work with PE firms - we are also proud to be working with some of the UK’s most active early-stage investors to help them find the top board advisors and chairs who can drive impact. If you're a non-executive or chair looking to connect with the heart of the startup ecosystem, take note of the names below. Here are 10 of the UK's most active early-stage investors and the incredible numbers that back them: 1. Octopus Ventures - Backed 100+ startups, with a portfolio value of over £1.3 billion. 2. Seedcamp - Over 400 startups funded, including unicorns like Revolut and TransferWise 3. LocalGlobe - Invested in 300+ startups across deep tech and fintech. 4. Playfair - Early backer of companies like Stripe and Anduril. 5. Passion Capital - Early investor in Monzo Bank, managing £100M+ in assets. 6. Ascension - Over 100 startups backed with a focus on social impact and fintech. 7. Frontline Ventures - Backed 80+ startups across Europe with a key focus on B2B. 8. MMC Ventures - £500M+ under management, supporting 60+ innovative growth companies. 9. Balderton Capital - Invested in 220+ startups with notable exits like THG. 10. Entrepreneur First - 500+ startups built, including companies now worth over $10 billion collectively. ✅ To join Virtualnonexecs: https://lnkd.in/eXBj687 ✅ If you are a VC or company looking to hire: https://lnkd.in/d3na7CEC #NonExecutiveDirectors #Chairs #VentureCapital #Startups #Virtualnonexecs #BoardRoles #Leadership #BusinessGrowth

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Despite England’s loss at the Euro 2024 last night in Berlin, the UK has retained its crown for venture capital investment! 🇬🇧👑 Data from Dealroom, a global provider of data and intelligence on start-ups and tech ecosystems, revealed that UK start-ups and scale-ups raised £7.4bn during the first six months of the year. That’s a 16% increase from the same period last year, accounting for nearly one-third of all venture capital funding in Europe! Some standout funding rounds include: • Wayve, the autonomous vehicles technology firm, raised £861m in May. • Credit technology company Abound secured £400m. • Highview Power, focused on long-duration energy storage, raised £300m. • Online bank Monzo gathered £150m. • Electric vehicle charging group Char.gy raised £100m. The second half of the year looks promising with Index Ventures announcing it has raised $2.3bn in two new funds to invest in start-ups, with a significant portion expected to be deployed in the UK. Tech companies specialising in energy attracted the lion’s share of funding, with £4.3bn across Europe, followed by generative AI companies, which attracted £2bn. Having been deeply involved in the UK tech sector, I’ve witnessed the resilience and innovation driving these impressive numbers. The UK continues to be a powerhouse for tech innovation and investment, and it’s exciting to see the impact these investments will have on the future of technology and sustainability. What are your thoughts on the future of UK tech investments?

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Bumping this… I’ve had 5 or so interesting conversations, 2 that may lead to deals, in the past week. Demand > supply for quality IT MSP / Cybersecurity MSSP companies. We have options with UK, US and Gulf based buy-side partners. All quality buyers with good reputations. Timing good for UK based owners, given election and CGT uncertainty. There’s also potential for mergers / rollups, which is a nice, simple way for all to benefit from scale - without the need to build organically. DMs open for friendly and confidential chats. #openequity

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QED Investors is fortunate to had led a $20M Series A round in Payabli. We're really excited to have the opportunity to work with Joseph Elias Phillips, William Corbera, and the whole team and to join up with our friends at TTV Capital, Fika Ventures, and Bling Capital. Many of the largest fintechs have been built in the payments infrastructure space (Paypal - $66B, Stripe - $65B, Square - $40B, Adyen - $38B), and a massive opportunity still exists today. At QED, we have been watching the ongoing tectonic shift of trillions of dollars in payment processing migrating from legacy technologies and traditional distribution channels to being embedded within software platforms. We are thrilled to support Payabli in helping software platforms transform payments from a cost center into a monetization engine. Previously, building a payment processing and analytics stack has been complex and required significant resources. But, Payabli's payments infrastructure has simplified the process, allowing platforms to avoid cumbersome integrations, substantial administration, and high compliance costs. More on why we invested here - https://lnkd.in/esewzCDe!

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What a week at ThirdRetail!🚀 We took the stage at Rare Founders London’s Largest Demo Day on Monday🎤, sharing the spotlight with 7 other amazing marketplaces that are truly changing the game in the UK and beyond 🌍. It was incredible to see 100 of the UK's most promising startups from pre-seed to series-A, handpicked from hundreds, pitch their game-changing businesses to a room full of investors and industry leaders. The questions were 🔥, and the 1:1 investor and industry operator meetings? Even better! Some stimulating conversations came out of those. Some great validation from folks in retail was the highlight🙌 The best part is that I finally got an opportunity to F2F with so many amazing founders, operators, and investors, all thanks to Vasily Alekseenko and the Rare Founders team! If you want to check out the incredible list of startups, here's a great recap from Startups Magazine: https://lnkd.in/e2aTRU9m 🏬 Midweek was all about customers, hitting the ground with retailers. Anil Junagal and I always love our time on the field! We onboarded a stunning new store in a prime location with a 40% shelf expansion in a single onboarding📈—talk about the multiplier effect, and demand for the right brands leading to sustainable in-store rev-ops. Retailers want more revenue and better products on their shelves while removing underperforming ones 🚀. The feedback has been 🔑. Ending the week by gearing up for another controlled pilot with a fantastic brand starting in November, thanks to an investor/operator who's all in and excited to test with us. At the end of the day, it’s about creating real value for both brands and retailers 🤝. The weekend? Not quite yet! 😅 We’ve got one more big call and tech work ahead, but it's safe to say this was one of our most productive weeks yet 💪. Love the momentum though! 🔥 #startups #entrepreneurship #retailtech #innovation #ThirdRetail #founderslife #buildingthefuture

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Very much looking forward to joining the discussion and sharing the importance of embedded finance within our products. Embedded finance has the potential to revolutionise customer experience across a number of verticals, offering unparalleled convenience to keep up with evolving consumer expectations. #FTTEmFin #FintechTalents #embeddedfinance

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Are you an aspiring, curious or current angel investor living in the UK? 👼 💸 We've partnered up with Vestd to break down everything you need to know about unlocking S/EIS tax relief as an early stage investor. Guy Kaufman will be breaking down the basics, as well as sharing information about how you can practically claim the benefits. You'll also have a chance to ask questions in this interactive session. Register for the session taking place TOMORROW at midday using the below link. #SEIS #EIS #webinar #Vestd #Connectd

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Great to back Capsa AI who have just closed £1.7m seed funding round led by Outward VC and supported by Cornerstone VC and Antler. The round also saw participation from high-profile angel investors and senior professionals from top private equity firms and tech unicorns. Danyal Özdüzenciler and Callum Downie, a top-tier founding duo, bring together extensive industry knowledge and expertise in machine learning. They have rapidly developed a groundbreaking service that is reshaping the way private equity firms handle due diligence by creating an AI-driven platform that automates tedious tasks, allowing investors to concentrate on more strategic priorities. Since its launch, their solution has reduced the time ⏱ needed for due diligence by 20% and achieved a 90% customer satisfaction rate. With ambitious plans to grow their team, introduce more tailored features for private equity, and enter new markets, Capsa AI is poised to make a significant impact on the private equity sector. Link in the comments 👇

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