Thoughts from some UK travels

Matt Mead - 22.07.2010

Last week I went to a couple of interesting events which highlighted some of the key questions facing the Venture industry and the broader issue of access to capital for high growth innovative businesses.

On Tuesday I was speaking on a panel at a Cambridge Wireless event in the Moeller Centre. There was a strong group of speakers including Hermann Hauser, Jack Lang and Jamie Urquhart. The event had some terrific content – take a look at Cambridge Wireless but more importantly the event had at least 50 high tech start ups in the audience, a reminder that there is never a shortage of ideas and desire – particularly around clusters like Cambridge.

I then travelled north to Manchester to the British Business Angel Association annual conference where I presented the findings of our latest report on Venture Capital activity.

It was a great choice of location and timing as it coincided with the recent launch of the Jeremie Fund of £185m for the North West region. Whatever view you have of public venture capital and its structure it can only be good news that a sizeable proportion of this fund is being directed at early stage technology businesses.

The event also reminded me of the vital role that Angels can and do play in the early stage market and that ensuring incentives like EIS work for them is really important.

So quite a lot of miles in the car but a good reminder that:

-    There are lots of businesses that have good ideas
-    That new funds are being directed at early stage and
-    Venture Capital is only one component part of financing early stage businesses and that support for Angel initiatives should not be neglected.