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Consciously naive
When it comes to politics, I often get asked why I remain upbeat, in spite of the way the political world works. To each person that asks me this, I explain that I am consciously naïve. The average company founder is in their early 30s when they start their company. Why? In business, your 30s…
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Don’t seek the ‘no’
In venture capital, it’s common for founders to want a ‘yes’ or a ‘quick no’ from VCs when fundraising. As a founder (and a VC too), I have come to disagree with this approach. Over time, I have seen the assumptions in this approach repeatedly proven wrong in reality. In fact, they actually disadvantage both…
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First time fund raise 101
I wrote this blog for ghost publication in Growth Business in March 2022. Teamwork is dream work. It’s a great time to be a startup – or is it? Only a few months ago we were celebrating a golden age of venture capital with $621bn pouring into startups around the world. Some commentators predicted 2022…
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Doers and Resters
This morning I woke up and pulled my gear together to go for a run. While running, I thought about what I’d do later in the day. Tinker on a project I am working on with a friend? Play Playstation with a friend I met online in the chatempanada site? Go for a walk? Tick…
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What motivates you?
What emotion motivates you in the crunch moment, when you want to achieve something in life? Not day-to-day motivation. But when it really matters. Everyone has that emotion. That feeling. It’s often not easily described in one word. For some, it’s the rush of social acceptance or recognition. For others it’s the craving to test…
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Ending the Tax on Love
In a serendipitous encounter in London’s Soho in 2013, I met my wife Laura, a Colombian. After she returned to Colombia to finish her law degree, in 2016 we decided to settle together in the UK. I was working in London and, as Laura was graduating, it made sense to make the UK our home.…
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Expanding The VCT: An Easy Win?
Venture capital has, for a long time, played an important role in the modern British economy. Over the past 50 years, it has funded young and promising businesses that went on to become future leaders of British industry. The UK venture capital industry has been pivotal in the success of current national champions such as…
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Protecting Jobseekers’ Wellbeing
Losing a job is stressful. For many, it can involve a loss of identity combined with new social and financial worries. These pressures, particularly when the job loss was unexpected, can challenge even the most resilient among us. In normal times, a job loss is testing. In current times, it can be life changing. The…
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Widening Access to Healthcare
UK healthcare is under pressure. Despite the hard work of NHS staff across the country, during 2020 the number of patients waiting over a year for NHS treatment has doubled. As of October this year, the one-year NHS waiting list has over 110,000 patients on it.[1] At the same time, the IFS has been forecasting…
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Paternity Leave: A Forgotten Tool?
Paternity Leave: A Forgotten Tool? For every man expecting his first child, there comes the moment when he confronts his work’s paternity policy for the first time. For me, as a One Nation Tory who believes in fair government, my encounter with my employer’s paternity leave policy was a moment of bemusement. I am the…