Evening update - 8 August 23
Today I…
#TodayI
Shared about my (non-) hypoallergenic cats and asked what I should write about tomorrow. Including Twitter, it's currently very close between Book Lovers Day and Coworking Day.
Dealt with some legal issues.
Chatted with Holger Bollmann about angel investing.
Was pitched by Guy Conway and Damian Cristian of Koble.
Chatted with a friend and fellow investor.
Had coffee with a friend.
Attended a panel meeting.
#NowI
Have to take the bins out.
#founders #startups #venturecapital #buildinginpublic #investinginpublic
Evening update - 7 August 23
Today I…
#TodayI
Shared my post inspired by National Allotment Week. It's very close between CBD Day and International Cat Day.
Cycled to Pilates with Maria Jose Freeman (Fernandez) of Pilates Core Club.
Chatted with Temba Boateng of ReTickin'.
Was pitched by chris cooke of fitarr.
Was pitched by Ben Saunders of Signapse.
Attended lunch break meditation at Guille-Allès Library.
Was pitched by Ben Polkinghorne of moveme.tv.
Am finalising my article on the funds industry for next month's Business Brief.
Worked on a report for a panel I am on.
#LaterI
Am going for dinner.
#founders #startups #venturecapital #buildinginpublic #investinginpublic
National Allotment Week - give yourself a break
Today is the start of National Allotment Week. Gardening and allotments in particular are about taking time for yourself while being part of a community of like-minded individuals.
Today is the start of National Allotment Week. Gardening and allotments in particular are about taking time for yourself while being part of a community of like-minded individuals.
Founders and investors, we all work every hour to do the best we can, to give ourselves the chance to build or invest in the next great business.
This is a wonderful reminder of the need to take a break and look after ourselves.
It's August, the sun is sometimes out, give yourself a break and look after your mental health.
Conor Gallagher Caitlin Rozario
#founders #startups #venturecapital #buildinginpublic #investinginpublic
I am spending three weeks making posts inspired by an event taking place on that day. You get to vote on what I post about. On Friday you chose National Allotment Week.
The list comes from Hena Husain's The Content Architects.
The people have spoken
The people have spoken - tomorrow morning's post will be inspired by National Allotment Week!
The people have spoken - tomorrow morning's post will be inspired by National Allotment Week!
Conor Gallagher, can you send me some related info for inspiration, please?
Tomorrow you will get to vote on what I write about on Tuesday.
Intentional Investing
Here's a preview of Intentional Investing - the second edition of my monthly newsletter - which is live now:
Here's a preview of Intentional Investing - the second edition of my monthly newsletter - which is live now:
Read it here.
"Too many investors have the identical investment process. They do what everyone has done since time immemorial. Receive a pitch deck, have a non-decision maker review it, get a first meeting with a non-decision maker who has to second guess what a Partner is interested in. Then, if you are lucky, meet a Partner who is a decision-maker.
Because everybody does it, nobody thinks if their process is fit for purpose. Nobody thinks about what they want to achieve and how they might best achieve it.
Intentional Investing is just that. Know what you are trying to achieve and take a first principles approach to trying to achieve it."
#founders #startups #venturecapital #buildinginpublic #investinginpublic
Evening update - 4 August 23
Today I…
#TodayI
Shared that I will let you vote on what I will write about the following day for the next three weeks. Voting is still open for Monday.
Chatted with Justin Sycamore of Arcfina.
Booked early bird tickets for next year's Camp Bestival.
Was pitched by Conor Gallagher of AllotMe 🌱.
Had two postponements.
Worked on my newsletter which I hope to send out tomorrow. Undergoing final edits. Title "Intentional Investing".
#LaterI
Am going to see Max Wong, PhD, FRSM, Dip. IoD and Francois Cloete play at Town Church.
You choose what I write
Writing content is hard but you can take inspiration from anywhere.
Writing content is hard but you can take inspiration from anywhere.
Sometimes it's easier with constraints. I bet you find it easier if I ask you to write a limerick than if I ask you to write a poem.
For the next three weeks, I plan to write my daily posts inspired by something happening on that day using Hena Husain's The Content Architects as my source.
Vote on Twitter by clicking through below and I may use your suggestion!
Morning update - 4 August 23
Yesterday I…
#YesterdayI (woops)
Talked about focusing on what you can change.
Had coffee with Becky Wightman of Syrenna.
Had lunch with Steve Wakelin of States of Guernsey.
Had my Important not Urgent day.
Had vegan hot chocolate with David Green and meditated with him.
Went to dinner with friends.
Forgot to write my #TodayI post.
#founders #startups #venturecapital #buildinginpublic #investinginpublic
Focus on what you can change
It's easy to find external reasons for why something didn't go how you wanted.
It's easy to find external reasons for why something didn't go how you wanted.
You can't change those.
Focus on what you can change and do right now.
#founders #startups #venturecapital #buildinginpublic #investinginpublic
Evening update - 2 August 23
Today I…
#TodayI
Had Pilates with Maria Jose Freeman (Fernandez) of Pilates Core Club.
Share my article in Business Brief about the challenges of investing in LegalTech and how Larisa Budaeva of Nation.better has overcome them.
Attended a quarterly fund update.
Chatted with Sara Simeone of Niftyz.io.
Reviewed a follow-on opportunity.
Spoke with an investor who plans to launch a fund in the new year.
Produced a nearly final version of my article on Intentional Investing for this month's newsletter.
Have five items remaining on today's to-do list.
Edit: #LaterI
Am going to see Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.
#founders #startups #venturecapital #buildinginpublic #investinginpublic
Why LegalTech startups are hard
I wrote an article in this month's Business Brief explaining why LegalTech startups are hard.
Why LegalTech startups are hard.
https://edition.pagesuite-professional.co.uk/html5/reader/production/default.aspx?pnum=34&edid=82393f50-c789-44f8-beff-3802ef4b3d5c&isshared=true
I wrote an article in this month's Business Brief explaining why LegalTech startups are hard.
It explains why law firms' structures make them hard to sell to and there is a call out for Larisa Budaeva's Nation.better which I am fortunate to have invested in.
#founders #startups #venturecapital #buildinginpublic #investinginpublic
Evening update - 1 August 23
Today I…
#TodayI
Shared what I mean by a 1% founder.
Had a call with Minesh Patel of Amplified Global™.
Attended a site meeting for our house build with Infinity Group and DLM Architects Ltd.
Was pitched by a founder that wishes to remain anonymous.
Chatted with Khalil Hibri of Tangible Markets.
Collected my son's football trophy from engraving.
Worked on my article, Intentional Investing, for this month's newsletter.
Found out my article on LegalTech investing had gone live in this month's Business Brief.
#founders #startups #venturecapital #buildinginpublic #investinginpublic
1% founders
What is a 1% founder?
What is a 1% founder?
Sometimes my feedback to founders includes, "I don't see you as a 1% founder". What do I mean?
Across the skill sets that founders need, you need to rank in the top 1% of founders.
This is hard. You are competing with other founders who all have these skill sets way more than the general population.
You can be really good at these and not be 1%. It's not an insult.
The bar is high.
#founders #startups #venturecapital #buildinginpublic #investinginpublic
Evening update - 31 July 23
Today I…
#TodayI
Woke up at 3am to leave Camp Bestival.
Got the ferry, showered and came to work.
Started working through my backlog.
Did a matcha shot taste test. Very helpful on a day when caffeine was required.
Had coffee with Zoë Cousens.
Caught up with Euan Cameron of Willo®.
Was pitched by Andy Ryan of Bounty Hunter World.
#NowI
Have a lot of sleep to catch up on.
#founders #startups #venturecapital #buildinginpublic #investinginpublic
Evening update - 26 July 23
Today I…
#TodayI
Advised you to just get stuff done.
Had an appointment with the dental hygienist.
Had coffee with an ex-colleague.
Was pitched by Simon Gallagher of Ida Designer.
Shared that Runna 2.0 has been released.
Saw that Monika Holod's Wangie.app's raise was featured in TechCrunch. Thank you Mike Butcher MBE for the coverage.
Had a postponement.
Did some errands.
#NowI
'm on a ferry to the UK for Bestival tomorrow.
#founders #startups #venturecapital #buildinginpublic #investinginpublic
Just get stuff done
The best advice you’ll ever have.
Just get stuff done. The best advice you'll ever have.
Evening update - 25 July 23
Today I…
#TodayI
Shared Sarah Wernér and I need angels for our Angel and black female founder speed dating event. Please consider signing up or sharing with angel investors you know. Note: Sarah has done most of the work on this.
Was pitched by Temba Boateng of ReTickin'.
Was pitched by Khalil Hibri of Tangible Markets.
Spoke with Fred Warren of Wonder 14.
Was pitched by Justin Sycamore of Arcfina.
Collected the kids from kids club.
Dropped one of them off at tutoring.
#NowINeedTo
Put the bins out, collect him from tutoring and work through my backlog before I go away for a few days tomorrow afternoon.
#founders #startups #venturecapital #buildinginpublic #investinginpublic
Angel & black female founder speed dating
I've not invested in any black female founders, we had a chat about how best to help, this is the result.
Angel & black female founder speed dating.
Sarah Wernér and I had a conversation about venture capital not backing enough underrepresented founders and black female founders in particular.
I've not invested in any black female founders, we had a chat about how best to help, this is the result.
It's not the same as cold hard cash but if we can get founders in front of investors in the first place, hopefully something will happen.
If you are an angel who'd like to take part, please sign up on the Eventbrite link (click the picture).
Even if you can't attend or you're not an angel, please like and share to spread the word.
Thank you.
Marc and Sarah
Evening update - 24 July 23
Today I…
#TodayI
Cycled to Pilates with Maria Jose Freeman (Fernandez) of Pilates Core Club.
Cycled home to drive the kids to kids club.
Asked when you would take on clients with significantly different values to yours.
Had a postponement.
Signed up for ZINC's Portfolio Showcase on 20th September. Thank you Francesca Marsden for the invite.
Had a call with Matthew Codd of Cosmic Partners and unbundled vc's Founder Support Scheme.
Booked a dental hygienist appointment.
Started work on an article for my monthly newsletter. Current title - Intentional Investing.
Was pitched by Sahil Sethi of Maji Financial Wellbeing.
#founders #startups #venturecapital #buildinginpublic #investinginpublic
Client value clashes
Would you take on a client if their values were so different from yours you found them offensive? If not why not?
Would you take on a client if their values were so different from yours you found them offensive? If not why not?
Hena Husain of The Content Architects and I had this conversation on Twitter. I don't know the right answer.
What do you think?
