Following on from The Bioeconomy: An Investor’s Perspective, on 30 September, the Bioeconomy Cluster Builder is offering a unique opportunity for up to five Scottish SMEs to receive bespoke investor readiness training provided by Scottish Enterprise to perfect your investment pitch.
The SMEs will then have the opportunity to pitch their ideas in front of investors from BP, BASF, Archangel Investors and Green Angel Syndicate at an exclusive, invite only event on 27 January 2022.
To be considered for this opportunity, please fill in the expression of interest in the link below:
Eligibility
In order to be eligible to take part in this closed session, companies must meet the following criteria:
1. Be looking to raise between £500k - £2m within 12 – 24 months
2. Be raising from Angel or VC investors
3. Be Scotland based
4. Have a credible proposition
5. Be an SME
What you will receive
There are four key areas young companies need to consider when speaking to investors:
Articulating your technology and unique selling points
Protecting your Intellectual Property
Explaining your route to commercialisation
Understanding the financials
Successful applicants will receive intensive training in the lead up to the pitching event, including on your natural conversation style, making the right team impression, preparation of content, using visual aids, and handling questions. Training will teach you how to communicate with authority and credibility, how to be engaging, master your nerves, prepare prompts, think on your feet and successfully and effectively handle Q&A sessions as a team.
How to apply
Complete the EoI form and email Lynsey Dunbar (lynsey.dunbar@ibioic.com) using the subject line EOI - BCB pitch event, by 17.00 on Friday 29 October 2021.
Submissions received after this date may not be considered.
The Investors
Dr Sarah Hardy, Director and Head of New Investments, Archangel Investors Ltd
Sarah is the Director and Head of New Investments at Archangels, a prominent business angel syndicate which has been at the forefront of early stage investing in Scotland. It comprises more than 100 investor members and typically co-ordinates the investment of more than £15 million per year in exciting early stage Scottish companies with a focus on technology and life sciences. Sarah has extensive international experience of financing and managing early stage opportunities in the healthcare technology sector. Sarah also sits on the Board of Data Driven Innovation and the Social Growth Fund. Before joining the Archangels, Sarah worked in the Innovations Division of the Wellcome Trust, Advent Life Sciences venture team and Parke-Davis Neuroscience Research Centre.
Dr Tom Parsons, Commercial and Technical Manager, Bioenergy at BP
As commercial and technical manager for bp’s Bioenergy New Businesses team, Tom is responsible for originating and developing new business opportunities for bp in advanced biofuels production and supply.
Tom joined bp as a research chemist in 2008, working on the development and scale-up of technologies including bp’s Fischer-Tropsch process.
He has since held business development and strategy roles in technology licensing, bp’s Fuels businesses and in Downstream commercial development. He led bp’s Advanced Bio Products team at its inception before joining Air bp in 2017 where he led the development and implementation of low carbon strategy and established Air bp as one of the leading suppliers of sustainable aviation fuel globally. Tom moved into his current role in Bioenergy New Businesses in January 2021.
Tom holds a Master’s degree and D.Phil in Chemistry from the University of Oxford. Outside of work he enjoys coaching his son’s rugby team as well as playing the trumpet in a local jazz band.
Michelle Kinnaird, Head of Investment Management, Scottish Enterprise
Michelle Kinnaird is the Head of Investment Management in the Team responsible for Growth Investments at Scottish Enterprise. Growth Investments directly manages several funds in house including various early stage equity fund, the Energy Investment Fund (“EIF”) and the Scottish Loan Scheme (“SLS”); has invested in four externally managed funds and has also developed a various unique funding mechanism including– the Scottish-European Growth Co-Investment Programme (“SEGCP”) in partnership with the European Investment Fund and grant convertible loan note hybrids as part of the COVID response.
Michelle has worked across several areas of the business heading up the EIF, the Transaction and Portfolio Teams. She currently leads a team responsible for several key Growth Investments areas, the transaction team, interaction with the Scottish National Investment Bank, SE’s interests in it’s fund of funds businesses, and Growth Investments Finance and Reporting Team. She has an ongoing role in extending the diversity of international investors Scottish SME’s interact with. At present her responsibilities includes leading some key outputs from the Scottish tourism taskforce and COP 26 work.
Michelle joined SE in 2007 from Ernst & Young and is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants Scotland.
Dr Marc Leduc, Investment Manager, BASF Venture Capital GmbH
Marc Leduc joined BASF Venture Capital as an Investment Manager in February 2017. He began his career at BASF in polymer research in 1999, subsequently holding various positions in product development and marketing. Recently, as Senior Manager in the incubation unit at BASF New Business GmbH, Marc developed new growth areas for the BASF Group. He was awarded a PhD in Polymer Chemistry by Cornell University and performed post-doctoral research at the ETH in Zurich. He holds an MBA from the University of Oxford.
Cameron Ross, COO, Green Angel Syndicate
Prior to joining Green Angel Syndicate, Cam co-founded, jointly ran and raised two rounds of angel funding for a contact centre payments business, with an exit to AIM-listed Eckoh. Cam is an Aeronautical Engineer by training, and has experience in creating, commercialising and patenting new technology. He has more than a dozen granted patents in the fields of telecommunications, payments and customer authentication. He has a practical ability to analyse and improve complex processes, from manufacturing to software systems.
As Green Angel Syndicate COO, Cam and his team manage deal flow, systems, due diligence and post-investment engagement.
Cam is also a Trustee and Board member of mySociety, a not-for-profit group pioneering the use of online technologies to empower citizens to take their first steps towards greater civic participation.