Time for a change?

Posted on April 26, 2012 by Jon Treanor

Ah, I get it now; there were more people who did not want to see my friend’s band than did! The ‘out of comfort zone ‘ was too much, then risk too great. I understand, nothing ventured and all that. Risk profile too high; however exposure to risk varies greatly depending on which hilltop you reside.

It surprises me the way we humans fail to learn from past models that have been unsuccessful; it is as if we are paralysed or fearful of trying something new, getting it wrong or getting fired. Given that shareholder value remains the key objective with great exits playing a huge part in this, indeed the primary objective; why aren’t more investor funds exploring alternatives, why are they not seeking out ways to reverse current trends, why are they not actively seeking ways to change their approach?

It turns out that some are. Since my last announcement it looks like we will be nearer 14X ROI if we close the current fundraising. We are now being contacted by funds and fund managers asking to how we achieved such returns particularly in such a poor economic climate and inquiring as to how we might work together. We welcome this; we want relationships with investors like the Carbon Trust, where we can add value in this level either as partners in JV’s or partnerships.

Therefore if you are seeking to attract and raise additional funds or have portfolio investments that need to get to revenue; we offer a proven approach and successful track record that offers a significant differentiator; indeed if you have companies that really need accelerating to unlock the value, or indeed if you wish to know if they won’t, then again we would be happy to talk to you about how we can assist.

We work in various ways: a strategy to scale programme; time and expertise for equity models; new innovative approaches to qualify commercial viability; generation of quality deal flow; IP FTO diligence; outsourced sales channel capability; understanding and control of the commercial process; or even to be your commercial expert on the board. We have proven our value through our approach in hundreds of early stage companies over the last ten years. We pride ourselves on a great value proposition that offers an inside track into deal flow and a clear route to maximise exit strategies.

It is a combination of these approaches and in working with fund and portfolio managers that have enabled us to deliver such a significant ROI.

Please call 01235 831777 or email info@conduitpartners.co.uk to discuss how your fund or your portfolio companies can benefit from our experience and approach.

Rigour to drive 11:1 ROI in 3 years but still possible!

Posted on April 13, 2012 by Jon Treanor

We are rigorous in both our assessment of new businesses but more so in the support we provide to the businesses with which we engage to drive value. We believe this is one of the cornerstone reasons for our success in driving an 11:1 return on investments in three years. Many small businesses today are burning cash and having to go back to investors as they are running out of money. In turn investors are having to follow their investments just to prop up companies failing to unlock the value and generate revenue. The big question is how do you know when and if they are going to yield? Our success comes from over 10 years of working with early stage businesses in the technology sectors mainly taking the guesswork out of this. Conduit Partners run a workshop on each business. The workshops are intensive sessions that put a business into context within Conduit Partners Commercialisation Architecture that enables all stakeholders to visualise the current status of the opportunity. The workshops develop an environment that yields rapid, aligned, powerful team experiences and decisions, and uses proprietary methods and tools in the critical business disciplines of opportunity prioritisation. The workshop days drive an internal consensus from the management team and stakeholders on the business strategy and initiatives designed to deliver both:

Commercial Visibility
Go to Market Strategy/Viability

During the workshop Conduit produce a bespoke commercialisation map (architecture) to provide the team with a visual representation of the current status, and future vision of the business.

The Strategy Workshops are intense, stimulating and enjoyable days. They are led by expert facilitators who are skilled at drawing out insights and making sure that the whole team contributes. Consequently, the environment is informal, with openness and honesty encouraged, creating positive constructive debate. It is vitally important that one opinion does not dominate the proceedings and that all issues – however unpalatable – are uncovered.

The teams are taken through a series of exercises that address each of the six pillars that make up the Conduit Commercialisation Architecture. For example:

1) Customer needs and expectations

2) Segmentation values, data and trends

3) Points of pain and market needs

4) Market sectors, intermediaries, channels and routes to market

5) Products, core methods systems and infrastructure

6) Services, added value and support

7) Value proposition offers and promise

8) Decision Quality, prioritisation and reduction of risk

9) Organisation and culture environment and capability

10) Integrated tactical execution and communication strategy

11) Business objectives goals and imperatives

We manage the inputs creatively so that the team is stimulated and the group’s energy levels stay high. The discussion, issues, and vocabulary surrounding each of the pillars are captured and presented graphically on the single, flowing “Visual Map”, which acts as the repository of knowledge and a ‘snap-shot’ position of the potential business strategy.

Importantly, the outputs are presented graphically and rapidly in such a way that they provide a planning framework. This means that insight is gathered-up and can be taken forward, developed, acted upon and used to drive business transformation and inform investor decision making.

The workshops come in various formats and are a cost effective starting point for investors to evaluate whether to follow on or walk away. They are hugely beneficial to the businesses as they are designed to get them to market quicker by highlighting and prioritising the areas that need focus. We regularly reduce the sales cycles of these businesses to weeks rather than months.

To learn more about the low cost of entry to using Conduit services together with information on how our clients receive 11:1 ratio return on their investment please email Holly Munns; hollymunns@conduitpartners.co.uk or telephone 01235 831777.

Why cleantech is the only investment game in town

Posted on October 12, 2011 by Jon Treanor

It has never been a better time to be a cleantech entrepreneur. The sector is valued at £4.3 trillion globally, and there’s a lot of excitement around low-carbon opportunities that Conduit Partners is helping inventors and investors tap into.

Clean technologies are key to our economic, social and environmental future. Not only do they help tackle climate change, but companies developing green technologies create new jobs, boost exports, and help buoy the UK in the low-carbon economy, and may even be the only investment game in town right now!

From a big-picture perspective, they also help meet strenuous emissions reduction targets, as stipulated by the Kyoto Agreement, and they help meet Big Society and corporate social responsibility objectives. Cleantech touches every aspect of our lives. Indeed, the way we consume and conserve energy will dominate national and international agendas for at least the next 20 years. Quite simply, it’s changing our lives.

These are hefty reasons why cleantech is the sector to be investing in right now, and why it needs support. We need to make sure that the market opportunities for cleantech innovations are identified, nurtured and commercialised. We can’t afford to let brilliant ideas in the cleantech sector go to waste or go abroad.

That is why, with all these economic drivers, Conduit Partners is stepping on the cleantech accelerator. We want to help fuel that growth even further by giving cleantech innovations the horsepower they need to prime them for commercial success.

We partner with the Carbon Trust in its Entrepreneurs Fast Track programme. There’s up to £70,000 of our services offered to early-stage cleantech ventures to help accelerate the market entry of those who qualify for the programme. We have already guided dozens of companies through the stages from business planning through to securing investment, and we’re proactively looking to find and support innovative ideas and businesses to take part in the programme.

This is also a sterling opportunity for the investment community, too. Returns may be longer on your investment – perhaps something of a change there too – but the multiples are potentially much higher. Don’t just take our word for it, however. Come and see for yourselves the businesses that can bring you that return.

Conduit is hosting an investment event in November where we will showcase for the first time five companies that have benefited from the Entrepreneurs Fast Track interventions and are now seeking equity capital for growth.

Come along to probe and question these five cleantech entrepreneurs and discover why you should invest in them.

For more information about the event, and to register your interest, email info@conduitpartners.co.uk or call 01235 831777.