Shojin’s Post

Today in London 🌍 🇬🇧 Few cities match the energy of London - though I’d say New York gives it a run for its money! 🇺🇸 Today is packed with productive meetings, particularly with new advisors joining the DealDirect platform. One meeting is with an international Family Office, with operations in Mayfair, Switzerland, and New York. 🇬🇧 🇨🇭🇺🇸 The breadth of off-market deals we can offer is astounding. From pre-revenue tech companies with significant IP to privately-owned eco-businesses boasting EBITDA of £5m+, and even traditional businesses transitioning from family ownership. However, what truly captivates Private Equity, VC, and Family Offices is the Operator Network we've meticulously built over the last five years (and personally, I've been nurturing it for nearly two decades). I'm older than I look 😜 The Virtualnonexecs Operator Network (now 21,000+ strong) has become the go-to resource for investors seeking: ✅ Chairs ✅ Non-Executive Directors ✅ Fractional Board Advisors ✅ Investing Directors (including 5,200+ MBI candidates with a collective £450m+ ready to deploy) This collective expertise forms a powerful "Expert Network" that investors frequently leverage for in-depth, commercial due diligence. There’s nothing quite like gaining insights from an exited founder with 30 years of industry experience to ground potential investments in reality. Want to explore the Operator Network or book a demo? Check it out here: https://lnkd.in/d3na7CEC Interested in the DealDirect platform and the hundreds of off-market opportunities? Take a look and book a demo with me: https://lnkd.in/eha-9Zxq Feel free to DM me for more info. Wishing you a fantastic day! 🇬🇧 #Virtualnonexecs #Nonexecutivedirector #privateequity #VC #FamilyOffice #DealOrigination

From challenges to reaching their full potential, newcomers shape their futures through entrepreneurship while making Canada their home. 🆕 Square’s landmark study shows the exceptional experiences of newcomer entrepreneurs unlocking financial security, more meaningful careers and a sense of belonging through business ownership. See the findings: https://lnkd.in/ebMPJGqS

Business and Investment News…..   Allsee Technologies is proceeding with a new £20m development that will include a new headquarters and digital office on Longbridge Business Park. 150 jobs will be created. Construction is expected to start in the summer. The company is currently based in Bartley Green.   Property consultancy Burley Browne has been appointed to manage sites in Erdington and Handsworth. The new instructions take the management rent roll to more than £6.5m annually. The proposed merger of Nationwide and Virgin Money is to be investigated by the UK’s competition watchdog. The move would be the largest banking merger since 2008 and if it does go ahead, it will become the second largest provider of mortgages and savings.   Medical product manufacturer Entaco has had a management buyout backed by a private equity firm Traditum (£1m investment). The company comprises three divisions as is located in Redditch and County Durham.   Solihull-based telecom and tech service provider Wavenet has agreed a c.£1.2bn merger with Lancashire-based Daisy Corporate Services. The deal is one of the largest to take place in the Midlands over several years. Subject to regulatory approval, Wavenet will become the largest independent provider of its kind in the country.   Reports suggest that WeWork could emerge out of bankruptcy with lesser debt and fewer offices.   Whitecode, a building service consultancy has opened a new Birmingham office in The Colmore Building. The company has its headquarters in Kent with an office in South Africa. The move comes as a result of several new contract wins. On a separate point, I am looking forward to this morning’s ‘Business Development Networking’ event that I have organised. Places at the event sold out a few weeks ago. The event will see a mix of people that have been to one of these events previously but will also see 50% of people that are attending one of these events for the first time. Places are limited for July's event of this nature, so early booking is advised.   This evening, I will be attending the latest ‘Midlands Sales Squad’ event at Resorts World. It is always nice to catch up with people that work in the hospitality sector. If you are attending, I will see you there. #business #investment #events #networking Photograph: Taken at a recent dinner event that I was managing on behalf of a client. Photo credit: Jas Sansi

The US remains a top priority for international expansion for Welsh companies, both for raising investment and market expansion, so it was an amazing opportunity to attend the Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati x Tramshed Tech dinner for founders on Tuesday night. Daniel Glazer, Managing Partner of Wilson Sonsini’s London-based expansion practice, hosted a brilliant and candid discussion about scaling in the US, sharing invaluable pieces of advice. (Wilson Sonsini has represented more tech companies in venture financing, M&A transactions, and IPOs than any other law firm globally—including taking Apple, Google, LinkedIn, Twitter, and many others public) Some takeaways from the evening; 1. To succeed in the US market, a physical presence and willingness to work within US cultural norms is essential. 2. Enter the US either early (before scaling in the UK) or late (after achieving PMF in the UK and look to Americanise). Midway can be challenging and PMF won't be acheived in either. 3. When deciding where to land in the US, think if you need to be based close to your customers and potential investors. (For early-stage funding, basing yourself near to investors is key) 4. Ask what success looks like from your US VCs to avoid mismatched expectations on exits later down the line. 5. Go ask and be competitive. If you're thinking about a state to land, go ask and be bold and assertive about the value you'll bring. Grateful to be a part of such interesting conversations 🙏

🔍 Taking a look through this BBC News article it's clear there is much to do in encouraging more investment in businesses in NI's start-up ecosystem. 📈 However, the positive news is the continued growth of inward investment year on year. Shoosmiths alone has helped numerous investment funds from outside of NI invest in NI businesses and, in the last number of months, three of those invested in NI for the first time. Other potential first-time investors are keen to hear about the movers and shakers at risk of missing out. 🦄 As the number of success stories increase, the more interest there is around the ecosystem. It does feels like it's only a matter of time before a unicorn appears in NI but, as Steve Orr mentions in the article, £bn companies are not the be all and end all with exit proceeds being recycled to spur on the next wave of innovative businesses. 🚀 There are many and greater things to come. #investment #venturecapital #privateequity #norniron

The Countries and Cities With the Highest Proportion of Business Founders 👉🏾Estonia counts 218.6 business founders per 10,000 workers — more than any other country. 👉🏾In the U.S., New York boasts 160.6 business founders per 10,000 workers — more than any other state. 👉🏾Eight of the top 20 most entrepreneurial cities in the world are in the United States, with San Francisco leading overall (353.7 business founders per 10k workers). 👉🏾After London, Brighton tops our ranking of the most entrepreneurial U.K. cities, counting 173.6 business founders per 10k employees. Source: https://lnkd.in/daiSdE4c

Last week I had the distinct pleasure of attending one of the most unique networking events hosted by IDA Ireland and Seanchoíche on behalf of the team at Fintech Cadence. Focused on the cultural practice of storytelling in Ireland, the event was a tremendous reminder of the power of stories to foster authentic connection and empathy. As someone who has worked supporting early stage startups for the last five years through the IFH Lab, I always remind founders of the importance and power of their story. I think this event reminds us too the importance of listening to the stories of your customers, partners, and even investors to understand how and where you fit in their story; how you can ensure you are solving a real problem and building something truly meaningful. There were so many lessons from the stories shared... 🍀 Lead with hope and not expectation to avoid frustration - what better advice when doing one of the most difficult things you can do, building a company from the ground up? 🍀 The root of "to move" refers both to an active choice, and to be pushed. Innovation feels much the same to me; led by people who want to do things differently, pushed by necessity and often pushing against the comfort of the status quo. 🍀 The places we were are what make us up, even if the ways you got there were not how you would have liked. Often the stories of founders start with their own experiences of hardship, loss, and their own experience of the problem they are trying to solve. The ability to harness and turn that struggle into a personal catalyst for change will continue to serve those founders throughout the difficult journey of building their companies. Thank you to Mark Shorten and the IDA team for putting such a wonderful event together. I encourage everyone to check out Seanchoíche events in Toronto! #storytelling #founderjourney #networking #Ireland

#Shareables: #Northleaf Expands Global Presence with New Office in Seoul Business Wire India Northleaf Capital Partners (“Northleaf”), a global private markets investment firm, announced today the opening of its new office in Seoul, Republic of Korea to support continued investor interest in the firm’s mid-market private markets platform. This marks Northleaf’s tenth global office and complements the firm’s existing Asia-Pacific locations in Melbourne, Australia and Tokyo, Japan.   The Seoul office is led by Chung-hyun (Alex) Lee, Managing Director, who joined Northleaf earlier this year. Lee brings extensive expertise in the South Korean market and will play a pivotal role in building relationships and serving investors. He reports to Jeff […] - https://lnkd.in/gCiv76bw 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝗝𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 - https://lnkd.in/gsYmD_BZ #IndianConventions #TaleesRizvi #News #Awards #Conferences #India #HR #Marketing #Finance #StartUp #Business #B2B #B2C #C2C #D2C #leadership #Management #HumanResources #Healthcare

🌟 Driving International Success with Breakthrough Victoria 🌍 Merton Lawyers was proud to present alongside Global Victoria at Breakthrough Victoria's Founders Day, engaging with their exceptional portfolio companies on building a winning Go-To-Market Strategy for international expansion, with a focus on the US. Our session covered key insights and challenges for founders, including: 📄 Flip Ups – Structuring your business for US market entry. 📈 US Market Update – Trends and opportunities shaping the US business landscape. 💡 Cooley US Financing Summary – Key takeaways on US financing rounds. 💰 US Investors – What they want to see from Aussie startups ready to scale. This presentation formed part of our Project Frontier, an initiative designed to help Australian startups conquer global markets through expert legal and commercial strategies. The Breakthrough Victoria Fund is an extraordinary opportunity to supercharge the commercialisation of world-leading research and position Victoria's innovative mindset at the forefront of the economy. Over the next 15 years, this estimated $2 billion government fund will be invested in eligible Victorian businesses to drive transformative growth. A heartfelt thank you to the Breakthrough Victoria team, including: Hon John Brumby, Laura Morrey, Monique Conheady, Olga Hogan, Brett Mitsch, Rosemary Peavey, Prue Lester, Aden Capaul, and Andrew Wilkie. We’d also like to recognise the incredible presenters who shared their expertise: Emma Jenkin from Kilara Capital, Gabrielle Munzer from Main Sequence, Dominic Pym from Euphemia, Andrew Nash, Paul Mitchinson from Think & Grow, Adrian Persi, and George Di Scala from Global Victoria. A special thank you to Alexander Newton from Navi Medical Technologies for capturing the moments with amazing photos. Together, we’re shaping the future of Australian innovation on a global scale. 🚀 #ProjectFrontier #BreakthroughVictoria #GlobalExpansion #USMarket #InnovationEconomy #VictorianLeadership

VC and PE leaders in the US have taken a noticeably active stance in London. From Andreessen Horowitz picking London as their first international office to Salesforce Ventures doubling their AI fund to $1 billion on the heels of their new AI hub in London to the recent FTV Capital expansion and the upcoming Accordion London launch, investors are bullish on London. Why? London provides access to dealflow from Europe’s growing tech ecosystem, impactful expansion support for their portfolio companies, and of course an unmatched talent pool. Frontline Ventures insightful report on the state of European expansion concluded that Europe accounts for up to 40% of global revenues for top-performing B2B SaaS companies by the time of IPO. The UK-US business dynamic clearly remains robust. Thanks to Stephen Feline and Fast Company for the piece! Janet Coyle CBE Brennan O'Donnell Hannah Skingle Rose Johnson Macy Mills Katia Ameri Shrikala Kashyap Caitlin Cooke Laura Rowson Adrianna Alterman Penny Tehrani-Littrell Claudia Bellanca Annis Steiner