UK venture capital investors are set to take part in a new event series aimed at tackling the problem of founder funding. rev™, which will take place on April 26th, aims to help 200 founders from across the country who are currently raising or about to raise seed or Series A funding. The event is being hosted by Pitchflix, which recently created a reverse pitching platform called EPIC™. The platform allows founders to create a reverse pitch playlist where investors pitch to them. Early backers of the platform include Praetura Ventures and Love Ventures.
Key Takeaways:
- rev™ is an upcoming event series that aims to address the issue of founder funding by bringing together leading UK venture capital investors.
- The event will take place on April 26th in London and will welcome 200 founders from across the UK who are currently raising or about to raise seed or Series A funding.
- The series is being hosted by Pitchflix, which has recently created an online reverse pitching platform called EPIC™ in partnership with the renowned Enterprise Investment Scheme Association (EISA).
The Broken Founder Funding Journey
For many startup founders, the process of finding the right investor can be a long and difficult journey. Identifying the most appropriate investors for a business in a particular sector, subsector, stage, operating location and fundraise target requires substantial research on the part of the founders. This research has a cost and can take founders away from the hard work and essential tasks required to build a start-up at the early stages. This is problematic because founders may make a rush decision when looking for funding and side with an investor without taking into account that most founder and investor relationships last between five and ten years. On top of all the “hard” factors, importantly the chemistry has to be right.
Research in Atomico’s State of European Tech report (December 2022) ranked chemistry the 3rd most important (out of 15 factors) in the founder-funder relationship. It is therefore essential that the right investor is chosen not only for their financial backing but also for their expertise, guidance, and networks.
In order to address this problem, Pitchflix has launched a reverse pitching platform called EPIC™. The platform allows founders to create a reverse pitch playlist where investors pitch to them. This brings efficiencies all round: VC’s get fewer mis-aligned pitches to curate – at substantial expense – out of their deal pipeline, while founders can use their time with maximum efficiency.
EPIC™ is now being used as part of the rev™ event series, which aims to bring together leading UK venture capital investors to tackle the problem of founder funding. The series is being hosted by Pitchflix and will welcome 200 founders from across the UK who are currently raising or about to raise seed or Series A funding.
Investors confirmed as speakers for the event series include Praetura Ventures, Mercia, Love Ventures, and Beringea. The series aims to make the pitching process more founder-friendly than ever by allowing investors to describe to founders exactly what they’re looking for in a start-up. This will help founders to better understand their options and to make more informed decisions when it comes to finding the right investor for their business.
Addressing the Regional Funding Shortfall
Pitchflix is also looking to address issues faced by regional founders, given that research shows venture capital funding is often concentrated in London and the South East. According to recent research from Praetura Ventures, which looked at 2021’s distribution of VC capital, the North sees a £9.78bn per annum funding shortfall when compared to London, despite tech businesses in Manchester raising more than Rome, Lisbon and Brussels last year (£532m).
To counteract this, Pitchflix aims to help regional founders better understand their options through rev™ and EPIC™. By bringing together leading UK venture capital investors and making the pitching process more founder-friendly, the series aims to help regional founders access the funding they need to grow their businesses.
David Foreman, Managing Partner at Praetura Ventures, said: “We’re proud to support Pitchflix’s mission. It’s great to see their team collaborate with the EISA to find new and interesting ways to help founders access funding from investors they more naturally align with, rather than making quick-fire decisions because they need funding immediately but don’t have the time to do due diligence on every investor in the market.”
In addition to EPIC™, Pitchflix also provides a video platform that supports the early-stage startup ecosystem internationally. The platform combines live stream production from demo days around the world, easy search for on-demand pitches, and a network of institutional and angel investors who use the platform to easily discover and gain an understanding of start-ups which meet their investment criteria.
Pitchflix has a particular focus on female, under-represented, and climate tech founders. With the launch of EPIC™ in collaboration with the UK’s Enterprise Investment Scheme Association (EISA), Pitchflix has added a communication platform for investment funds to describe their propositions for founders, further breaking down friction and inefficiencies in the early stage funding ecosystem.
Conclusion
The rev™ event series hosted by Pitchflix is set to bring together leading UK venture capital investors to tackle the problem of founder funding. The event aims to help founders access the funding they need to grow their businesses by making the pitching process more founder-friendly than ever. By using the EPIC™ reverse pitching platform, founders can create a playlist of investors who more naturally align with their business needs, allowing them to make more informed decisions when it comes to finding the right investor for their business.
The series is also looking to address the issue of regional funding shortfalls, by helping regional founders better understand their options and by bringing together leading UK venture capital investors who are committed to supporting entrepreneurs across the North of England.
With the launch of EPIC™ in collaboration with the UK’s Enterprise Investment Scheme Association (EISA), Pitchflix is breaking down friction and inefficiencies in the early stage funding ecosystem, making it easier for founders to access the funding they need to grow their businesses.
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