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Do you have an investable idea?

Date: Sep 11 2018
Do you have an investable idea?

What are we looking for? And how do we choose who to invest in?

The British Design Fund was launched in 2017 with the very simple, but compelling idea that for our country to survive and thrive, technology alone is not the answer. We need to be supporting well designed British products.

Astonishingly, we found that there were no follow on venture capital funds to do just that. So, over the last nine months we’ve now invested in a first tranche of companies – five to be exact – which are great product ideas that fulfil a real need.

The next British Design Fund, Fund 2, is open to interested investors from July through to December 2018. The Fund will again be deployed into five to ten businesses, each receiving a minimum of £150k, along with support and mentoring, in exchange for equity.

We knew from the start that whilst the cash injection is vital it is also the support and mentoring advice, from a group of really experienced advisors, that our teams appreciate so much.

The minimum Fund 2 size will be £750k to a maximum of £2m.

The selection process

We have a very simple but comprehensive process for choosing the businesses which will become part of the Fund.

  1. Protection – Firstly, and vitally, is the strength of the IP in the product. How defensible is it, where is it protected and what competitive products are close?
  2. Strength of market – Secondly, how do the teams understand the competitive landscape for their product, have they really done their homework and understand what it is that is different that their product brings?
  3. Solution – The Investment Committee always asks the key question, which is all about the importance of the problem that the product solves.
  4. Need – We will then look at the level of demand that the product has and how valid the forecasts are … what orders are in the bag already? Any commitment from retailers, wholesalers etc? If your product isn’t already launched then we will be looking at the window to launch within the next twelve months.
  5. Chemistry – Finally, we will be looking at the winning chemistry within the founding team. We will be working closely with you and it’s important that we believe in you and feel you have the ambition that it takes to be a success.

Think you have an investable product? Then take a look around the website, download an application form here, or for more information, please feel free to get in touch with the Fund’s founders:

 

 

 

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