Mind the (Funding) Gap! How to get your Start-Up Funding Right

We kick off our first NEF Speaker Series of the year with a special focus on investment and the funding challenges faced by start-ups.

Come and hear our panel of experts and investors debate how start-ups can secure vital investment, tackle funding challenges and get advice on how to raise that crucial early round.

Timings:

18.30 - Arrival and networking

19.00 - Panel begins

19.30 - Q&A

20.00 - Drinks and networking

20.30 - End

Our Panel:

Karen Kerrigan
Chief Legal Officer at Seedrs

Making the move from the traditional legal career at Simmons & Simmons into the world of startups, Karen joined Seedrs as their Legal and Finance Director in 2013 before moving into her current role in September 2015.

She brings with her a wealth of knowledge in crowdfunding and is also currently a director with the UK Crowdfunding Association and was named one of the top women in fintech in the UK by Innovate Finance.

Seedrs is the largest equity crowdfunding platform in the world.

Lara Morgan
Angel Investor

Lara learnt the business game by starting Pacific Direct with nothing and growing it with her team into a global business.

She is passionate about enterprise, continual improvement and maximising opportunities

Now Chief Growth Accelerator at Company Shortcuts Lara is on a mission to transform the way entrepreneurs and growth leaders are educated and supported.

Lara is also a regular commentator on current affairs and business issues with Sky and BBC News.

Nic Brisbourne
Managing Partner, Forward Partners

A seasoned venture capitalist with a talent for spotting new markets early, Nic can distinguish hype from reality and knows which trends have legs and which will flame out.

He is currently Managing Partner of Forward Partners (FP), a high value adding early stage investment business part of Forward Internet Group. Previously, he’s worked in a number of venture capital roles, mostly in London, but also in Silicon Valley. Nic specialises in ecommerce, software and media and has been responsible for over 40 investments including Buy.At (acquired by AOL for $125m), Zeus Technology (acquired by Riverbed for $140m), Unbound, Conversocial, StrikeAd and Lyst.

He is also the author of www.theequitykicker.com

Ricky Knox
Founder, Tandem Bank

Ricky, a serial entrepreneur, is currently the founder of Tandem Bank. Described as ‘The Good Bank’, Tandem is designed to transform your banking experience.

During his career, Ricky has built five technology companies prior to founding Tandem including GSM Systems, Small World Finance and Azimo. He also has experience in private equity having worked at MMC Ventures backing high-growth companies and is currently Managing Partner at Hexagon Partners, a specialist private equity firm which invests in financial technology.