| Informed Funding |
Message from Chris Dines, CEO of Informed Funding
With less than one week to go to our launch, I thought I would take the opportunity to reinforce what Informed Funding is aiming to achieve and why; as well as share with you some of the fantastic sessions we have lined up at our launch event next Thursday the 26th at the Metal Box Factory. If you haven’t already registered to attend, please do so HERE as it is going to be a full afternoon and evening focused on the changing face of business finance.
I’ve personally had a long involvement with the finance sector, and have raised funds for a variety of businesses – from “friends and family” all the way to IPO. Since the Banking Crisis, the range of options I might have gone to has increased exponentially. Business finance is not just evolving, it’s going through a period of revolution – and the danger is that the target customer gets left behind. Informed Funding is looking to address this growing knowledge gap, in a way that helps both businesses and those looking to finance them.
The revolution I refer to is resulting in 100’s of new suppliers entering the market at a time when traditional players are also making huge adjustment to their offers. Our research through our Alternative Funding Network suggests there are as many 1,400 suppliers of finance to SMEs in the UK.
In part this change in the “Supply Side” is down to the major banks descaling and reshaping their presence, leading to a reduced exposure to the often complex and risky SME space. However, there is a deeper change being driven by technology – and the UK really is at the centre of all things “FinTech”.
Informed Funding provides an independent, structured and educational route for business owners to find the type of finance and supplier that might suit them – allowing them to engage directly with those suppliers. Our launch event will explain a little more about our plans, and we hope that you participate with us as we look to develop our new service. We always get asked “Where do you make your money?” Well, the answer is not through success fees, brokerage or other ways of taking a cut from a financial transaction – we are looking to simplify not add to the complexity. We charge a simple, flat-rate license fee to funders who run one of structured microsites on the platform - and Knowledge Peers and our partners are also investing significantly in the proposition. Above all, we are independent – we make no recommendations of any form!
To celebrate our launch, we have a packed informative day that focuses on the future of business finance. Take a look below to find out more about just some of the great sessions we have planned. Refreshments will be available all afternoon and we will end the evening with drinks and canapés and the opportunity to network with hundreds of other businesses.
I look forward to welcoming you at the Metal Box Factory!
Regards
Chris
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It is now over six years since the collapse of Lehman Brothers heralded the Banking Crisis. Since that time the Banking Sector has been under huge pressure to change – often facing the conflicting challenges of reducing risk while lending more to the small business sector! The fact is that most banks have achieved an extraordinary level of financial reorganisation, and certainly are addressing how to do the “right things” for business.
We get the chance to question leading bankers from NatWest, Barclays and ‘Challenger’ MetroBank on how they see the future of their organisations, and what role they expect to play in the funding of Small and Medium sized businesses.
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Stephen Hammond is MP for Wimbledon and during his time in Parliament, has been Minister responsible for major Rail projects, Rail franchising, operational issues and transport. He has also done a stint as Parliamentary spokesman for , liaising closely with Boris Johnson. Prior to being elected an MP, Stephen had a highly successful career in the City. Stephen will take questions from the audience in this very interactive session.
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Find out with Key Note Speaker, Alpesh Paleja, Head of Economic Analysis at CBI. Alpesh Paleja is the CBI’s Head of Economic Analysis. We are delighted that Alpesh will be presenting a unique and up to date forecast for the UK economy, with a particular focus on the outlook for UK businesses. Are the good times set to roll or are there too many dark clouds gathering on the horizon?
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This expert panel will explore how alternative funding platforms deliver funding solutions to businesses based upon their stage of growth and development. Come and ask our panellists from leading Alternative Funding platforms RateSetter, Market Invoice, Angels Den, Asset Match, rebuildingsociety, Lendinvest, ThinCats, Crowdcube and Money & Co what type of 'new' funding works for you. Combined they have created £500,000,000 of UK business finance!
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We will have the opportunity to hear directly from business owners at Lovespace, BBOXX and MCADO as to how funding changed their businesses in these live interview sessions.
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The rise and fall of the world’s most (in)famous virtual currency has been well documented – from a starting price of a few cents, up to over $1000, and now down to a current value of just over $230, what do we know, and what do we need to know, about bitcoin.
Jon Segal, partner in the FinTech team at Fox Williams law firm, will host an exploration of Bitcoin and its underlying technology, the Blockchain, with industry experts Vinay Gupta of the Ethereum project and Preston Byrne of Eris Industries. Be prepared to be amazed!
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We are delighted to offer business owners attending the event an opportunity to speak with specialist advisors to gain practical feedback on accountancy considerations and business strategy in 30 minute 1:1 consultations. Advance booking is required for these private sessions and we only have limited spaces remaining, please register your interest . Sessions include:
· How will investors value YOUR business?
· Having VAT nightmares?
· Stress-test your business strategy.
· Can you use R&D tax credits to fund your business?
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All registered attendees will also participate in amazing free draws with the opportunity to win one of the following:
· A luxury weekend for the family in Medieval Bruges, courtesy of iNFORMED FUNDING
· £125 to donate to a charity of your choice, courtesy of Advantage Business Partnerships
· £50 voucher towards storage space, courtesy of Lovespace
· A magnum of Champagne, courtesy of iNFORMED FUNDING
