Leading Silicon Valley investors are to tour Scotland’s tech startup scene to give founders an insight into how to make their businesses ‘investor ready’.
Five investors and tech sector experts from North America will visit Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee and Inverness to help Scottish startups prepare for international markets.
Chris Neumann from Panache Ventures, early stages investor Marvin Liao, Monique Woodard of Cake Ventures, angel investor Casey Lau, and fintech investor Mike Sigal will all feature at the ‘Unlocking Opportunities: VC Insights’ events, organised by the nationwide Techscaler programme run by Codebase.
The panel discussions will also feature local tech founders in Scotland who have successfully attracted investment and scaled ventures.
Chris Neumann, general partner at Panache Ventures, Canada’s leading nationwide
pre-seed venture fund, said: “We’ve been proud partners of CodeBase for the past five years, and are excited by the opportunity to support the Techscaler initiative. We hope this is the first of many opportunities to bring investors from Silicon Valley to Scotland to see firsthand what’s going on across this great country.”
Barry McDonald, VP of community development and engagement at CodeBase, said: “Getting the chance to meet this calibre of investor in Scotland is invaluable for aspiring startups, so we’re encouraging as many startup founders, whatever stage they are at on their journey, to come along.
“It’s an opportunity to network with fellow entrepreneurs, industry experts, and the panellists themselves, and attendees can expect to forge meaningful connections, something we can also help to guide going forward.”
Techscaler is understood to be planning similar events in future, bringing international investors and Scottish startups together, to maximise exposure to the kind of mindset needed to be a globally successful tech venture.
Credentials of the speakers:
- Chris Neumann of Panache Ventures in Vancouver spent almost two decades in Silicon Valley as an engineer, early startup employee, founder, and investor. Neumann has invested in companies in more than 20 countries, and mentored startups across 7 continents.
- Marvin Liao is an early-stage investor who has personally led more than 450 investments worldwide, including a significant number across Europe. Liao previously ran the accelerator for 500 Global `(formerly known as 500 Startups).
- Monique Woodard is the Founding Partner of San Francisco-based Cake Ventures, an early stage VC that invests in companies targeting markets that are growing as a result of demographic change, including the ageing population, and increased spending by women and minorities.
- Casey Lau is the co-host of international tech conferences Web Summit, Collision and Rise, and is an experienced founder, angel investor, and startup advisor.
- Mike Sigal is a 5-time founder, including one IPO in fintech, co-led the 500 Startups fintech fund, and today advises founders and funds around the world. He is also a lecturer at both Stanford and Berkeley.
Events:
- The Edinburgh event takes place at CodeBase on Monday 21st August 11.00-13.00
- The Glasgow event takes place at West Brewery on Wednesday 23rd August 18.00-20.30
- The Dundee event takes place at V&A Dundee on Thursday 24th August 18.30-21.00
- The Inverness event takes place at Wasps Inverness Creative Academy on Friday 25th August 18.00-20.30
For more information on how to sign up for the VC Insights events: https://www.techscaler.co.uk/