The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Expert advice boosts tech firms’ investment chances
The technology deals market has remained active throughout the pandemic, making the most of business that could be done virtually.
But as restrictions ease and the world opens up again, there are even more opportunities for investment.
Many investors, including private equity houses, have built up “dry powder” – money yet to be deployed – and are actively looking for acquisition or investment targets. Funds from such regions as the US, the Nordic countries, Europe, as well as other parts of Scotland and the UK, are casting their eyes over what technology firms have to offer.
Scottish tech firms have a lot going for them, as recent activity shows.
For example, Edinburgh–based fintech success story Nucleus Financial has just been sold again, a matter of months after being acquired by James Hay. HPS Investment Partners, a private equity division of Highbridge Capital Management within JP Morgan Asset Management, bought a majority stake in Nucleus for an undisclosed sum.
If a technology firm wants to attract the right type and level of investment, it first needs to get its house in order. It must be prepared to be scrutinised by potential investors as they carry out their due diligence.
It’s important for a start-up or scale-up looking to expand to the next stage to have trusted advisers in place to guide them on what can be a long and complex journey.
You need to know exactly what potential investors are looking for, such as recurring revenue and a pipeline of highquality contracts.
Be realistic. While it’s natural to want to be ambitious and aim high, companies should resist the temptation to overvalue themselves. High valuations, seemingly plucked from the air, will most likely deter potential investors.
Key to attracting money or making a sale to allow you to exit the business is presenting it in its best possible light.
Founders and senior management may know their technology inside– out, but they are also likely to be entrepreneurial by nature and largely focused on running their business.
That’s why expert advisers are vital.
An experienced adviser who knows the market, if not necessarily the tech, can use their in-depth knowledge and wide network of contacts.
They can make useful introductions and tap into support available from the government, bodies such as Scottish Enterprise and the Scottish National Investment Bank, as well as a variety of accelerator programmes, and generally add value.
At AAB, we also know that most of our clients will be happy to lend their support to other businesses, as long as they’re not in direct competition, to help them on their growth journeys.
Such insight is incredibly helpful as a company gears up for investment.
I’m always impressed when I see how supportive our client base and the wider Scottish community is willing to be. There’s a real sense of collaboration across the ecosystem, so start-ups and scale-ups
should never be afraid to ask for support.
We can also advise on what investors are looking for in an organisation, based on many years of getting deals over the line.
More and more, investors want to see market traction, to know that what a company offers actually works by fulfilling a need and there is clearly a market for it.
Intellectual property is still very important,
and investors want to see barriers to prevent a competitor quickly coming in and offering the same or an even better product or service.
Without the right management in place, a business is not going to get over the first hurdle when seeking investment.
A business must demonstrate it can go from proof-of-concept to making commercial sales – it needs to show it is offering far more than great ideas and can actually make money in the long-term.
Start-ups shouldn’t underestimate the time and resources involved in making that leap forward.
Potential investors are encouraged when they see that a potential target has a trusted adviser in place.
They may have worked with that adviser in
previous deals or heard of their reputation through word-of-mouth. Budding investors will also likely feel reassured they won’t be coming up against unfeasible valuations.
Investment proposals will be far better if there is a good understanding of the business’s financials and forecasts all round, and if the quality of information shared is sound and comprehensive.
Bringing in an adviser at an early stage should help both the company looking to be financed and the potential investors.
And Scotland’s technology sector as a whole will benefit too.