🔥 Throwback to Wednesday when we hosted our 1st #Sustainable #Finance#FinTech event of the year:
"𝚁𝚊𝚒𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝙵𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚜 𝚒𝚗 𝚃𝚘𝚍𝚊𝚢’𝚜 𝙲𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚕𝚎𝚡 𝙼𝚊𝚛𝚔𝚎𝚝: 𝙾𝚙𝚙𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚞𝚗𝚒𝚝𝚢 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙾𝚙𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚒𝚜𝚖 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟺"

Hugely insightful discussion thanks to our stellar panel :
Jean-Hugues Verdu | CFO of Wifirst and board member,
Pierre Latscha co-founder & CCO at Onepilot,
Juliette Souliman Head of UK office at Portage
Felicia Meyerowitz Singh founder of Engage Smarter AI
Moderated by Gaelle Drory-Liaudet | Board member @ La French Tech London & co-lead Sustainable Finance group.

⚡𝗔 𝗸𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲-𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆: leaving us with a huge feeling of the art of possibility, as 2024 holds promise and opportunity for entrepreneurs, business builders and investors alike.

💰 𝗢𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗢𝘂𝘁𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗔𝘃𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗮𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 
"The VC game has not changed, the secret sauce has not changed"
- Investors are ready to deploy funds into strong and promising ventures, signaling a vibrant landscape for growth.
- Early-stage investors now prioritize clear signs of traction on the commercial side compared to previous years.
- Building a playbook and generating revenue early on are and remain crucial steps to showcase commerciality to attract investor interest.
 
💡 𝗙𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵𝘆 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵
"From focussing on getting the first client out for early stage ventures, to the integration of acquisitions for late stage scale-up/build-ups.”
- Prioritizing culture and DNA building, as well as operational efficiency and customer traction 
- Focus on revenue generation and clear demand indicators, and demonstrate tangible proof points of market viability to investors.

🤝 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗖𝗼𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆
"VCs invest in humans, Excel does not"
Cultivate a cohesive team dynamic founded on trust, complementary skill sets, and shared values.
- Leverage the collective expertise and experience of team members to navigate challenges and drive successful execution of growth strategies.
- Beyond tangible skills such as experience and expertise, intangible assets such as personalities and culture make a big difference.

📈 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲
"Cash is King, as is financial discipline" and this is valid whether you are an early stage startup or in the LBO stages!"
 
🤞 Massive thank you to our panel and good luck for tackling their biggest challenges and ambitions of 2024

Thank you to our sponsors: Onepilot for the event and Wifirst for all we did and plan in 2024

All photos below ©Fordtography
Full size & download on our Flickr Gallery here