Katie Potts (Herald Investment Management) - An Evangelist For Smaller Companies
Jun 20, 2022
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Katie Potts, Founder of Herald Investment Management, discusses her evolution as an investor, the differences between the UK and US markets, and the benefits of being a patient and long-term provider of primary capital. They also explore the advantages of meeting lots of companies and running winners in a diversified portfolio.
Katie Potts founded Herald Investment Management to focus on smaller companies, believing in their potential for better returns.
The UK market presents more attractive investment opportunities for smaller companies compared to the US market.
Deep dives
Founding Herald Investment Management
Katie Potts founded Herald Investment Management in 1994 after facing challenges and negativity in larger companies. She believed in the potential of smaller companies to deliver better returns and saw the need for a collective investment vehicle to provide liquidity and spread risk. Herald's focus on smaller technology companies across various sectors has proved successful, outperforming larger companies like BT and Marconi.
Investment Style and Evolution
Herald Investment Trust's investment style has remained consistent, with a focus on companies below a certain market cap. Despite exceptions, the philosophy of not investing more than 10% in any one company has stayed the same. The trust started as heavily focused on the UK and Europe but broadened its focus as opportunities arose in the US and Asia. Over time, the trust has adapted to changing technology trends, such as the shift from dispersed to centralized computing power.
Challenges of Investing in Small Cap Companies
Investing in small cap companies comes with risks and challenges. Liquidity can be limited, and there is a divergence between successful and unsuccessful companies. However, the potential for strong returns is higher, with some companies generating returns of over 10 times the initial investment. Size constraints can also be a barrier, but setting up a closed-ended collective vehicle helps overcome this by providing exposure to a diversified portfolio of smaller companies.
Differences Between UK and US Small Cap Markets
Katie Potts highlights some differences between the UK and US small cap markets. While the US is known for its large tech companies, smaller US companies are often overvalued, making the UK a more attractive market due to its greater capital discipline. The US also has higher costs associated with being a public company, making it less favorable for small cap companies. However, venture capital and IPO opportunities in the US still present investment prospects.
Katie Potts founded Herald Investment Management and has managed the Herald Investment Trust since 1994, generating strong returns by investing in smaller companies across the telecom, multimedia and technology sectors. We discuss Katie's evolution as an investor, the differences between the UK and US markets, and the importance of being a patient and long-term provider of primary capital. We also explore the benefits of meeting lots of companies and running winners in a diversified portfolio.
Show notes: [1:13] Katie discusses founding Herald and how she came to focus on smaller companies [2:55] The importance of having the right structure [4:06] Katie’s evolution as an investor [6:51] How technology has changed and the benefits of renting processing power [10:48] Differences between the UK and US market [12:10] A shortage of long-term capital in the UK [15:10] The current investment environment [18:33] Common investment pitfalls [19:39] Risk management [20:35] Running winners whilst spreading your bets [22:04] The benefits of meeting a lot of companies [24:45] Accounting for stock based compensation [25:49] Diverging from the script and taking a long term view [26:53] Judging the quality of people [28:06] Being a provider of primary capital and the advantages of small cap companies over larger ones [30:09] The importance of patience [30:59] Avoiding the most popular IPOs [32:33] There are always winners and losers in the tech sector [33:06] The big trends over the next decade [34:00] Be interested and enjoy it
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