Scott Weavers-Wright achieved two very successful exits before he founded Haatch. In the late 1990s, Kiddicare was a family shop selling pushchairs, car seats and the paraphernalia that babies and young children need. Scott persuaded the family to launch a website, which was the start of a decade of immense growth in which it beat many household names and became the largest in its category in Europe, before selling out to Morrisons.We discuss the challenges of managing the business through a period of such fast growth, about serial re-platforming while empowering staff keeping customer focus throughout. We also discuss the stresses of doing this in a family business, how the sale decision came about and what happened to the business once it was inside Morrisons. Haatch - haatch.comSuggested books:Losing my Virginity by Richard Branson

Before joining Newable, Sanjeev Gordhan worked on the advisory side of the industry. He has a lot of experience in helping investors decided how much money to put into venture capital and unquoted investments.We discuss how investors should approach this and the difference between theory and practice. We also get into how you should spread your venture capital allocation between different segments, discussing how risk and value interact. And we can't ignore COVID and how investors are reacting to it in their portfolios.NewableSuggested books:21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Noah HarariChimp Paradox by Prof Steven Peters

As a relative newcomer to the EIS industry, Andy Davidson of We Are Nova sees it a little differently to many of us. For the last year or so, he's been challenging the industry to create market funds for EIS, akin to index funds for equities and bonds.We discuss what that would mean for investors - not only the advantages but also some of the challenges of making it happen.This is the second part of the conversation with Andy, following-on from the preceding episode where he discussed his investment philosophy and the five reasons startups fail.We are NovaSuggested books/reading:Blue Ocean Strategy by W Chan Kim & Renée MauborgneThe Lean Startup by Eric RiesRunning Lean by Ash MauryaScaling Lean by Ash MauryaStrategyzer blog (Alexander Osterwalder and co-authors)

Andy Davidson has created the Nova Co-foundery to help develop businesses from before day one. We discuss how it works and how he developed his company building philosophy.As well as his practical experience, he has extensively researched the issues that startups have. A significant focus is the 5 reasons that startups fail (100firsthits.com). We discuss what these are, why they are a problem and how Nova works to avoid them.This is the first of a two-parter - we were having such conversation we kept going longer than usual. In the next episode we turn our attention to the EIS industry.We are NovaBooks mentioned:The Lean Startup by Eric RiesCrossing the Chasm by Geoffrey MooreFour Steps to the Epiphany by Steve Blank

Hardware investing is a relatively niche area within EIS investing, but still has many attractions. Dr Ilian Iliev of EMV Capital talks about how the capital intensity has improved and how the ecosystem is attractive.We also draw on his background in intellectual property to discuss the different strategies that startup companies can use. We go through the pros and cons, with lots of information on what both investors and founders need to consider.This episode is the last one that was recorded before the COVID-19 lockdown.EMV CapitalSuggested books: Posh Boys: How English Public Schools Ruin Britain by Robert VerkaikArchitects of Intelligence: The Truth about AI from the People Building it by Martin FordAs usual, full shownotes are at https://www.hardmanandco.com/podcast/ and you can contact us at info@hardmanandco.com.

Film investing through EIS has changed radically since the Patient Capital Review. Andeas Roald is CEO of Sovereign Media, whose background is in making films rather than simply financing them, talks about the return to more traditional structures. We go through some of the basics of film investing, discussing where and how investors get their returns. Distribution is key, and the landscape is changing rapidly. We discuss video-on-demand services and how to get the best deal from them. We also go into the effect COVID-19 is having, both on distribution and production, finding the pluses as well as the minuses.Sovereign Media GroupSovereign FilmsSuggested books:Two Against Hitler - Isabel Vincent (released May 2021)Dinner with Edward - Isabel VincentAs usual, full shownotes are at https://www.hardmanandco.com/podcast/ and you can contact us at info@hardmanandco.com.

While equity crowdfunding hasn't taken off the way that many hoped, it is an important influence on startups and the EIS industry. Rob Murray Brown is one of the few crowdfunding experts outside the platforms, with strong opinions on what is and isn't working for investors. We discuss many of the issues for investors, the challenges of getting the right information, what diligence the platforms are or are not doing and what investors should be doing to minimise their chances of being involved in any of the disasters. We also talk about the UK insolvency process and how it isn't serving investors well. ECF.BuzzSuggested book:The Empty Raincoat - Charles HandyAs usual, full shownotes are at https://www.hardmanandco.com/podcast/.

As investors, it is easy to focus on the process of making investments and forget that the real work happens afterwards. Dr Andy Round discusses supporting companies after an investment is made. We cover getting the right board in place and different sources of support, including various government schemes. We also discuss the challenges of fund managers supporting companies, including getting the right balance of involvement and how to deal with with difficult situations. Startups and entrepreneurs will find this an extra useful episode.Links:Praetura VenturesBritish Business BankInnovate UKBusiness Gateway (Scotland)Regional Development Agencies (England)In the Northwest:BionowDaresburyAlderley ParkRecommended books:Southern Reach Trilogy: Annihiliation - Geoff VanderMeer Invisible Women - Caroline Criado Perez

We are joined by Pippa Gawley from Zero Carbon Capital who are focussed on climate investing. We talk about Pippa's belief that the climate crisis is the most important issue an investor can look to help solve. We discuss the challenges of small companies making meaningful contributions on a global scale and making judgements about what will and won't work.We also discuss the challenges of improving the EIS and venture capital world for under-represented groups.Links:Zero Carbon Capital Crane tool for assessing impactsRecommended books:Good Strategy, Bad Strategy - Richard RumeltDrawdown - Paul HawkenFull information on the podcast is here.

We are joined by Matthew O'Kane from Nexus Ventures. Nexus are thematic investors and we discuss how to find and invest in good themes. Matthew gives a couple of examples, showing how he built an investment thesis and how these have worked out.Nexus Ventures websiteScale-up Fund websiteMatthew's suggested books:Dexy Midnight Runners: Young Soul Rebels - Richard WhiteSecond Bounce of the Ball - Ronald CohenAs always, further show notes here.