Mon, 21 March, 2022
Tom Onions, managing partner of Clearshore Capital, is delivering a talk on ‘Smart Investing in Scale-Ups’ during Research for Impact 2022.
Clearshore Capital are a regulated advisory and investment firm focused on backing disruptive, high growth technology companies during the different phases of their development.
We spoke to Tom about the work of Clearshore Capital, investing in research and R4i 2022…
Hi Tom, can you start by letting us know a bit more about the work of Clearshore Capital?
One of the aims of Clearshore Capital is to help growth companies to bridge the gap between early stage innovation and mid-term commercialisation. We provide advice across the spectrum from funding and governance to strategy, JVs and M&A. Having spent years advising the world’s largest multinationals at Citi Group and UBS Investment Bank, we founded Santander’s UK advisory team, aimed at backing UK growth stories. Clearshore felt a natural step in continuing that mission.
You offer advice and support to the technology sector as part of your work, but what are the common problems that businesses in this sector face with regards to investment?
UK investment challenges are well documented and, in recent years, the Government has taken significant steps to help growth businesses attract the capital that is required.
However, the challenge remains and, for growth businesses, it is important to be realistic in matching your business plan to the reality of the UK’s funding options. So, common problems that businesses encounter stem from that – having the right plan to commercialise, scale and retain the value proposition, whilst understanding that capital at an early stage is a scarce resource for which there is significant competition.
Investors need confidence in the proposition, the executing team, and that their money will be looked after with appropriate governance – and then they want an attractive return proposition. Preparation and planning are critical, even when time constrained.
Can you give us a little insight into what you will be speaking about during your presentation at R4i?
I’m seeking to give a flavour around different investor perspectives, the different options available to companies and how attracting the right financing can help unlock and fuel a company’s success.
R4i is concerned with collaborative research and development activities that align with the strategies of the European Commission and the UK, why do you think this is important and why did you decide to get involved with R4i 2022?
I’m delighted to be involved in Research for Impact. Funding and support is so critical to a company’s future success and so many start-ups fail to make the most of the government support that is out there and designed to make the challenge that little bit easier.
You can register to attend Research for Impact 2022, here.