When a fund manager jumps into a new area, it’s always tempting to ask why. Blackfinch Ventures has launched a fund focusing on the energy transition; we asked Head of Ventures Reuben Wilcock back on to the podcast to discuss it.
In a wide-ranging discussion, we talk about:
Although this is a known area, it is interesting to get the perspective of a new entrant who has analysed the market and found it attractive. There’s lots of insights as usual from Reuben – enjoy!
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Working Backwards by Colin Bryar & Bill Carr
Reuben Wilcock is Head of Ventures at Blackfinch Ventures. Reuben’s expertise in advising early stage companies has developed through a background spanning academia, technology startups and startup acceleration. He has founded or co-founded four technology start-ups including Joulo, a smart home energy spinout, which won the 2013 British Gas Connected Homes award and was acquired by Quby in 2014, and Bar Analytics, an IoT start-up that enables global brands to monitor beer quality and sales. With a PhD in Electronics, Reuben has extensive product design experience with deep technical knowledge of hardware, software and manufacturing. He is an inventor of five patents and named author on over 45 peer-reviewed publications ranging from integrated circuit design to genetic algorithms.
Before joining Blackfinch, Reuben was a leading figure in entrepreneurship at the University of Southampton where he sat on its IP Panel for five years, guiding the commercialisation of research innovations through licensing and spinouts. Reuben is a Royal Academy of Engineering award-winning entrepreneur, and the lifetime membership that affords has offered visibility into some of the most innovative university spinouts in the UK. In 2015 Reuben founded and ran the Future Worlds accelerator, mentoring over 250 entrepreneurs and 50 companies over a four-year period. Companies included 5G silicon IP spinout Accelercomm, AI computer vision company Aura Vision, IoT transport startup Route Reports and HGV data analytics company Dynamon. While at Future Worlds, Reuben also developed the business plan and was the execution partner for the Z21 Fund, run in partnership with the Solent LEP.
Disclaimer
Please note this podcast/interview does not constitute a financial promotion and is provided for informational purposes and should not be construed as an invitation or offer to buy or sell any investments. Please be aware that investments into unquoted companies are high risk, long term and illiquid investments. Your capital is at risk. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. Target returns are not guaranteed and forward looking statements are illustrative only and must not be relied upon. Investors should only invest on the basis of reading the full offer documentation. Listeners must make their own independent decisions and obtain their own independent advice regarding any information, projects, securities, tax treatment or financial instruments mentioned herein.
