Everything Simon Menashy said on any show that made the record, most notable first. Each card names its show and opens the statement there.
Menashy: Only 10 VCs in London write active Series A checks
“I could probably name you 10 VCs in London who can write a good Series A check and will do more than a couple of those a year, and that's a problem for the community, I think.”
Menashy: Uber expands the transport market rather than replacing black cabs
“I don't think it's replacing black cabs. I mean, there may be a little bit of replacement in the short term, but I think it's enabling totally new journeys.”
Menashy: Apple Watch v1 will be rubbish but sell well
“My personal view, I would say version one is going to be rubbish, but still sell a lot. And version two will be much better and a big success.”
Menashy: MMC Ventures primarily invests in familiar founders or warm referrals
“Most of our investments are people that we've known for a few years by the time we invest, or they're people that have come through a really a person that we trust and it makes us pay more attention and get that person in front of us quicker.”
Menashy: Founders over-prepare pitch decks and under-prepare for VC Q&A
“I mean, honestly, I think a lot of founders make the mistake of thinking that they need to come up with a really big formal pitch. They need to fill an hour. They produce a big IM you know, and they kind of over prepare on the documentation and the format and …”
Menashy: EIS tax scheme made the UK a top European VC hub
“EIS is a fantastic example that has made London one of the best places, and the UK generally, one of the best places to raise venture capital funding in Europe, and it's brought a lot more capital into the market from sources that might otherwise not be lookin…”
Menashy: Startups commonly need multiple Series A or bridge rounds
“Normally we see companies, frankly, they do a couple of series A rounds, or they do you know, a bridge, something like that, because it's taking longer for those companies then to get to series B.”
Menashy: Startups execute in a week what takes corporations six months
“You can suggest something to them and they've implemented it a week later rather than, You know, you've got to go through some six month political process at a big company.”
Menashy: VCs use pitch questions to test founder thinking and data
“I think the reality is that a VC is testing you. They're testing your thinking. They're testing you know, really is the business model going to work? Really is the market as big as we all think it is? And is that really addressable? And you need to know the an…”
Menashy: Founders should prepare 15-minute pitches for hour-long VC meetings
“I would much rather that a founder comes in with 15, 20 minute presentation prepared, which probably takes half an hour because, you know, I'll ask some questions and we'll, we'll have a nice chat around a few things. And then we have lots of time to delve int…”
Menashy: MMC Ventures typically invests £1M to £5M in Series A
“So at NMC, we're typically investing in the Series A round. So for us, that means a company that's got some initial traction, it's got customers, customers that are willing to pay, and that are demonstrably getting some kind of value or ROI out of the product,…”