Software is increasingly easy to create – and quick to copy. How can an innovative start-up build a long-term advantage over established or well-funded rivals? It's often referred to as a company's "defensive moat".
This session will look at the competitive threats facing young technology companies and possible strategies they can use to counter them, whether through patent protection, the accumulation of unique data, excellence in user experience, or network effects. The discussion will be illustrated with example companies throughout.
Hosted by Nic Pillow and Gus Badran.
Nic Pillow
Nic is a venture capital investor at Blackfinch Investments where he is building a portfolio of early-stage technology companies, evaluating and selecting promising start-ups then supporting them in their growth. In 2019 he helped launch a new Venture Capital Trust, and he recently led the introduction of an ESG framework, which he continues to develop.
With over twenty years’ operational experience in the software sector, Nic has held a range of technical and commercial roles in both high-growth start-ups and multinationals. He jointly established the product management function at pioneering telecoms firm Apertio, and after its acquisition by Nokia he led a global team exercising portfolio control over 15 of its software products. Most recently he co-founded and launched his own software-as-a-service education business.
Following a PhD in computer vision from the University of Oxford’s Robotics Research Group, Nic started his career developing and managing payments systems for Aethos Communications, Logica, and Portal Software. He and his wife have built their own farmhouse and in his spare time he is an active organist, singer and conductor.
Gus Badran is the Chairman and Founder of the Innovation Investing Special Interest Group (IISIG) within the Chartered Finance Analyst (CFA) UK Society.
Investment banker (with 15 years’ combined experience in operations, product and business development within corporations) focusing on Cleantech, Industrial, Meditech and Technology companies who are seeking to raise venture and growth capital.
Graduated from Imperial College London in Material Science & Engineering and also received a post graduate diploma in Manufacturing: Management & Technology and Control Systems from the Open University and the University of Sheffield respectively.
Upcoming events:
Monday 7th June @ 17:30-18:30, Rejuvenation & regeneration (anti-aging) innovations.
Monday 21st June @ 17:30-18:30, Venture Capital Investing at the Virgin Group.
Monday 5th July @17:30-18:30, Strategies for long-term competitive advantage in software start-ups.
Please forward event details to anyone whom is interested and I look forward to see you.
Kindest regards
Gus