Innovation in Enterprise Funding:
UNIVERSITY CROWDFUNDING
Innovation in Enterprise Funding: UNIVERSITY CROWDFUNDING is a one-day
conference at the University of Westminster in Central London on Friday17th
January 2014
Reserve Your Ticket
To reserve a place please visit: http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/innovation-inenterprise-funding-university-crowdfunding-tickets-9123178673
Location
The conference will be held at the Fyvie Hall and Boardroom of the University of
Westminster at 309 Regent Street, London, W1B2HW
For a map and directions to the venue visit:
http://www.westminster.ac.uk/about-us/visit-us/directions/regent-street
Who Should Attend
Innovation in Enterprise Funding: UNIVERSITY CROWDFUNDING is targeted at
researchers, students and people working in and with universities who are
responsible for:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Grant administration and awards
The Commercialisation of academic science
Promoting student entrepreneurship and enterprise
Engaging with alumni
Widening avenues for student education
And in addition, who are curious as to how Crowdfunding might be able to help
them raise money.
Conference Focus
Although universities benefitted from a proliferation in gap funding between the
years 1998-2005, recent economic cutbacks particularly in the public sector has
seen some of this money disappear. In addition, traditional risk investment,
particular in early-stage, high-risk ventures has also declined. “Access to both
debt and equity funding for start-ups is much more difficult than say four or five
years ago. As a generalisation, funds and investors have increased their
allocations for existing portfolio companies” As a result, many people think that
it is now harder for universities to carry out translational research, and for
technologies arising from academia to be commercialised Some see a need for
innovative forms of enterprise finance.
Why Use Crowdfunding?
Crowdfunding involves getting many people to invest, lend or contribute small
amounts of money. Despite early scepticism, many risk investors now accept that
“it can make a lot of sense for companies seeking investment if instead of
restricting itself to a relatively few sources of traditional finance, a company can
try and attract a larger number of smaller investors.”
Whilst most people do not believe that crowdfunding will replace banks or other
traditional funding organisations (though some do), many think that there is no
reason why crowdfunding should not work in tandem with other investment or
funding options. Many believe crowdfunding might be used as matched investment
or to match translational grant funding.
The US Company Innovosource interviewed 43 universities and organisations with
the responsibility for the adoption and evolution of university crowdfunding. They
found that 86% said that they would adopt a "widely adopted external platform
modified for university use" or use an "external platform built specifically for the
university environment." Source: J.Johnson, University Crowdfunding Attitude
Report, Innovosource LLC. 2013.
What about the United Kingdom and Europe?
Programme Outline
Innovation in Enterprise Funding: UNIVERSITY CROWDFUNDING features a
keynote presentation from Professor Alan Barrell entrepreneur in residence at the
Judge Business School in Cambridge. He has written extensively on
entrepreneurship and his new book, co-authored with David Gill and Martin Rigby,
called “Show Me The Money - How to Raise the Money Needed for Your Business”
identifies the challenges of raising risk investment and at alternatives sources of
funding for start-ups.
Many people such as the University of Portsmouth believe that one such source of
innovative finance might be crowdfunding and are looking at its potential
applications to entrepreneurial and commercial activities and the funding of
academic research.
The programme will also look at:
Developing a Crowdfunding Solution
Which platforms are offering ready-made or bespoke solutions for universities
seeking to crowdfund and how are they going to do this? Featuring Crowdcube,
CrowdMission, Crowdshed, Seedrs and Syndicate Room.
Student Enterprise
The Jive Bicycle (http://getjive.co.uk/) was developed by Marcin Piatowskii whilst
studying for a Master’s Degree in Technology Entrepreneurship at University
College London. Find out how Marcin used crowdfunding to support his project.
Commercialisation of University Intellectual Property.
Can universities use crowdfunding to encourage the commercialisation of
academic research? CarboMap Limited is a spinout company from the University
of Edinburgh. Find out why this University is considering crowdfunding.
Developing New Medical Devices.
MaRS Innovation is the official commercialization agent for the intellectual
property created by the Sunnybrook Research Centre. It used crowdfunding for
the development of Wavecheck, a clinical technique that can be used to determine
if
breast
cancer
treatment
is
working
faster
(http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/wavecheck-is-your-breast-cancer-chemoworking). In total, 508 funders gave over $53,000 through Indiegogo to support
the project.
Crowdfunding and Risk Investment.
Business angels and Venture Capital used top hate crowdfunding. What about now
and what do they think it can it be used for? How are some crowdfunding
platforms like Syndicate Room working alongside business angels to support
crowdfunded innovation?
Conference Costs
The full-day conference, lunch and post-conference networking event costs
£159. Discounted rates apply for members of the IKT, KES, MURG and EEUK.
Tickets are available at http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/innovation-in-enterprisefunding-university-crowdfunding-tickets-9123178673
Sponsorship and Exhibition Rates
Sponsorship and Exhibition Rates start at £250.00 for Media Partners.
Exhibition slots start at £450 and include a 3m x 1m exhibition space, ONE
delegate pass, your name & advert in the Conference Brochure, inclusion of your
promotional material in the Conference Bag, your logo on the Conference Site..
For
a
full
range
of
sponsorship
and
exhibition
options,
visit http://infunding14.eventbrite.co.uk/
For further information, please contact
Dr. Patrick McCarthy, Director
Caledonia General Partners Limited
Tel: 0131 200 6314; or: 07989 536218
E: cgplconsulting1@virginmedia.com; www.cgplconsulting.co.uk
Patrick McCarthy - Conference
Chair
Patrick
has
worked
in
the
commercialisation of university science
since 1998 and has since worked with
economic development agencies, science
parks and universities in Scotland on the
potential of crowdfunding to support
academic enterprise.
http://www.cgplconsulting.co.uk
Denis Carroll - Conference CoChair
the subject area by generating actual
crowdfunding
support,
either
for
themselves or for other research activity
taking place across the University. The
appointment is for a fixed term of two
years, with the possibility of an extension
based on performance. As one of the
requirements of the position will be to
successfully generate crowdfunding, the
Research Fellow will be required to
'practice what they preach' if they wish to
extend the duration of the contract
beyond the initial fixed term.
Karen Darby - CrowdMission
Denis is Head of the Knowledge Transfer
Partnerships Unit at the University of
Westminster and Vice President of the
International Council on Medical Care
Compunetics,
an
organisation
that
includes among its aims, bringing
information on care and medicine to
patients and healthcare professionals.
Business entrepreneur, 'start-up junkie',
founder
CrowdMission
and
leading
crowdfunding advocate
http://www.westminster.ac.uk/business/bus
iness-improvement/knowledge-transferpartnerships
Entrepreneur, investor, and founder at
nascent
crowdfunding
platform,
Crowdshed
Professor Alan Barrell
https://twitter.com/CrowdShed
Alan Barrell has spent almost 30 years in
senior executive positions in technology
based industries and has become one of
Cambridge's most articulate promoters of
entrepreneurship
http://www.crowdmission.com
Henry Freeman - Crowdshed
Kieran Garvey - UKCFA
Research Analyst at Trillion
Associates
Coordinator
at
Crowdfunding Association
http://www.alanbarrell.com
http://www.ukcfa.org.uk
Joe Cox
Juan Guerra - Studentfunder
The University of Portsmouth Business
School is appointing a full-time Research
Fellow to investigate the phenomenon of
crowdfunding and its implications for
established financial theory, as well as
the
potential
applications
to
entrepreneurial and commercial activities
and the funding of academic research. In
addition to the preparation of articles for
publication in highly ranked academic
journals, the Research Fellow will also be
asked to demonstrate their expertise in
Founder and CEO at Studentfunder
Fund,
UK
https://www.studentfunder.com/content/lea
rn
Jonathan May and Duncan Knox Sponsorcraft
Founder of and Development Director at
Sponsorcraft, leading UK crowdfunding
platform for universities and student
enterprise. Sponsorcraft's key benefit is
its focus on education. By doing so, it
aims to be "able to showcase new
projects to those who have already
sponsored connected projects - such as
those at the same university or town or in
similar categories."
them their own dedicated co-branded
website, powered by Crowdcube.
https://sponsorcraft.com/
Seedrs is an equity crowdfunding
platform that facilitates investment in
seed-stage start-ups. Investors can
invest as little as £10 and early-stage
start-ups with less than one-year of
trading history can raise up to £150,000
through the platform in exchange for
equity in the business. Seedrs is currently
working with the London Business School,
the London School of Economics and the
CASS business school and works closely
with the National Association of College
and University Entrepreneurs.
Microryza
Microryza is a platform for supporting
science
and new
scientific
discoveries. Whilst currently Microryza
only accepts projects from researchers
who
are
based
in
the USA, it plans to allow wider
international participation soon. We
thought we would find out how Microryza
works and how UK scientists might one
day use the platform or others like it.
http://www.crowdcube.com/
Seedrs
Andy Muir - Midven
Jenny Tooth
Director at Midven and Fund Principal at
the Rainbow Seed Fund. Midven is an
owner managed entrepreneurial, venture
capital Company located in the heart of
Birmingham. It has been successfully
investing in dynamic, small and medium
sized businesses since 1990 when six
Midlands
based
entrepreneurs
established the business.
Chief Executive at the UK Business Angels
Association
http://midven.co.uk/
CEO and co-founder of Syndicate Room,
leading UK crowdfunding platform.
Syndicate Room claims to be "the only UK
equity
crowdfunding
platform
that
focuses on adding value to investors" by”
giving our members access to invest in
start-ups that are backed by some of the
UKs leading Business Angel investors".
Marcin Piatowskii
Award winning, UCL start-up
entrepreneur at JAM Vehicles Limited
http://www.crowdcube.com/investment/jive
-bike-jam-vehicles-ltd-13528
Mike Royston- Crowdcube
Business
Development
Director
at
Crowdcube Limited and Member of the
Westminster
Crowdfunding
Forum.
Crowdcube's Partner Portal service is
designed for organisations, networks,
communities and groups to collaborate
with Crowdcube to benefit from the power
of the Crowdcube platform and offers
http://www.ukbusinessangelsassociation.o
rg.uk/
Goncalo
de
Vasconcelos
Syndicate Room
-
http://www.syndicateroom.com
Alex Watson
Catalyst Programme Manager at the
Royal Society for the Encouragement of
Arts Manufactures and Commerce. In
September 2013, the RSA launched its
own area on the Kickstarter platform to
support the most exciting Fellows’ ideas
believing that crowdfunding is an
emerging low-cost way of mobilising
money and networks for new social in
http://www.thersa.org/about-us
Introduced by Sir Brian Fender
CMG FInstKT
Sir Brian has been an active member of
the Knowledge Transfer industry for most
of his career having been Chief Executive
of the Higher Education Funding Council
for England from 1995-2001 and
Chairman of BTG plc from 20032008.