Presenting your plan

Please email a 2 page plan to Giles Brindley to circulate among the key advisors prior to the session.

Format

The business plan session gives presenters constructive advice on your plans (whether early or late stage) from established experts during an informal round table discussion without the pressure of any investments being on the table. Bring a few questions you’d like addressed, whether about your business strategy, intellectual property position, management needs, marketing or distribution plans, whatever would help you progress your plans to the next level.

Panel

The panel includes several investment, financial, legal & business experts from the group listed at www.sciencecapital.co.uk/advice

Schedule

The panel of about 5-7 advisors convenes first to discuss the agenda and summaries. The presenters meet individually with the panel, presenting for 5 minutes each, followed by 30 minutes of Q&A each. Or give a 1 minute pitch followed by feedback.

Optional

Presenters may be profiled on our website (if interested please send pic and a bio). If you wish, we can arrange for a video-taped interviewed to be produced to get your message across.

Focus

The panel provides feedback to individuals or teams who may have developed intellectual property and initial funding for commercial development of their work, and are looking for expert guidance at vulnerable or critical stage of translating their research into solutions for the market.

Agenda

Presenters are asked to focus on their presentation on what is most important to them, giving background on their unique edge, market leading position, team/partners, IP/business strategy, products/services to be developed, investment needed, equity on offer, and timeframe for delivery and exit, as appropriate.

Questions

Please contact Giles Brindley

Pointers for presenting

  1. Focus on the business offering, not the details of the science or technology.
  2. You do not need to reveal the nature of your intellectual property, instead focus on its application, market and value. CDAs can be signed by the panel members on request.
  3. Turn complexity into plain English and accessible images. Avoid intellectual terms, jargon and abstraction. Instead, give specific examples and explain.
  4. Don’t read your talk. Notes are ok.
  5. Rehearse beforehand to get the timing, clarity and impact right.
  6. Use no more than 1 slide per minute.
  7. A succinct line of text and single graphic image or video communicates better than packed paragraphs or crowded collages.
  8. Avoid slides which consist of only a headline and list of bullet-points. Use no more than 5 lines of text.
  9. Keep a clear surrounding margin around text for increased legibility.
  10. Sans-serif fonts (e.g. Helvetica) are easier to read at a distance than serif fonts (e.g. Times New Roman).
  11. Use a simple background that enhances the readability of your text.
  12. For data graphs or charts, be sure to use text font size that can be read from the back of a lecture room, including labels on x- and y-axes and data points.
  13. Be prepared to ask for advice - the investors, entrepreneurs, legal, business and financial experts have been there before and are prepared to help offer practical real world insights.
  14. Email your slideshow to us beforehand to Giles Brindley, giles.brindley@sciencecapital.co.uk so that we can ensure technical compatibility. You may bring your own flash drive, computer, cable and adapter, and demonstration products. Please arrive in advance of your talk.