Mon, 21 March, 2022
Venture capitalist, Ashley Head is delivering a presentation titled, ‘When Do I Invest?’ at Research for Impact 2022.
We took some time to ask him about making investments, the importance of the technology sector to his work and R4i 2022…
Hi Ashley, can you start by letting us know a bit about how you became involved in investments and what it is you do on a day-to-day basis?
Having spent thirty years in the corporate world with Chase Bank, NCB – Saudi Arabia and MasterCard, I decided to move into running my own company.
Ten years later, I had sold two companies and it felt natural then to invest into start-ups and help others achieve what I had.
As far as investments are concerned, why do you think that technology provides a particularly vibrant sector?
Any new idea today will have some form of technology that it relies upon. To me, therefore, it is difficult to define a technology sector anymore.
The reality is that the technology often gets recognition as the idea as opposed to the means by which something is achieved.
A great example of this is Uber; is Uber part of the technology sector or is it an automated taxi company that uses outstanding technology?
You have to have an idea that will create demand and revenue or it is not worth building the technology.
Can you give us a little insight into what you will be speaking about during your presentation at R4i?
I will be explaining why I invest and what I choose to invest in. I will also explain why over half of my investments will fail…
R4i is concerned with collaborative research and development activities that align with the strategies of the European Commission and the UK, why do you think this is important for investors and why did you decide to get involved with R4i 2022?
I am involved in R4i to try to help others create robust companies that have a chance of becoming strong and successful. They will not be able to do this without the right level of funding and support. So many start-ups do not spend enough time seeking grants and financial support from government and other public bodies.
You can register to attend Research for Impact 2022, here.