Emerald Scofield on being an active venture capital investor

April 8, 2023

Active investing is exactly what the name suggests – it means we get our hands dirty to help drive growth and achieve success. Because of the unique challenges faced by deep tech companies, achieving success often requires a different approach. Recognising this, we go beyond just allocating our venture capital to partner with the entrepreneurs, founders and their teams who are developing ground-breaking technology to solve what are some very complex problems facing our future.

This starts with obtaining a comprehensive understanding of the company itself, the team behind it, the risks they’re likely to encounter along their commercialisation journey and what the exit might look like. This allows us to make informed decisions and provide guidance to the founders and entrepreneurs who are behind the ground-breaking deep technology.

Once we have made an investment, our involvement doesn’t end there. Establishing a close relationship with the founders and teams of these companies is critical and it often involves taking a directorship position and/or participating in regular meetings to collaborate on their progress. This approach allows us to work hand in hand with these visionary entrepreneurs, offering advice and support to help them overcome the challenges they face.

Centred on a shared vision of success and a recognition of the risks inherent in deep tech, through our active engagement, we seek to empower these companies to navigate the ever-evolving landscape and ultimately achieve their goals. By fostering open communication and a collaborative spirit, we forge lasting partnerships that drive mutual growth and ensure a prosperous future for all parties involved.