Stephane Janson on Investment Banking and Deep Tech

May 10, 2023

Having an in-house investment banking team which is responsible for going out to market, syndicating investors, and identifying potential acquirers for a deep tech company is a key part of our process. What this means in practice is that when our investment team finds a technology that is super interesting, our investment banking team goes out to New Zealand and the world and says “We’re looking at this technology and this is why we’re interested.  Do you want to join us?”.

From there we form a small syndicate of investors which in addition to capital, brings more skills, experience, and networks to the table. This is what we would refer to as ‘smart capital’ which means you’re not just getting financial resources, but you’re getting contacts, help, and advice from people who are genuinely interested and invested in making an impact.

At the other end, our investment banking team is in charge of thinking about who the potential acquirers of the deep tech company might be i.e., the exit strategy. Because they’re exit minded and have the skill set to think about who the acquirer might be, they can be doing the groundwork and having these conversations early on which helps increase the ikelihood of having a positive outcome.