BLN CEO Tales: Funding growth technology companies in Europe – the IPO option. Drinks networking and discussion debate. 21st November, 2012, 6-9pm.
For the people building and backing the next generation of global technology businesses from the UK.
Technology IPOs have bounced back in the US but Europe has been left out in the cold. Neil Rimer, Managing Partner of Index Ventures, commented recently,
“The common sentiment in the boardrooms of these companies is that while in the US the IPO window is open, the London market is shut tight like a porthole. If we would like to ensure that European entrepreneurs can build large, sustainable companies that can reliably access the public markets to fund their trajectories, we should think again before accepting the closed IPO window as a fait accompli.”
We agree strongly and this BLN CEO Tales will bring key people in the technology community – entrepreneurs, venture, private equity and public market investors – together to discuss the best way to capitalise on the opportunity we have in Europe to fund growth technology companies via our own public markets as well as considering alternative strategies.
We will hear from speakers; entrepreneur, angel/VC, public market investor and adviser – all with strong points of view on this critical issue.
Format:
- 21st November, 6-9pm.
- Drinks networking, panel discussion and audience Q&A, drinks networking.
Speakers:
- Stuart O’Gorman, director of Technology Investment, Henderson Global Investors
- Robin Klein, Index Ventures, The Accelerator Group.
- Peter Campbell, CFO, Mimecast.
- Ting Le Deng, Director Technology, UBS Investment Bank
Supporters:
Robin Klein joined Index Ventures in April 2010 as a Venture Partner. He is a founding partner of The Accelerator Group and serves as Chairman of Wonga, Moo and MyBuilder. He is on the board of Bill Monitor, EDITD, Farfetch, FreeAgent, LevelBusiness, OneFineStay, Skimlinks, Stylistpick, LevelBusiness and Zoopla. Robin has 25 years of operating experience, 20 years as entrepreneur and 14 years an investor. He has been instrumental in the recent government’s recent policy changes designed to make it easier for technology companies to list in London. Robin has made over sixty investments as an angel including exits for Agent Provocateur, Sit Up TV, Lastminute, Last.fm, Dopplr, Lovefilm, Fizzback and Tweetdeck. For more information, you can follow Robin on Twitter @robinklein or read the TAG blog or about Robin.
The angel/venture capital perspective. As one of the UK’s most active angel investors, as a venture partner with Index Ventures, and as a key player in bringing the IPO issue to the attention of UK government, Robin is uniquely placed to offer the private investor’s perspective on the challenges faced by entrepreneurs and investors in raising finance in European public markets.
Stuart O’Gorman Stuart manages the Henderson Horizon Global Technology fund and the Global Technology fund. Stuart O’Gorman obtained a Masters degree in Financial Economics from Dundee University and a Diploma in Investment Analysis from the University of Stirling. Stuart started his financial career with Aegon in 1996 as a specialist technology fund manager and moved to Henderson in 2000 where he is currently Director of Technology Investment. He uses a growth with reasonable price (GARP) approach coupled with extensive bottom-up analysis. Stuart is an associate member of ASIP.
He lists cricket and golf as his interests outside of fund management.
The public market investor’s perspective. Stuart’s funds invest in the best technology investment opportunities across the globe. He will share his thoughts about how he evaluates opportunities as an investor in public technology companies.
Peter Campbell was hired as CFO of Mimecast in 2006. He is responsible for overseeing the Company’s global financial strategy and operations. Peter has seen Mimecast through six years of steady growth from $0.3m in his first year to over $50m in its last fiscal year. Peter and his team were instrumental in the Mimecast’s recent funding round of $62m from Insight Venture partners as well as previous capital raises from Dawn Index Ventures and Dawn Capital.
Prior to joining, Peter brought 15 years’ experience in the IT sector to Mimecast. Previously he was CFO of SR Telecom, a TSE and Nasdaq listed company headquartered in Montreal, Canada. Peter started his career at Ernst & Young LLP in their technology practice and lectured in the graduate program at Concordia University.
The company perspective. Peter’s company Mimecast has raised over $80 million venture funding. With ambitious global growth plans, the best is yet to come. Peter will share some of his thoughts, as a seasoned NASDAQ CFO, of the relative merits of the US and UK markets as the location for any potential future IPO.
Ting Le Deng is a Director in the TMT Investment Banking Group at UBS, where he is responsible for the coverage of Software, Internet, Financial technology, Payments and Communication companies in EMEA.
Ting has successfully originated and executed more than US$28bn of corporate finance advisory and financing transactions for a broad range of corporate and private equity clients. In his spare time, Ting is a keen cyclist and enjoys films and reading.
The adviser’s perspective. Ting will share some thoughts on the strategic options for raising growth capital for European technology companies, consider what the IPO and M&A data tells us and share his views on where the opportunities lie.
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