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In search of the Holy Grail: funding

What do you have to do to finance a business? How many partners should it be made up of? The world of entrepreneurship also has its Holy Grail: investment. A complex goal, but not impossible. We approach fundraising to boost and grow a project, and we do so, through the Arthurian myth in the figure of Perceval and the search for the Holy Grail.

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The myth

 

The search for the Holy Grail is one of the most exciting myths in human history. Protagonist of successful novels and films, from the Da Vinci Code to Indiana Jones. The starting point of this myth takes us back to 1182 with King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. A young knight aspiring to the court, called Perceval, had the mission to find this magical and legendary object, the Holy Grail, the vessel that Jesus Christ used at the Last Supper and the source of immortality. Just as the Holy Grail gave eternal life, so funding is key to bringing entrepreneurial projects to life. We discover the Grails of entrepreneurship and the adventures we have to go through to achieve them.

 

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The guests

 

Daniel Oliver. Founder and director of Capital Cell, an online company that started in 2015, becoming the first investment platform in Europe specialising in biotechnology and health. They also provide financial support to companies so that they can grow their business.  

Elena Rico. Managing partner of IMPACT, a company that provides financial support to expanding companies that are able to demonstrate good metrics of sustainable social impact.

They are talking with Iván Rodríguez, Barcelona Activa Entrepreneurship Technician, on the most suitable financing instruments for boosting a business and the advice/support that Barcelona Activa provides for entrepreneurs.

Cites convidat Daniel Oliver i Elena Rico_Contigut web bàsic

‘The worst mistake an entrepreneur can make is to knock on the wrong door'.

‘There is money, the financing structures are more and more specialised in the maturation stage. We as investors need to make an effort to try and explain what we are looking for’.

‘One important thing that entrepreneurs need to know is that they should put up their money first.’

“We are just as demanding on financial metrics as any other investor, but we also look at the grain of sand that those companies leave in society. They must have clearly social metrics in their business model”.

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Encara no ho sé

What should the composition of the capital be?

The ideal structure of the composition of capital would be that 100% comes from the founders themselves, to be able to grow in sales and not have to make an investment. Since this is complicated, the following should be taken into account:

  • One or more partners with the capacity to reinvest.

  • Have a Cap Table (A Capitalisation Table) founded on two equal parts. It is recommended to do this in 49% and 51%.

  • Get as far as possible with low risk money. For example: public money, personal or 3F (families, friends and fools). 

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