I went to an interesting event last night organised by the Glasshouse.

There were some great people on the panel:

• Michael Birch, Founder, Bebo and Pro Founders Capital
• Andreas Lazar, Managing Director, Allen & Company
• Nic Brisbourne, Partner, DFJ Esprit

The event was chaired by Rory Cellan-Jones, BBC Technology Correspondent who kept the evening moving along. The quality of the panel was superb, but the questions posed to them were not that insightful, which was a shame. It would have been great to really push the panel by asking them about actual deals, transactions or events as opposed to their view on the industry. It is quite easy to take a view on the industry but the actual ins and outs of a transaction is something you rarely hear about.

The event did get me thinking a lot about finance and investment. All of my ventures I have started without outside investment, I have never felt the need to get investment as I have been able to gather a team and fulfil the work without large sums of money. I think there is a lot to be said for bootstrapping a company until you have a proven concept. It gives you much more bargaining power and it is so much easier to sell something tangible as opposed to something conceptual.

The main message from the panel seems to be the same as it has always been:

• There is still VC and angel investors out there looking to invest in great ideas
• Networks are crucial – you are more likely to get investment if you know the right people personally
• Proven track record – if you have been successful in the past you are more likely to get funded again
• Having a excellent idea that is already monetised or how you plan to monetise it
• Being in a growing/ in favour market (eCommerce seems popular at the moment)

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