The Bure Valley Group Team have been working alongside Tribune Group Limited and we have exciting times ahead for the Group and its shareholders.
Bure Valley Group Management Team
Hiscox is a Global specialist insurer, listed on the London Stock Exchange.
They have now released their third Cyber Readiness Report which provides an up-to-the-minute picture of the cyber readiness of organisations, as well as a blueprint for best practice in the fight to counter the ever-evolving cyber threat.
For more information contact [email protected]
Last week on the 26th and 27th of March Bure Valley Group attended the Legalex held at the Excel in London. The show was a huge success, some very strong relationships were made, and the awareness of the technology was further extended.
Bure Valley Group joined GBMS Tech – who were at the stand with their partners Cool DC to promote and discuss the technology with potential new investors and existing shareholders.
As you know, Cool DC is a Data Centre design, build and operator company which hosts IT services and provides data storage that improves and modernises the data centre world.
The main focus of the event for us was to meet and speak with as many professionals and potential investors as possible and for Cool DC it was to showcase the importance of cybersecurity and introduce awareness of the technology that Cool DC have deemed a mandatory requirement for all clients – Trident CMP™, provided by GBMS Tech.
The industry-leading show lived up to its promise of being the most forward thinking to date housing 200 cutting edge suppliers and 150 educational seminars from some of the world’s most innovative thinkers and legal firms looking to modernise their practice.
Most of the pressing concerns that need addressing in the cyber security industry fall within the legal sector, making this exhibition one not to miss.
Legalex is aimed at legal professionals and those in supporting industries. We spoke to Paralegals, Solicitors, Barristers and everyone between. There was a right mix of characters and we had a lot of fun chatting to the different people that visited the stand throughout the day.
Bottles of champagne and sweets were offered as a tempting giveaway in return for the business cards of the movers and shakers of the industry.
Not only did we learn a vast amount during the two days, we also secured many leads and enquiries. The feedback received by all from the event was staggering with several meeting plans in the coming months.
Bure Valley Group Directors, Antony Wade and Chris Starkey (pictured above with GBMS Tech’s Simon Simmons) had this to say;
“The Legal industry has a tremendous amount of pressure coming their way over the coming years as regulations on data protection are getting tighter! Attending this show gave us a much better understanding on how practices are reacting to this and it was apparent from the get-go that they are looking for companies who have an edge over traditional “remediation” technologies. It was certain to see that many were very much open to trying new technologies and from the feedback that was given, GBMS Tech was a no-brainer compared to the other cyber security exhibitors. Our investors who managed to make it to the event were elated at the response from potential clients and we are 100% behind making sure GBMS Tech reach their financial goals in order to grow efficiently as planned.”
If you need any further information or would like to see a brochure please contact [email protected]
Bure Valley Management Team.
We are pleased to announce the recent appointment of Peter Dunphy and Charlotte Arden to the Bure Valley Group team.
Both Charlotte and Peter have extensive experience and knowledge in EIS and SEIS investment vehicles, attending to the specific criteria, needs and requirements of Sophisticated and High Net Worth Individuals with huge success.
In addition to the wealth of experience Peter and Charlotte bring to Bure Valley, they also come with a well-established strong network of investors, angels and syndicates alike.
Peter Dunphy – Has extensive experience of Corporate Finance and Managing Funding Processes, he has successfully concluded a number of major private equity investments. He regularly presents to industry bodies such as the EIS Association. Peter was the CEO of a highly successful global business services company and has also worked as a Management Consultant for an international firm working in the creative and digital media sectors and as an Investment Director for ‘Dragons Den’s James Caan.
Charlotte Arden – An Executive Producer with extensive Marketing, Events Management and Film Making experience which includes Casting, Publicity, Fundraising and Investor Relations.
We are delighted to be joining forces and getting stronger as our new members contribute to our ever-growing expertise at Bure Valley Group.
If you would like to get in touch and introduce yourself, please give the office a call on 01603340827
The Cybersecurity industry is growing exponentially – It is now a major concern and a great business opportunity.
Companies across the globe are growing more aware of the potential threat leading to a greater amount of resources being allocated to companies that can help mitigate such risks.
For more information please contact a member of our team at: [email protected]
The UK has made concerted efforts in recent years to attract, incubate and grow digital talent and innovation within the country. Consequently, we are witnessing a proliferation of new tech companies on a scale never seen before.
One aspect of this growth concerns cybersecurity. These startups are continuously breaking new ground in the sphere of online protection for consumers, companies and governments, Many of them have produced big returns for the investors who have funded them.
Here are just a few prominent examples…
Recently valued at $1.65 billion and with the latest funding round raising $50 million, Darktrace has increased its valuation by 32% in the space of just four months.
Founded in 2003, Darktrace identifies and tackles cybersecurity threats as they appear using AI technology (artificial intelligence) and machine learning. The rapid expansion of the company has enabled it to increase its staff by 60% over 12 months, up to 750.
With prominent hacks in the recent news (e.g. the British Airways attack which compromised nearly 400,000 customer credit card details), investors should take note that the services of cybersecurity firms like Darktrace are likely to be in high demand for years to come.
The latest funding round for Garrison secured $30 million, one of the largest rounds by UK investors in 2018. It’s stated mission is to provide a secure web browsing experience for companies regardless of the content or links their staff click on.
Essentially, Garrison acts as a “gap” between web content and the company’s device, which the user is utilising to access the former. This means that malicious web content only comes into contact with the “gap”, rather than the company’s IT systems.
In the space of just 12 months, Garrison has almost doubled its staff numbers to over 50 people. It has now secured nearly £35 million in funding over the course of two rounds.
This exciting and interesting UK cybersecurity business raised $10 million in its Series A funding in the middle of 2018, led by Evolution Equity Partners.
Founded in 2014, the Panaseer platform uses proprietary algorithms to “map out” a business’s various assets, and provide “cyber hygiene” by monitoring and cleaning the organisation’s digital estates. The system detects which aspects of the business’s technology are vulnerable to attack and provides software patches to address the threat.
A smaller story but a nonetheless impressive one, Hazy (formerly Anon AI and winner of “Best in Tech” at Elevator Pitch) raised $1.8 million in Seed Funding in the middle of 2018.
The business emerged from University College London about 2 years ago, with a ground-breaking AI system which can “hunt down” personal data buried away in datasets.
With the recent introduction of GDPR and the continual governmental concern and drive towards enhancing the protection of personal data, cybersecurity firms like Hazy have a promising future ahead of them.
The UK government has recognised the vital role that cybersecurity will play within the UK economy over the coming decades. New technologies such as AI, quantum computing and blockchain are set to change the world whilst driving economic growth and innovation.
The inevitable rise of new technologies such as these, however, also poses new risks. One of these is the danger posed by hackers and online criminals. Indeed, if Britain’s digital economy hinges on the security of its systems then cybersecurity is arguably going to be indispensable for years to come.
In recognition of this, the government launched LORCA in June 2018 – the London Office for Rapid Cybersecurity advancement. This new initiative is designed to assist cybersecurity companies in the development of their business models.
This development should offer comfort to investors who are interested in cybersecurity startups. Initiatives such as these should help the latter refine their value proposition in order to grow into successful, profitable businesses.
The above isn’t the only initiative currently in operation, moreover. The government’s GCHQ Cyber Accelerator has also recently graduated 9 UK cybersecurity startups from its 9-month programme, which is designed to help such businesses refine their products and services in order to enhance UK national security.
Cybersecurity startups face many of the same opportunities and challenges as other firms when getting off the ground. That said, the examples cited above start to give an idea of the growth potential of fintech, cybersecurity and other SaaS startups.
Such firms are usually based around monthly/annual subscription models rather than one-time transactions with customers. As a result, many cybersecurity firms’ business models benefit from a higher degree of predictability and scalability compared to other startups.
Saas startups like these can be accessed anywhere from the cloud, even on mobile devices. They do not need to concern themselves with distribution, packaging or physical piracy. The software is also highly flexible, enabling cybersecurity startups to more quickly adapt to changes and threats in the market environment.
Moreover, as cybersecurity startups grow their cost per acquisition and cost per service for each customer tends to go down. This makes cash flow more predictable ad growth more secure – all reassurances for interested investors.
Finally, many cybersecurity companies offer the investor additional security through “economic moats”, which place high switching costs on the service subscriber. This gives these startups a more sustainable economic and competitive advantage once they have their foot in the door with a signed-on customer.
The above are just a handful of reasons to consider investing in SaaS companies such as cybersecurity startups. These are apart from the other tax benefits offered by such firms which qualify for EIS or SEIS status. For more information on this, please get in touch to speak with one of our specialists.
Regardless of your political leanings on the subject of Brexit, most people agree that there is considerable uncertainty looming over the possibility of the UK leaving the EU without a deal. What does this mean for UK fintech companies, however, and for people who have (or who are thinking about) investing in them?
These are complex questions and many answers are currently being thrown about. For instance, some media outlets are claiming that many UK startups are set to flee to other parts of the world, such as Eastern Europe, in order to escape or mitigate the risks posed to their business by Brexit uncertainty. Undeniably, the lower operational costs for companies in places such as Poland is a strong allure.
Yet it remains to be seen whether a mass exodus of UK fintech startups to the continent will occur. Arguably, London and other British cities are still likely to offer these companies a range of benefits which make staying in the UK a sensible, low-cost choice.
London has, so far, proven itself resilient to fears about the economy following the Brexit vote. However, many European cities are eager to supplant London (which houses 80% of the country’s 1600 fintech companies) as Europe’s leading fintech hub.
Currently, the European fintech market is comparatively small compared to its wider financial services industry. In 2018, for instance, the former was estimated at around £4.5 billion in value – with the UK holding an 80% share in the market.
Given the UK’s reputation as a global, leading financial services environment, the widespread use of the English language, common law and strong regulatory traditions, and the close proximity of many prestigious businesses in the city of London, it seems unlikely that investment into Britain’s fintech industry would disappear overnight after 29th March 2019.
The main issues at stake for fintech companies – and their investors – will be passporting rights and the access and retention of European talent. The UK government is still hoping to secure, at a minimum, an “equivalence” agreement with the EU over financial services similar to that used by Japan, Singapore and the USA. This is unlikely to be resolved soon.
The issue of talent is similarly still in development. Theresa May stated in October 2018 that EU migrants would not be given priority status following Brexit. However, the government has also said that high-skilled migrants will be given priority. Given the value of European skilled workers to the UK’s fintech industry, it seems plausible that such priority might be extended here in order to allow the industry to retain as much access as possible to this talent.
Over two years on from the 2016 Brexit vote, the British government has been keen to promote the UK as a fintech hub in order to attract more investment to the sector.
Earlier in 2018, for instance, Prime Minister Theresa May announced an initiative to create over 1,500 jobs in the technology industry in addition to over £2 billion of private investment.
It is hard to argue that the Brexit vote has put the brakes on the growth of the UK fintech industry. In 2017, for instance, the technology sector attracted about £1.8 billion in private investment – which is over 150% more than in 2016.
In addition, more than 50% of this inflow came from overseas VCs. Around a quarter of these came from North America and around 14% from Europe. So this suggests that Brexit has not stopped non-domiciled investors from confidently putting their money into this exciting sector.
There are conflicting signs that companies across various industries are considering opening offices to the continent. In March 2017, for instance, a Goldman Sachs executive said that moving jobs to other European countries would be good for the company. Around the same time, however, businesses such as PwC and Startupbootcamp claimed that Brexit would not considerably affect investment into the UK fintech sector.
Experts are still debating whether investment into the sector will slow down as the 29th March 2019 deadline approaches and eventually passes. Over 30% of the workers in this industry come from overseas, particularly from the EU. This is the area where there is possibly more worry at the moment, compared to industry passporting rights.
Nonetheless, there is considerable evidence to show that the UK is still a world leader in fintech. In 2017, around 224 deals were made in the UK industry – the highest number in the world outside of the United States. TransferWise and OakNorth, for instance, both raised rounds of $200+ million.
There is also an argument that Britain’s exit from the EU could possibly benefit the fintech sector. With the British pound now almost equivalent to the Euro, UK businesses could potentially use this situation to attract customers from the continent who are seeking quality services at a more competitive price.
With the fintech industry employing over 60,000 people and contributing nearly £7 billion each year for the UK economy, the government is likely to continue developing policy and initiative to promote growth and attract investment.
Generally speaking, the success of fintech startups is largely determined by two factors: access to funding and a favourable legal, economic and political environment to operate in.
On the former, fintech funding has continued to grow over the years despite the uncertainty. The main question is over what the environment will look like post-Brexit. Much of this hangs on the political and legal agreements eventually made between the UK and the UK, prior to and after the 29th March.
Bure Valley Group are proud to be working with Gizmo Film Productions!
As you know Bure Valley Group as a company specialise in disruptive technologies, raising funds for start-ups.
Our number one rule is we only back companies that we have a personal invested interest in and can see huge growth potential, after a stringent due diligence process.
We have a handful of exciting projects that we have personally selected to meet the bespoke criteria of our investors, dedicating all our energies working alongside the founders to grow the business exponentially.
Having said that, for the last three years our Director, Antony Wade, has worked in conjunction with a well-established and award-winning film production company – Gizmo Films. His long working relationship with Gizmo´s Managing Director Peter Dunphy has meant that Antony can bring exceptional experience in successful EIS/SEIS backed investment opportunities in the world of TV and film to our investors.
Gizmo Films have several current projects in production and development as well as a fascinating history of completed productions. They started out specialising in documentaries for TV working with the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Discovery. From 2012 they moved into feature films for theatrical, VOD and TV release worldwide working with major distributors such as Entertainment One, IFC Sundance and Samuel Goldwyn.
Its credits include numerous TV documentaries as well as feature films including; ‘Mad to be Normal’ with David 
Tennant, Elisabeth Moss, Gabriel Byrne & Michael Gambon;
BIFA nominated ‘Funny Cow’ released in 2018 with Maxine Peake, Paddy Considine, Stephen Graham, John Bishop and Vic Reeves; A forthcoming feature biopic of Bill Wyman of The Rolling Stones ‘The Quiet One’ and British urban Film Festival winner ‘Two Graves’ with Dave Johns, Cathy Tyson & Katie Jarvis.
The Company is led by experienced film producer Charlotte Arden and entrepreneur, private equity specialist and City of London Council member Peter Dunphy.
Their latest project ‘Surviving Christmas with the Relatives’ has just been released in cinemas starring Sally Phillips (Bridget Jones), Gemma Whelan (Game of Thrones), Julian Ovenden (Downton Abbey) and household name British stars Joely Richardson, James Fox and Patricia Hodge. The film investment company is EIS advance assured offering investors 30% tax rebate and is set for a major home entertainment release (Video on Demand and DVD) next Christmas 2019. Investment opportunities still exist in this film and will close soon. A small amount of completion funds are required for marketing the home entertainment release.
‘Surviving Christmas’ written and directed by the world-renowned James Dearden (Rogue Trader, Pascali’s Island’ and Fatal Attraction).
Alongside “Surviving Christmas” Antony has played an active role in fundraising for the critically acclaimed film “Funny Cow” and the TV documentary “The Quiet One” with huge success.
On Wednesday 21st November this year Bure Valley Group´s Directors Christopher Starkey and Antony Wade attended the premier of the production, joining SOHO Studios and Gizmo Film Productions, among others on the red carpet. A fantastic experience for all involved.
Charlotte Arden, the Executive producer at Gizmo Films has extensive marketing, events management and film making experience which includes casting, publicity, fundraising and investor relations. She has successfully produced a number of feature length documentaries.
Exciting times! Bure Valley is thrilled to be a part of it.
Investment opportunities still open, contact a member of the team for more info on [email protected]
The Tribune Group have made HUGE headway in the roll out of Alchemist both Nationally and Internationally.
For those of you that are not aware – Bure Valley Group, assisted TGL with an EIS round of funding of £2.5m back in Aug 2016, since then, the company has gone from strength to strength and we are ecstatic to have been a major part of that journey.
If you are one of the smart investors that BACKED the technology, you will want to read this exciting update……
First thing to highlight is the change of chairman.
Phil Buck became the Chairman in August this year and brings to Tribune 40 years of business experience with particular skills in business & product development and managing growth and change. His predecessor Tim Lewin did a fantastic job bringing stability to the company and more importantly secured the manufacturing relationship with TT electronics, the very heart of Tribunes activities. Tim has now retired with Phil Buck stepping up to take the challenge. We wish them every success.
Further changes will be made to the already strong board as they make necessary transitions from Product Development to Business Development with the end goal of FULL commercialisation, which is in clear sight.
Acquisition of the IP
After making a formal proposal requesting ownership from the shareholders, Tribune are in the process of acquiring EHT P&L. This will result in TGL obtaining full ownership of the IP thus giving them unrestricted global rights. This will of course bring tremendous value to Tribune and its shareholders and allow them to control and develop the technology, making tribune much more attractive for new investment.
As well as being accepted onto the Welsh Governments Advanced Growth Program (AGP) which creates a strong position to receive real support to accelerate growth, Tribune Group are also in discussions to obtain an Asset Finance Loan to enable them to build stock ahead of expected sales drive.
Results speak for themselves!
The first major order of Alchemist was a fleet roll out to MJD Group Ltd. Tribune are two thirds of the way into the installations and from December 2018 they will produce monthly revenues.
Expectations from the current business order pipeline is for around 2,500 units to the haulage industry – Sales at this level in 2019 could generate an annual lease income of around £24 million.
Statement from the Head Engineer Dave Mulholland. (Eddie wrapping up business with Stephen Dole, Managing Director of MJD)
“The knowledge we have all acquired both new and existing has proved extremely valuable and in turn allowed us to make the necessary changes to overcome objections, and perfect Alchemist. Making everything from here on out far more productive, with a much faster process.”
Testimonials
Testimonials have been provided to Tribune from happy trialists and soon to be clients. Below is one example compiled by Mark Holt, the director of Wells Farm Dairy Ltd.
Wells Farm Dairy run approximately 100 trucks and were referred to TGL via a larger operator S J Bargh (approx. 1200 trucks) who too are trialling Alchemist.
Mark Holt, the director of Wells Farm Dairy Ltd, said the following.
“The Holt family have farmed at Wells Farm for 100 years. It is currently farmed by the Fourth generation Paul and Mark Holt.
In this competitive market where it is important to deliver good value to our customers, we at Wells farm are always looking at ways we can reduce our carbon impact on the environment and remain competitive.
On the 10th September 2018 we fitted The Alchemist fuel saving and emission reducing technology to one of our Mercedes 6 X 2 Actros which travels daily from Stafford to Newark covering 160 miles each day. Over this 7-week period we have seen an MPG improvement of up to 20% which means a reduction of 20% on CO2 emission. The NET savings will end up at around 15% once all contract fees are taken into consideration.
Installing the system was quick and easy. We are very impressed with the Alchemist product and will be installing LPG bunkering facilities at our depot in preparation for the roll out of fitting our entire fleet with this impressive fuel saving technology.”
International Re-sellers
It´s not just nationally that things are hotting up for Tribune Group, their international sales teams and JVP´s are now starting to come into fruition, with “ADDvantage” the American re-seller, fronted by Danny Mitchell – A Director of Tribune, leading the charge. They have covered huge ground in a very short space of time in adapting the technology to the larger, more robust American trucks. They are expecting sales imminently, marry that with complete infrastructure in place. ADDvantage are now a fully functioning and operational re-seller for TGL.
Tribune also recently concluded an agreement in South Africa, where they expect to generate business early 2019. They are also currently negotiating a potential partner in France, Germany and other parts of the world are not far behind with a long list of potential customers awaiting trails.
The Sky is the Limit!
Greater levels of funding and the recent addition of Mike Ayles, who joined Tribune from TTE as the Head of Development earlier this year, has enabled Tribune to have a sole focus on product development and carry out rigorous modelling of Alchemist and are now able to objectively investigate the product in ways that were not possible before.
Tribune have already undergone testing and adaption on the Alchemist for use on Tier 1, 2 and 3 generators. Operators are scurrying to find a solution to reduce emissions since this was made an immediate requirement through recent legislation. Further testing is on-going, but it looks like Alchemist could be the most impactful and cost-effective options available, there are tens of thousands of these generators in the UK alone.
As diesel generators use a very similar technology to the rail industry this development will rapidly speed up the entry to the Rail market, they will now be able to offer a product already proven in power generation sector.
This is a hugely exciting time for Tribune Group and we are very proud to be apart of it!
The rubbish the world creates used to be China’s Jewels. It was the largest importer of recyclable waste. BUT! When it called time out in 2017 it left many without any kind of alternative.
China’s ban has forced some to adapt and take some responsibility for their own rubbish, so, are we moving to a new era of recycling, or is the rubbish amounting?
China has long been the answer to the worlds waste problems. Since the 1980´s it been the biggest importer of foreign scrap. But the dumping ground the world has come to rely on has ended when the Chinese government introduced an international waste ban. How has this changed the way manage global waste?
For Decades the rubbish we generated wasn’t our problem, the vast majority of it, from the likes of the US, UK, EU and Japan where sent to china for recycling. The trade boosted china´s economy and provided materials for its manufacturing industry, however it also created health and environmental problems, particularly in areas dealing in hazardous electronic waste refer to this article for more on that.
Then in 24 of the most powerful types of trash helped mitigate their problem so china was free to deal with its own rubbish.
But has the ban has been good for the environment on a global scale? Chinas enormous capacity to process recycled materials helped limit the amount of waste on international landfills.
And by using recycled materials it reduced the demand for raw resources.
Chinas trash ban was welcomed by environmentalist, not only would it make china cleaner, it would also force countries to re-evaluate the way they dispose of rubbish and causing chaos for councils as it mounts up, but the cut off has left some struggling to find alternatives.
Surpluses are building up in warehouses and waste handling facilities, leaving those frantically trying to find new markets to handle these materials.
A recent study estimates that over 110 million metric tonnes of plastic could pile up by 2030. The countries in South East Asia are beginning to pick up the short fall but they lack the facilities to cope with demand. The region is one of the most polluted in the world, and already struggles with its own handling of waste.
Does the solution lie closer to home??
Shipping rubbish abroad adds to greenhouse gas emissions. A national rather than global approach may also motivate countries to clean up their act.
For years almost half of the worlds waste was sent to China, it was an arrangement the world came to rely on, but now that that´s ended ….
What are the alternatives? Is there enough time to find a solution to this mounting problem?