Expert advice can boost ambitious Scottish firms’ chances of substantial investment, explains AAB’S Brian McMurray

 

THE technology deals market has remained active throughout the pandemic, making the most of business that could be done virtually – but as restrictions ease and the world opens up again, there are even more opportunities for investment.

Many investors, including private equity houses, have built up ‘dry powder’  – money yet to be deployed – and are actively looking for acquisition or investment targets and Scottish tech firms have a lot going for them, as recent activity proves.

For example, Edinburgh-based fintech success story Nucleus Financial has just been sold again, a matter of months after being acquired by James Hay.

HPS Investment Partners, a global credit investment firm, has bought a majority stake Nucleus for an undisclosed sum. 

If a tech firm wants to attract the right type and level of investment, it needs to get its house in order first and be well prepared for the business to be scrutinised by potential investors as they carry out their due diligence.

It’s important for a start-up or scale-up looking to expand to the next stage to have trusted advisers in place to guide them on what can be a long and complex journey.

You need to know what potential investors are looking for, including recurring revenue and a pipeline of high-quality contracts.

And be realistic – while it’s natural to want to be ambitious and aim high, companies should resist the temptation to over-value themselves.

Key to attracting money or making a sale to allow you to exit the business is presenting it in its best possible light.

Founders and senior management may know their tech inside-out, but they are also likely to be entrepreneurial in nature and focused on running their business.

That’s why expert advisers are vital.

An experienced adviser who knows the market – if not necessarily the tech – can build on their in-depth knowledge and wide network of contacts.

They can make useful introductions, tap into support available from the government, bodies such as Scottish Enterprise and the Scottish National Investment Bank and various accelerator programmes and generally add value. 

At AAB, we also know that most of our clients will be happy to lend their support to other businesses, as long as they’re not in direct competition, to help them on their growth journeys.

Such insight is helpful as a company gears up for investment.
We can also advise on what investors are looking for in an organisation based on what we’ve picked up from many years of getting deals over the line.

More and more, investors want to see market traction. They want to know that what a company is offering actually works by fulfilling a need and that there is a clear market for it.

Intellectual property is still very important and investors wants to see barriers to prevent a competitor quickly coming in and offering the same or an even better product or service.

A constant piece of advice is that without the right management in place, a business is not going to get over the first hurdle when seeking investment.

Potential investors are encouraged when they see that a potential target has a trusted adviser in place. Budding investors will also likely feel reassured that they won’t be coming up against unfeasible valuations. Investment proposals will be far better if there is a good understanding of the business’s financials and forecasts all round.

Bringing in an adviser at an early stage should help both the company looking to be financed and the potential investors. And Scotland’s technology sector as a whole will benefit too.
 

Brian McMurray is head of technology and a business advisory group partner at AAB