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For the Innovator
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The Innovation is put on
as a ‘New Invention’.
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The Innovator describes
his Innovation in terms intended to excite
the interest of an Entrepreneur but without
(at this stage) disclosing any secrets.
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When he is happy with his
description, the Innovator posts the
Innovation so that it becomes visible to
Investors and Entrepreneurs.
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The basic Posting fee is
£40 + VAT, and is payable through Paypal
when the Innovation is posted.
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If you prefer that our
journalists write the entry for you, you
will still need to write the initial
description on the Exchange. We will then
contact you in order to fully understand the
idea, and write a description for you. When
you are happy with the result, the Posting
fee is £100.00 + VAT.
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Please note that the hosting arrangement and
any contractual obligations are with
microFunding Ltd. Innoventique is solely
responsible for helping with writing the
posting. microFunding collects fees on Innoventique's behalf, sends you its VAT
invoice, and accounts for Innoventique. If
you need a VAT invoice from Innoventique
please request one.
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The Innovation is viewed
by many Investors and Entrepreneurs, and
possibly identified as having significant
commercial potential by a skilled and
sector-experienced Entrepreneur.
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The Innovator is given
feedback on the levels of activity and
interest in his Innovations, both absolutely
and also relative to all postings on the
site.
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Any Investor or
Entrepreneur can give written feedback
directly on the posting. This is visible
only to the Innovator, not to other
Entrepreneurs or Investors.
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An interested Investor or
Entrepreneur expresses interest on the
website.
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Should any Innovation
fail to attract interest from any
Entrepreneur or Investor within a reasonable
time, it is archived in the Exchange
Library. It remains viewable on demand by
any Investor or Entrepreneur.
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The Innovator receives a
£5.00 credit against future postings for
each Innovation that is archived.
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The Innovator gets a copy
of a Innovation-specific Confidentiality
Agreement signed by the Investor or
Entrepreneur, a copy of the Investor's or
Entrepreneur’s CV and the Investor's or
Entrepreneur's Reason for Interest.
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The Innovator decides
whether or not to meet the Investor or
Entrepreneur, and re-confirms his agreement
to the microFunding Ltd terms and Conditions
by replying to microFunding's email with the
words '(project number) AGREED' in the
SUBJECT line.
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If the Investor or
Entrepreneur also agrees, he is introduced
to the Innovator by email.
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The Innovator and
Investor or Entrepreneur contact each other
and agree whether or not to work together
under microFunding's® Terms.
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There is no limit to the
number of Investors or Entrepreneurs who can
express interest or to whom the Innovator
can request introductions.
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Each party MUST
independently advise microFunding by email
of their decision without delay.
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For the Entrepreneur
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The Entrepreneur applies
to the Exchange with a copy of his
professional CV. All personal and contact
details are removed from the CV and files it
for future use. He self certifies his
credentials, and references may be required.
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The Entrepreneur is given
a unique password to log on to the Exchange.
The Entrepreneur reads and agrees to the
Terms and Confidentiality.
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The Entrepreneur visits
the Innovations pages in order to identify
Innovations that might be of interest.
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Every time an
Entrepreneur visits the List Innovations
pages, this is logged to provide overall
activity feedback, and
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Every time an
Entrepreneur opens the details pages of an
Innovation, this is also logged so
Innovators can get feedback about the
activity and interest their Innovations are
generating.
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The Entrepreneur is
invited to add his own feedback on the
Postings
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Entrepreneur identifies a
Innovation as having significant commercial
potential
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The Entrepreneur
registers his interest in an Innovation on
the website and explains his Reason for
Interest. He signs a new Innovation-specific
Confidentiality Agreement and re-confirms
his agreement to the Terms and Conditions by
replying to microFunding's email with the
words '(project number) AGREED' in the
SUBJECT line.
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The Innovator receives a
copy of the Entrepreneur’s CV, from which
all personal and contact details have been
removed, and the Entrepreneur's reason for
interest. The Innovator also re-confirms
agreement with the Terms and Conditions.
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If both wish to meet, the
Entrepreneur is introduced to the Innovator.
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The Innovator and
Entrepreneur contact each other and agree
whether or not to work together. Each must
independently advise microFunding by email
if they agree.
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At his own time and
reputation risk the Entrepreneur specifies
and costs a ‘Proof of Concept’ Project; note
the charges for Legal, Audit and Project
administration, and the preferential charge
out rates of the preferred suppliers. VAT
must not be forgotten; all Projects will be
VAT registered and net VAT reclaimed, but it
is important in the cash flow.
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The ‘Proof of Concept’
Project is written using the
microFunding® Project Planner. This is the definitive Project
plan, and also acts as the basis for the
presentation to Investors.
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The Entrepreneur decides
how or through which Investor organisation
to raise the funding needed for the 'Proof
of Concept' Project.
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For details of Business
Angel Network posting fees, see individual
Business Angel funding sites.
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The Entrepreneur and
Innovator must agree between them who is to
pay any 'fundraising' fee.
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For the Funder
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Neither Innoventique Ltd nor microFunding
Ltd are authorised to conduct investment
business. References below to 'microFunding'
and 'Exchange' mean the microFunding process
as adopted by authorised intermediaries and
accessible only by certified investors
through authorised sites.
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The Exchange is designed
to provide Investors with reduced risk for
greater reward, and is targeted specifically
at two main types of Investor:
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Investors who have
substantial funds available and who wish to
back exciting early stage businesses. By
buying into the Proof of Concept Projects,
these investors risk very modest sums. They
are backing the experience, judgment and
skill of the Entrepreneur who has already –
at his own risk – put considerable effort
into the Project purely because he sees its
potential for profit. These Investors will
follow their initial Project stage funding
with the larger sums needed to make
profitable businesses from the successful
Projects.
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Investors who have
smaller sums available and who are prepared
to take the higher risk associated with
early stage investing in return for the
early and potentially high rewards available
from selling their investment rights in
successful Projects to Investors with more
substantial available capital.
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The investment unit in
Proof of Concept Projects is £2500, and all
Projects will require funding in multiples
of £2500.
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While it is recommended
and likely that each project will have a
number of different Investors, this does not
preclude a single Investor from funding an
entire project.
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Investment in Proof of
Concept Projects is by means of 'Cancellable
Transferable Loans which carry Investment
Rights'.
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It is expected that each
Project will be funded by several Investors
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Investors register with
the Exchange and agree to the Terms and
Conditions which include a strict
Confidentiality clause.
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Registered Investors may
view the Projects and are invited to add
comments which will be visible only to the
Innovator.
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Investors who are not
registered on the Exchange may still see
Project opportunities when they are listed
on affiliated Funders' websites.
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Interested Investors
invest either in Projects preselected
through the Exchange or by searching
affiliated Funders' websites for attractive
Project opportunities. Upon finding such a
Project, the Investors follow the Funders'
standard procedures to express interest.
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Angels interested in an
Innovation or Project Summary will be
required to agree to (or re-confirm their
agreement of) the Terms and Conditions, and
sign a specific Confidentiality Agreement.
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Only after receipt of the
above requirements, interested Angels will
be introduced to the Innovator or
Entrepreneur.
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If enough Investors are
interested, sufficient funds are raised and
standard subscription agreements are
completed by B P Collins solicitors.
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It is highly recommended
that the Investor reads the standard
subscription documents and understands how
the stages of investment are structured.
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Investors do not receive
shares in the Project at this stage, but do
get priority rights to subscribe to the next
stage.
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When the Proof of Concept
Project is Funded
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A new Company with 1000*
authorised shares of £1.00 each is formed
for the Project.
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IPR assigned to the new
Company.
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At this stage 300* shares
are issued to the Innovator and 25 shares to
microFunding Ltd for a nominal sum. No other
shares are issued at this time.
The Entrepreneur opens the Company bank
account and registers for VAT; all else is
done by BP Collins and / or Peter Upton.
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Innovator Entrepreneur
and Investor(s) agree to and sign the
standard subscription agreement prepared by
B P Collins solicitors for the standard fee
of £1,500 + VAT.
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Any variations from the standard terms will
be charged extra, and these additional costs
will have to be guaranteed.
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The Entrepreneur and
microFunding Ltd each nominate one director
of the new Company; at this point,
Investor(s) are advised that being a company
director will prejudice their EIS tax
relief. Investors nominate one director
after their shares have been issued.
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The interests of the
Entrepreneur and of the Investor(s) are
guaranteed by the subscription agreement
under which microFunding Ltd has a
shareholder veto against rule changes.
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The Project is run by the
Entrepreneur. He is wholly responsible for
the Project specification, delivery, timing
and personnel; he is answerable to
microFunding Ltd for performance.
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Neither Innovator nor Investor have the
right to be directly involved in the Project
or subsequent business, and will be involved
only if the Entrepreneur at his sole
discretion so decides.
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It is possible that the
Entrepreneur will require the Innovator to
provide at least technical advice and
support in the short term.
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The Project is supervised
by microFunding.
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microFunding reports to a
Panel comprising an Investor nominee, the
Entrepreneur and microFunding Ltd whose task
is to determine whether or not the Project
has succeeded in 'Proving the Concept'
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The Project is audited by
Peter Upton, Chartered Accountants.
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If the Panel determine
that the Concept is not Proven, then:
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No further shares in the
Company are issued and microFunding Ltd
transfers its 25 shares back to the
Innovator.
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In this way the Innovator
owns 100% of both Company and IPR and the
Company has no liabilities arising from the
Project.
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As it is very possible
that an opportunity will come up against a
fatal flaw before all funds have been
committed, all residual funds in the company
are returned to Investors as partial
repayment of their 'cancellable' Loans.
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The balance of the
'cancellable Loans' is cancelled.
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The Auditor provides
Certificate which Investors may wish to use
with HM Revenue.
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If the Concept is Proven,
it is probable that it will become
commercially profitable. The route to this
profit will be either by creating a trading
business to exploit it or through Licensing.
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If the Panel determine
that the Concept is Proven and a trading
business is the optimal route,
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The Proof of Concept
report to the Panel provides an excellent
basis for the future Business Plan, which is
duly completed by the Entrepreneur.
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Business Plan is
circulated to the Company's Loan Investors.
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Each Investor
individually decides whether or not to take
up his right to invest further.
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The Standard terms are
that exactly 300 shares in total are
available for Investors. Investors can
negotiate that all or part of the additional
funding be in the form of a loan.
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The additional funds can
be sought elsewhere; if this is in the form
of shares and involves diluting the existing
shareholders, an EGM must be called. Note
that the Innovator is, at this stage, still
the only major shareholder with a vote.
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If an Investor chooses
not to take up his Rights to invest further,
the Transferable Loan with its investment
rights can be sold on the open market,
possibly for a significant gain.
Co-Investors have right of first refusal at
the market-determined price.
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The loan(s) are repaid
and the moneys immediately re-subscribed as
part of the additional funding.
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300* shares are issued to
the Investor(s).
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300* shares are retained
for the Entrepreneur's share Options.
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Up to 30 shares are
retained in the form of options for
introducer fees,
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and up to 45 shares are
retained in the form of options for
contingencies
neither the introducers' nor the contingency
options may ultimately all be issued.
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if additional funds are
in the form of 'new' shares, these are
authorised and issued.
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if appropriate and
required, EIS is applied for.
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Standard shareholder
agreements are completed by B P Collins.
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If the Panel determine
that the Concept is Proven and Licensing is the
optimal route
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The successful Project
will provide an excellent basis for a
Business Plan. This is prepared by the
Entrepreneur and circulated by the Panel to
existing Loan Investors.
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The Panel determines that
no further investment is required, or is
considered trivial, or is sought by way of
conventional Grant or debt.
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The loan(s) are repaid
and immediately re-subscribed for equity.
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150* shares are issued to
the Investor(s).
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150* shares are retained
by the Entrepreneur in the form of options.
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Up to 30 shares are
retained in the form of options for
introducer fees,
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and up to 45 shares are
retained in the form of options for
contingencies
neither the introducers' nor the contingency
options may ultimately all be issued.
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(if appropriate and
required) EIS is applied for.
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Standard shareholder
agreements are completed by B P Collins.
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Once the Business is
Funded
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The Entrepreneur’s role
now starts in earnest.
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The Entrepreneur may
elect to use his Share Options to recruit
and motivate an excellent team.
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His main reward for
succeeding in this process will be when he
can sell his shares. This means that the
Entrepreneur is very motivated to create a
favourable exit in as short a time as is
realistically possible for as high a value
as possible.
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Dividend Policy
*Subject to
the Standard Subscription Agreement not being
varied by mutual agreement. |
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