Getting investment into your business

 

 

 

Benoit will give some brief background on Livingbridge and where they fit in the private equity landscape. He will then talk a little about Pho, the Vietnamese restaurant business in which they are invested. This will include the story of how and when Pho was founded; how they grew and prospered; why they decided to partner with a private equity investor; and what has happened since we partnered in 2012. He’ll conclude with some thoughts on the right reasons and wrong reasons to partner with private equity. 

 

Benoit is a Director at Livingbridge, where he has worked for 8 years. Previously he was at PwC in a consulting division. He focuses on working with, and investing in, entrepreneurial growth businesses. He is a Investor Director of two Livingbridge investments: Pho and Create Fertility, a fertility clinic. 

 

When Amy and her sister Ruth founded hiSbe Food CIC they faced the huge challenge of raising £200,000 to open the pilot store. With major banks reluctant to lend to a social enterprise, particularly a risky start-up, they had to get inventive about how to raise the cash.

 

They devised a funding strategy that was as democratic as possible; allowing future shoppers to contribute from as little as £10 through crowdfunding, as well as taking small loans, inviting investment from local individuals, friends and family, and attracting Gordon Roddick as an Angel Investor.

 

Amy and Ruth run hiSbe with their partner, Jack Simmonds. hiSbe stands for “how it should be” and they’re reinventing the way supermarkets do business, because they believe it’s time to stand up for fair, responsible and sustainable trading.

 

"hiSbe is creating a national chain of independent community supermarkets. We’re smashing the supermarket model by putting the happiness of customers, staff and suppliers at the heart of everything we do. So when you shop at hiSbe, you’re voting for a supermarket that’s fit for the 21st Century. And we’re using your money to transform the food industry with responsible, fair and sustainable sourcing and trading...Because that’s just how it should be."

 

The discussion will be facilitated by Melita Dennett, Presenter, Producer and Director at RadioReverb. RadioReverb is Brighton & Hove’s local community radio station, entirely run and managed by volunteers. Melita is an experienced radio broadcaster, producer and trainer. She's an advocate for radio as a powerful means of communication and a tool for empowering its participants.