20 VC 019: Funding the Future with James Wise of Balderton Capital

James Wise is Principal at Balderton Capital, one of Europe's most successful venture funds. At Balderton, James invests and advises early-stage technology start-ups, holding board member positions at Crowdcube.com, Surnrise.am, 3Dhubs.com and many more... Prior to Balderton, James helped build one of the UK's first social venture funds and was a consultant at McKinsey & Company, working with entrepreneurs in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Items Mentioned in Todays's Show:

• Crowdcube.com
• JustPark
• Sunrise.am
• Chilango
• MyTomorrows.com
• An Intimate History of Humanity by Theodore Zeldin

What you will learn in today's show:

• How James made his entry into the world of Venture Capital?
• How does James feel the VC model differs in the UK compared to the US?
• Does Silicon Valley deserve the plaudits it receives for producing revolutionary tech companies?
• Following Balderton's recent investment in Crowdcube.com, how does James believe the crowd will become more involved in the future?
• Is Crowdfunding not a competing method of financing to Venture Capital?
• What is Balderton's competitive advantage for winning deals?
• What James believes makes the perfect Series A round?
• Does James believe the mini-bond, introduced by Crowdcube.com have the potential to revolutionise funding for businesses?
• Which sector James is most excited about and why?
• When thinking of success who is the first person that comes to James' mind and why?

We then move into a rapid fire round where we hear James' thoughts on his latest investment and why he said yes? Does James experience a fear of missing out (FOMO) when passing on investments? Finally, James' favourite book and why?