OUR TECH NATION PARTNERSHIP GROWS FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH WITH THREE PROGRAMMES: UPSCALE 8.0, APPLIED AI 4.0 AND FINTECH 5.0.

Following Cooper Parry’s successful partnership with Tech Nation of Upscale 6.0 and 7.0, we’re delighted to support the tech scale-ups who will be participating on its new Upscale 8.0 programme. The call out for companies to apply is now live.

This year, our Tech & High Growth team is also adding its full support to two other high profile Tech Nation programmes: Applied AI and Fintech.

The UK is a global hub for AI and deep tech, and the Applied AI programme (now in its 4^th year) helps these firms to scale, solve real world problems and push the boundaries of innovation.

Entering its 5^th year, the Fintech programme is designed to help scaling companies in fast-growing sectors such as Web3, blockchain and cryptocurrency.

Tech Nation provides ambitious tech entrepreneurs and scaling businesses with the coaching, content and community they need on their journey; fuelling their growth so they can transform societies and economies in a positive manner. The programmes are government backed and free.

Tech Nation’s latest Upscale programme is now calling on the UK’s best performing, most promising tech scale-ups to apply to join the 8.0 cohort.

Since 2014, Tech Nation’s programmes have supported over 1,000 companies with over $237 billion raised between them. This includes 37 tech unicorns (valued at over $1 billion). The impressive alumni includes eToro, Monzo, Skyscanner, Revolut, Blockchain and Darktrace.

The six-month government-backed Upscale programme is designed to support and scale the most promising mid-stage tech companies in the UK. Companies accepted into the Upscale programme receive over 60 hours of support at world-class coaching sessions (delivered by over 20 expert scale coaches), attend networking events with key stakeholders, peers, corporates and investors, and have access to a range of online resources, designed to tackle fundamental scaling challenges around culture, talent, international expansion and financing.

We’ve continued and expanded our partnership with Tech Nation following the success of the earlier rounds. As Steve Leith, our Head of Tech & High Growth says;

“Giving scale-ups the opportunity to learn together on their high growth journey is really valuable. We know they need advisers who are experienced in dealing with the varying challenges of rapid growth and fundraising. It is at this time that risks and opportunities present themselves during diligence and we ensure our clients are ready for what’s coming.

“The scale-ups in the Upscale cohort are typically reaching that inflexion point, where professionalising their finance function is coming into focus, and solving finance-related challenges is becoming critical to their next phase of growth. The Fintech and Applied AI programmes are pulling together some of the highest potential and fastest growing scale-ups in the UK.

“Often, it’s at this point in the scaling journey that founders and CFOs consider working with an accounting firm with the right experience and fee levels to support the next stage. We are that firm in this space. Our Tech & High Growth team only work with companies in high growth mode. We have the culture to match the ambitions of these companies, and the mindset  to create a level of support you simply cannot find anywhere else. ”

HOW DO OUR TECH & HIGH GROWTH SPECIALISTS SUPPORT SCALE-UPS?

Despite being consistent in their growth stage, the three cohorts won’t all be facing the same challenges. So, understanding strategy and trajectory comes first, then, we’ll be able to flush out which finance-related challenges they should (and shouldn’t) be worrying about.

That could include:

1) Getting Diligence Ready – unique insights from our role in many venture deals acting for both founders and VCs

2) Transitioning from legacy start-up accounting firm to a new advisor who can cover audit and complex tax-related matters faced by rapid growth, giving speed of advice but also foreseeing future issues before they happen;

3) Improving their R&D claims process to drive cost and time savings, and to better protect against increasing risk of inaccurate claims;

4) Supporting their fundraising activity at Series A or B with our specialist Raising Finance team; or

5) Dealing with international expansion challenges – finding solutions to  issues like market entry, transfer pricing and IP considerations, employing people across borders, permanent establishment issues, cross border VAT and sales-taxes, and share option planning.

After two highly successful years, we can’t wait to get stuck into helping these three new cohorts and look forward to making a difference to their business.