Invest West partnering with Newicon

If you’ve already seen our announcement you’ll know that Newicon has officially partnered with Invest West - but how does this change what we can offer for tech startups?

It’s a harsh truth that most startups fail due to the widespread struggle to find financial support. We know from our experience of working with startups that it can feel impossible to find the right investors. The journey for startups is full of financial hurdles that can be difficult to overcome even with the allure of a brilliant idea and plenty of preparation. 

It’s only in the past few years that the world of investment has really opened up to people that don’t have a wealth of good connections or massive growth potential. We’ve seen (and supported) startups of all shapes and sizes flourish despite not conforming to the standards traditionally favoured by key investors.

The tech startup world is exciting. There are endless opportunities to change the world, improve lives and the way we do business. We enjoy working with entrepreneurs and tech startups, and every week we’re approached to help at various stages of their journey. Many of these people come to us already armed with great ideas and a clear understanding of the problem space and market fit; which can be a significant advantage in this industry. We work with them to further validate ideas, develop pitch decks and business models, as well as going on to design and prototype solutions in the later stages.

However, the barrier to us working with startups is clear; they do not typically have the capital to invest at the outset.

So, we’re here to demystify the world of startups and offer a new opportunity for those seeking investments. 

Why did Newicon decide to get involved?

Before we partnered with Invest West, we could only do our best to offer guidance to startups looking for financial support to get their ideas off the ground. We would signpost any relevant grants, core funding and alike. However, we realised that these methods were only viable for people looking for larger sums and were at a later stage of development. 

But what about the people wanting to obtain stage A funding SSIS? There wasn’t so much opportunity in the early investor market. We started to craft a technology startup showcase ourselves as an extension to our website, but as we were progressing the idea we met with the Invest West team. They had been working out of Bristol & Bath Science Park, an innovative space for businesses, where Newicon were tenants for 6 years (and continue to hold a virtual office in) when we met. Invest West outlined their experience in this area and presented the platform to us. Given their experience, established network of investors and the fact the platform was under development already, the partnership felt like a natural fit for us. 

Our new partnership means we can offer the opportunity for startups to connect with investors who have a real interest in tech. 

We’ll be able to introduce you to the right people and help you build the foundations of new business relationships through a platform that we believe has impressive potential.

Invest West had this to say about partnering with us: 

Invest West is delighted to have Newicon on board as part of the growing community seeking to unlock investment in the region and make it a simpler and less costly process. Newicon is already a highly regarded design and innovation business and the fact they are taking their client services to the next level says a lot about the great attitude of the team and the desire for client success they clearly value so highly.

Invest West is a game-changing platform allowing any organisation with businesses to promote and investor connections to run their own online investment group. Furthermore, each group can collaborate to build and promote the ecosystem, so we welcome having market-leading, innovative businesses such as Newicon as partners to help generate success for everyone working so hard to make progress in these difficult times

What are the advantages of this platform?

The platform offers exclusive access to experienced business professionals with a shared passion for tech. They each have a rich history of supporting successful businesses and are keen to pave the way forward with innovative new technologies. 

These investors operate across a wide range of areas such as skills development, financial management, education and fintech. 

They’re leaders and innovators who strive to shape the future of their respective industries.

The platform is still at an early stage and yet it is already showing great promise, with growth on the horizon. 

What we can do for startups

We see the platform as a great way for startups to gain early-stage investment and support for their development. 

We’re also welcoming more startup enquiries as we look to grow our customer base and become one of the UK's leading startup consultants, design and development companies. 

Here’s a quick summary of what we offer...

End-to-end assistance for tech startups:

1. Idea validation

We can help you define and develop your ideas, turning them into real products. As discussed in our how to start a startup blog, finding an idea that has potential may be more complicated than you think. We can help you turn your ideas into tangible business opportunities. 

2. Investor pitch decks

Investor pitch decks can be intimidating and are often a problem area for startups. We can help you create an irresistible pitch deck to help you impress investors, as well as give you tips on how to present yourselves. 

3. Investment introductions (*NEW*)

As part of our new partnership, we’ll be able to introduce you to investors on an exclusive new platform with the sole purpose of matching tech startups to funding from experienced business owners. We’ll be able to give you a headstart in your search for funding. 

4. Design and prototyping

Prototypes are often cited as the deciding factor for many investors. A prototype allows you to present and test a concept as well as ascertaining features and functionality ready for the development phase. With our expertise in UX design and brand development, we can design and develop a prototype that brings your idea to life.

5. Development

Successful development requires meticulous planning and can often involve a restricted time-frame. At Newicon our experienced team of developers are well versed in working with the specific needs of startups and will work collaboratively with you using Agile methodologies to create an innovative end product. 

6. Promotion

Getting your product out there and catching the attention of your target audience can be a daunting prospect. We offer a high standard of digital marketing services for those seeking to build brand awareness and via social media marketing, content marketing and paid advertising.

7. Feedback and analytics

We’ll help you conduct market research to adapt and evolve your product to help ensure it’s positioned to be as successful as possible. 

Do Newicon offer investment? 

We do have the ability to offer investment ourselves via our outside investor as part of phase one investment, with an equity share agreement. As for those seeking phase two investment, we would be able to connect businesses with an exclusive outside market via the Invest West platform.

Interested? Here’s how you can get involved...

If you need a little help to make your business a reality — whether that’s through a website, software, apps, digital marketing or help with branding and design — then Newicon is ideally placed to help.

Are you an investor? If you’re looking to get early access to our latest projects, please register here. 

Find out how we’ve worked with other startups to begin their journey to success, by reading our case studies.

You can also read our interview with Alister Sneddon CTO and Co-Founder of the fintech app, Genuine Impact, for more insights into how to pursue funding for your startup.