June 2016
AN INDEPENDENT REPORT FROM LYONSDOWN, DISTRIBUTED WITH THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH
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Inspector The Inspector is delighted to hear that Andy Murray, BBC 2015 Sports Personality of the Year, has invested in three British start-ups as part of his strategic relationship with crowdfunding website Seedrs. The tennis star’s first addition to his investment portfolio – Dog Tracker Nano, a tracking device for dogs that ensures their safety whilst monitoring fitness levels – is of particular interest to the Inspector. He approves of the waterproof feature, although not necessarily the fact that owners can access their pet’s location from their mobile at all times. Indeed, Murray’s terriers Maggie May and Rusty told the Inspector when he bumped into them in the park how grateful they were for the fitness monitoring feature, as it will most probably mean more walks. Other companies Murray has invested in include Beeline, a navigation app for bicycles, which allows the cyclist to pick their own route rather than following a step-by-step navigation system, and blow LTD, a service which brings beauty treatments to your door that has also received backing from Unilever Ventures and ASOS founder Nick Robertson. Murray says: “Giving recognition and support to British entrepreneurs is really important to me, especially
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those who are the driving force behind growth-focused businesses. Every one of these entrepreneurs is passionate and dedicated to succeeding and I’m excited to have invested in their future growth.” Coffee is big business these days, and SME Union HandRoasted Coffee has released a book, Real Fresh Coffee, on how to source, roast, grind and brew the perfect cup, written by its co-founders Steven Macatonia and Jeremy Torz. Torz says: “People have suddenly switched on to the idea of how exciting coffee can be, and want to understand
BY MATT SMITH, ONLINE EDITOR
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more. Real Fresh Coffee is a one-stop shop for people to learn not just how to brew the perfect cup of coffee, but about the origins, economics and roasting process. It’s a book for aficionados, as well as those who are interested in learning more about what goes on behind the scenes. From a business perspective, it’s an incredible way of introducing new people to Union.”
tech company Unruly, who we interviewed in 2014, received an OBE along with her co-founder Scott Button for their services to innovation and technology. She says: “This is a great moment to recognise the explosive growth of the UK digital economy and celebrate the vibrant ecosystem of educators, accelerators and investors working so hard to support tech businesses as they scale. With a new wave of entrepreneurial ambition sweeping across the UK, this is also an opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to encouraging and enabling the next generation of entrepreneurs to realise their ambitions and fulfil their potential.” Eben Upton, co-founder of Raspberry Pi, which provides low-cost, high-performance computers that people use to learn, solve problems and have fun, who was also interviewed in 2014, received a CBE.
The Queen’s 90th birthday honours list featured some faces familiar to Business Reporter, with some recipients in the honours list being previous interviewees. Sarah Wood, cofounder of video ad
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