Law firm founder tells Sheffield entrepreneurs what investors want

Patricia Barclay of Bonaccord Ecosse – a name that combines the sixteenth-century Scottish merchants’ toast with the French for Scotland – was speaking on Wednesday evening at a central library talk hosted by the Sheffield Business and IP Centre.

Ms Barclay said that investors saw “dozens and dozens and dozens” of pitches every month, and that listeners must make their pitch stand out.

She told listeners: “You’re never the only option.”

Outreach co-ordinator Emma Taylor of the Business and IP Centre enthused: “She’s come all the way from Edinburgh and she’s come just for us.”

Ms Barclay, who worked with big pharmaceutical companies around the world before setting up Bonaccord in 2007, advised listeners to “look professional” – right down to “the paper you use” and business cards.

The seasoned lawyer said that listeners should make their business “sound exciting”, and that the presentation to potential investors should be “factual but not dry”.

Audience member Elena Liu (Chinese name Liu Yang), 26, from China’s Hebei province, said the challenges of starting a business had motivated her to attend: “I’m going to do a pitch in January.”

Ms Liu, who has lived in Sheffield for four years and studied Graphic Design, said that her company’s specialism was designing products for young disabled people and children.

Brewery founder Iain Kenny, 32, also attending the talk, said: “I’ve been running my own business for a while and am interested in taking it to the next level.”

Mr Kenny added that his company, North Union Brewery, was having to turn work away and therefore needed to attract investment.

Audience member Dimitri Konstantinidis, 27, who has lived in Sheffield for eight years and is from Greece, said: “I’m interested to explore funding opportunities for the company that I run.”