Alliance Partners

Sunday, June 28, 2020

David Thodey Pictorial on Covid and Innovation in Oz






We had a great session with Tony Surtees last week - talking “the great reset” and the opportunities at are coming from COVID-19.

Loved the story of “Monty Python and the Holy Grail having to imitate horses with coconuts - because of a lack of budget !!! 



Tony also shared a pictorial of David Thodey’s Talk on how we might capture the CoVid-19 opportunity - from Gavin Blake 



Some insites from the pictorial 

-  we must be ambitious and realistic
- identify that there are sectors that are seriously struggling - and will continue to struggle - airlines , cafes and events - what will replace the latent demand? 
- the Aus Government have been amazing 
- we must not ignore the human element - working from home and balance of life improved 
-  7000cases and 102 deaths 
- NBN and technology (such as zoom)  has been a huge enabler 
- China and 5G
- using renewables 
- innovating using real time data 

The Drivers of Innovation

  • Corporate Australia
  • digital enablement 
  • small Business - having time innovate to survive 
  • technology enablement 
  • research and development 
  • more investment in g th he private sector

I reckon - the opportunity to connect and collaborate and realising the importance of contribution and community!

Tony identified the 6 pivotal technologies that he believes will drive the next wave of innovation 



I look forward to sharing with you insites from Tony’s talk - That came from our #BBGthinktank 









Enko Chem raises $45 million to develop crop protection solutions with AI




Great work by Spencer Maughan and Ingrid Fung leading our latest FVIII investment in Enko Chem with our good friends at Anterra Capital and Germin8 Ventures joining in a ground breaking round for new chemical discovery.  Congrats also to CEO Jacqueline Heard!
#finistereventures #agritech #sustainableagriculture


Tuesday, June 23, 2020

Canva doubles valuation to $6B in a year !




Canva has raised $60 million in a round that values the Sydney-based company at $6 billion.

The funding comes less than a year after the graphic design business raised $90 million at a $3.2 billion valuation in October.

Co-founded in 2012 by CEO Melanie Perkins, Cameron Adams and Cliff Obrecht, Canva is backed by investors including Sequoia, Felicis Ventures and Blackbird Ventures. The company has more than 30 million users across 190 countries; it recently opened its first US office in Austin.

In 2019, Canva launched a workplace collaboration platform that allows designers to share tools and marketing materials.


In response to the coronavirus outbreak, the company teamed with FedEx this month to create a digital design marketplace to help small and medium-sized businesses develop branding materials.

Thursday, June 18, 2020

A post about smashing through the leadership lid,


#Chutzpah, # Change ,#Action #Vision , #Franchising, #Systems,  the value of a #brand 


Anthony James posted a great Insite today that popped up a day after I was having a conversation with my colleague and friends Bill Mclellan about the opportunity to buy a franchise and how to look to do something different post Covid


“Be willing to see the impossible change. Consider things you never have before. Blow the lid off your life.”

— Brianna Wiest


“Envision and live life without limits! - Eunice C “


Learn from those who have done it before and became successful 


John Maxwell in his book - the 21 laws of leadership - a must read - talks about “breaking through “ the leadership lid - 


The dude - roger bannister - who broke the 4 minute mile - no one had Don this - once he did - and people saw that it could be done - many people broke through 


Experiment of bees - put in a jar -with lid. - when lid was taken off over a few days - bees  could not leave the jar - they were conditioned that there was a lid there.


The dude who “started McDonald’s “  - ray kroc did a deal with the McDonald brothers - he saw a vision - the brothers did not want to change from their one store - but eventually they  agreed 


The McDonald’s Story 



Taking Action 


Kroc’s story is about vision, persistence and chutzpah - he was selling milkshake makers to restaurants - business was failing - he landed a whale - McDonald’s - whose business was growing - And who kept on ordering more shakers -

He saw a vision - left his job - to partner with  them to build franchises 


When Kroc had created 6 franchises he bought them out ....and paid them each $1m and a small royalty . 


  • He pivoted - left his deadens job and state and started again - major change 
  • Made a partnership with brothers to franchise in 1955. In 1961 n 1961, he bought the company for $2.7 million, calculated so as to ensure each brother $1 million after taxe - plus 0.5pc royalty - they had no regrets! 
  • Standards , systems, franchise system - resulted in annual sales of $8b in 1983!
  • Ray Kroc fortune of $600m at time of death 
  • Married to 
  • Ethel 1922-1961 - 39 years 
  • Jane 1962-1968
  • Joan 1968 -  time of his death 1984 
  • At time of her death in 2003 - she left her $2.7b estate to charities - $2.5b to Salvation Army to help under priviliged 
  • Richard McDonald died leaving a will of $1.6m 

The Value of the brand 


The one thing that makes McDonald’s special - not just the system - that glorious name .... 

About the McDonald’s Franchise 


About the franchise - who makes the money ? 
Become a franchisee or be a part of the franchisor -
An investor or a worker ? 

They both do ok!!!! 


  • $1m - Sales $2.7m pa - yearly profit of $150k - 6pc net 
  • Contributes innovation and products 
  • $45k up front and - rental fee 10pc And 5pc franchise - 2014 $24b revenue - $20b franchises 
  • McDonald’s - the Franchisor makes the money 

Ray Kroc and the McDonald’s Insite 


They were busy - they made the best burger and the systems- they did not have the DESIRE to expand ....


It took another to blow the leadership lid and expand the vision 





Some Comments from Anthony James’s article about breaking the leadership lid 

This is great and inspiring Anthony J James we have to believe in ourselves and try new adventure, we have to trust and enjoy them, we can grow when we leave our comfort zone which is dreams killer to embrace new things ,keep motivating people around the world


Syveda J - a lecturer from India 


Absolutely... if at all we are willing to see the impossible change, we need to change our mindset, broaden outlook, be insightful and change the way we normally think... we need to consider things we never came across before, we need to think out of the box... we need to take the risk and just let things happen as per the plan... 


And


In another article he wrote 


our actions are driven by the situation... generally,  nobody hurts others intentionally... it's the situation,  that makes one behave in a certain way. Emotional intelligence,  is all that is needed,  in such a situation. People who possess such a quality definitely show maturity to deal with the situation where others hurt them, intentionally or unintentionally... we need to be empathetic and definitely,  mature, to understand people and their situation... 


Clare Evans


Seeing the #change makes the #impossible #possible


The #problem in the #past is that #people seem to have #lost their #vision as well as #lost #sight of the #real #problem at #hand.


#micromanaging #largescale #globalproblems will never be #successful.


#identify the #rootcause then find the  #system for the #solution.


Brianna Wiest

Wednesday, June 10, 2020

Are your assets protected?


Michael Mak - BCODE


One of our gems that we invested in through ADI (an incubator we owned and managed)  was a company called BCODE  led by an amazing 32 year old entrepreneur called Michael Mak.


He presented at our BSI investor forum - to a room packed with HnI and VCs and there was effectively a bidding war to invest in this amazing company with patented technology led by an energetic smart actuary.  


Together with our small fund , we partnered with a number of VCs and high net workers individuals and raised $5m in a mixture of debt and equity. 


https://www.afr.com/companies/the-pitch-and-the-deal-20060921-kabbt


https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20091028005433/en/bCODE-Launches-World’s-Largest-Mobile-Couponing-Redemption




A few years later, Michael was found dead in a hotel room and the business went into liquidation .

http://www.mega-nerd.com/erikd/Blog/michael_mak.html


The loans made by the shareholders were unsecured - and the sphere holders loans were lost! 


The lesson - ensure your biggest assets (your key people are protected through an insurance policy - so your business can still survive.

Is your business protected? 


An easy way to have secured the investment would have been :-

  1. A key man insurance policy taken out by the investors ( minimal annual outlay)
  2. A loan document secured by that policy (cost $399 and $99 per year)
Comment below and I will send you details of how this can be done for your business