This is how it works:
| |
|
Inventors post their inventions
confidentially and securely on the microFunding®
Exchange, accessed through any affiliated
Introducer's website.
Again through any affiliated
Introducer's website Managers have secure access to
these inventions, and subject to strict
confidentiality select those that in their judgment
and experience have the best profit potential.
The first step is for the Manager,
at his own time and reputation risk, to define a
not-for-profit 'Proof of Concept' Project to test
and confirm that all the factors needed to realise
commercial potential are there - protectable
intellectual property, market, price points,
manufacture, and so forth.
Investors - again securely and
confidentially, through any affiliated Introducer's
website - have access to these pre-investment
opportunities, both those selected by the Managers
and those they might wish to draw to potential
managers' attention. They then go through an
Authorised Intermediary to give their financial
backing to the Projects they choose.
Inventor, Manager and investor
each have a minimum of 30%* of the shares in the
business.
Because nothing can be realised
until a cash exit the management have a real
incentive to work towards this goal as early and as
profitably as possible |
And in detail:
Inventor
-
The Invention is put
on as a microFunding® ‘New Invention’.
-
The Inventor
describes his Invention in terms intended to excite the
interest of a Manager but without (at this stage) disclosing
any secrets. The Introducer may help with this.
-
When he is happy
with his description, the Inventor posts the Invention so
that it becomes visible to Investors and Managers.
-
The Posting fee is
determined by the Introducer website used, and is payable
through Paypal when the Invention is posted.
-
Please note that the arrangement and contractual obligations
for hosting the idea are with microFunding Ltd regardless of
which Introducer website is used to access the microFunding
Exchange, while the Introducer is solely responsible for any
added value services he might provide. microFunding collects
Introducer fees on its behalf. Billing and VAT (if
applicable) are in two separately identified invoices.
-
The Invention is
viewed by many Investors and Managers, and possibly
identified as having significant commercial potential by a
skilled and sector-experienced Manager.
-
The Inventor is
given feedback on the levels of activity and interest in his
microFunding® Inventions, both absolutely and also relative
to all postings on the site.
-
Any Investor or
Manager can give written feedback directly on the posting.
This is visible only to the Inventor, not to other Managers
or Investors.
-
An interested
Investor or Manager expresses interest on the website.
-
Should any invention
fail to attract interest from any Manager or Investor within
a reasonable time, it is archived in the microFunding®
Library. It remains viewable on demand by any Investor or
Manager.
-
The Inventor
receives a £5.00 credit against future postings for each
Invention that is archived.
-
The Inventor gets a
copy of a Invention-specific Confidentiality Agreement
signed by the Investor or Manager, a copy of the Investor's
or Manager’s CV and the Investor's or Manager's Reason for
Interest.
-
The Inventor decides
whether or not to meet the Investor or Manager, and
re-confirms his agreement to the microFunding® terms and
Conditions by replying to microFunding's email with the
words '(project number) AGREED' in the SUBJECT line.
-
If the Investor or
Manager also agrees, he is introduced to the Inventor by
email.
-
The Inventor and
Investor or Manager contact each other and agree whether or
not to work together under microFunding's® Terms.
-
There is no limit to
the number of Investors or Managers who can express interest
or to whom the Inventor can request introductions.
-
Each party MUST
independently advise microFunding by email of their decision
without delay.
-
If the Inventor
wants help in deciding who to work with from several
interested Managers, he can ask for a short list to be
prepared by an experienced Senior Manager. There is a charge
for this service, microFunding® itself is not involved.
top
Manager
-
The Manager applies to microFunding® with a
copy of his professional CV. microFunding removes all
personal and contact details from the CV and files it for
future use. He self certifies his credentials, and
references may be required.
-
microFunding
gives the Manager his unique password to log on to the
microFunding® Exchange. The Manager reads and agrees to the
microFunding® Terms and Confidentiality
-
The Manager
visits the microFunding® List Inventions pages in order to
identify Inventions that might be of interest.
-
Every time a
Manager visits the List Inventions pages, this is logged to
provide overall activity feedback, and
-
every time a
Manager opens the details pages of an Invention, this is
also logged so Inventors can get feedback about the activity
and interest their inventions are generating.
-
The Manager is
invited to add his own feedback on the Postings
-
Manager
identifies a Invention as having significant commercial
potential
-
The Manager
registers his interest in an Invention on the website and
explains his Reason for Interest. He signs a new
Invention-specific Confidentiality Agreement and re-confirms
his agreement to the microFunding® Terms and Conditions by
replying to microFunding's email with the words '(project
number) AGREED' in the SUBJECT line.
-
The Inventor
receives a copy of the Manager’s CV, from which all personal
and contact details have been removed, and the Manager's
reason for interest. The Inventor also re-confirms agreement
with microFunding®’s Terms and Conditions.
-
If both wish to
meet, the Manager is introduced to the Inventor.
-
The Inventor
and Manager contact each other and agree whether or not to
work together under microFunding®’s Terms. Each must
independently advise microFunding by email if they agree.
-
At his own time
and reputation risk the Manager specifies and costs a ‘Proof
of Concept’ Project; note the charges for Legal, Audit and
Project administration, and the preferential charge out
rates of microFunding®’s preferred suppliers. VAT must not
be forgotten; all Projects will be VAT registered and net
VAT reclaimed, but it is important in the cash flow.
-
The ‘Proof of
Concept’ Project is written using the
microFunding® Project Planner.
This is the definitive Project plan, and also acts as the
basis for the presentation to Investors.
-
The Manager
decides how, or through which Authorised Investor
organisation, to raise the funding needed for the 'Proof of
Concept' Project.
-
For details of
Business Angel Network posting fees, see individual Business
Angel funding sites.
-
The Manager and
Inventor must agree between them who is to pay any
'fundraising' fee.
top
Investor
-
microFunding Ltd is not itself authorised to conduct
investment business. References below to 'microFunding' mean
the microFunding process as adopted by authorised
intermediaries and accessible only by certified investors
through authorised sites.
-
microFunding is
designed to provide Investors with reduced risk for greater
reward, and is targeted specifically at two main types of
Investor:
-
Investors who
have substantial funds available and who wish to back
exciting early stage businesses. By buying into
microFunding® Proof of Concept Projects, these investors
risk very modest sums. They are backing the experience,
judgment and skill of the Manager who has already – at his
own risk – put considerable effort into the Project purely
because he sees its potential for profit. These Investors
will follow their initial Project stage funding with the
larger sums needed to make profitable businesses from the
successful Projects.
-
Investors who
have smaller sums available and who are prepared to take the
higher risk associated with early stage investing in return
for the early and potentially high rewards available from
selling their investment rights in successful Projects to
Investors with more substantial available capital.
-
The investment
unit in Proof of Concept Projects is £2500, and all Projects
will require funding in multiples of £2500.
-
While it is
recommended and likely that each project will have a number
of different
Investors, this
does not preclude a single
Investor
from funding an entire project.
-
Investment in
Proof of Concept Projects is by means of 'Cancellable
Transferable Loans which carry Investment Rights'.
-
It is expected
that each Project will be funded by several Investors
-
Investors can
register with the microFunding® Exchange through any
affiliated website so long as they agree to microFunding's
Terms and Conditions which include a strict Confidentiality
clause.
-
Registered
Investors may view the Projects and are invited to add
comments.
-
Investors who
are not registered on the microFunding® Exchange may still
see Project opportunities when they are listed on affiliated
Funders' websites
-
Interested
Investors invest either in Projects preselected through the
Exchange or by searching affiliated Funders' websites for
attractive Project opportunities. Upon finding such a
Project, the Investors follow the Funders' standard
procedures to express interest.
-
Angels
interested in an Invention or Project Summary will be
required to agree to (or re-confirm their agreement of) the
microFunding® Terms and Conditions, and sign a specific
Confidentiality Agreement
-
Only after
receipt of the above requirements, interested Angels will be
introduced to the inventor or Manager.
-
If enough
Investors are interested, sufficient funds are raised and
standard subscription agreements are completed by B P
Collins solicitors.
-
It is highly
recommended that the Investor reads the standard
subscription documents and understands how the stages of
investment are structured
-
Investors do
not receive shares in the Project at this stage, but do get
priority rights to subscribe to the next stage.
top
When the Proof of Concept Project is Funded
-
A new Company with 1000* authorised shares of
£1.00 each is formed for the Project.
-
IPR assigned to
the new Company
-
At this stage
300* shares are issued to the Inventor and 25 shares to
microFunding Ltd for a nominal sum. No other shares are
issued at this time.
-
The Manager
opens the Company bank account and registers for VAT; all
else is done by BP Collins and / or Peter Upton.
-
Inventor
Manager and Investor(s) agree to and sign the standard
subscription agreement prepared by B P Collins solicitors
for the standard fee of £1,500 + VAT. In addition there are
Audit and microFunding Project fees of £500.00 each
-
Any variations from the
standard microFunding® terms will be charged extra, and
these additional costs will have to be guaranteed.
-
The Manager and
microFunding Ltd each nominate one director of the new
Company; at this point, Investor(s) are advised that being a
company director will prejudice their EIS tax relief.
Investors nominate one director after their shares have been
issued.
-
The interests
of the Manager and of the Investor(s) are guaranteed by the
subscription agreement under which microFunding has a
shareholder veto against rule changes.
-
The Project is run
by the Manager. He is wholly responsible for the Project
specification, delivery, timing and personnel; he is
answerable to microFunding® for performance.
-
The Inventor does not have the right to be directly involved
in the Project or subsequent business, and will be involved
only if the Manager at his sole discretion so decides.
-
It is possible that
the Manager will require the Inventor to provide at least
technical advice and support in the short term.
-
The Project is
supervised by microFunding
-
microFunding reports
to a Panel comprising an Investor nominee, the Manager and
microFunding Ltd whose task is to determine whether or not
the Project has succeeded in 'Proving the Concept'
-
The Project
is audited by Peter Upton, Chartered Accountants
top
If the Panel determine that the Concept is not
Proven, then:
-
No further shares in the Company are issued
and microFunding transfers its 25 shares back to the
Inventor for a nominal sum.
-
In this way the
Inventor owns 100% of both Company and IPR and the Company
has no liabilities arising from the Project
-
As it is very
possible that an opportunity will come up against a fatal
flaw before all funds have been committed, all residual
funds in the company are returned to Investors as partial
repayment of their 'cancellable' Loans
-
The balance of
the 'cancellable Loans' is cancelled.
-
The Auditor
provides Certificate which Investors may wish to use with HM
Revenue
-
If the
Concept is Proven, it is probable that it will become
commercially profitable. The route to this profit will be
either by creating a trading business to exploit it or
through Licensing.
top
If the Panel determine that the Concept is
Proven and a trading business is the optimal route,
-
The Proof of Concept report to the Panel
provides an excellent basis for the future Business Plan,
which is duly completed by the Manager
-
Business Plan
is circulated to the Company's Loan Investors
-
Each Investor
individually decides whether or not to take up his right to
invest further
-
The Standard
terms are that exactly 300 shares in total are available for
Investors. Investors can negotiate that all or part of the
additional funding be in the form of a loan.
-
The additional
funds can be sought elsewhere; if this is in the form of
shares and involves diluting the existing shareholders, an
EGM must be called. Note that the Inventor is, at this
stage, still the only major shareholder with a vote.
-
If an Investor
chooses not to take up his Rights to invest further, the
Transferable Loan with its investment rights can be sold on
the open market, possibly for a significant gain.
Co-Investors have right of first refusal at the
market-determined price.
-
The loan(s) are
repaid and the moneys immediately re-subscribed as part of
the additional funding
-
300* shares are
issued to the Investor(s)
-
300* shares are
retained for the Manager's share Options
-
Up to 30 shares
are retained in the form of options for introducer fees
-
and up to 45
shares are retained in the form of options for contingencies
-
neither the
introducers' nor the contingency options may ultimately all
be issued
-
if additional
funds are in the form of 'new' shares, these are authorised
and issued
-
if appropriate
and required, EIS is applied for
-
Standard
shareholder agreements are completed by B P Collins
top
If the Panel determine that the Concept is
Proven and Licensing is the optimal route
-
The successful Project will provide an
excellent basis for a Business Plan. This is prepared by the
Manager and circulated by the Panel to existing Loan
Investors
-
The Panel
determines that no further investment is required, or is
considered trivial, or is sought by way of conventional
Grant or debt.
-
The loan(s) are
repaid and immediately re-subscribed for equity
-
150* shares are
issued to the Investor(s)
-
150* shares are
retained by the Manager in the form of options
-
Up to 30 shares
are retained in the form of options for introducer fees
-
and up to 45
shares are retained in the form of options for contingencies
-
neither the
introducers' nor the contingency options may ultimately all
be issued
-
(if appropriate
and required) EIS is applied for
-
Standard
shareholder agreements are completed by B P Collins
top
Once the business is funded
-
The Manager’s role
now starts in earnest.
-
The manager may
elect to use his Share Options to recruit and motivate an
excellent team.
-
His main
reward for succeeding in this process will be when he can
sell his shares. This means that the Manager is very
motivated to create a favourable exit in as short a time as
is realistically possible for as high a value as possible
Dividend Policy
top
*Subject
to the Standard Subscription Agreement not being varied by
mutual agreement.
|
 |