Investor Events Founder Guidelines
What Events are covered by these Guidelines?
Demo Days / Showcase Events – Demo days and Showcase events provide the opportunity for our members (you / founders) to showcase their business in front of potential investors, but without the usual regulatory rules placed on companies that aren’t authorised by the FCA. Such regulations include the need for any pitches or presentations and financial promotions to be approved by authorised firms (such as Barclays).
Open Office Hours – Open Office Hours provide the opportunity for speed mentoring and networking sessions with a variety of entrepreneurs and investors.
When participating in a Demo Day, Open Office Hours Event, or Showcase Event (including any video pitches) (“Event”), we (Barclays) ask that you (founder) read and follow the below guidelines.
Our role at the Events
Barclays and its partner have organised the Event and have helped set up the format for the day based on industry and best practice and customer feedback. Neither Barclays nor its partners are acting in a regulated role. For example, as your (or the investors’) advisers on investments, or arranging investment transactions.
After you’ve showcased your business, and generated interest – any funding conversations may occur afterwards, directly between you and investors. Barclays and its partners will have no involvement in any such discussions (including no role in arranging or advising in respect of the same).
Your role at the Event and guidelines
The purpose of the Event is showcasing your business to the ecosystem and for networking purposes. It is not intended that you will be discussing funding opportunities on the day. See the guidelines below which provide more detail how you are expected to conduct yourself at the Event (and in recording any videos that will be played on the day).
Do talk about
- Your company and its history.
- Your team, their skills and background etc.
- Your business ideas, offerings, products services and Unique Selling Point.
Do not talk about
- Investment opportunities in your company
- Detailed financial information e.g. your company’s financial performance, past or predicted
- Market share or your company’s percentage of the market share
- Capital raising needs or planned fundraising activities
- Confidential information which relates to your business, its performance or protection.
When preparing any demo or recording any video demos, do not:
- include projected timelines or dates which render your demo as time-phased or obsolete.
- refer to other businesses, their trademarks or activities which cannot be substantiated as factual.
- include anything unlawful or abusive in any way, including, but not limited to, anything that is defamatory, libellous, pornographic, obscene, threatening, invasive of privacy or publicity rights, inclusive of hate speech, or would constitute or encourage a criminal offence
- include anything which infringes the rights of any party (including Intellectual Property Rights); or
- Anything which gives rise to liability or violation of any applicable law
Note that once you have connected with Investors separately, you may then choose to share more information about your business which may be of interest to them.
Demo Minimum Requirements
All information provided by you at the Event must:
- Be factually accurate and up to date
- Be clear, fair and not misleading
- Have received express permission from those featured or quoted in the content for their details and information to be included.
Note: You may be asked to participate in a demo practice. If required changes to the demo are subsequently identified, you must update your demo in accordance with the feedback.
Video Format Requirements (if relevant)
The video must:
- Follow the technical guidelines provided by our partner.