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Schwarz & Reynolds Venture Partners
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Schwarz & Reynolds Venture Partners
Submit your investment opportunity email or call us
MISSION
Schwarz & Reynolds Chartered Accountants was founded to make equity investments in early and growth stage companies. The firm has a long term investment focus with an emphasis in the Information and Communication Technology (I&CT) industry.
At Schwarz & Reynolds Chartered Accountants we believe that innovative I&CT is a core driver of sustainable competitive advantage within companies. I&CT is clearly capable of changing the economics of entire industries. Our goal as venture investors is to facilitate the provision of capital and experience to help you achieve your goal.
We look for entrepreneurs who have a passion for their business, a large and growing market opportunity, a hard to duplicate technology, and a business model that works for both the target customers and the enterprise.
The Entrepreneurs
The founders are the most important ingredient in building a successful company. Passion, integrity, commitment, vision, and most of all, an unyielding desire to succeed are just some of the attributes we look for. There is no single description of a successful entrepreneur. They come from all walks of life, yet they share one important ingredient — a willingness to put it all on the line and never quit. This is what we look for.
The Market
We look for a large, underserved, yet growing and addressable market. We cannot stress enough the importance of a deep understanding of how your target market works, the underlying economics of the market, what drives it, how easily you can identify the decision makers within your target market, and most of all, the power of your value proposition to break into the target market.
The Team
Successful companies are built by strong and cohesive teams with the vision to define an operating strategy that will lead to a profitable, high growth enterprise. Teams must be dedicated fully to the enterprise, realistic in their assessments, and willing to learn from the successes and failures of market leaders. We recognise that strong teams are not built overnight and we are willing to help teams attract excellence into the enterprise.
The Technology
It should be hard to duplicate, sustainable, and optimally designed for the target market. "Me too," or "nice to have" solutions may gain traction temporarily but will not stand the test of time that is a prerequisite for venture investing. The founders should have a firm grasp of technology, how it fits into the technology eco system of both partners and competitors, and how it is differentiable and sustainable.
INVESTMENT STRATEGY
At Schwarz & Reynolds Chartered Accountants our primary objective is to assist talented entrepreneurs build great information and communication technology corporations.
INVESTMENT APPROACH
Schwarz & Reynolds Chartered Accountants will be continually engaged and an active resource.
There are three phases of interaction between Schwarz & Reynolds Chartered Accountants, entrepreneurs and their companies.
First is the introduction phase, when we first become aware of a company or an idea for one, and meet the people involved. At this point, we evaluate a company to determine whether it fits our investment preferences and warrants an in-depth assessment for investment by us. The company then enters the second phase of our interaction - extensive due diligence and syndicate-building. This phase, when successfully concluded, ends with funding of the company. The third phase of our interaction is involved guidance once a company is part of our investment portfolio.
We welcome seeing company proposals as early as possible, while they are still malleable. Our initial investigation to determine whether a company fits our investment preferences will be swift. For early stage pre-product, pre-revenue companies seeking their first round of funding, once we have determined we will spend time on an in-depth evaluation, Schwarz & Reynolds Chartered Accountants investment professionals will actively help entrepreneurs strengthen their business plans and establish a market position for the company that will serve as a foundation for scalable growth. We'll introduce entrepreneurs to other potential investors as part of building a syndicate for a financing. And we'll work in detail with companies to shape the scope and articulation of their presentations for maximum investor interest. Our due diligence will include interviews with sources who can validate the company's value proposition and its view of the market problem and solution the company is committing to. We'll also fully reference the management team and prior ventures the members have been associated with. There should be no anxiety about this. We value failure and what was learned as much or more as success.
More established companies with products and revenues that are seeking intermediate and late rounds of funding will find Schwarz & Reynolds Chartered Accountants to be an active partner, able and willing to contribute to optimize the company's operating effectiveness, team-building, management scalability, sales dynamics and market power.
Once a company becomes a member of our investment portfolio, we will be continually engaged and an active resource to the management team. We maintain open communications with all members of a company's executive team, and can directly contribute marketing, sales and technical expertise as well as refer external resources for projects in any functional area. We also make an effort to introduce our companies to prospective customers and improve market investigations by streamlining access to corporate technology buyers and executives. Typically, investee management find S&R Venture Partner representatives to be most active participants, and our venture partners and associates will be dynamically engaged as opportunities to leverage their expertise arise.
INVESTMENT PROCESS
Schwarz & Reynolds Chartered Accountants leverages its local knowledge and the wider network to achieve the best deals. The team’s insight into the I&CT sector enables it to identify the likely winners and to conduct better diligence of a specific company or industry. In evaluating potential investment opportunities, Schwarz & Reynolds Chartered Accountants examines the following principal criteria:
The Management
Due diligence is carried out on the existing management team of each prospective portfolio company. Typically, the management team must demonstrate vision, business acumen, global outlook, drive, and a commitment to building a successful company.
Market Potential
There must be a potentially significant and rapidly growing market for the products and/or services of the prospective portfolio company. The prospective portfolio company should be able to present a viable sales and marketing plan that addresses the company’s approach to a global marketplace.
Unique I&CT
Special consideration is given to proprietary technologies and experienced development teams that are recognized leaders in their fields. Schwarz & Reynolds Chartered Accountants attempts to identify companies that are capable of building upon advanced technology foundations to provide products or services with significant and sustainable competitive advantages. Competitive advantages may include better performance, superior quality and/or service, an established presence in a market which presents barriers to entry, the ownership of proprietary technology, established distribution channels and lower production costs.
Achievable Market Leadership
Schwarz & Reynolds Chartered Accountants seeks companies that have the potential to be the leaders in their market segment and believe that both a unique technology base and a strong management team are essential for capturing a leading market position.
High Return on Investment
Schwarz & Reynolds Chartered Accountants seeks investment opportunities presenting a high return on invesment capital invested.
Viable Exit Strategy
Schwarz & Reynolds Chartered Accountants seeks investment opportunities offering a clear route of exit for capital invested.
If you believe that your company would be a good match for Schwarz & Reynolds Chartered Accountants we would welcome you to submit your investment opportunity or contact us to discuss how we may be able to work togethor.
Submit your investment opportunity email or call us