Back in 2008, following an MBA project, I set out to change the way the world learns languages. Having learned Spanish and travelled across Spain and Latin America, I knew how rewarding language learning can be. But I also understood how challenging it can be, as well as the limitations of traditional learning methods.
Talis has backed some amazing companies since 2009 – including Darktrace, Luminance, Reevoo, Onfido and Iwoca – and we’ve seen thousands of companies come through our door. Right now, we have a portfolio of around 40 or so innovators who we think could have real global potential. To get to term sheet stage, we have to be laser-focused on ensuring there is a world class team, the market opportunity is there, that it’s the right timing and stage and of course that there is traction and demand for the technology the startup is building.
‘About 20 years ago, a close friend of mine, a chief executive of one of the bigger UK public property companies appeared at his annual shareholder AGM in a black polo neck sweater, the “dress down“ Fridays trend imported from the US was just starting to take hold, a bold statement from the CEO of a public company at his AGM. Was this a sign of a new informality which was even infiltrating the hitherto impenetrable UK public companies? Maybe, but who would have guessed this informality would 10 years later enshrine even their physical working environments. We did, and we started planning for this almost the moment Lehman’s doors were shut firm.
Software companies increasingly talk about being “AI first” but separating hype from reality is a challenge. Which AI-first startups are actually scaling?
At Dawn we still consider AI/ML to be nascent and best understood as a tool to make existing great businesses better. What we have now is not true AI – no machine has worked out Newtonian Mechanics let alone Special Relativity – and we are investing accordingly. Where machine aided decision making is extremely useful is to enhance existing processes, so we are sticking with ‘customer first’ and then figuring out what software tools can help them
“In terms of getting people through the door I think social media a critical part of any business. There are a lot of different approaches to social media and businesses that offer these services, but I like to keep mine quite succinct and work with a few specialists in this field. I find this gives the results that we need for the business.
The other Ravelin co-founders and I cut our teeth in Europe’s fastest growing company – the taxi app, Hailo. We worked at the forefront of Hailo’s fraud prevention and tackled international crime head-on as the business expanded around the world. 
As an entrepreneur, you’re a risk taker on a fast-paced journey. There are many things you will need to address along the way to give your start-up the best chance of success – including compliance and good corporate housekeeping. 
Whether we are delivery speculative or bespoke office space, the by-words on all tenants lips are ‘flexibility’ and ‘adaptability’. The inability to predict requirements more than a few years ahead – for good or bad – is generally the driver. 
“When starting a new business there are a lot of voices, especially in the B2B space, that will tell you that the product needs to be incredibly refined to attract enterprise clients. 
Technically, no, although, it’s fair to argue that the chances of success will increase with one or both under your belt. 
