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Ask HN: How do you find a startup partner or investor in the UK?

8 points by nihonto ↗ HN
Hi, To cut a long story short: I've built two enormously complicated startups on my own but I'm running out of cash and I need help.

I've spent the last couple of years under my stone coding 12-14 hours per day and I have virtually no connections or friends.

Is there a way I could find a partner or an investor to keep my projects going? I'm based in the UK and I'd prefer to work with somebody whom I can meet face-to-face.

Where would you start? Thanks.

12 comments

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adzeds
What industry are your startups in?
nihonto
One is general entertainment (think 16 - 24 demographic, male, using 4chan and facebook). Although it's got a USP, during the time spent coding the competition has increased (which I view as a positive). I do have an edge but it will take time to build user base and to drive advertising money.

Other one is SaaS aimed at power-users of one particular global social media channel. Senior marketing specialists, PRs and similar type of folk. Very innovative tool, narrow niche, big subscription price. This one has a better short-term cash generating prospect compared to my first startup.

tixocloud
Your SaaS seems interesting and we could be traveling the same folks. I'm building a marketing platform for small businesses. Would love to have a look to see if it's a fit.
iqonik
@tixocloud - Can you drop me an email (in my profile) as I think I'm also working in the same market but from a different angle. Couldn't find a way to contact you on your website.
payamb
I can connect you to an investor that i know, But he is based in Manchester, Where about in the U.K. are you ?

You can ping me an email ( in my profile ) and i can send his contact details if you like.

nihonto
Thanks for the offer, actually I can't see any details on your profile. I'm on the South West coast.
malux85
I'm in London and am in a similar situation to you, email me and let's meet or chat, perhaps we could pool resources...
tylercubell
I'm in a somewhat similar position although I'm not in the UK. I've spent a good while "under the stone" working on my product and I do have some great relationships with investors/customers, but I don't have any strong connections with technical folks so it's a bit lonely at times. In all fairness though, I've been so busy lately that networking isn't a top priority.

If I were you I would try to find a Meetup and invite myself, get out of your comfort zone. I've had a lot of success doing that and it's one of the better decisions I've made in the past year.

NetStrikeForce
I'm also based in the UK and facing similar challenges.

It'll be cool to see how this goes...

nihonto
Thanks everyone for the ideas. I'll keep you posted on how it goes.
wprapido
whereabouts in the UK are you based?