Any Other Business – 10/12
Another Dragons’ Den reject rises to the top – with two ex-City boys riding high. Recipe box delivery startup Gousto has just closed a $2m investment, led by MMC Ventures. Co-founder Timo Schmidt, a former analyst at Rothschild and ex-vice president of hedge fund Petrus Advisers, told The Capitalist how his time in the City helped him to save on fees: “My experience in the City definitely helped – the data driven, analytical approach is good and we didn’t pay too much in legal fees!” But the entrepreneur was quick to play down his disappointment at not getting any moolah from Meaden and co. “In hindsight I’m glad we didn’t get any investment from the Dragons – it would have been much more difficult to raise this kind of funding.”
Usually the only thing you can smell during a fireworks display is a whiff of gunpowder but on New Year’s Eve Vodafone is creating a display with a difference. The telecoms giant has teamed up with food boffins Bompas & Parr to make a display people will, it claims, be able to taste and smell. Sounds pretty odd – but it’s all part of Vodafone’s new marketing wheeze to promote “firsts”. Though we’ll admit tasting a fireworks display is definitely a first, elaborate PR stunts are nothing new. The Capitalist’s three recent favourites include Brew Dog’s army tank to promote its equity raising, Derwent’s (sadly departed) beach ball on Old Street roundabout and Jackpotjoy’s giant rubber duck on the Thames. Whatever next?