In the library you will find news, information and guides from Spectrum. Also our Board Chair Report, based on Spectrum’s research of the views and experiences of board chairs, investors and CEOs in fast growth, privately held businesses.
We have also included published information from other organisations which we found to be particularly interesting and relevant, and that we hope you enjoy reading.
Fascinating and highly accessible insight from the team at Mosaic Ventures on the key characteristics of leading Founders in Europe. Some commonly held assumptions are challenged in this very well presented research, link here.
Building trust is the essential starting point for all quality business relationships, none more so than during the interview process. a16z Talent Partner, Jeff Stump, shares his views on talent and integrity here
When we take a brief from a client they will talk most about their “culture”, and when we then speak with a prospective candidate, they will usually ask “what is the company culture” ? But,…
Independent report on the UK Fintech sector by Ron Kalifa, OBE. At Budget 2020, the Chancellor asked Ron Kalifa, OBE to conduct an independent review to identify priority areas to support the UK’s fintech sector.…
It’s time for more alternatives to venture capital cash, argues the Omidyar Network’s Sarah Drinkwater — and for more startups focused on making positive contributions to the world.
Pivoting from an initial product design or business model has become a given in the startup playbook. But even as startup leaders shift their businesses to meet a newly discovered need, they often fail to apply the same logic to themselves — and there they get into trouble. Startup leaders must be willing to pivot their leadership approach, or their board and investors will end up doing it for them.
The CEO’s job is as difficult as it is important. It’s the most powerful and sought-after title in business, more exciting, rewarding, and influential than any other.
Spectrum Founder and Managing Partner, Daniel Osmer, recently took part in an interview with Andrea Petrone. Daniel was asked to provide his perspective about the main challenges for tech entrepreneurs, finding and hiring the best talent and how to develop their own leadership.
Five years in to McKinsey’s research, we’ve seen more women rise to the top levels of companies. Yet women continue to be underrepresented at every level.
Daniel joined about 100 other cyclists on 5-7 September in Normandy, France to raise funds for SSAFA: a British charity which does great work providing support to its forces veterans – and their families – whenever and wherever they need it.
If you ask working women with families why they step off the leadership track, it’s often not just because of what happens at the office. Rather, it’s because of the combined effect of their daytime…
As a startup, it’s hard to negotiate customer contracts because you’re not yet established or trusted in the marketplace, so customers are taking on the risk. Many founders therefore make the mistake of being overly…
The 10,000-hour rule says intense, dedicated practice makes perfect – at that one thing. But what if breadth actually serves us better than depth? The challenge we all face is how to maintain the benefits…
Fifty leading female professionals from Black, Asian and other Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds are highlighted in the 2019 Women to Watch supplement, published annually by Cranfield University’s School of Management alongside the Female FTSE Board…
Large companies devote plenty of attention and resources to succession planning, yet a PwC study finds that $112 billion in shareholder value is lost annually because companies pick the wrong people to lead them. The “obvious” choice…
“I’m doing the right thing because I sleep better at night,” says an exhausted-sounding Julian Richer, after a momentous week in which he won plaudits for handing control of his Richer Sounds business to staff.
For once though, the entrepreneur’s good deeds have cost him sleep. The 60-year-old has been up all night after being engulfed in a media storm after the Guardian revealed he had transferred 60% of his shares to a John Lewis-style trust.
Should the Government think about an ambitious plan to bring more BAME minorities, (BAME – Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic, used to refer to members of non-white communities in the UK) into Britain’s boardrooms?
The aim could be for one in five directors of FTSE 100 companies to be from a BAME background. Lord Davies’ review into women in the boardroom, which began in 2011 and has had some success in increasing the numbers of women in senior business roles.