Verv: "Applying for a new investment was tough" - Innovation Origins

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Verv: "Applying for a new investment was tough" – Innovation Origins

Published

3 years ago

November 28, 2020

When the UK went into lockdown in mid-March, the small Verv team, surprising as it may sound, was well prepared for the turbulent time ahead of them. “In 2019, we had already made significant cost savings after reviewing our business strategy,” says Louanne Steyn, CFO of Verv, “so we had a good overview of all our costs. We knew what we could do to reduce them in the short term.”

For example, Verv canceled the lease of their London office. “We are a small team and now we all work from home. If necessary, we can rent a space to get together.”

Steyn herself works from Devon, southwest of London. “During this pandemic, it is important to cut costs wherever possible and to be intelligent with spending. This will make a difference later on.”

Better focus on product strategy

Verv already had plans to invest in 2020. At the same time, the start-up focused on the latest predictive maintenance technology currently being applied to household appliances such as washing machines, dishwashers and refrigerators. Verv’s technology measures and analyzes the energy consumption of appliances at very high speeds. By applying specialized algorithms to this data, it is able to detect behavioral anomalies that can signal a fault in the machinery. Due to the high resolution of the technology, errors can be detected and prevented in real time, right down to the level of parts of a device.

Integrated microchip

The solution is available in multiple forms, including built-in firmware on an integrated microchip and an online adapter. By remotely performing a thorough analysis, Verv can provide the manufacturer with a detailed diagnosis and recommendations that can be passed on to repair departments and engineers at the companies involved as well as to consumers who own the device.

With sustainability at its core, Verv wants to offer the market more opportunities to repair rather than replace so that devices and appliances last longer and result in less waste. Steyn thinks that the corona crisis may create new opportunities in the market. “People have less money to spend. They want their things to last longer. Maybe now they’ll start thinking more carefully about the use of raw materials.”

Technology for all electrical products

Manufacturers can integrate the microchip into their devices or devices. But owners of existing devices can also benefit from the predictive maintenance solution. The concept is simple: It uses an online adapter with technology to collect the required data and send it to the platform.

The technology can be applied to any electronic device. “Think of chargers for electric cars where it is important to be able to quickly detect anomalies,” says Steyn. This market is expected to grow due to the need for sustainable transportation.

At one point, Verv was looking for new investments to further develop the technology and prepare for a commercial rollout. “This was a lot harder because investors were first looking at their existing portfolios and were reluctant to invest in new start-ups.”

Re-screened by InnoEnergy

In March, one of the owners of Verv, EIT InnoEnergy, investigated the possibility of reinvesting in some of the start-ups it has in its portfolio. “The process of applying for this was very tough,” says Steyn looking back. “We already knew in 2019 that 2020 would be a challenging year. But corona made that even more difficult.”

Verv further increased its focus on business strategy and product development. At the same time, the company went through the selection procedure set up by the EIT InnoEnergy start-up team. “Now that they have made additional investments, we are in a position to much more easily attract other investors.”

Product delivery likely in 2022

Steyn is happy that Verv is experiencing good traction this year and expects the company to survive the corona crisis. “I have worked for other companies within the circular economy before. I think it’s important to contribute to a more sustainable world with Verv.”

Verv’s business objectives and business strategy will not be greatly influenced by corona, Steyn thinks. Its technology remains on track for mass production, which is likely to start in 2022.

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Everton search for investment to complete 777 deal – BBC.com

Published

4 hours ago

April 23, 2024

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Shamoon Hafez

BBC Sport football news reporter

@ShamoonHafez

2 hours ago

Everton are searching for third-party investment in order to push through a protracted takeover by 777 Partners.

The Miami-based firm agreed a deal to buy the Toffees from majority owner Farhad Moshiri in September, but are yet to gain approval from the Premier League.

On Monday, Bloomberg reported the club’s main financial adviser Deloitte has been seeking fresh funding from sports-focused investors and lenders to get 777’s deal over the line.

BBC Sport has been told this is “standard practice contingency planning” and the process may identify other potential lenders to 777.

Sources close to British-Iranian businessman Moshiri have told BBC Sport they remain “working on completing the deal with 777”.

It is understood there are no other parties waiting in the wings to takeover should the takeover fall through and the focus is fully on 777.

The Americans have so far loaned £180m to Everton for day-to-day operational costs, which will be turned into equity once the deal is completed, but repaying money owed to MSP Sports Capital, whose deal collapsed in August, remains a stumbling block.

777 says it can stump up the £158m that is owed to MSP Sports Capital and once that is settled, it is felt the deal should be completed soon after.

Warren Buffett Predicts 'Bad Ending' for Bitcoin — Is It a Doomed Investment? – Yahoo Finance

Published

5 hours ago

April 23, 2024

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Currently sitting in sixth on Forbes’ Real-Time Billionaires List, Berkshire Hathaway co-founder, chairman and CEO Warren Buffett is a first-rate example of an investor who stuck to his core financial beliefs early in life to become not only a success but a once-in-a-lifetime inspiration to those who followed in his footsteps.

One of the most trusted investors for decades, the 93-year-old Buffett isn’t shy to pontificate on his investment philosophy, which is centered around value investing, buying stocks at less than their intrinsic value and holding them for the long term.

He’s also quite vocal on investments he deems worthless. And one of those is Bitcoin.

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Buffett’s Take on Bitcoin

Over the past decade, it’s been clear that the crypto craze isn’t something Buffett wants any part of. He described Bitcoin as “probably rat poison squared” back in 2018.

“In terms of cryptocurrencies, generally, I can say with almost certainty that they will come to a bad ending,” Buffett said in 2018. And his stance hasn’t wavered since. According to Benzinga, Buffett believes that cryptocurrencies aren’t a viable or valuable investment.

“Now if you told me you own all of the Bitcoin in the world and you offered it to me for $25, I wouldn’t take it because what would I do with it? I’d have to sell it back to you one way or another. It isn’t going to do anything,” Buffett said at the Berkshire Hathaway annual shareholder meeting in 2022.

Although the Oracle of Omaha has his misgivings about the unpredictable investment, does that mean crypto is doomed as an investment? Not necessarily.

For You: 10 Valuable Stocks That Could Be the Next Apple or Amazon

Is Buffett Wrong About Bitcoin?

Bitcoin bulls argue that while it’s not government-issued, cryptocurrency is as fungible, divisible, secure and portable as fiat currency and gold. Because they occupy a digital space, cryptocurrencies are decentralized, scarce and durable. They can last as long as they can be stored.

Crypto boosters continue to predict massive growth in the coin’s value. Earlier this year, SkyBridge Capital founder and former White House director of communications Anthony Scaramucci told reporters that Bitcoin could exceed $170,000 by mid-2025, and Ark Invest CEO Cathie Wood predicts Bitcoin will hit $1.48 million by 2030, according to Fortune.

“They really don’t understand the concept and the whole history of money,” Scaramucci said of crypto critics like Buffett on a recent episode of Jason Raznick’s “The Raz Report.” Because we place a value on “traditional” currency, it is essentially worthless compared with the transparent and trustworthy digital Bitcoin, Scaramucci said.

Currently trading around the $66,000 mark, Bitcoin is up nearly 50% in 2024. This means it’s massively outperforming most indexes this year, including the S&P 500, which is up about 6% in 2024.

Although Berkshire Hathaway has invested heavily in Bitcoin-related Brazilian fintech company Nu Holdings, which has its own cryptocurrency called Nucoin, it’s possible Buffett will never come around fully to crypto, despite its recent surge in value. It’s contrary to the reliable investment strategy that has served him very well for decades.

“The urge to participate in something where it looks like easy money is a human instinct which has been unleashed,” Buffett said. “People love the idea of getting rich quick, and I don’t blame them … It’s so human, and once unleashed you can’t put it back in the bottle.”

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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Warren Buffett Predicts ‘Bad Ending’ for Bitcoin — Is It a Doomed Investment?

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Ping An Profit Falls as Market Declines Hurt Investment Returns – BNN Bloomberg

Published

9 hours ago

April 23, 2024

(Bloomberg) — Ping An Insurance (Group) Co.’s profit dropped 4.3% in the first quarter as stock-market declines and falling bond yields eroded investment returns.

Net income fell to 36.7 billion yuan ($5 billion) in the three months ended March 31, from 38.4 billion yuan a year earlier, the Shenzhen-based company said in a filing to the Hong Kong stock exchange Tuesday.

Operating profit, which strips out one-time items and short-term investment volatility, fell 3%.

China’s stock market rout at the start of the year and lower bond yields have weighed on insurers’ investment returns. They hurt profit even as more customers seek to buy savings products. Co-Chief Executive Officer Michael Guo said last month that profitability will recover after a 23% drop in net income last year.

“China’s macroeconomy gradually recovered in the first three months of 2024, but there were still challenges,” the company said in a statement, citing weak domestic demand. “In response to volatile capital markets and declining treasury yields, Ping An continued to pursue long-term returns through cycles via value investing.”

Read More: Ping An Trust Wins First Court Ruling Over Delayed Trust Product

Net investment yield of insurance funds dropped to 3%, the statement said, down from 3.1% a year earlier. Real estate investments fell to 4.2% of the 4.9 trillion yuan portfolio, from 4.6% the year earlier.

The CSI 300 Index slumped as much 7.3% this year through the start of February, before government intervention fueled a rally.

New business value, which gauges the profitability of new life policies sold, rose 21% in the first quarter. That followed a 36% jump last year as the company’s efforts to improve the productivity of life agents started to bear fruit. NBV per agent jumped 56% from a year earlier, the statement said.

Ping An shares rose 3% to HK$33.00 in Hong Kong trading on Tuesday, trimming the year’s loss to 6.7%.

(Updates with company comment in fifth paragraph, more details afterwards)

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