S01E02 Crown Castê: John Butt

Welcome to Crown Castê, your financial literacy podcast for small businesses. We publish inspiring, insightful conversations with investors and stewards of capital, about why they decided to make placements into a specific portfolio company of theirs. In today's episode, we are joined by John Butt.

John is the founder and General Partner of Conduit Ventures Ltd, a regulated UK-based investment firm managing capital contributed by blue-chip groups from around the world. John created Conduit in the early 2000s and was an early pioneer in the transition towards decentralised low carbon energy solutions with an emphasis on Hydrogen. He drives the strategic and operational direction of Conduit with a focus on disruptive solutions as catalysts of sustainable economic value creation. He has represented Conduit on the boards of several public and private companies in different geographical markets.
In this episode, we discuss:
1. Investing and Origination with Conduit Ventures:
How does John find the right companies to invest in?
What is Conduit Ventures' approach to fostering relationships with institutes, universities, corporations, and entrepreneurs?
What makes the team an integral part of Conduit Ventures' investment strategy?
2. Types of Companies and Investment Stages:
What types of companies does Conduit Ventures typically invest in and at what stages?
How does John define early stage and growth stage investments?
What are the crucial factors John considers when deciding whether to invest in a company?
3. Conduit Ventures' Investment Strategy and Process:
Why are references and past successful teams important in Conduit Ventures' investment process?
How does John evaluate the skill sets within early-stage teams?
What is Conduit Ventures' approach towards the IP-intensive sector, specifically with a focus on sustainability-driven innovation?
4. Post-Investment and Value Addition
What value does Conduit Ventures add post-deal closing?
How does the brand and network of Conduit Ventures benefit the companies in its portfolio?
What are the key learnings John shares with portfolio companies from previous successful and unsuccessful investments?
5. Exciting Technologies and the Future:
Why does John find the convergence of digital and material science exciting?
How does digitalization create new business models and optimize the route to market?
Why is the flexibility provided by IP important, but not the only factor for a company's success?