The Workspace Wire
Welcome to our first edition of The Workspace Wire – created for business leaders like you. Bringing you sharp insights, practical resources and the voices of real entrepreneurs from across our 4,000-strong London community.
Every edition tackles a topic that matter to growing businesses – from accessing capital to getting your pricing right – and share what’s working.
This is for anyone building something bold – Workspace customer or not.
💰 Looking to sell shares – without the fuss of an IPO?
PISCES might be the answer. Launched by the London Stock Exchange and backed by the FCA, it’s a new way for private companies to trade shares – without going public.
If your revenue is over £2m, PISCES could help you raise capital or give early investors a way to sell shares. All within a trusted, regulated environment that aims to be operational this year.
You’ll stay in control: of the timing, pricing and participants. No lengthy roadshows. No public listing costs. Just a flexible, founder-friendly route for scale-ups.
✅ Improve your visibility to investors
✅ Boosts your chances of raising capital
✅ Unlock secondary share auctions (a global first)
✅ Build the disciplines needed for bigger rounds
📎 Read the official PISCES launch announcement - https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-goes-further-and-faster-to-boost-capital-markets-by-delivering-pisces
🎙 “There’s a gap post-EIS. PISCES is here to fill it”
Charlie Lyon Carroll, Investment Director, IW Capital
🕐 Raising capital? Start early
Julia Hoggett, CEO at London Stock Exchange launched PISCES at London Tech Week, and had the following advice;
🎙 “Those who prepare well, raise well.Great funding rounds start long before the round begins."
🎙 “Get the disciplines in place now. It’s a signal to the market. And the market is watching.”
🪧 Is funding the right path?
Not always. It can mean legal complexity, new stakeholders and less control.
🎙 “Some of our best work came when we were skint,” Zak Walter, Co-Founder of Vinca. He also recommends taking legal counsel. Vinca’s first investor wanted anti-dilution rights, which would have impacted their long-term growth ambitions,
🎙 “Expertise is often more valuable that the money”
Varaidzo Tendai Moyo, CEO & Co-Founder of Ruka Hair, who received an Estee Lauder grant which came with the expertise to crack TikTok.
Both customer quotes came at a recent Workspace Event on Funding. We run complimentary events every month for our customers. From the Founders Forum all the way through to Paws at Work.
🔝 Top Tip
Pitching for investment?
🎙 “Tell us how you're solving a problem. Be concise and don't over complicate it” Vanessa Pazos, Partner at Noba Capital, Workspace customer
💡 From the Founders Stage at London Tech Week
🚨 UK business raised £12.7bn in 2024 – more than France and Germany combined
⚙️ FLOW is a new FCA-approved platform simplifying the private equity landscape for SMEs
🦄 UK is the 3rd biggest unicorn creator in the world (yes, really)
🏦 Barclays Innovation Banking is backing early-stage businesses here in London
"We need to celebrate what we've got here!" Sanjot Malhi, Partner, Northzone
👀 Next edition? Pricing Strategies that cut through
Discover how Workspace customers are pricing smarter – and staying competitive without a race to the bottom? From bundling to value-based models, discover what’s working (and what’s not)
📅 Going online and via email to everyone on the distribution list next month
Want to make sure you get the next edition of The Workspace Wire? Simply send an email to pete.evia-rhodes@workspace.co.uk and he'll get you added
THE WORKSPACE WIRE
