West River Group: investing in the global innovation economy

In the fourth episode of this summer's Investor's View series, we welcome Anthony Bontrager, managing director of West River Group. Anthony's 25 years of experience spans founding his own businesses, holding board positions at a number of portfolio companies, and leading the technology investment practice at West River. Tech is just one of the four sectors the 'investment platform' focuses on, with experience (ie. entertainment), decarbonisation, and life sciences being the rest. Sport intersects with those in a number of interesting ways, which is why we had to invite Anthony on the podcast. Over the course of our conversation Anthony explains what he's looking for when founders approach West River for funding, what he and the group can offer once a deal is done, and how entrepreneurs should be operating in the current economic landscape. It's a fascinating chat with tens of takeaways for those looking to build their own businesses. Timestamps: 02:15 – The West River Group thesis and proposition 05:30 – Where sports comes into the equation  10:00 – The power of data in the sports space 14:00 – What makes a good founder from the VC perspective? 21:00 – Negotiation, valuation and setting terms 29:00 – The impact of the interest rate shake-up 35:00 – The next geographical tech hubs  40:00 – AI and other areas of interest