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In this episode, Marks & Clerk's Anis Naidu is joined by two of the North West's most experienced voices in early-stage investment and innovation: Dr. Andy Round, Senior Investment Director at Deepbridge Capital, and Andy Roberts, former Head of Innovation at Bruntwood SciTech. Between them, they bring decades of experience backing, advising and accelerating life science start-ups.
What to expect
The conversation covers what investors genuinely assess when evaluating early-stage companies - and it is not always what most founders assume. Both guests are clear that team quality and the ability to learn matter more than the technology itself. The founders who stand out are those who acknowledge what they do not know, demonstrate a genuine understanding of their market and show evidence of customer validation that goes beyond asking a handful of friendly contacts.
On IP, the message is equally clear. Patents matter, but an IP strategy that begins and ends with patents can be a red flag. Andy Round and Andy Roberts discuss the importance of timing patent filings correctly and the need to consider freedom to operate not as a one-time box-tick but as an ongoing discipline that must be revisited before and after launch. Knowhow and trade secrets, they argue, can ultimately be more valuable than registered IP.
The episode also unpacks what assessors actually look for in grant applications and what good university licensing looks like in practice.
Whether you are preparing a grant application, approaching investors for the first time or building an IP strategy around a new technology, this episode offers practical, experience-backed guidance from two people who have seen what works… and what does not.
