6Feb/10
On January 27th the Rainmaking group gathered for a team day held at Martin Bjergaard's appartment in Frederiksberg. We looked back at what had been achieved in 2009 and shared objectives for the coming year.
It was the first time I ever joined a Rainmaking meeting and it's safe to say this isn't your usual bunch of entrepreneurs and investors. We spent as much time discussing values, charity and protecting the unique Rainmaking culture as we did talking about deals, investments and startups.
2009 was a seminal year for Rainmaking with the exit of Godtsyn. This not only lays a solid financial foundation for the partnership but has raised the visibility which has in turn improved deal flow. At any one point Rainmaking is taking a close look at five to ten investments, internal startup projects or cooperation offers with other entrepreneurs. The current batch includes an online supermarket, a specialised chain of surgery clinics, a unique 3D mannequin solution, an innovative domestic transport provider, an online tutoring portal and several others. The list of existing projects includes Startupbootcamp (http://startupbootcamp.dk) which I didn't need to introduce; the whole team is aware of the potential it represents for Rainmaking in terms of financial upside, deal flow, and plain exposure.
Probably the other most significant milestone was the opening of the London office; the first of many which will expand Rainmaking's footprint and ability to launch startups rapidly on all major continents. The vision is to be able to plug ideas and proposals into the network for each office to determine the potential fit with the local market - without reinventing the wheel each time.
Equally important to the Rainmaking team is what was achieved in the charity and CSR area. When Martin, Morten B., Morten K. and Carsten formed their partnership in 2007 they signed a manifesto (http://rainmaking.dk/omrainmaking/manifesto.aspx?lang=e ) which reflects their focus on the bigger picture. The part which resonates the best with me is "We want to be a part of the solution in this world, not a part of the problem." Of course at at the end of the day what counts is action not words. And in this area Rainmaking delivered by raising 600.000 DKK (which were multiplied by 4 by the EU) for a project in Bangladesh (picture). In 2010 one of Martin's priorities is to get BetterNow.org off the ground. BetterNow is a web-based video channel enabling donors to contribute to specific projects with full visibility and transparency. Watch this space, this could seriously impact the world.
Plenty on the plate, from continued execution for the existing startups to successfully launching some major initiatives. But come what may, Rainmaking intends to be a part of the solution, not of the problem. And I'm just happy to be in on the adventure.
On January 27th the Rainmaking group gathered for a team day held at Martin Bjergegaard's appartment in Frederiksberg. We looked back at what had been achieved in 2009 and shared objectives for the coming year.
It was the first time I ever joined a Rainmaking meeting and it's safe to say this isn't your usual bunch of entrepreneurs and investors. We spent as much time discussing values, charity and protecting the unique Rainmaking culture as we did talking about deals, investments and startups.
2009 was a seminal year for Rainmaking with the exit of Godtsyn. This not only lays a solid financial foundation for the partnership but has raised the visibility which has in turn improved deal flow. At any one point Rainmaking is taking a close look at five to ten investments, internal startup projects or cooperation offers with other entrepreneurs. The current batch includes an online supermarket, a specialised chain of surgery clinics, a unique 3D mannequin solution, an innovative domestic transport provider, an online tutoring portal and several others. The list of existing projects includes Startupbootcamp which I didn't need to introduce; the whole team is aware of the potential it represents for Rainmaking in terms of financial upside, deal flow, and plain exposure.
Probably the other most significant milestone was the opening of the London office; the first of many which will expand Rainmaking's footprint and ability to launch startups rapidly on all major continents. The vision is to be able to plug ideas and proposals into the network for each office to determine the potential fit with the local market - without reinventing the wheel each time.
Equally important to the Rainmaking team is what was achieved in the charity and CSR area. When Martin, Morten B., Morten K. and Carsten formed their partnership in 2007 they signed a manifesto, which reflects their focus on the bigger picture. The part which resonates the best with me is "We want to be a part of the solution in this world, not a part of the problem." Of course at at the end of the day what counts is action not words. And in this area Rainmaking delivered by raising 600.000 DKK (which were multiplied by 4 by the EU) for a project in Bangladesh (picture). In 2010 one of Martin's priorities is to get BetterNow.org off the ground. BetterNow is a web-based video channel enabling donors to contribute to specific projects with full visibility and transparency. Watch this space, this could seriously impact the world.
Plenty on the plate, from continued execution for the existing startups to successfully launching some major initiatives. But come what may, Rainmaking intends to be a part of the solution, not of the problem and I'm thrilled to be in on the adventure.
/Alex Farcet
