#3 Two UK Venture Leaders - Pete Davies & Spencer Crawley on Long‑Term VC, Academia Spin‑Outs & the New Tech Cycle

#3 Two UK Venture Leaders - Pete Davies & Spencer Crawley on Long‑Term VC, Academia Spin‑Outs & the New Tech Cycle

Author: Stephen Clapham's Podcast on Value Investing | Stockmarket Analysis | Equities October 20, 2021 Duration: 1:18:00

Pete Davies has long been widely considered one of the greatest long term thinkers in the hedge fund world. He was early to recognise the opportunities to provide venture capital to UK academia and his firm, Lansdowne Partners, was instrumental in setting up Oxford Science Innovation.

Spencer Crawley is the co-founder of FirstMinute Capital, a UK seed investor which boasts an astonishing 111 unicorn founders as investors.

In this interview we discuss the UK venture scene, why early stage investing is truly a long term activity, and how this cycle compares to the late 1990s tech boom.


Full show notes here.

Behind the Balance Sheet is a forensic accounting and fundamental investing podcast for serious investors. Each episode dives into how real‑world investors source ideas, build conviction and manage their portfolios.

You’ll hear frameworks for analysing industries, understanding business models, and thinking about risk, behaviour and incentives, so you can refine your own process rather than copy stock tips.For show notes, transcripts and additional resources, visit our ⁠website⁠.

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Stephen Clapham hosts Behind the Balance Sheet, a detailed conversation series that pulls back the curtain on how elite fund managers really think. Each episode is built on the premise that understanding a company requires digging far deeper than headlines or simple ratios. You’ll hear Clapham engage with celebrated investors such as John Armitage, Mario Gabelli, and Bill Nygren, dissecting their actual processes for evaluating businesses and spotting market inefficiencies. The discussions are technical and substantive, focusing on practical frameworks for forensic accounting, navigating capital cycles, and rigorous valuation. This isn’t about hot stock tips; it’s about the disciplined craft of equity research and risk management. The podcast serves as a continuing education for anyone-from dedicated private investors and students to working analysts and portfolio managers-who aims to sharpen their fundamental analysis and develop a more professional, critical investment mindset. Tune in for a masterclass in the principles of value investing, delivered through candid talks with the practitioners who have consistently generated alpha. You’ll come away with a clearer sense of the questions that need asking before any capital is committed.
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