Post-Brexit, Seedcamp co-founder and partner Reshma Sohoni gives her reaction and views on what we should be focusing on next.
Yesterday’s vote is shocking and saddening. As a company that sits at the epicentre of a large cross section of the global populace and a group of people who champion unity over division, we are at a loss for words today. And yet Leaders must lead. In times of good, but particularly in times of the chaos of today, leaders have an even bigger responsibility to lead.
For Seedcamp that means we continue to invest in the best possible founders from all across Europe, as we have done for the past 9 years. For our fellow investors and entrepreneurs, who lead a large number of UK, European, and global talent, you must continue to lead, both optimistically and calmly. Your strength is your ability to overcome hurdles. And entrepreneurship knows no borders.
Like 2 sides of a coin this vote has a positive and a negative side. At this moment it is difficult to see any positive. Once today passes we will look at a tomorrow that is dramatically altered. And yet tomorrow offers opportunity. The best of you will work hard to understand the big problems and design the opportunities and solutions that try to put the UK in a stronger position than we find it today.
There will be challenges ahead with questions like: what do I do with my family, where should I live, where do I incorporate, where do I hire the best and the brightest, where do I set up an office, will the EU support us, who do I sell my products to, how do I take payments, and many more. In these challenges, we will support the best of our founders to find solutions that help not only themselves but all others who are seeking solutions and opportunity.
The middle of the UK aligned itself with some of the most extreme forces in the country. That is profound and as a country we do not have an answer today to their grievances. Given the forces currently in action across the globe, it appears that most of the world has very little in answer.
Therefore, we would encourage entrepreneurs, investors, and talent to work hard on building solutions exactly where tomorrow’s challenges lie, bringing the opportunity they seize to a large global middle that sees very little of it. There is no ‘us’ or ‘them’, we are all in this together. Let us move forward with clearer heads and put our efforts back into the hard work that lies ahead.
We at Seedcamp are more committed than ever to continue doing our bit at bringing Europe together by backing the best founders from any part of the UK, Europe, or world without distinction!