Simon Penson On Pivoting From Agency Life To Angel Investing And Giving Back

Entrepreneur's Enigma

Simon is a career digital entrepreneur having built and sold a group of content affiliate sites in the mid 2000s before then setting up an agency group that was acquired by IPG PLC in 2016. At the time the business employed 125 people but grew quickly during earn out, becoming a business of 270+ people by the end of 2020.

That business started life as a performance and content marketing agency and Simon spent ten years as a thought leader and expert in the space - so many now look to his expertise in sales and marketing now. The business eventually became a full service digital agency.

Alongside this Simon started angel investing in 2016, realising that the early stage world was in desperate need of not just cash but people who had been there and could help guide and support founders properly. Along that journey he met three other angels with a similar world view and from it Haatch (an early stage venture investment fund) was born.

That business, alongside his consultancy Scaled has been his focus over the last 6 years and he now spends his time helping and supporting B2B businesses grow fast and with less ‘pain’ and sits on a small handful of Boards also.

Key Moments

[06:10] Scaling business is challenging due to people.

[09:22] Transitioning from business to private equity focus.

[11:13] Investing: Spotting talent, guiding, equally rewarding.

[13:22] Embrace opportunities to improve social networks.

Find Simon Online

https://scaled.co.uk

https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonpenson/

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