Start-up investment can significantly enhance an individual’s reputation. It is associated with job creation, economic impact, and entrepreneurialism. Yet, limited research has been carried out on the best way to communicate an individual’s reasons for investing in startups.

• What reason for investing does the public react most positively to?
• How do different generations react to varying reasons for investing?
• Does giving visibility to investment activity enhance reputation?
• Why is it important to talk about the ESG and CSR impact of investments?

In Q2 2021, Transmission Private surveyed 2,000 members of the UK public on the various different reasons an investor might give for investing in a start-up: from creating new jobs to seeking a profit; from disrupting industries to supporting BME entrepreneurs; from supporting female entrepreneurs to bringing a new product to market.

Selected findings and recommendations

• 27% of respondents singled out investing in a start-up to create jobs as the top reason that would make them think positively of a start-up investor.
  
• One in four respondents said that they would look positively on investors who invested in start-ups to create local impact, whether that meant backing regional or British businesses.
  
• People between the ages of 25 and 55 thought that investors should put additional focus on the environmental impact of their investment portfolio.
• Start-up investment has the power to positively shape an individual’s reputation. Forgetting to extract reputational capital from these start-up investments is a wasted opportunity when reputation is becoming more important.
  

Plus, more raw data from our survey of 2,000 members of the public... and practical, hands-on suggestions on how to manage your risk and respond to potential issues. Download the full report below.