What to expect?

Venture / Growth Equity Technology Investor sharing the learnings and process of investing in Europe's best technology companies.

The monthly newsletter will include day-to-day of an investor, fundraising and investing tips, interesting companies, productivity tech, cool sectors and more.

Subscribe if you are:

  • A Tech CEO looking for tips on fundraising from an investor’s perspective.

  • An Investor interested to learn how your counterparts operate.

  • Anyone with a general interest in technology or Venture Capital / Growth Equity investing.

  • Or, you simply want to stay in touch with me.

Who is Novice Investor?

Howdy,

I’m Cillian Hilliard.

I have been investing in high growth technologies company for the past four years. I have covered a broad range of technologies from SaaS, Semiconductors, Sensors and have even dipped my toe in some consumer investing. Prior to my tech investment career I worked as an Investment Banking Associate covering buyside and sell side M&A transactions. In an attempt to absorb some entrepreneurial experience I also run an online fine jewellery company out of Ireland called Dána Project.

Why Novice Investor?

2020 was one to remember for a bunch of different reasons. On a personal level, it was a story of growth. I moved to London and started a new role as Investment Director at Kennet Partners. Most of my energy is now focused on building a network across the UK and European tech ecosystems to find great deals and help our portfolio companies excel.

At this point in time, I was hoping to be out for coffee and dinner with London's tech community building long-lasting relationships. Unfortunately, I am still trying to crack jokes and make friends over Zoom. Instagram and Facebook have been great for making me feel somewhat connected and friendly with the bartender I worked with in Spain during the summer of 2012. However, the ambitious CEO I met briefly for coffee in 2017 seems like a long-lost memory.

My proposed solution? The Novice Investor Newsletter. A short monthly update detailing what I am up to and what I am learning. The goal is to create a way to passively stay in touch with my network, while hopefully providing interesting and useful content in return.

Why call it Novice Investor if I already have experience investing you might ask. One of my core values is to constantly maintain a student mentality and curiosity to learn. If by some miracle I lead a successful fund one day, I like to think I would still see myself as a Novice, forever on the hunt to learn and improve.

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Venture / Growth Equity Technology Investor sharing the learnings and process of investing in Europe's best technology companies.

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Venture / Growth Equity Technology Investor sharing the learnings and process of investing in Europe's best technology companies.