Andy Sparks – författare

Taking railway photographs and capturing an age of impressive locomotives and atmospheric stations is a pastime that the age of steam passed down through generations, even after its own decline in favour of diesel and electric traction. It was certainly one that avid teenage trainspotter Andy Sparks sought to take up, emulating the work of prized 1960s railway photographer Colin T. Gifford. But by the 1970s, when Andy’s camera was at the ready and after Beeching’s axe had come down on the British railway network, modernisation and rationalisation were rapidly sweeping away the vestiges of the previous age, and dereliction and decay intertwined much of what could be seen. Desperate to capture the scene, Andy took thousands of photographs from 1972 until the early 1980s, and his images beautifully convey the nostalgic, gritty years of that era of change on Britain’s railways. From his lens to the pages of this book, this is a unique look at an oft-overlooked period of British railway history.

This guide is the most comprehensive resource of its kind available, with contribution and review from experienced founders, lawyers, and investors-including Brad Feld, José Ancer, Camille Ricketts, Leo Polovets, Clerky co-founders Darby Wong and Chris Field, Danielle Morrill, Joe Wallin (co-author of the Holloway book, Angel Investing: Start to Finish), and many more. It will help any founder raise the right way, with confidence. This print edition includes lifetime digital access to additional features and future updates at Holloway.com.

Venture capital is a powerful tool for entrepreneurship-one that can help overcome some of the challenges of starting and scaling a new business. It''s notoriously easy for founders to take wrong turns in their path to financing a company-but many mistakes are avoidable with the right knowledge. Author Andy Sparks is a three-time founder whose goal is helping entrepreneurs avoid pain, costly mistakes, and fruitless research. Topics covered include:

Assessing whether to raiseDetermining how much to raise and understanding how valuation and dilution are connected to how much you raiseChoosing a financing structureCreating a target list of investorsDesigning and delivering your pitch and what to expect in investor meetingsEverything a founder needs to know about term sheets (created with startup lawyers!), including sample term sheets

This book also includes appendices on networking and mentorship for founders, how venture capitalists make money (think returns, management fees, and carried interest), and a list of example pitch decks.

Raising venture capital isn''t inevitable for every startup or every founder. The best founders go into the process of raising money with their eyes wide open to all the possibilities, including alternate ways to raise, and the options available to them, from financing structures to pitch designs to what terms to fight for. They can anticipate the next steps in the process before they begin, and ask themselves the important questions along the way. They know what will change between each round, and what to keep an eye out for when it comes to risks and pitfalls. They''ll know how those good relationships-with investors, other founders, their team, and their customers-are the most important part of building a successful company, and they know just how to find, foster, and sustain those relationships.

Let the Holloway Guide to Raising Venture Capital be there for you, the trusted friend you can turn to again and again.

"Founders shouldn''t have to figure fundraising out the hard way when they can learn from those who have already been through the process. The Holloway Guide to Raising Venture Capital is full of practical advice that will be helpful to any entrepreneur." -- Brad Feld (Foundry Group)

"Though it''s getting better, venture capital has traditionally been a fairly closed, blackbox field. This Guide democratizes and demystifies the VC ecosystem, which is an important step toward building a more diverse and inclusive industry." -- Lindsay Knight (Chicago Ventures)

"I wish this resource had existed back when I was a CEO raising money from VCs. In my work today as a seed investor, I share with my portfolio founders a lot of the knowledge gathered in this Guide. Now that this definitive resource exists, I''m going to send it to every founder I work with!" -- Rafael Corrales (Background Capital)

In the 1970s, Andy Sparks was an avid train-spotter and keen photographer. As he travelled around England, he captured day to day life on the railways, from loco-hauled passenger trains to gas lamps and ticket barriers. This collection of photographs show how thoroughly stations, track, motive power and working practices have been modernised.

In the 1970s Andy Sparks was an avid trainspotter and photographer. As he travelled around, primarily in the north-west, he realised that vestiges of the steam age remained, even though it was over. In his new book he presents scenes of passenger and freight trains, early multiple units, semaphore signals and newspaper and mail trains as well as more minute details such as gas lamps, station signs and ticket barriers. Andy's book British Rail Northern Scene was a fascinating glimpse into his archive. This new book, covering a broader geographical area is sure to be of great interest to railways enthusiasts everywhere.