This year’s membership meeting kicked off the 6th year of the club’s activities. There were close to 50 of us in attendance, 24 members in person and the rest online.
The membership meeting noted the results of the 2020 financial year, we ended the club with an economic result of 275k, however, after taking into account non-tax items (such as members’ dues and refreshments) with an accounting loss of 14k, with a turnover again of almost 1.5m, as in the previous year. The economy of the association is thus stable and has a reserve for investments in marketing and other development activities. We are continuing our activities – check out the Calendar of Events, it is full again. The actual membership meeting was smoothly followed by a recap of projects – an overview. A short break was followed by the second part of the evening, devoted to details of some of the projects.
A recap of information on the state of the club was the first item of the presentation, this probably doesn’t need much comment. There are 185 of us (same as last year) and the amount of funds invested is 362 million CZK (last year 60 million CZK), over 5 years. Thank you for your trust.
The biggest novelty of last year was the introduction of selling shares in companies founded by the club, which bring together investors to buy shares in projects. At the end of September, following the completion of the tranches to Greenbuddies Charging and LaFluence, we will for the first time register investors as holders of share certificates. Benefits? Total transparency – shareholders have the right to information, participation in general meetings and, in proportion to the funds invested and thus participation in the share capital of the company, the right to share in the proceeds. In addition, if he gives his consent to publication in the Commercial Register, his share will also appear in the Commercial Register. Such shares can then be transferred, of course, and it is not necessary to be a long-term member of the club to hold them. However, we recommend it – only members are guaranteed access to other projects and the opportunity to participate in the club’s activities – educational, social and even investment. Technically, the club sells shares either directly or in the form of share certificates – you can find out how for any given project in the non-public section of the club’s website, the Invest platform. Important note: the first purchase is only possible for club members. After all, we want to know who we are doing business with. If you ask about the disadvantages, I can only think of the fact that the procedure is new and slightly changed. And if you’d mind being listed on the registry – there is still the option to use the club’s non-public funds as before.
Members can find more information on the projects in the Invest platform, by logging in. Any information is also available on request. If you are interested in the opportunity, write to us and tell your friends. Investing together to buy a stake in a company is safer for everyone.
Still, the biggest news? HE3DA – MES is finally starting volume production and is set to produce the first 10,000 batteries by the end of the year. Several models are ready, varying in capacity, charging speed and size. The first few storage units have been installed and orders are being taken. We will be going to DAKAR again – but with a fully electric truck. PetExpert is in the black, with a “small audit” of the software and the entire ecosystem having been carried out with good results. Everything is getting ready for the next round of investment, where we are planning a partial exit – 2022 is realistic. So far, the investment in the limited edition DAVOSA watch looks bad – the loan did not pay off and the thing is handed over to the first office in Bratislava. We are also dealing with the restructuring of Behavee – if it fails, there is a risk of writing off the investment. On a very positive note, LaFlunece is still growing 80% year-on-year and we have the best part of the year ahead of us – we are considering a third tranche and finishing the second. Greenbuddies Charging has extremely good prospects and the second tranche should be registered. DYNAM – the equity fund of club member Jirka Šimonek – is performing well, with year-on-year growth of tens of percent, exceeding the growth of the stock market. The news from the RBF fund was pleasing, cryptocurrencies are doing well. Solana’s value goes into the billions. So the club’s VCBF has very good prospects. Finalized the work on the opening of ZEBRA GROUP – an automotive company, manufacturer of municipal vehicles. It is moving from unit production to hundreds of vehicles, and elZEBRA, a modern electric variant that can also have HE3DA batteries, is going on the market. We are also still in talks to open a driverless car factory – the company is in the black, but would grow twice as fast with investment.
What to add in conclusion? We believe that direct participation in a well-run and selected project pays off. However, you need to diversify – it may be that not everything turns out well. But if all goes well, it is a multiple of the stake, such as with PetExpert, where we are at about 4-5x entry value and still climbing. Our Klíčanka housing investment project has done well – double- to triple-digit percentage returns, depending on the type of deposit. We also managed to get massively involved in the He3da battery business. The yield is still only 18% and there is no dividend, but the assumption is that within a year we are at 200% and the dividend for 2022 will certainly be there.
Conclusion? Of course, all due diligence does not guarantee the possibility of a full loss on a particular investment, however, if more experienced people agree on a project and oversee it on an ongoing basis, the chances of a good outcome are significant. Either way, we recommend diversifying. Multiple projects – we open 3-4 a year in the club – and a combination with, for example, loans, bonds, pays off. In the club for members – outside of projects – there is a “bond” – a loan at 7.6% pa fix interest, with quarterly payout. A standard fund or real estate may also be a suitable addition to your portfolio.
We look forward to working with you again, investing well.
MUDr. Petr Šedivý
Chairman of the Club Committee, Managing Director of Venture Club Invest, Investor