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MoneyWeek- the best way to back small companies after the BrewDog failure

Journalist: Marc Shoffman, Freelance

ended 04. March 2026

Hi

I am writing a piece for MoneyWeek looking at the best ways to back small companies after the collapse of BrewDog. 

It was a crowfunding, raising £75 million from over 200,000 investors, who are left with nothing.

I am looking for views on alternative ways to back startups e.g VCTs, EIS, Innovative Finance ISAs, AIM stocks, are these worth it?

Kind regards

Marc

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Editor
Kate Underwood
Founder & Chief People Strategist at Kate Underwood HR and Training
Pay fast. Seriously. Buying from a small business is lovely, but paying them quickly is what keeps the lights on. Cashflow pays wages.
Be a decent customer. Clear brief. Clear deadline. No last-minute “quick tweak” that turns into a week’s work.
Remember: people make the product. If the team is knackered, undertrained or treated like spare parts, service drops and customers drift. Every time.
Sort the inside first. When staff can get answers, tools and support quickly, they can look after customers properly. Friction inside becomes attitude outside.
If you invest, don’t romanticise it. Treat it like money you’re happy to lose. If that stings, stick to buying, recommending and paying on time.