Football Dynasty-Chapter 56: Maddox Capital

As Richard finished his call from his family house in Mayfair, the TV speaker's voice echoed in the background.

[...John Banham, Director General of the Confederation of British Industry, warns that most of Britain is now affected by a recession and that there is worse to come. The latest CBI prediction is also the gloomiest since 1980, the last time Britain was in recession. Fears of a recession have been growing across most of the world since the autumn of last year. However, Chancellor John Major denies that Britain is on the verge of a recession...]

"I have no problem with it, as long as the registration goes through."

"Oh, then do you mean all the problems will be resolved next week?"

"Then that's good, thank you for your help."

After he hung up, a smile finally escaped his lips. He had already made preparations beforehand, and this phone call was just the final step in confirming everything. With that, he could finally set up his company.

Richard had made preparations beforehand, but his work as an agent had caused delays in the process. Until now, all of his investments had been made under his personal name. However, with the official registration for his new venture finally approved, everything was now in place.

He could now move forward with the next steps. Richard named his company Maddox Capital, an investment firm designed to serve as the entity for his upcoming financial ventures.

The first step was...

"Greetings, gentlemen. Even though you probably already know me, I think I still need to introduce myself properly, as there are many of you here for the first time. My name is Richard Maddox, the owner of Maddox Capital."

Currently at the Mayfair Hilton Hotel, in the VIP room, there were four sofas in front of Richard, and four men in suits—representatives from some of the biggest banks, or those with the potential to become the biggest.

Two of them, Richard had already met before when he sold his property in Islington.

Philip Harris from Lloyds Banking Group, Taylor Smith from Barclays, David Lang from HSBC, and Jerry Burris from NatWest.

"Originally, I should have visited you one by one, but due to time constraints, I apologize for the trouble of having you come here together to discuss the first step of Maddox Capital," Richard said, locking eyes with the eight pairs of eyes scrutinizing him from head to toe.

'Oh, a venture capital?' they thought in unison.

Venture capital (VC) is a form of private equity financing provided by firms or funds to startups, early-stage, and emerging companies that are deemed to have high growth potential. They usually invest in these early-stage companies in exchange for equity, or an ownership stake.

One of the men suddenly chuckled as he heard this. Everyone already knew that Richard Maddox was a heavy gambler. He bet on football matches as if there were no tomorrow, so what could he possibly mean by setting up a venture capital firm?

"Mr. Maddox, don't tell me this is just to fund your ridiculous bet for the next World Cup?" he asked with a smirk.

Richard's face immediately turned cold. "Mr. Burris..." he said. "I may gamble on football, but I've set up Maddox Capital to do exactly that—to invest in companies that I deem to have potential."

Who would believe him? Since when had Richard Maddox made investments? Even if he wanted to invest, would it actually work? No, investing wasn't that simple.

Mr. Burris shook his head and stood up. He wasn't interested in this. "Venture capital is not a game. If you think I'm here to fund your next World Cup bet, you're gravely mistaken."

"And you think I'm begging you, Mr. Burris?"

"..."

Mr. Burris opened his mouth, but no words came out.

"Mr. Burris, I think what follows will only waste your time right now. The door is over there, please."

Everyone was stunned hearing this. Mr. Burris, too, hadn't expected Richard to directly order him to leave. His face turned red with embarrassment, and he stood up, leaving without looking back.

After Mr. Burris left, Richard looked toward the three gentlemen in front of him.

These men, representatives of major banks, were not rookies. Regardless of whether they were cunning or not, as bankers, one would expect them to be shrewd.

"Apologies, gentlemen, for the disruption," Richard said, his tone calm. "Now, let's begin. Allow me to introduce you to Maddox Capital..."

Richard began pitching his venture capital plans, but to be honest, it sounded like any other typical venture capital pitch. Some of the men began to grow impatient.

"Mr. Maddox, sorry to interrupt, but can you get to the point?"

Richard didn't react angrily to the interruption. Instead, he calmly nodded toward David Lang, the HSBC relationship manager.

"Understood, Mr. Lang. The reason I invited you here today is to select a partner for my upcoming real estate project."

Everyone was taken aback. A real estate project? But you just said your company was venture capital. Shouldn't you be looking for small companies to invest in, not properties?

"Mr. Maddox, is this about the hotel you recently acquired in Mayfair?" Philip Harris from Lloyds's asked.

Richard shook his head.

"Then would you care to elaborate, Mr. Maddox?"

"Since this involves commercial secrets, I need to see some sincerity first."

"Sincerity? What kind of sincerity are you referring to?"

"Mr. Richard, I'm very sorry, but I think HSBC will be withdrawing from this discussion," David Lang said, after a brief moment of contemplation.

After all, a loan wasn't something that simply appeared out of thin air. As the manager, he would face the consequences later if it failed. So, he quickly stood up and shook Richard's hand, choosing the safer option.

Now, it was down to Lloyds and Barclays.

"Mr. Harris, Mr. Smith, if you also wish to withdraw, I can understand," Richard said.

From the beginning to the end, Mr. Smith from Barclays had remained silent. Only after Richard spoke did he smile.

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"On the contrary," Mr. Smith said, "we at Barclays value our relationship. From Islington, we have taken steps toward building a strong partnership. But if I can learn more about your plans, I believe I can more confidently convince our director. So, what do you say, Mr. Richard?"

Richard then turned toward Mr. Harris from Lloyds.

He only shrugged. "I guess if it's interesting, then Lloyd could join. Let's hear it first."

'Perfect!' Richard grinned.

Barclays is better for international business, investment banking, and wealth management, while Lloyds excels in personal banking and mortgages, with a strong domestic focus and a commitment to customer service.

Although pre-sales were allowed in Britain, there were regulations on the payment terms and the proportion of payments from customers, and the full payment could not be received until the building was built or completed. Therefore, for many developers, financial strength is a must.

It's similar to the Islington building he purchased in bulk before. He was allowed to proceed because he assured, both ethically and legally, that he would carry out major renovations using his own funds and was transparent about the sources of his money.

"Mr. Richard, before we move forward, care to tell us what you have in mind?"

First, Maddox Capital needs to complete its registration procedures and establish its company investment account. Naturally, Barclays is the first choice.

No matter what, Barclays Bank, as one of the largest banks in the UK, is set to become one of the four largest private banks in the country and one of the biggest in the world in the future, with the best connections.

Another reason is that Barclays also provides dedicated securities accounts for directly purchasing stocks listed on many exchanges like NASDAQ, the New York Stock Exchange, Euronext, and even the Tokyo Stock Exchange, making it convenient to purchase stocks domestically and internationally.

As for Lloyds, its strong domestic presence and expertise in financing made it the first choice. From the start, they had a deep understanding of the local market and a willingness to fund large-scale real estate ventures. Simply put, if you have any problems with your project in the UK, consult them.

Richard first settled his new company account, which was easy, and injected £50 million as the initial capital. The funds would be focused on U.S. stocks through margin trading under a financing agreement signed with Barclays Bank.

The first target is the American multinational digital communications technology conglomerate, Cisco.