CNBC hit series ‘The Profit’ to be adapted by UK broadcaster Channel 4

UK broadcaster Channel 4 is set to remake hit CNBC show The Profit.

The first international adaptation of the business reality show will be hosted by Eric Collins, CEO of venture capital firm Impact X Capital Partners which invests in underrepresented entrepreneurs across Europe.

The show will follow the Alabama native, who is now resident in London, as he offers his expertise and capital investment to four small British businesses struggling to stay afloat in the wake of the pandemic and turnaround their fortunes.

Collins will spend time in each company immersing himself into every aspect of their day-to-day operations, challenging the business owners on their goals and how they plan to survive the toughest economic climate Britain has experienced in generations.

“The Profit UK on Channel 4, is giving me another opportunity to see unique deal flow and use the power of my experience, capital, network, and other resources to help business owners transform their companies into investable gems.”

The entrepreneur, who has developed a reputation as someone who is not afraid to ask tough questions, will force the companies to face some hard truths as he uncovers key facts about the business.

With his long track record of quickly spotting where both problems and opportunities lie for businesses Collins will make an offer of investment. However, any offer of funding will be dependent on him taking control of the company and making significant changes to how it is run.

Collins Is A Seasoned Serial Entrepreneur

The show will document whether these changes give them a much better chance of success.

Following an announcement about the new series Collins said that “even previously successful businesses are facing unprecedented challenges” as a result of the pandemic and that he was passionate about using “my 20 plus years of experience as a businessman and investor to help some companies navigate through these turbulent times.”

Speaking exclusively to UrbanGeekz, Collins, a Harvard Law School grad, said: “The low rates of institutional investment in underrepresented entrepreneurs, especially black women, is a market inefficiency. What I have learned throughout my career is identifying market inefficiencies and investing where others don’t see the potential is where outsized returns are possible.”

He continued: “The Profit on Channel 4, is giving me another opportunity to see unique deal flow and use the power of my experience, capital, network, and other resources to help business owners transform their companies into investable gems.”

Businesses Get Financial Makeover

Collins, a serial entrepreneur, investor, and technology executive, has helped transform and build the value of digital companies such as AOL, MobilePosse, Micro SwiftKey, and Touch Surgery through innovative strategies.

His business acumen and unrivaled connections have seen him invited to join former US President Barack Obama’s Small Business Administration’s Council in the White House.

In 2018,​​ Collins ​​was part of a prominent group of black European and U.S. serial entrepreneurs, institutional investors, investment bankers, corporate leaders, and entertainers that founded Impact X Capital Partners.

The company is a double bottom-line venture capital firm that invests in under-represented innovators in Europe, focusing on growth-stage companies in three distinct sectors: digital and technology, health, education and lifestyle; and media and entertainment.

Eric Collins Bloomberg Quicktake Now interview

In November 2018, The Financial Times named him among the UK’s top 100 BAME leaders in technology. In 2019 and 2020 he was voted one of the most influential black people in Britain on the Powerlist.

Nick Parnes, the Executive Producer for Kalel Productions, the production company behind the show, said he believed viewers will warm to Collins.

He said: ​“Eric is a shrewd business-savvy investor. He will invest in struggling companies in return for equity, becoming a temporary boss, and giving the businesses a financial make-over. He needs to make it work in order to turn a profit. And save companies and jobs in the process. This is so neat, important, and timely.​”

The Money Maker (formerly The Profit) will air on Channel 4 on May 9.

• Tags:
• Black Wealth
• Diversity in Tech
• Financing Startups
• impact x capital
• reality tv
• UK
• Venture Capital

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