The backstory of Defiance and who it’s for
Small, personal, high-quality: a different approach to investment research
Defiance was formed as an idea in 2024 and officially created in September 2025.
By that point I had spent 18 months running and living off my own personal portfolio. Prior to this I spent my entire career working as a Portfolio Manager, running private client money in UK wealth management firms. In the time running my personal money, I was pleasantly surprised by how many good stock ideas can be found, with enough time and a strict filter, by reading social media and newsletter platforms. My suspicion is that the decline in active fund management has left many equity analysts starting their own gig instead of working in a big corporation.
My friends had been asking me for investment ideas and where to find them. As I had these conversations, a kernel of an idea started to form.
They were describing the following pain points:
1 – Where to find good sources of ideas
2 – The time taken to filter the good ideas from the bad
3 – If subscribing to multiple substack accounts or similar concepts, such as Woodford Views, the cost soon started to add up
4 – Most investment newsletters are global and do not focus on the requirements of UK investors, or discuss portfolio construction
Defiance Research is a solution to these pain points.
In my personal investment process, I generate my idea flow through observing themes that I see in markets, and by subscribing to a dozen different research services.
As my strength was always in the filtering of ideas, rather than doing the in-depth primary research – this translates well to solving pain point 2.
By curating ideas from multiple sources, Defiance Research also solves the cost problem - subscribers access insights from several premium services through one affordable subscription.
Whilst investors from anywhere in the world are more than welcome to join, I will often reference UK tax implications, and which UK stockbrokers have access to which stocks.
To be clear, this doesn't limit the investment universe - I research opportunities globally but always consider how UK investors can practically access them.
My intention is to keep Defiance Research small, personal and high quality. I'm committed to staying focused on what matters most: finding and analysing compelling investment ideas. If the business grows too large, my time available for research will decline and quality will inevitably suffer. Therefore, subscriber numbers will be intentionally limited to maintain this boutique approach.
A few important notes on compliance and transparency:
The business is unregulated and intends to stay away from regulated activities. So, there is no personal financial advice provided. Please read the disclaimer and reach out if anything is unclear.
As a matter of good practice, I will disclose when I hold a position in a stock. I will also have a self-imposed trading blackout where I will not transact in any stock I write about, in the week before, or the week after publication.
Disclaimer:
The content on this page is for information purposes only. It does not constitute investment advice or an offer to buy or sell any security. You are solely responsible for any investment decisions you make based on the information provided.
Please remember, past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results.