Investors should grill boards about their research and development spending as much as they do about governance and remuneration if they want to see companies deliver strong returns over the medium term, according to serial tech start-up founder Adir Shiffman.

Dr Shiffman, who is also executive chairman of global athlete analytics company Catapult Sports, added that shareholders should challenge boards  about the quality of R&D expenditure, rather than just about the quantum.