UK Business Angels Association

🚀 The second stop on our Embracing Diversity Tour took place in Liverpool on Wednesday, and what an incredible event it was! A huge thank you to Gateway Angels for hosting such an inspiring event, and to everyone who joined us for an evening of insightful pitches, engaging discussions, and powerful conversations on making angel investing more diverse and inclusive. Key Highlights: 🔸 Thought-provoking fireside chat with Emma Abbasi, the founder of Dearbump sharing insights on building a diverse and successful startup. 🔸 A dynamic panel discussion, moderated by Roderick Beer, featuring Katie Nicholson, Delyth Lloyd Edwards from British Business Bank, and Becca Harvey from Baltic Ventures, exploring what more can be done to increase diversity in the investment landscape. This event reinforced the importance of education, visibility, and proactive action in driving change! To find out more about the roadshow and the next event, visit https://lnkd.in/eh7vyY4v #AngelInvesting #InclusiveInvestment #DiversityInInvesting Michelle Walters LLB | Phil Melia | Jennet Beesley | Akhlaq Choudhury MSc, BSc, CITP, RITTech

🏆 Nominations for the UKBAA Angel Investment Awards 2025 have been extended! Due to popular demand, we’ve extended the nomination deadline for the UKBAA Angel Investment Awards until midnight on Sunday 13th April. We’ve heard from so many of you who wanted more time to submit your nominations, and we’re excited to give you this extra opportunity to recognise the standout founders, investors, and high-growth businesses shaping the future of early-stage investment. Nominating is quick, free, and open to self-nominations, so don’t miss this opportunity to showcase the talent and success within the investment community. With multiple award categories available, you can submit entries across different areas. Take advantage of this extension and get your nominations in before the final deadline! 📅 Nominations close: Midnight - 13th April Submit your nomination now: https://lnkd.in/eZnF4Yqx #UKBAAAwards #AngelInvestment #Entrepreneurship #Innovation #DiversityInBusiness

Member news: Angel-Backed WAC Secures £500K to Empower Hourly-Paid Workers Backed by Lifted Ventures angel investors, Wac has secured a £500,000 bridge round, which is now overfunding! This investment, supported by seven women angels, builds on WAC’s £1M pre-seed success, helping to scale the UK’s leading app for financial transparency and empowerment of hourly-paid workers. Jordan Dargue, Co-Founder of Lifted Ventures, commented “WAC is a game-changer for hourly-paid workers, providing much needed financial transparency and empowerment. Georgina’s vision and determination have built a platform that is not only innovative but deeply impactful, and we are thrilled to support WAC on its journey to scale.” 🔥 Another powerful example of angel investors backing founders to create meaningful impact. To find out more, read the article here: https://lnkd.in/gwTE8xTG George Fairhall #AngelInvestment #StartupGrowth #LiftedVentures #UKBAA

🚨 Join us tomorrow in Liverpool for the Embracing Diversity Roadshow! UKBAA & British Business Bank, in partnership with Gateway Angels, are bringing expert insights on inclusive angel investing, practical guidance on getting started in angel investing and strategies to support diverse founders & boost portfolio success. PLUS enjoy exclusive networking with investors & industry leaders. 📅 Date: Wednesday 2nd April | 🕑 14:00 - 17:00 📍 Location: Municipal Hotel, Liverpool 🔗 Don't miss out: https://lnkd.in/exhcmXAE Anglia Capital Group - Hannah Brynn | Apollo Informal Investments - Michiel Smith | angelgroups - Martin Avison | Gateway Angels - Katie Nicholson | Minerva Business Angels - Mark Tock | Angel Investors Bristol - Ben Cooper | Oxford Innovation - Richard Cooper #AngelInvesting #EmbracingDiversity #BecomingAnAngelInvestor #UKBAA #GatewayAngels

🎭 What an inspiring evening at the Create South East Investment & Innovation Showcase, which took place on Wednesday in Colchester! In partnership with Create South East and Angels@Essex we were thrilled to bring together investors, industry leaders, and creative entrepreneurs to celebrate the incredible innovation and potential within the creative industries. Highlights included dynamic pitches from creative trailblazers, including Japeto, LimboTech, Studio Go Go Limited, Fleur de Lis Classical Theatre Company. 💬 We also heard expert insights from our fantastic speakers, including: 🌟 Kevin Withane (FRSA), Angel Investor and Founder, Diversity-X 🌟 Hugo Sunnucks, Investment Manager, Edge VC 🌟 Jessica Anastasi, Co-Founder and Brand Director, SkinBestie 🌟 Duncan Bird, Innovation Director, Innovation Centre, Knowledge Gateway 🌟 Caroline Norbury, OBE, CEO at Creative UK The event closed with a lively networking drinks reception, where connections were forged, ideas shared, and new opportunities sparked. A huge thank you to all the speakers, companies, and attendees who made this event so special. If you're inspired by the creative sector and keen to explore investment opportunities, keep an eye out for more events coming soon! #CreativeIndustries #AngelInvestment #CreativeTech John Stenhouse FIOEE Dan Chilcott

On Tuesday, we hosted a brilliant group at our Venture Into Investing course in London. What we covered: 🔹A broad introduction to angel investing with Roderick Beer and breaking down the current market 🔹Setting an investment thesis with Cornel Chiriac, explaining the framework from which to operate 🔹Embracing diversity with Dama Sathianathan, the importance of a strong portfolio and connecting with angel networks and syndicates. 🔹Sourcing and evaluating good deals, the right tools to research effectively and developing a post investment strategy - what you can do to add value and support! 🔹We went over case studies, taking a deep dive into whether companies were worth investing in, cashflow projections, and how to validate said deals and discussed “earning the right” to add value. The day was really enjoyable and educating, with great questions and debates in the room from an incredibly engaged cohort who really wanted to deep dive into angel investing and build on their knowledge. Following this, we were live yesterday with the first webinar of the course, The Tax Breaks. We demystified EIS and SEIS, dicovered how to qualify for these tax reliefs, and explored the considerations associated with investing in Knowledge Intensive Businesses (KIBs). A special thanks to Patrick Ryan for hosting. Next up - Understanding The Legal Process with Harry Trick, a high level session exploring the intricacies of legal issues surrounding exits! Emma Frost | Craig Linley | Richard Draisey | Serkan Cabi | Christoph Sauerwein | Graeme Scott | Beth Crosier

🚀 With less than a week to go, UKBAA and British Business Bank are heading to Liverpool on Wednesday 2nd April, in partnership with Gateway Angels, as part of the Embracing Diversity Roadshow. This initiative aims to expand access to angel investing and empower investors to build more diverse, high-performing portfolios. At this free event, you’ll gain: 🔹 Expert insights and practical guidance on making angel investing more inclusive and accessible 🔹 A demystification of angel investing for newcomers, with key advice on opportunities, challenges, and how to get started 🔹 Strategies to back diverse founders and unlock stronger portfolio performance This is a must-attend event for investors, angel groups, and industry leaders looking to foster innovation and inclusive growth across the UK’s investment ecosystem. 📅 Date: Wednesday 2nd April, 14:00 - 17:00 📍 Location: Municipal Hotel Liverpool 🔗 Register now to get involved! https://lnkd.in/epygww43 #AngelInvesting #DiversityInInvestment #BecomingAnAngelInvestor #UKBAA #GatewayAngels Anglia Capital Group - Hannah Brynn | Apollo Informal Investments - Michiel Smith | angelgroups - Martin Avison | Gateway Angels - Katie Nicholson | Minerva Business Angels - Mark Tock | Angel Investors Bristol - Ben Cooper | Oxford Innovation - Richard Cooper

🚀 We're thrilled to announce that HSBC Innovation Banking is sponsoring Seed VC of the Year at the UKBAA Angel Investment Awards 2025! Their support highlights a deep commitment to empowering early-stage ventures by providing investment and guidance to scale and grow. This award will recognise the most active and impactful early-stage fund in the UK—those driving success in the startup ecosystem. 🌟 Let’s celebrate the incredible fund managers and investors who are shaping the future of UK startups! 📅 Save the Date: Thursday 10 July 2025 📍 Location: The Brewery, Chiswell St, London Find out more: https://lnkd.in/eD72K6ih HSBC Innovation Banking Glen Waters #SeedVC #AngelInvestment #Innovation #Entrepreneurship #UKBAAAwards #HSBCInnovationBanking

🔈 With Create South East - Investment & Innovation Showcase (Essex) being tomorrow, it's time to announce our line up of incredible speakers! In partnership with Angels@Essex and Create South East, you'll be hearing from: 🌟 Kevin Withane (FRSA), Angel Investor and Founder, Diversity-X 🌟 Hugo Sunnucks, Investment Manager, Edge VC 🌟 Jessica Anastasi, Co-Founder and Brand Director, SkinBestie 🌟 Duncan Bird, Innovation Director, Innovation Centre, Knowledge Gateway 🌟 Caroline Norbury, OBE, Chief Executive Officer at Creative UK Plus, don't miss dynamic company pitches from Fleur de Lis Classical Theatre Company, Studio Go Go Limited, Japeto and LimboTech. 📆 Wednesday 26th March | 16:00 - 19:00 | Colchester 🤝 Closing with a networking drinks reception, this event will help you find new partnerships, discover industry insights and leave you feeling inspired! Don't miss your chance - register now: https://lnkd.in/ef2hZZYY John Stenhouse FIOEE | Megan Barnes-Rolf | Brendan Walker | Ingrid Folland | Dave Norton

🌟 New Member Announcement! 🌟 We’re thrilled to announce Tapio Foundry as our new member! 🎉 Tapio Foundry is a venture studio, scaling businesses by leveraging our regional knowledge and operator experience. Find out more and get in touch by visiting their Member Directory: https://lnkd.in/eMYfGPSt