Member Article

Angel Groups celebrates third year supporting high growth companies

Angel Groups, last week (Wednesday 29 August) held its third annual meeting at law firm Clarion in Leeds, which also hosts its monthly pitching sessions. Since its launch in 2015, the group has helped over 40 businesses with individual investments in excess of £100k.

The annual angel educational event saw 46 angels registering to listen to speakers covering the latest angel research, SEIS/EIS tax update, the legal challenges around angel investing, with Barclays covering alternative funding and one angel talking around the ups and downs of angel investment. These presentations were followed by the organisation’s first speed pitching session with nine businesses taking part in a bid for funding and support from the potential investors.

Over the last three years, Angel Groups has supported businesses with investment and expert advice at all stages in their development and across many different sectors from wearable technology, drinks companies and film, to software firms, engineering, the leisure industry and manufacturing.

Founded by Martin Avison, the online platform supports the monthly pitching sessions aims to bring together enterprising business people with high net worth individuals who can help the businesses to fulfil their potential with investment and support. The group also supports their investment activity by helping the businesses to access innovation and R&D grant funding and R&D Tax Credits. Martin has many years’ experience working with dynamic businesses and investors.

Martin explains: “In recent years, there’s been an explosion in the sector with many financial services firms now offering incubator programmes for businesses. However, despite lots of noise and attention in this space, there are still relatively few organisations which are not only able to supply investment for growth, but also provide the ‘grey hair’ advice which these fledgling businesses need and benefit from. “As a result, our Angel Groups model has flourished with over 500 angels offering our resources across the North of England with plans to go national. Our ethos of matching businesses with the right angel for them, one who can help them to grow and support them on their journey, is central to our concept of providing ‘smart money’.”

He continues: “We’d like to thank Clarion for supporting us from our inception and for sharing their knowledge of the legal and tax implications of investing in a small business. From shareholder agreements and minority protections to safeguarding intellectual property, their continued expert insight has been of huge value to our network of angels.” Richard Moran, senior managing partner at Clarion, added: “Yorkshire is renowned for business innovation and it is vital that we foster new, entrepreneurial ideas and aid the growth of more established businesses if the regional economy is to continue to flourish. It’s great to be supporting an organisation which is working so effectively to bring together dynamic businesses with the funding they need in order to grow and realise their potential.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Emma Kilmurray .