Female Founders, apply below

You’re a female founder or co-founder who owns at least 20% of founder equity in the business (pre-dilution). You will run the fundraising activity with our investors.

Your startup has an innovative technology-based solution to an important global problem in areas including fin tech, med tech (digital and devices), ed tech, cyber security, clean tech and enterprise.

You have relevant industry, technical and startup experience in your team and a strong vision for the future of your business.

You have a working product, business model and market traction. B2B businesses are preferred but we will consider B2C opportunities with significant and growing revenue, ideally recurring.

You can articulate clear differentiation from your competition and good barriers to entry for potential new entrants.

You’re addressing a large global market and can show how you will return a minimum 10X to investors within 3-10 years.

You’re a UK business with a £1m - £15m pre-money valuation and eligible for SEIS and/or EIS tax relief.

You’re raising £250,000-£5,000,000 of equity investment in a priced round (not an ASA or SAFE).

You’re able and willing to work with external advisors and recognise the value of women’s names on your cap table and among your advisors.

Everyone pitching to Angel Academe investors and our EIS fund goes through the same process.

Stage 1: Online application

We read all applications received. The questions cover the areas our investors want to know about and will help us quickly gauge their level of interest.

Stage 2: Weekly screening calls

If we think there’ll be good investor interest, you'll be invited to join a Thursday lunchtime screening call to pitch informally to about 10 of our lead angels and subject matter experts. Although it’s an informal event, please keep your pitch to 10mins to allow time for Q&A.

TIP: Ensure you cover:

• how much you’re raising & a what valuation (a range or TBC amount is fine)

• your lead investor if you have one

• how much has been committed so far

• what the funds will be used for, and what milestones will be achieved

• when you aim to close investment

Stage 3: Review, selection and feedback

Based on feedback from screening calls, some opportunities will be invited to pitch formally to the full network. Adding value is important to us, so if you’ve joined a screening call, you’ll be offered individual feedback.

Stage 4: Pre-pitch call

We’ll organise a pre-pitch meeting ~2 weeks prior to the pitch event to run through details and to introduce you to some of our investors.

We run regular virtual pitch events throughout the year with 2-4 opportunities pitching at each.

Investor due diligence

Our investors are responsible for their own investment decision, but we encourage them to work as a team and and follow our structured ~4 week due diligence process. Expect several follow-up calls and detailed questions. This is your opportunity to get to know them. You’ll be expected to share a data room with information on your:

Business - CVs and contracts for team members, advisors, key suppliers and customers; trading history and financial forecasts; IP; marketing strategy; competitor analysis; product roadmap etc.

Current and previous funding rounds - term sheet and shareholder agreement, cap table, S/EIS advanced assurance; outstanding loans etc.

FAQs - a record of questions asked and answers given.

TIP: You can help speed up DD by having all relevant information available in a data room ready (Google Drive preferred) for potential investors to review.

Investment

We aim to close investments as quickly as possible once your full round (or an agreed amount) is in place.

Our minimum ticket is £10k and our angels typically invest directly onto your cap table. Investment amounts vary widely from deal to deal, but successful founders typically attract £70k-£350k.

You’ll need to send share certificates and S/EIS3 forms to your investors and keep them informed through regular written updates and periodic shareholder meetings.

Founders successful in raising investment and demonstrating “conviction” from our angel investors will automatically be considered for an additional ~£125k investment from the Angel Academe EIS Fund.

The British Business Bank has allocated £1 million in co-investment alongside the Angel Academe EIS Fund. Founders that successfully raise investment from both the Angel Academe angel network and EIS Fund will be considered for an additional £60k equity co-investment cheque.

Angel Academe is an investor partner in the Innovate UK Investor Partnerships programme. Startups that raise investment with us can apply for non-dilutive IUK match funding as well as accelerated referral for Innovate UK innovation loans. We are also scouts for US-based VC Alumni Ventures, and SyndicateRoom in the UK, as well as with other VCs and angel networks.

We charge a 5% success fee on all investment raised from our introductions. There are no application, pitch or review fees, monitoring fees, fees applied at exit or obligations to buy services from us or our partners.

Our fees ensure we only put forward companies that we’re confident will achieve a good level of investment. We support companies through the investment process and beyond. We regularly make follow-on investments and usually bring new investors into follow-on rounds.

Here is a list of programmes and investors that may be of help.

Disclaimer: The information in this table is compiled from publicly available sources and is intended solely for general informational purposes. While efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, the investment focus, stage, and details of the listed organisations may change over time. As a founder, you should conduct your own due diligence and engage directly with these firms to confirm their investment criteria, interest and current activity before initiating outreach.

This resource is not an endorsement or recommendation of any particular investor and inclusion does not guarantee funding or interest. Use this list as a starting point to guide your research and tailor your fundraising/growth strategy.