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Last week we took part in a roundtable discussion hosted by the UK Business Angel Association on Angel Investing in the North during COVID-19. It was so insightful to see what other angel groups are doing during these uncertain times, and not surprising that they, like us, have moved to an online solution, some looking to move permanently to that model. What stuck out the most during the discussion though, was that angel groups are busier than ever.

We get to see some incredible businesses, it’s one of the best parts of running an angel group. Behind these businesses are great founders who are investible just as people. These businesses never cease to amaze us, especially at the moment with how they are adapting to the current COVID-19 situation. They are working harder than ever to succeed.

It truly is inspiring. Keep at it everyone! And if you’re looking for funding in the meantime, you know where we are.

We are thrilled to announce that in two weeks time we will be launching our Newcastle angel group (virtually)! Our first event will be an online educational session where we will get to meet the local angels and along with our partners provide guidance on the latest tax incentives, shareholder agreements, angel case studies and a bank’s perspective on investing.

We can’t wait to meet everyone and start building our angel group in the region. Newcastle has some fantastic high growth businesses with some great entrepreneurial activity. We’re really looking forward to building a strong angel group in the region to support these local businesses.

It’s been a busy old month working from home. Finding that work/life balance is tricky when the two have no separation. We like to start and end the day with team meetings. Starting the day having a catch-up with colleagues and discussing our plans for the day, then winding up work finding out how everyone has got on and discussing what their evenings have in store.

We’re spending the rest of the week getting ready for our next pitch events and organising follow-on investment meetings. We hope everyone is keeping well and safe during these difficult times.

A few months ago we recorded a podcast with Nick Bramley as part of his Impact Sessions.

If you’re interested in learning more about Angel Investment then we would love for you to give it a listen.

Click HERE to view via YouTube.

Only a couple of weeks until our next Breaking Down the Investment Landscape virtual workshop which is ran in partnership with Barclays Eagle Labs. We’ll be covering:

Is investment right for you
Angel or crowd funding
Valuation – what is your strategy
What an angel is looking for
What does your perfect angel look like
Pitching for investment

If you’re interested in finding out more about the investment landscape then this event is for you!

Just a quick one – yesterday was our first online pitching session, and we are thrilled to say that it went really well. We had 4 fantastic businesses pitch, all very different but each with huge growth potential. We’re even more pleased because all of the business got investor interest. A great start to our online events!

Good customer feedback is great at any time, but good feedback during the current situation with COVID-19 is fantastic. One of the businesses who is pitching with us online next week, took the time earlier to tell us how pleased they were with our approach to moving to an online solution so quickly and thank us for the support they have received.

This feedback makes all the hard work worthwhile. We’ve learnt so much over the past couple of weeks, as I’m sure most businesses have. Some of the tools we are keen to implement when we all come out the other side.

In the meantime, every day is a learning day and we are here, up and operational if you want to begin your funding journey.

It was fantastic to see some familiar faces today via Zoom, and getting to show everyone the ropes ahead of our first online pitching session in a couple of weeks time.

We did of course miss having everyone together in a room for a catch-up. But all things considered, we were just pleased to see everyone fit and well.

Roll on the next Zoom Training which will be tomorrow morning. We’re looking forward to seeing more familiar faces and checking in with everyone.

It’s a difficult time for SME’s at the moment as they face an uncertain future with COVID-19. We wanted to remind everyone about R&D Tax Credits and how they can benefit your business, especially in the current economic climate where cashflow is tight.

A company in any sector can potentially claim R&D tax credits, the key point is whether there are qualifying R&D activities being undertaken.

If your company carries out research and development then you may be eligible for R&D tax credits.

R&D tax credits are a government incentive designed to reward UK companies for investing in innovation. If you’re making a claim for the first time, you can typically claim R&D tax relief for your last two completed accounting periods.

There are three main types of tax benefit that arise from a successful claim for R&D Tax Relief, these are:

A payable cash credit
A rebate of corporation tax
An enhanced deduction that can be carried forward

To find out if you qualify and to learn more about R&D tax credits CLICK HERE to view the HMRC guidelines.

If you think you qualify and would like to make a claim just GET IN TOUCH.

There is no doubt the current situation around the world is having a huge impact on businesses and the way that business will be delivered in the weeks or months to come. We will be introducing an online solution for our pitching sessions which we will be rolling out with immediate effect. It is our priority to keep our customers, members and staff safe. We are confident that apart from moving to an online solution it will be business as usual and we will be working hard to get as many businesses funded during this time, as we do during any time.

If you have any questions whatsoever please don’t hesitate to get in touch. Additionally, if you are looking for funding, we are open as usual!

The North East Times have just released an article about the launch of our new Newcastle Angel Group. We can’t wait to get this group up and running. There are so many fantastic businesses in the region, and we’re really looking forward to supporting them on their funding journeys.

Read the article HERE.

Good news Friday…another Yorkshire business funded!
A huge well done to Corksol in securing their investment. Corksol is a truly unique and innovative product, that has massive potential and the team to realise it. We are delighted to have been a small part of their journey and wish them every success.

Corksol is the exclusive distributor of a multi-function coating solution for the building and construction trade, uniquely providing thermal, acoustic, fire-resistance and breathability solutions in one application.

Corksol offer a spray-applied coating solution that is equally suitable for application to internal and external walls and roofs and in a multitude of application settings. For example, with external coastal locations where salt reduces traditional coating performance, through to use at major events to enable noise-reduction!

As the name suggests, the product is made from natural cork and generates a set of unique benefits from just one application and comes with a 15-year manufacturer guarantee. Corksol offer the only spray-applied product on the market that provides a combined solution to the issues of energy-saving (thermal retention), fire-retardancy, noise-reduction (acoustic properties) and condensation removal (via breathability properties).

Founder, Joff Ward said “not only did angelgroups find us the money that we needed, but they also found us the right individual to help us deliver on our growth ambitions. The help and support through the whole process has been invaluable and we can’t thank them enough”.