Category: Latest News

We are running an Angel Only Event in Leeds on the 29th of August where there will be a range of speakers covering the latest Angel research, SEIS/EIS tax, the legal challenges around Angel Investing, a detailed case study putting everything into context and concluding with a panel of investors taking open questions from the audience.

Following this educational piece, we will be putting on our first speed pitching session! This will be a fun and exciting way of hearing from businesses who are looking for funding and support. To conclude the event there will be a networking opportunity, where you can follow up with any businesses that were of interest.

This event is aimed at existing Angels or those interested in becoming an Angel Investor. To secure your place REGISTER HERE.

(Following your registration we will be in touch with regards to a little paperwork. We will need you to sign either a High Net Worth or Sophisticated Investor form – FCA rules, sorry. This doesn’t committ you to anything but allows us to have you attend this kind of event. If you have any questions then please don’t hesitate to contact us) 

 

We’re running an Investment Readiness breakfast session with Wizu Workspaces in Leeds on the 13th of September. 

Subjects covered will include: Is Angel Investment right for you, the difference between Crowdfunding and Angel Investing, other funding options and concluding with a Q&A session. This event would be great for businesses who are looking for funding or those interested in exploring their options/expanding their knowledge.

Secure your place now by REGISTERING HERE

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what is SEIS/EIS and how do you qualify

The most recent report published by the Britsh Business Bank stated that:

  • 86% of Angels invest because of SEIS/EIS
  • 78% of Angels invest in riskier businesses because of SEIS/EIS
  • 87% of deals used SEIS/EIS 

So, what is SEIS/EIS and how do you qualify?

 

S E E D   E N T E R P R I S E   I N V E S T M E N T   S C H E M E 

SEIS (Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme) is there to help your business raise money when it’s starting to trade, by offering tax reliefs to individual investors buying shares in the business. It’s important to note that this isn’t relief for the business but for the Investors, which in turn benefits the business by making the investment proposition more appealing. 

You can receive a maximum of £150,000 through SEIS investments on which your Investors can claim relief. The money you raise from the investment must be spent within 3 years from the share issue and must be spent on the qualifying business activity it was raised for.

You can ask HMRC if your share issue is likely to qualify before going ahead, this is called advanced assurance.

For a full understanding on SEIS, how to apply and if you qualify CLICK HERE.

 

E N T E R P R I S E   I N V E S T M E N T   S C H E M E 

EIS (Enterprise Investment Scheme) offers tax relief to individual Investors who buy new shares in your business to help it grow. 

Under EIS, you can raise up to £5million each year, and a maximum of £12million in your Company’s lifetime. It’s worth noting that tax reliefs will be witheld/withdrawn from your Investors if you fon’t follow the rules for at least 3 years after the investment is made. The money raised by the new share issue must be used for a qualifying business activity, which is:

  • A qualifying trade
  • Preparing to carry out a qualifying trade 
  • Research and development that’s expected to lead to a qualifying trade

For a full understanding on EIS, how to apply and if you qualify CLICK HERE.

We regularly get asked about the fundamental differences between angel funding and crowdfunding. One of the main differences that separate the two is that angel investment is largely active, as opposed to crowdfunding which is passive. This is especially true of our own network of angels, who not only provide investment, but support and mentoring. Research suggests angel investment can significantly improve the growth and success of a business. 

Crowdfunding reaches a worldwide audience while angel investment tends to be local. This is especially important if a business is looking for support. Our network of angel investors have a vast amount of knowledge and experience, and have quite literally ‘been there and done it’. This helps founders avoid the common pitfalls that others experience, as they learn from angels who have not only made the mistakes, but learnt from them.

We have detailed some of the key differences in the table below:

Angel V Crowd 1

Investor Readiness Leeds and York

We are running a FREE Investor Readiness Training session in Leeds that we would like to invite you to. This event will cover the following topics:

  • 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
The details for this event are:
 
L E E D S   I N V E S T O R   R E A D I N E S S   T R A I N I N G 
D A T E : 15th August
T I M E : 8.45am start with a 1.00pm finish
L O C A T I O N : NatWest Entrepreneur Accelerator, 2 Park Cross Street, Leeds, LS1 2QH
 
Please get in touch if you have any questions.

The British Business Bank has published the latest research on the UK Business Angel Market

This report provides fresh insight into business angel investors in the UK. The right funding at the right time, coupled with the expertise that external angel investors can bring, is often the key to unlocking rapid growth for companies wanting to expand, diversify, or enter new markets. A vibrant and healthy business angel market is therefore a key ingredient for a successful national economy.

Business angel investments tend to be of a private nature. This has meant that data on this part of the market has often been hard to collate from conventional sources. For this research, the British Business Bank and the UK Business Angels Association undertook a direct survey of angels across the UK.

Their research gathered details of factors such as the background, expertise, portfolio composition and decision-making of over 650 individuals, creating a multi-faceted picture of the UK business angel population. Enabling them to produce an in-depth analysis of the overall market.

Angel investment plays an important part in the economy

It’s clear that angel investors play a vital role in the UK economy and will continue to do so as our economy develops, and we face on-going business challenges. We’re really proud of the work the investors involved with Angel Groups have done to help businesses grow and this research backs up our belief that angel investing has a long-term future as part of the economy.

The research includes facts such as:

  • Investment returns 
  • SEIS/EIS 
  • Investment growth
  • The main investment sectors
  • Support provided from Angels 
  • The Investment term 
  • The typical investment 
  • What an Angel Investor is looking for
  • Key findings 
  • Exits 

You can download your free copy of the UK Business Angel Report here.

It has been a busy couple of weeks for us with the office move and our monthly events.

The past few pitching sessions have had some of the best feedback to date with some Angels commenting that the businesses have been of a really high standard and delivered some of the best pitches they have seen. It’s great when we can go back to the businesses and provide them with feedback like this and start the ball rolling for them to meet with interested investors. Roll on the next round of pitching events. If you’re looking for funding then please get in touch. 

On the 17th of May we are running an Angel Only event in Sheffield.

Here a range of speakers will be covering the main investment process, tax and legal challenges around angel investing, a detailed case-study to put everything into context, a Bank’s perspective then concluding with a panel of investors taking open questions from the audience. This is a fantastic opportunity for anyone who is new to Angel Investing and current Angels. If you would like to receive an invite please get in touch. 

We’ve had another great week! On Tuesday we attended the Scale Yorkshire event at PWC in Leeds and watched 9 businesses pitch. All the businesses did a great job and we wish them every success in the future. On Tuesday afternoon we ran an Angel only event in Hull alongside our partners. It was a fantastic session, thank you again to our partners who helped make it a great success. On Wednesday we attended the Raising Finance event as part of Leeds Digital Festival. This was an extremely well attended event and we were thrilled to be asked to talk and provide an insight into the world of Angel Investing. Then yesterday we had our latest York pitching event where 5 businesses pitched. This group is still in it’s infancy but is already set to be a fantastic group and we are really pleased with the level of interest it’s received in the area. On top of all of this, we have also met with some really interesting businesses and are looking forward to working with them in the upcoming weeks. All in all it’s been a great week – and the sunshine has been the cherry on top of the cake!

Next week we are running an Angel Only event in Hull. Here a range of speakers will be covering the main investment process, tax and legal challenges around angel investing, a detailed case-study to put everything into context, a Bank’s perspective then concluding with a panel of investors taking open questions from the audience. This is a fantastic opportunity for anyone who is new to Angel Investing and current Angels. If you would like to receive an invite please get in touch.

For the Angel:

Following on from a fantastic week of events we are now looking to the next few months where we will be holding even more. In a few weeks we will be running another Angel Only event but this time for the Humber region on the 17th of April. These events are a great opportunity for those who are interested in learning a bit more about becoming an Angel Investor as well as an opportunity for existing Angels to refresh their knowledge and understanding. 
 
For the Business:
Over the next few months we are running upwards of 15 pitching sessions across our 5 regions. We offer access to a range of finance so now is a great time to get in touch and begin your funding journey. We hope to hear from you soon.