Moving into the Regions with Angel Investing

The UK’s most active angel investor networks are in London and Edinburgh, according to a recent study.

However, there are an increasing number of regional angel investor hubs. The most active cities include Glasgow, Cambridge, Oxford and Bristol.

Angel investing has increased significantly in recent years. The UK Government incentivising schemes have facilitated this trend, with a reported 90% of current angel investment being EIS eligible.

Regional angel networks are integral to increasing early-stage investment. Importantly, they are also spreading investment funds outside of the established London bubble.

British Business Investment (BBI – www.bbinv.co.uk) is supporting a Regional Angels Programme to also help boost this trend.

At a recent UKBAA (www.ukbaa.org.uk) webinar, Mark Berry, who heads up the programme at BBI, explained more about its aims and activities since launching in 2018.

Regional angel networks are clearly making an impact, with Mark highlighting successes in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the North West.

Some key regions underrepresented in the angel investing community. The Midlands and South West are two regions where the BBI would like to see more angel groups established.

The VC landscape is changing and the appeal of angel investing is strengthening. Regional angel networks can play a key role in shaping the future of the UK’s investment in early-stage start-ups.

PACP have established great relationships with regional angel groups, and we continue to extend our reach into the regions as we grow.

We are delighted to have completed successful fundraising campaigns outside of London in recent months;

Amazon marketplace partner, Boulevard (www.boulevardonline.co.uk), based in Worcester

Second-hand marketplace platform, Rummage (www.rumage.com), based in Dorset.

PACP work with businesses based all over the UK and our partners are also geographically spread across many UK regions.

We also have partners based in Ireland, Australia and Dubai.

Our monthly PACP Online Pitch Events are an ideal platform for angels based in any region or country to see Investor Ready businesses presented by their founders.

Please click here for more details and to sign up to our next online event.