• Five finalists named for the inaugural ‘Best Angel Syndicate’ award.
• Winners will be announced at an exclusive black-tie awards dinner on Wednesday 8 November, at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London.
• Visit growthinvestorawards.com/finalists for finalists in all 16 award categories, plus information on how to attend the event.
Intelligent Partnership, the UK’s leading provider of education and insights on alternative investment, is thrilled to announce the five finalists selected to compete for the title of ‘Best Angel Syndicate’, a new category at this year’s third annual Growth Investor Awards. The five chosen finalists for this award are:
• 24Haymarket
• Endeavour Ventures
• Green Angel Syndicate
• Oxford Capital Co-Investor Circle
• Startup Funding Club
These finalists will now go on to a second round of judging before the winner of the inaugural award is announced at a black-tie dinner for 450 guests on 8 November 2017.
The Best Angel Syndicate award is open to angel investors that are co-investing as a recognised angel syndicate. The judges have chosen five finalists that have been identified as not just having invested in a small or medium-sized enterprise (SME), but have also displayed a measurable ‘impact beyond investment’.
The Growth Investor Awards are organised by Intelligent Partnership and supported by partners including the BVCA, EISA, UKCFA, The Centre for Entrepreneurs, The Entrepreneur Network and The Supper Club. These awards specifically acknowledge companies and individuals who are helping start-up and ‘scale-up’ businesses realise their full potential and power Britain’s economy.
Guy Tolhurst, Managing Director of Intelligent Partnership, said:
“The Best Angel Syndicate award is designed to recognise the vital role angel investing plays in the SME investment ecosystem, by pairing ambitious and knowledgeable investors with talented and ambitious entrepreneurs. Not only do they present the opportunity for investors to enhance their investment capacity and spread their risk, it also creates micro-communities capable of providing invaluable advice and mentoring.“
“We introduced this category because it was clear to us that syndicates are a significant and sizeable part of the UK SME investment ecosystem. And we have been impressed with the calibre of entrants. This award embodies the very spirit of the Growth Investor Awards, which honour the talent, bravery and commitment underpinning the UK’s thriving smaller company environment.”
The awards programme is guided by an Advisory Board, including Irene Graham, CEO of the Scale Up Institute; Luke Johnson, Chairman of Risk Capital Partners; Claire Cockerton, Founder and Ambassador of Innovate Finance; Tim Hames, Director General of the British Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (BVCA); Emma Jones MBE, CEO of Enterprise Nation; Simon Devonshire OBE, Entrepreneur in Residence at BEIS; and Michael Hayman MBE, Co-founder of Seven Hills.
Commenting on the importance of angel investing, Jenny Tooth OBE, Chief Executive of the UK Business Angels Association said:
“Without knowledgeable syndicates that are prepared to collaborate and share risk, many businesses would struggle to get the investment and support they need at key stages in their growth journey. As these five worthy finalists demonstrate, angel investors today come in all shapes and sizes. Congratulations to all the finalists, but to win this award, the judges will be looking for the angel syndicate that truly stands out from the crowd, and has made an undeniably positive impact on its investee companies. It should be an excellent contest.”
Information about previous award winners, judges and selection criteria for each award can be found at growthinvestorawards.com.