The Entrepreneurs Network

In 2024, The Entrepreneurs Network turned ten. Given that only around a third of businesses survive beyond a decade, perhaps we’re doing something right. Ultimately though, there is only one metric that matters: are we making the UK a better place than it would otherwise be for entrepreneurs? I’ll leave it to others to make that ultimate judgement, but as you’ll see below it’s not lack of effort – and our plans for the next year are even more ambitious. We hope you’ll remain part of our journey.

💡 In today's Three Big Ideas from The Entrepreneurs Network, I explain why if we want to fix the London Stock Exchange, we should be intensely relaxed about increasing CEO pay. Managers matter, and if they're not getting the remuneration they deserve here, don't be surprised to find them searching for pastures new. Read it in full and don't forget to subscribe! 👇 https://lnkd.in/dH5iRTSV

💡 Do you know what an Angel Syndicate is?   An angel syndicate is a group of investors who share resources, knowledge, and deal flow – offering a powerful pathway for women to enter the world of investing.   Why syndicates matter:    🧠 Access to Expertise You get to benefit from the collective knowledge of seasoned investors in the group. ️ ♻️ On-going Education You’ll have the opportunity to learn from the experiences and best practices of fellow syndicate members. Some syndicates even run dedicated education programmes.  💷 Deal Flow With syndicates, you gain access to a wider variety of investment opportunities that might not be available to solo investors.  🔎 Enhanced Due Diligence You can conduct more thorough due diligence through the combined efforts and insights of the group.   As Roxane Sanguinetti of Alma Angels says:   “Today the main barriers I see for women becoming angel investors are connections and confidence. Angel investing isn’t a solo game, we do better as a community because getting exposure to the experience, expertise and deal flow of other angels builds up the confidence to get started and to continue to back groundbreaking early stage ventures.” Did you know? While just 14% of UK angel investors are women, female angels back 25% of female-powered businesses – a testament to the power of women supporting women.   A new Angel Investing Report “Gaining Altitude”, by The Entrepreneurs Network and the Invest in Women Taskforce, found that syndication offered a number of benefits to women aspiring to become angel investors, but more is needed to increase the awareness of angel groups and syndicates.   Interested in learning more about angel syndication and how you can get involved in this collaborative community as an investor?   Read the full report by TEN here: https://lnkd.in/eDna2gxr  📷 - quote from the report by Roxane Sanguinetti, Founding Partner at Alma Angels!

🪽 Fantastic to see so many champions of the angel investment community at the launch of our new report, Gaining Altitude: Female Angel Investors Across the Regions, in the House of Lords and to hear from: Sonia Kumar MP Hannah Bernard OBE, Co-Chair of the Invest in Women Taskforce, and Head of Business Banking at Barclays Jenny Tooth OBE, Executive Chair of the UK Business Angels Association Click through to the full report: https://lnkd.in/eDna2gxr

🚀 New Report Alert: “Gaining Altitude”   ️🗓️ This morning, The Entrepreneurs Network, in partnership with the Invest in Women Taskforce launched a new report “Gaining Altitude” at the House of Lords.   The report explores how to grow the number of female angel investors in the UK and create more opportunities for women entrepreneurs to thrive. The research was conducted across six regions in the UK, with 55 active or prospective angel investors, leaders of angel groups and syndicates, as well as other key ecosystem players.   Key insights include:   • Expanding education and awareness for new investors. • Raising awareness on important tax relief schemes like SEIS and EIS • Strengthening angel networks to boost deal flow and co-investment opportunities.   💡 Why it matters: Angels invest £1.5 billion annually in UK startups, often as the first to back early-stage ventures. But women remain unrepresented as investors, with challenges like regional barriers and limited access to networks.   As we unveil the findings of this report, through the insights TEN have gathered, we want to note that although it provides a roadmap for future action… the real change depends on all of us – investors, entrepreneurs, policymakers and advocates. Your role is vital in shaping this vision into reality.   We want to thank think-tank, The Entrepreneurs Network, our Chair of the Angel Investment Sub Committee; Jenny Tooth OBE, and all of the contributors behind this report. It is uplifting to see such a willingness to share stories, guidance and inspiration. Despite the challenges faced, their success is an undeniable show of hope and a potential source of belonging for future female angels.     🔗 Read the full report here: https://lnkd.in/eDna2gxr

🪽🚨 For women-led businesses, female angel investors play a critical role in helping them take off. But despite increasing attention, they remain only a small proportion of the overall angel investor population. So, what is clipping their wings? To find out, new research from our Female Founders Forum initiative draws on conversations with active and prospective angel investors, leaders of angel groups and syndicates, and other key players in the ecosystem across the UK. Often the first to back startups, angel investors are a crucial source of early-stage capital. Who invests translates directly into who gets investment. Diversity in deal flow starts with diversity in investors. Boosting their ranks means more capital and more opportunities for female founders. Understanding the health of the environment in which female angel investors operate therefore is critical. We heard a range of views but common themes emerged: 🤷♀️ Lack of awareness of investment tax reliefs 🏦 Limited accessibility of government schemes 🤏 Resource constraints for new angel groups 🚧 Obstacles to deal sharing across groups ❓ Poor understanding of investing nuances We make recommendations to fix these, focused on: 👼 Support for emerging angel groups 🌱 Making the Regional Angels Programme more accessible 🤗 Deal sharing and co-investment between angel groups 👩🏫 Education about angel investing As Hannah Bernard OBE and Debbie Wosskow, OBE, Co-Chairs of the Invest in Women Taskforce, write in their foreword to the report, “Changing the game for aspiring female angels and female entrepreneurs will take more than capital: it will take a community – of investors, entrepreneurs, policy makers and allies – who share our vision. Through addressing regional imbalances and supporting the work of female led networks and syndicates, the UK can unlock the full potential of its angel investing ecosystem, driving growth and opportunity across all regions.” Click through to the full report: https://lnkd.in/eDna2gxr

🪽🚨 For women-led businesses, female angel investors play a critical role in helping them take off. But despite increasing attention, they remain only a small proportion of the overall angel investor population. So, what is clipping their wings? To find out, new research from our Female Founders Forum initiative draws on conversations with active and prospective angel investors, leaders of angel groups and syndicates, and other key players in the ecosystem across the UK. Often the first to back startups, angel investors are a crucial source of early-stage capital. Who invests translates directly into who gets investment. Diversity in deal flow starts with diversity in investors. Boosting their ranks means more capital and more opportunities for female founders. Understanding the health of the environment in which female angel investors operate therefore is critical. We heard a range of views but common themes emerged: 🤷♀️ Lack of awareness of investment tax reliefs 🏦 Limited accessibility of government schemes 🤏 Resource constraints for new angel groups 🚧 Obstacles to deal sharing across groups ❓ Poor understanding of investing nuances We make recommendations to fix these, focused on: 👼 Support for emerging angel groups 🌱 Making the Regional Angels Programme more accessible 🤗 Deal sharing and co-investment between angel groups 👩🏫 Education about angel investing As Hannah Bernard OBE and Debbie Wosskow, OBE, Co-Chairs of the Invest in Women Taskforce, write in their foreword to the report, “Changing the game for aspiring female angels and female entrepreneurs will take more than capital: it will take a community – of investors, entrepreneurs, policy makers and allies – who share our vision. Through addressing regional imbalances and supporting the work of female led networks and syndicates, the UK can unlock the full potential of its angel investing ecosystem, driving growth and opportunity across all regions.” Click through to the full report: https://lnkd.in/eDna2gxr

📨 In this week’s newsletter, I’ve weighed in on today’s news that Britain’s economy has shrunk for a second month in a row. For a Government that’s targeting the fastest growing economy in the G7, that doesn’t make for pretty reading. Across the Atlantic, meanwhile, the American economy is chugging away very nicely indeed. Our nations have a close bond, and it wasn’t too long ago that we were actively negotiating a free trade agreement. Once the new administration moves into the White House, our Government needs to be unstinting in making the case for a deal, and rebooting those talks. Rarely does a lever for growth quite like an FTA with the world’s biggest economy present itself – and while finalising one won’t be plain sailing, if the Government can strike an agreement, achieving that growth mission will be made all the easier. https://lnkd.in/etry_GPB

Does the UK need a Station F? If so, what should it look like? My colleague Anastasia Bektimirova spoke with Roxanne VARZA to answer this and other questions in a wide-ranging interview for our new(ish) Substack. You can find a link to the article in the comments, which covers: – Ingredients of Station F’s secret sauce – Foreign-born entrepreneurs building global companies – Station F’s international strategy – AI Action Summit preparations – Response to the EU AI Act from the French tech ecosystem – What AI means for European climate tech – France’s approach to scale-up funding – Policy lessons, and what the UK and France are missing I don't normally tag people into things, but I wanted to share with a few people who might be interested in seeing a 'Station UK': Anisah Osman Britton MBE, Benedict Macon-Cooney, Carolyn Dawson, Chris Hulatt, Chris Yiu Christopher Haley, Cordelia Meacher, Dom Hallas, Edward Bussey, Emma Jones, Ewan Kirk, Fabio Bianchi, Gerard Grech, Irene Graham OBE, Jeegar Kakkad, James Titcomb, Jimmy McLoughlin OBE, Jonny Clark, James Wise, Kajal S., Kapila Perera, Kirsty Innes, Lewis Maconachy, Matt Smith, Oli Barrett, Patricia Ypma, Rhys Morris, Richard Harpin, Russ Shaw CBE, Sanghamitra Karra, Shira Goldblum, Stephen Welton CBE, Steve Rigby, Timothy Barnes, Tom Adeyoola, Tom Grogan, Tom Morrison-Bell

"A new report from The Entrepreneurs Network, Britain’s leading think tank for entrepreneurship policy, urges the UK Government to prioritise a free trade agreement with the incoming Trump Administration if it is to deliver on its ambitions to become the fastest-growing economy in the G7." (Link in comments)