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Angel Insights takes you deep into the world of angel investing and what makes some of the most successful angel investors tick. Join our host Tom Britton in conversations with the world's most successful investors, and some of their portfolio company entrepreneurs, to understand their investment strategy, approach to due diligence, and tips that can dramatically improve your own approach to investing.
Angel Insights is created by SyndicateRoom:
https://www.syndicateroom.com
Angel Insights is created by SyndicateRoom:
https://www.syndicateroom.com
98 Episodes
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Join us for a fascinating conversation with Pam Garside, a leading angel investor in the health tech sector and the first female chair of Cambridge Angels. Pam shares her unique journey from managing NHS organisations to becoming a trusted advisor and investor, offering a rare glimpse into how a true healthcare insider evaluates early-stage startups.In this episode, Pam reveals her "prescription" for spotting winning founders, discusses the challenges of due diligence when there’s little data, and shares candid lessons from her portfolio, including both remarkable successes and tough failures. We also explore her insights on the future of the NHS, the importance of diversity in the angel community, and what keeps her motivated to keep investing.Don't miss Pam’s expert advice and her clear-eyed perspective on the art of angel investing.Like, subscribe, and find more angel insights on SyndicateRoom.
Angela Cretu spent 25 years at Avon, rising from area manager to Global CEO, where she led one of the most remarkable corporate turnarounds in recent history. Taking over in January 2020 when the company was predicted to go bankrupt, she navigated COVID-19 as a new CEO and transformed one of the world's most recognised beauty brands.After stepping down in 2024, Angela made a fascinating career transition into angel investing, focusing on supporting female founders. In this episode, we explore:How crisis leadership experience translates to evaluating founder resilienceWhat 25 years of managing network effects teach about startup claimsThe psychology of transitioning from running a 5-million-person sales network to backing 3-person startupsWhy her corporate background gives her unique insights that other angels missHer investment philosophy and approach to supporting female foundersAngela shares candid insights about the mental shifts required when moving from CEO to angel investor, reveals red flags she spots that others miss, and explains how her expertise in network-based business models helps her evaluate early-stage companies.Whether you're interested in angel investing, corporate turnarounds, or career transitions, this conversation offers valuable insights from someone who's successfully navigated both sides of the investment table.Connect with Angela Cretu on LinkedInLearn more about angel investing: www.syndicateroom.com
In this episode, we explore Jodie O'Keeffe's fascinating journey from IT contractor in 1990s Australia to becoming one of Angel Academe's most insightful investors. Starting with a chance magazine discovery in a Melbourne supermarket, Jodie shares how her unconventional career path through technology, journalism, and philanthropy unexpectedly converged into angel investing expertise. We dive into her methodical approach to learning the ropes and how she successfully transitioned from Australia's Scale Investors to London's Angel Academe network.The conversation reveals stark funding disparities: women hold 52% of wealth yet make up less than 10% of angel investors, whilst female founders receive just 2% of funding. Jodie explains Angel Academe's collective intelligence approach, where diverse expertise from IP lawyers to exited entrepreneurs creates powerful support systems. She shares her signature question for female founders—"How big do you think it can be?"—contrasting this with the risk-focused questions they typically face.Throughout the episode, Jodie emphasises finding your tribe and offers practical advice for aspiring angel investors: start by observing, leverage network expertise, and understand that angel investing is about building meaningful connections whilst driving systemic change in the startup ecosystem.As always, to learn more please visit www.syndicateroom.com
Standing at a copy machine at HSBC late one night, reviewing 50 statements of work that needed urgent attention, Kayleigh Kuptz had her lightbulb moment. "Technology should do this," she thought, "this should not be done by me." Four years later, that frustration has become Deployed—a B2B SaaS platform that's saving enterprise clients millions while transforming how corporations engage with service providers forever.Deployed is one the the increasingly successful portfolio companies of Angel Academe.If you'd like to find out more about investing alongside Angel Academe please visit SyndicateRoom.Investing in startups is risky.Don't invest unless you're prepared to lose all the money you invest. This is a high-risk investment and you are unlikely to be protected if something goes wrong. Take 2 mins to learn more.
The last flight out of London carried just two passengers on that fateful March day in 2020. As Boris Johnson announced the UK's first lockdown, Mike Gammell and his co-founder Duncan were airborne, heading to Scotland with nothing but faith in their vision for alcohol-free beer. Four years later, Days Brewing has become the fastest-growing brand in the UK's no and low alcohol space, proving that sometimes the biggest risks yield the greatest rewards.On this episode we're delighted to be joined by Days co-founder, Mike Gammell. Mike takes us through the Days journey, from the idea to present, and all of the milestones along the way.Days is an Access EIS Fund portfolio company and we are delighted to be a part of their success.
How a biochemist turned management consultant became one of the UK's most experienced angel investors — and what new angels can learn from his journey.When Simon Blakey made his first angel investment in 2000, the startup ecosystem looked radically different. There was no AngelList, no Seed Legals, and certainly no standardised term sheets. Finding deals meant subscribing to the "Venture Capital Report" — a physical, green-bound publication that featured just two or three opportunities with basic due diligence notes.Fast-forward 25 years, and Blakey has completed over 100 funding rounds across 50-60 investments, ranging from robotics companies eventually acquired by GE Aviation to ticketing platforms processing over a billion in GMV. As Chair of the Investment Committee at Playfair Capital and a board member of Cambridge Angels, he's witnessed the entire evolution of early-stage investing.His journey offers invaluable lessons for today's angel investors, particularly those making the transition from successful entrepreneurship to investing.
On today's episode, we are joined by Aled Phillips, Co-Managing Director at Niche Private Clients, who helps us take an in-depth look at the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS) and Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS), their similarities, differences, and when they might be right for your investment strategy.It's a fascinating discussion that we hope you enjoy. Please do leave a comment or question and we'll do our best to reply.
In a world searching for sustainable alternatives to fossil fuel-derived products, Deep Blue Biotech – a graduate of climate-tech-focused fund Carbon13’s 2023 Venture Builder programme – is making waves with an innovative approach to chemical production.Using cyanobacteria – one of the most efficient photosynthetic organisms on the planet – they're developing technology that not only creates valuable chemicals for the personal care industry but removes CO2 from the atmosphere through the process.Tim Corcoran and Manuel Rios from Deep Blue Biotech sat down with us recently to talk through their groundbreaking work in synthetic biology, their business model, and their vision for a more sustainable future.Join me, your host, Tom Britton, Partner at SyndicateRoom as we dive into another episode of Antel Insights and explore this incredible startup and the work they are doing.
In the latest episode of Angel Insights, we sat down with Rob Wallis, co-founder of Moth Drinks, a SyndicateRoom portfolio company revolutionizing the ready-to-drink (RTD) cocktail market. From humble beginnings in a home kitchen to expanding across the Atlantic, Moth has established itself as a premium brand in a rapidly growing category. Here's how they did it.For more information on the Access EIS fund please visit www.syndicateroom.com
While carbon dioxide (CO2) often dominates climate discussions, methane plays a disproportionately large role in global warming."Methane is a bit like the ugly duckling compared to CO2. It's between 28 and 84 times more potent, which means when it's in the atmosphere, it absorbs much more heat."We had the privilege of speaking with Louise Parlons Bentata, the CEO and co-founder of Bluemethane. The conversation revealed the surprising scale of the methane problem and how Bluemethane is pioneering innovative solutions to tackle it, turning it from a warming agent into a clean energy.Find out more about the Carbon13 SEIS fund which backed Bluemethane and many companies like it.
Cocoon was formed through the Carbon13 venture building programme with the desire to tackle the emissions produced by the world's second most consumed good, concrete.
Eliot Brooks, CEO and Co-founder, joins us to share more about Cocoon's journey and how its product uses a byproduct of steel production to reduce emissions in concrete manufacturing.
If you enjoyed the episode please like and subscribe and head to www.syndicateroom.com for more information.
Please note, investing in early-stage companies is risky. Don’t invest unless you’re prepared to lose all the money you invest. This is a high-risk investment and you are unlikely to be protected if something goes wrong.
Join us as we speak all things Hydrogen fuel and climate-tech related with James Milner, CEO of Access portfolio company Wild Hydrogen. Learn how the hydrogen fuels industry has evolved, where it's headed, and why it's such an exciting time to be in the space.
Find out more about what we do at www.syndicateroom.com
Find out more about Wild Hydrogen.
David Hickson, part of the founding team at Founders Factory, joins us to give a bit of background on Founders Factory and why they are starting a new Pre-seed B2B SaaS programme and fund when so many others thought B2B SaaS was saturated.
To find out more about the fund SyndicateRoom and Founders Factory are building please visit www.syndicateroom.com/founders-factory-seis.
Don’t invest unless you’re prepared to lose all the money you invest. This is a high-risk investment and you are unlikely to be protected if something goes wrong.
Hannah Leach, Partner at Houghton Street Ventures & Co-founder at VentureESG, joins us on this exciting episode of Angel Insights where we delve into ESG and what it really boils down to when it comes to startups and Venture Capital.
In this episode we look beyond the products and services being built to the supply chains, hiring processes, and a whole lot more.
As always, if you'd like to learn more about our fund you can read here about Access EIS and if you'd like more on the tax reliefs offered you can read hear about the Enterprise Investment Scheme.
We had the opportunity to sit down and chat with the incredible Dr. Brian Moretta of Hardman & Co.
Brian is a quant by nature, a former fund manager by past, and a fund analyst and reviewer at present. Not to mention, in his spare time, Brian is a professor at the prestigious Heriot-Watt University.
Brian spends his days picking apart funds (EIS and VCTs) and creating the reports used by wealth advisors and IFAs so it was a privilege to get his take on how to approach reviewing a fund.
Whether you are a first-time EIS fund investor or a seasoned pro, Brian has some great insights to share with you.
What does one do with a PhD in visual processing? Naturally, one would join the entrepreneur first accelerator, launch a machine learning-based visual processing business, sell it to twitter, then work one's way up the Twitter hierarchy before retiring around 30. Then one would turn one's hand to angel investing.
Don't believe me? Listen in to today's guest Zehan Wang as he recounts his tales and all of the lessons he learned along the way which he now applies to his angel investing.
New to angel investing? Check out our guide and learn how to invest in startups.
Addie Pinkster is the Founder and Chief Executive of Adelpha, a female-led corporate financial advisor and leading investment network, that specialises in high-quality, fast-growth, UK-focused companies. Prior to that, she spent 15 years in investment banking, most recently as Head of Hedge Fund Strategy at Citi. She is also a NED, and a growth & tech investor.
I got to speak to Addie about her experiences in finance, what matters to her when it comes to choosing companies for investment, and what investors should consider before deciding to invest. It's a great episode and we're delighted to have co-invested with Addie and her team with our Access EIS fund.
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Andy Ayim MBE joins us on Angel Insights to discuss all things angel investing and how he finds time to balance family, work, and purpose. From product manager to entrepreneur, to angel investor, and opening his own angel investing school, Andy is on a mission to make the angel investing pool as diverse as the entrepreneurs starting companies. Andy's journey is filled with drive, self-discovery and a number of insights he shares with us in the episode. Always learning, authentic, humble, and a force of nature for good, if you'd like to learn more about Andy do follow him on Twitter, you will not be disappointed by the knowledge he imparts.
More from SyndicateRoom
The Access EIS fund
Information on EIS
Investing in startups
Srin Madipalli seems to have tried a bit of everything before turning his attention to building a startup. Fortunately all of the insights he'd picked up as a geneticist, lawyer, MBA and self-taught coder came in handy and he ultimately founded Accomable which he then sold to Airbnb. Since his departure from Airbnb he's focused his time on angel investing and mentoring startups. Today he shares some of the lessons he's learned along the way.
Nick Jenkins, the founder of Moonpig.com and a former member of BBC's Dragon's Den, joins us on Angel Insights to share what he's learned and how he invests.
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