UK Business Angels Association

29/10/2026

Thinking about applying to the Diverse Angel Syndicate programme? Join us next week to find out more.

📅 Webinar: Wednesday 4 November, 10am

The British Business Bank’s new programme will support up to 10 diversity-focused angel syndicates, with up to £400,000 of grant funding per syndicate over four years, plus specialist support to help them grow and develop. It is designed to bring more women and people from ethnic minority backgrounds into angel investing.

The webinar will cover the programme and the application process, so you can find out whether it’s right for your syndicate. Office hours will follow over a two-week period in November for anyone who wants to talk through their application.

Applications open on 11 November. If you lead or are building a diversity-focused syndicate, or know someone who does, please share this with them.

Register for the webinar: https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0zrR7K0



Susan Nightingale

28/10/2026

Compliance Compass: join us on 11 November for a technical seminar on what the Autumn Budget means for angel and venture investors.

Taking place at Price Forbes in London and designed for angel groups, venture capital investors and early-stage ecosystem leaders, this morning session will unpack the legal, tax and regulatory implications of today’s Budget announcement.

On the agenda:
🔹 Post-Autumn Budget update for HNW and UHNW investors, with Jo Bateson, Mercer & Hole
🔹 Client categorisation: what’s changing and why it matters for angels, with Ollie Blears, RW Blears LLP
🔹 Post-Budget tax update covering EIS/SEIS, CGT, inheritance tax and Business Relief, with David Brookes, Philip Hare & Associates
🔹 A session with Inger Anson, Hewitsons

Opening remarks come from Eloise Morgan, Price Forbes, and Roderick B**r, UKBAA.

📅 11 November | 09:30–12:30 📍 Price Forbes, London

Exclusive to UKBAA members. See the full agenda and book your place: https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0zr-6b0

Not a member yet? Find out more: https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0zrZWJ0

27/10/2026

Ahead of the Autumn Budget, UKBAA has submitted its priorities to the Chancellor. Our paper, Backing Britain’s Angels, sets out why angels matter and what we’re asking Government to do.

The case is clear. Angels are the foundational equity funding behind so many of the UK’s innovators. They bring capital, experience and support to businesses at the riskiest stage, and they help crowd in wider investment.

But angel investment is under pressure:
- EIS investment has fallen by over 30% since 2021-22 and is at its lowest level since 2013-14.
- 51% of angel and seed deals are still focused on London and the South East.
- Women make up only 14.1% of UK angel investors.

We recognise how tight the Government’s finances are, so our asks focus on building on existing schemes and making targeted changes where they’re needed, under four pillars:
- Increase the capacity of angels
- Support angel groups
- Activate investor capacity in the regions
- Drive diversity

Thank you to the Angel Group Advisory Board and the Legal, Tax and Regulatory Committee for their time and expertise in shaping this, and if you have evidence, examples or ideas that would strengthen our case, we’d love to hear them at [email protected].

Read the full submission here: https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0zqV0j0

22/10/2026

We’re delighted to be working with the British Business Bank as strategic partner for its new Diverse Angel Syndicate programme.

The programme aims to broaden participation in angel investing and ultimately increase the flow of capital to underrepresented founders. It will support 10 diversity-focused angel syndicates, with up to £400,000 of grant funding per syndicate over four years, plus support to recruit, train and activate investors and strengthen their operations.

Jenny Tooth OBE, Executive Chair of UKBAA, said: “Building a more diverse angel investment ecosystem across the UK is vital and we need to enable many more women and those from wider diverse backgrounds with the capacity to invest to become part of angel investment syndicates.”

Why it matters: women make up around 14% of UK angel investors, according to the Investing in Women Code Annual Report 2025, and we estimate around 11% are from Black and ethnic minority backgrounds. Evidence suggests investors are more likely to back founders with similar backgrounds, so who invests influences who gets funded.

The programme builds on the Bank’s pilot with five female-led syndicates. By June 2026 it had recruited 277 angel investors, including 265 women, and supported 74 deals with a total round value of £58.7m. As strategic partner, we’ll help syndicates build the structures, processes and capabilities they need, and help the opportunity reach relevant groups through our national network. Public IO, through the Angel Investing School, will provide Train-the-Trainer support.

📅 Webinar: 4 November
📅 Applications open: 11 November

Read the full article: https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0zhVWF0

Find out more and register: https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0zhVXB0

19/10/2026

We’re pleased to welcome Vestd as a sponsor of the UKBAA Early-Stage Investment Summit this November.

Vestd is an equity management platform that helps UK companies manage cap tables, fundraising, share schemes and compliance in one place. As early-stage businesses grow and bring new investors on board, managing equity and ownership well becomes increasingly important, and Vestd supports founders through that process.

With equity, governance and ownership central to early-stage growth, they’ll bring a valuable perspective to this year’s Summit conversations.

Thank you to the Vestd team for your support.

📅 23 November 2026 📍 London

Find out more and join us: https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0z9VYr0

19/10/2026

Angel investing is often talked about in terms of deals, returns and portfolios. But the reality is also about relationships, access, judgement and fitting it around everything else.

In our next Angel Diaries: Relationships, Reality and the Angel Investing Nobody Talks About, Claire Valoti joins Roderick B**r to share a more candid view of what angel investing really looks like.

With around 30 investments behind her, and having been named UKBAA Angel Investor of the Year 2025 alongside her husband Amir Nooriala, Claire brings the perspective of someone who has built a demanding corporate career while developing an active angel portfolio alongside it. Together, they’ll explore the role relationships play in finding and supporting opportunities, the realities of access and luck, the mistakes that shape better investment decisions, and what it takes to stay engaged with founders over the long term.

The session will also look at the parts of angel investing that are discussed less often: the network you build, the judgement you develop, and the practical challenge of investing alongside a demanding day job.

📅 6 November 2026
🕒 11:00-12:00
💻 Online

Register: https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0z9SR50

Relationships, Reality and the Angel Investing Nobody Talks About Building a portfolio, a network and doing it alongside a serious day job   Session overview Angel investing is often sold as glamorous. Claire Valoti offers something far more useful: the […]

15/10/2026

What makes an early-stage company worth backing when products can be built faster than ever?

For angel investor Nic Lenz, the answer increasingly comes down to the founder.

With more than 30 angel investments and 25 active companies in his portfolio, Nic takes a hands-on approach to early-stage investing. He will often spend months mentoring and working alongside founders before deciding to invest, using that time to understand the person behind the pitch as well as the opportunity itself.

In our next Angel Diaries, Nic joins Roderick B**r to discuss how founder diligence is changing in the AI era, why domain expertise matters, and what staying close to founders can mean for long-term alignment and protecting value as companies grow. He’ll also reflect on what seven to eight years of angel investing has taught him about supporting founders after investment, recognising patterns across a portfolio and understanding what good actually looks like.

📅 Friday 16 October | 11:00 - 12:00
💻 Online | Free to attend

Register: https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0z4l5x0

14/10/2026

Don't miss our upcoming seminar Compliance Compass!

Held at Price Forbes in London, our technical seminar designed specifically for angel groups, venture capital investors and early-stage ecosystem leaders.

This focused session will unpack the key legal, tax, and regulatory implications following the UK Government’s Autumn Budget announcement, helping investors and fund managers navigate what’s next for early-stage investing.

Our experts will break down the key measures impacting the venture and angel investment landscape, offering practical takeaways and discussion on how these changes might shape the year ahead.

📆 11th November | 09:30 - 12:30 | London

This seminar is not one to miss - book your place: https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0z4kY90

Please note this event is exclusive to UKBAA members. Interested in becoming a member? Learn more: https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0z4kYb0

30/09/2026

We’re pleased to welcome BMS as a sponsor of the UKBAA Early-Stage Investment Summit this November.

BMS is a global insurance broker providing specialist Financial Lines solutions, working with organisations including private equity firms, investment managers, family offices, fintechs and technology companies. Their team focuses on understanding the risks businesses face and developing tailored solutions to meet their needs.

Their expertise brings an important perspective to the Summit as we bring together investors and organisations from across the early-stage ecosystem to share knowledge and discuss the issues affecting investment and growth.

Thank you to the BMS team for supporting this year’s Summit.

📅 23 November 2026
📍 London

Find out more and join us: https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0yJyTK0

30/09/2026

One of the clearest takeaways from our final Venture Into Investing preview session: understanding EIS and SEIS is about more than knowing the headline tax reliefs.

Jo Bateson and Andrew Constable from Mercer & Hole took us through how the schemes work in practice, from income tax and capital gains relief to loss relief, qualifying conditions and some of the practical pitfalls investors need to be aware of. And for anyone building an angel portfolio, understanding those details can make a meaningful difference to how investments are approached and managed.

It’s exactly the kind of practical knowledge we go into in much greater depth through Venture Into Investing, alongside deal sourcing, due diligence, valuation, legal processes, post-investment support and our new module on leading an investment round.

And the value of the programme goes well beyond the sessions themselves:

“Joining the Venture Into Investing cohort was a life-changing decision. Armed with the knowledge, confidence and contacts that I gained from the course, I have gone from complete novice to syndicate lead within six months.”
- Frederick Maguire, Venture Into Investing participant.

The next cohort starts in London on 5 October, with the in-person training day followed by two online sessions, access to our Effective Angel Investor eLearning course and the growing Vii alumni network.

Find out more and book your place: https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0yJzlY0