A pioneering angel investment initiative, fhunded angels, has been officially launched by Lancashire County Council (LCC). Part of LCC's highly successful fhunded early-stage finance programme, fhunded angels is thought to be the UK's first angel network to be led and managed by a local authority at such a scale.

Araya Ventures has completed a second close of the Araya Super Angel Fund at £18.2million and received a milestone £5 million commitment from British Business Investments, a subsidiary of the British Business Bank, co-investing alongside the Araya Super Angel Fund.

The community-powered fund which will invest in up to 60 innovative pre-seed and seed stage primarily UK startups across the next four years that are transforming the way we live and work across Health, FinTech, Commerce and Future of Work.

Hands In, a fintech innovator in split payment solutions, has successfully raised over £1 million in its latest funding round. This investment will accelerate Hands In's expansion across key sectors, enhance its technology, and scale operations to support a growing enterprise customer base.

The round includes backing from CONCRYT, a pioneering fintech initiative led by industry experts, reaffirming strong confidence in Hands In's vision.

The round includes backing from prominent fintech angel investors, including Ryta Zasiekina, a distinguished angel investor and founder of CONCRYT. Ryta brings over a decade of leadership experience in payments and banking, having been featured in The Times and Forbes as a thought leader in fintech and emerging technologies.

FundMyPitch, the investment platform connecting angel and institutional investors with early-stage businesses, has secured a significant pre-seed funding round led by the Lazaroo-Hood Group, with follow-on investment from Bigspace Investments and prominent angel investors. The company has also received backing from InvestNI through its Ambition to Grow Grant, further accelerating its expansion.

This investment will fuel FundMyPitch’s growth across the UK, allowing the platform to expand investor access, enhance platform capabilities, and move towards regulatory authorisation to facilitate direct investment transactions.

Dorset Business Angels (DBA) kicked off 2025 with its first pitch event of the year on February 3rd at the Carlton Hotel in Bournemouth, introducing an innovative new ‘Meet the Founder' session.

SFC Capital, the UK’s most active seed-stage investor, has received an additional £10 million commitment from British Business Investments, a commercial subsidiary of the British Business Bank,  through its Regional Angels Programme, which is designed to reduce regional imbalances in access to early-stage equity finance across the UK.

The North of England has some of the most exciting innovations in healthcare, but finding funding to develop and commercialise many of these ground-breaking ideas can often be very difficult.

SFC Capital, the UK's most active early-stage investor, has made its 500th portfolio company investment, marking a significant milestone in its mission to support ambitious entrepreneurs and drive innovation across the UK.

Founded in 2012 as the "Startup Funding Club" angel network, SFC Capital was an early adopter of the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS), establishing one of the first SEIS funds. This pioneering approach laid the groundwork for over a decade of success in early-stage investment.

Dorset Business Angels first pitch event and investors' dinner of 2025 will be held on February 3rd at the Bournemouth Carlton Hotel.

Five local entrepreneurs have been invited to pitch for investment at the event from across a range of industry sectors.

ABU DHABI: Hub71, Abu Dhabi's global tech ecosystem, has unveiled its Angel Investor Support Package, a strategic initiative designed to foster the growth of angel networks and enable angel investors to form legal investment structures within Abu Dhabi's thriving startup ecosystem. The package includes a financial incentive of AED 150,000, unlocking a range of benefits for angel investors to encourage investment in Hub71's early-stage startups.

AI Simulator, a world-first technology that uses AI to replicate the private investment market, is set to join the American Angel Capital Association as a consultant to develop a curriculum for their Deep Tech toolkit. This prestigious project, funded by the Nation Science Foundation, aims to educate early-stage investors.

The established premier pitching competition of the West Midlands is back, with a closing date for applications at 9.00 am on 6th January 2025.