Here's a brief report from Angel Academe’s second AA North session, where I recently spoke to highlight the digital opportunities in the North and to encourage more female investors.

How things have changed in 10 years. When I started angel investing in 2009 just after the Great Financial Crisis (GFC), I could find revenue generating companies valued at less than £1m. Now an equivalent company would be £5m+. In those 10 years I have invested in 40+ companies, many founded by women. I have been fortunate enough to experience many successes and have learnt to accept failures with 1 or 2 investments out of 10 generating my return. 

On Alembic Strategy Café’s livecast - Reigniting the Economy I spoke about supporting entrepreneurs leading the digital revolution.

• The pandemic has accelerated e-commerce and the digitisation of many sectors of the economy led by Healthcare and Education. 

• Angel investors understand that building businesses of scale take at least 7-10 years, which is why it is called ‘patient capital’. So ‘don’t sell too early’.

• The UK is well positioned as a global AI leader having invested as much in AI R&D as the rest of Europe. It’s 3rd behind the US and China.

• The workforce of the future will need digital skills. Therefore we need to start with Schools teaching technology and financial literacy.

• The pandemic has mimicked ‘war-time’ urgency forcing companies to refocus on their business models (pivot if necessary) and show leadership qualities. Successful CEO’s have understood the importance of resilience, being a good role model, showing transparency along with exemplary communication skills to ensure the wellbeing of their teams.

Click here to listen.

Angel News offers an intelligent and relevant news service for investors and entrepreneurs.

Here we share their August Anatomy of an Angel feature.

Angel Insights takes you inside the world of angel investing, startup funding and equity crowdfunding. In the latest podcast host Harry Stebbings interviews Simon Thorpe on the ups and downs of startup investing.

TechCityinsider reports and promotes the next generation of digital businesses. Here we share their latest podcast TECH TALK 39 on why investing in female tech founders is important.

Here we share the press release from the recent Cambridge Angels Summer Reception held at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge.

Click on the title to read more!

I was very pleased to be an investor panelist at the CJBS Enterprise Tuesday 22 May '18 : Friendly-ish "Dragons' Den".

It was a pleasure to be a participant at EBAN's Winter Summit 2018 Event this week in Luxembourg.

I was delighted to participate on the panel at the Harvard Business School Alumni Angels of London (HBSAAL) event this week.

Here we share Simon's recent interview with Inngot (featured on their blog) talking about becoming an Angel Investor and why he believes in the importance of diversity, IP, and intangible assets.

I was delighted to be a guest on AWS's What Works podcast discussing the 4 things that matter when vetting potential investments.

I've been delighted to participate as a speaker at several events so far this year. Here's a selection of photos and a list of the networks I've attended:  

Angel deal analysis

Bookended by Covid-19 restrictions, I invested in seven angel rounds this year (2 new deals and 5 follow-ons) in comparison with 2020 comprising of eight rounds (5 new and 3 follow-ons). 

Of this year’s investment rounds, three were in software, three in healthcare and one in sustainable materials. Five of these deals were led by Angels, and two by VCs. One of my portfolio companies completed a Series B, another a Series A, one exited and another became a ‘Soonicorn’.

Each week, the Invested Investor focus on a theme discussed by their entrepreneurs and  Invested Investors.

This week, they are celebrating the achievements of their women investors and entrepreneurs despite the many challenges!

'I don't think it's the girls aren't interested, I think it's schools and parents are not encouraging girls to think that these subjects are relevant,' explains Simon Thorpe, the serial investor who champions for more Women in investment!

I was pleased to be invited as a guest on The Syndicate Room's recent Angel Insights Podcast talking about the lessons learned on Angel Investing.

Simon was delighted to support Peter with the Invested Investor initiative; which is publishing online and offline content to help educate angels and entrepreneurs to prevent mistakes and produce more successful exits. 

Here we share their latest podcast 'The Digital Invested Investor' where Simon describes his angel investment journey. He also talks about several topics including the digital economy and the importance of STEM.

I was delighted to attend The Invested Investor's book launch party in Cambridge. Here we share their recent podcast of mini speeches recorded on the day. 

I was delighted to be part of the Panel at the UKBAA Summit held in London.

I am delighted to be a judge for Cambridge Wireless on their 9th annual Discovering Start-ups competition on Monday 17th September 2018.

Click on the title to see what I look for in a Start-up.