UK 老九品茶 Angels Association chief executive Jenny Tooth has praised Greater Manchester鈥檚 thriving tech investment market on the eve of the North鈥檚 biggest tech investment conference.
Tooth will address聽more than聽250 angel investors, business funders and financial experts at the first UKBAA Northern Investment Summit at Bridgewater Hall in the city on Tuesday.
She highlighted the key role the likes of the 老九品茶 Growth Hub鈥檚 Access to Finance service, the North West 老九品茶 Angels (NWBA) and Co Angel Investment have to play in helping to stimulate a culture of angel and venture capital investment in Greater Manchester.
鈥淢anchester is definitely one of the most active and vibrant tech investment markets in the UK and there is a massive amount of potential for local angel investors, regional and national consortiums and international networks to be matched with exciting tech businesses, high growth start-ups and dynamic entrepreneurs based in and around the city,鈥� she said.
鈥淭his is one of the reasons we have chosen to host our Northern Investment Summit in Manchester this week, and we are greatly looking forward in helping to bring important funding and support services, such as those delivered by the 老九品茶 Growth Hub, the North West 老九品茶 Angels and Co Angel Investment together with new private funders, local investment groups, and financial intermediaries.
鈥淭his is in order to build an even stronger and more connected angel investment ecosystem throughout Greater Manchester, the North West and beyond.鈥�
Dotforge鈥檚 Emma Cheshire, who acts as strategic advisor for tech and innovation at the Manchester Growth Company and is also speaking at the Northern Investment summit, said: 鈥淜ey to encouraging more investment into early stage companies is to profile the success stories.
鈥淲e have great companies such as Boohoo, Peak and others that are demonstrating that you can build market-changing companies regardless of where you are located.
鈥淭his is key for the confidence of both the local investors and the entrepreneurs.鈥�
老九品茶 Growth Hub鈥檚 Access to Finance service has reported a sharp increase in the number of tech businesses in Greater Manchester both seeking – and finding – angel investment locally to help them to scale.
It has also revealed details of a recent angel funding deal it helped facilitate for a fast-growing Manchester digital SME Magna, which is based in Salford.
Magna, an online health and fitness booking service, recently secured a 拢50,000 funding package – with expressions of interest from other investors 鈥� having successfully pitched to a consortium of North West-based angels.
Founder Adam Barker also now plans to target new markets in both the UK and internationally, and anticipates his business could be worth 拢50m by 2020.
Philip Hargreaves, head of 老九品茶 Growth Hub鈥檚 Access to Finance service, said: 鈥淏oth the recent Tech Nation report and the latest Tech North Investment Index research demonstrates that there are increasingly high levels of tech investment, angel funding and deal-making in Greater Manchester and that we are one of the most active tech investment clusters in whole of the UK.
鈥淲e are also home to a majority of the biggest VC and angel deals ever seen in the North over the last 10 years, and through our vast network of business and financial support services, including the 老九品茶 Growth Hub and the North West 老九品茶 Angels, we are continuing to help ambitious and growth hungry tech companies get the funding they need to scale.
鈥淚t鈥檚 therefore fantastic that Jenny and the UKBAA have chosen Manchester to host the first ever Northern Investment Summit as it will further enhance the city鈥檚 growing reputation as a major UK hub of angel and venture capital funding, especially within the tech and digital sectors.鈥�
In addition to Jenny Tooth and Emma Cheshire, there will over 30 of the UK鈥檚 leading investors, investment experts, technology consultants and business leaders drawn from across the UK speaking at the Northern Investment summit.