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The opportunity
Our latest investment opportunity, Angel Academe EIS Fund I, is the first EIS fund focused on female founders investing in tech companies selected by the UK’s first female focused angel network.
This fund will invest in early-stage companies that are expected to be eligible for EIS, and will enable eligible investors to claim a suite of tax reliefs such as 30% income tax relief on up to £1m invested, and the ability to defer capital gains. Tax reliefs are subject to status and change.
Deals are sourced from both the existing Angel Academe portfolio as well as new opportunities. New opportunities come from Angel Academe’s extensive network as well as outreach. Qualifying ventures are screened by the highly experienced and dedicated Angel Academe team and a network of experts.
Portfolio of seven to ten companies.
Seeking an exclusive £1.2m.
Minimum investment of £10,000.
Seeking to deploy in 25/26 tax year.
Fund documents
Please sign up and ensure you are logged in to your SyndicateRoom account to download the fund documents below.
Angel Academe's approach
Angel Academe is a UK-based angel network, best-known for investing in female founded startups in a variety of technology sectors. The network is a mixture of successful entrepreneurs and senior leaders, gradually building investment portfolios of female founded tech startups. Angel Academe EIS Fund I is a way to achieve diversification into the same types of companies, with the same ethos, with a single £10k+ investment.
Angel Academe has now backed 54 (and counting) female-founded startups over more than 100 investment rounds. The group co-invests alongside some of the best known names in UK venture capital, including Octopus Ventures, Balderton Capital, Syndicate Room, Founders Factory, Digital Currency Group, S4S Ventures (Martin Sorrel’s fund), Backed VC and HearstLab.
Angel Academe offers the startups they invest in bespoke support, a broad peer community, and multiple opportunities to network at varied events throughout the year. Their network is made up of seasoned entrepreneurs, sector experts and professionals, including professional advisers in law, tax and accountancy, talent, institutional investment, sales and marketing, PR and M&A, and much more besides.
The team believe it is critical to be able to help companies in ways that are tailored to their particular needs and stage, and they can hone in on support as needed across sales, finance, IP, international market penetration, funding and much more. In terms of professional partnerships, they work with accountancy and tax specialists Broad Lawn Accounting, and law firm Kingsley Napley. Our investment banking partner, DC Advisory, can assist with later-stage fundraising and M&A, and they also work with scaleup recruitment experts Akaina Talent, who in turn lend support to their investment process with deal screening, technical due diligence, and broader portfolio support.
Angel Academe's angel network
The Angel Academe network of investors is composed of individuals who are often seasoned experts in their area of work, and many are still operating at senior levels in large organisations or as entrepreneurs. Although Angel Academe does offer expert and focussed workshops, and certainly encourages Investee companies to share learnings amongst their peers, it mainly provides bespoke, individualised support that is specific to each company that it invests in. Unusually, much of this support is at no further cost to the companies. Their angels are involved with the Investee businesses because of their passion for the companies they are helping, and their drive to help that business and founding team succeed.
Once a business is a member of the portfolio, Angel Academe encourages investors to get involved where they have the right skills and industry experience. Some of their angels choose to actively support their investments as NEDs, advisors or mentors, or even taking interim or consulting roles with them. All investors are encouraged to support their investments through advocacy and introductions as a minimum.
Some of Angel Academe’s angels
Audrey Mandela: Chair of Women in Telecoms & Technology (WiTT), a networking group for women in tech. She also runs Mandela Associates, which provides market research and consulting services for select clients in the telecom, internet and geographical information sectors. Audrey was CoFounder of Multimap, one of the world’s leading online mapping providers, where she acted as the company’s corporate counsel and marketing director, and was a board director. Multimap was acquired by Microsoft in December 2007.
Ramona Liberoff: AS CEO of SPRING Accelerator, Ramona helped raise $40m for impact startups in 9 countries. COO & Investment Committee member of €100m energy fund covering Western Europe, US, UK and Israel. Venture Partner at Antler Berlin. Founder of 3 startups (2 exited) and investor in more than 30, mainly climate tech and other impact tech.
Simon Thorpe: Angel investor, mentor, consultant and NED of the UoM Innovation Factory, NED Albion KAY VCT, Inngot and UB.io. Director of Rockspring Nominees. Chair of Salica Investments Venture Debt Investment Committee, Cambridge Judge Business School Entrepreneurship Fellow, UKBAA Angel Investor of the Year 2016/17.
Case studies
Verticals | Femtech, Medtech
Initial valuation | £2.25m in 2020
MOIC | 8.4x
Notable co-investors: Calm/Storm Ventures, Forward Partners, JamJar Investments, Octopus Ventures, QVentures
Béa Fertility have reimagined the fertility care journey for modern families. Founded by Tess Cosad, their clinical grade at-home intracervical insemination (ICI) kit makes fertility treatment accessible and affordable, while increasing the chance of pregnancy by up to 50% in those under 30 over 6 cycles. In their first research cohort of 56 participants, the Bea ICI kit helped create 22 pregnancies - a 39.28% pregnancy rate.
The business first pitched to Angel Academe in 2020 in a round led by boutique early-stage healthtech VC firm Calm/Storm. Angel Academe due diligence was co-led by Angel Academe angels John Souter, Esther Richardot Reynal del Saint Michel and Pamela Walker. To date, the business has raised £3 million, is currently valued at £19 million, and has gone on to receive funding from Octopus and JamJar.
“Raising early-stage investment as a femtech founder isn’t easy, but Angel Academe immediately understood the scale of the problem we’re solving and the opportunity behind it. They’ve backed Béa with conviction, not just once, but across multiple rounds, becoming one of our largest investors. Their commitment to championing women-led innovation is clear in everything they do. I’m incredibly grateful for their partnership; and proud to have them by our side as we build a new standard in fertility care.” Tess Cosad Co-founder & CEO of Béa Fertility
Verticals | Marketingtech, Enterprise SaaS, Sustainability
Initial valuation | £2.8m in 2016
MOIC | 5.7x
Notable co-investors: S4S Ventures, Plug and Play Ventures, Digital Currency Group, Peter Gabriel
Founded by Jessi Baker MBE, Provenance helps Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) brands and retailers validate and leverage sustainability claims data within the customer journey. The Provenance platform enables brands to transparently communicate their sustainability efforts to consumers by verifying and showcasing the social and environmental impact of their products throughout the supply chain, essentially helping them combat "greenwashing" by connecting sustainability claims to verifiable data on a blockchain ledger; allowing customers to make informed choices based on a product's true origin and impact. Provenance’s impressive roster of clients include The Hut Group brands LookFantastic and Cult Beauty, Holland & Barrett, Belu, and more.
The company participated in an Angel Academe-led mentoring programme back in 2015, and the network made its first investment into the company in 2016. The network has continued to co-invest in multiple follow-on rounds since then. Provenance has now raised a cumulative total of £10 million, with a current valuation of £16.6 million.
“Sarah and the Angel Academe team and network have been a huge support to me on my Founder journey. It’s a fantastic network of smart, straight forward, value-add angels and very well regarded and plugged into the UK startup scene. They have gone over and above to help us, I can’t think of a better partner for a startup or investor.” Jessi Baker, Founder of Provenance
Verticals | B2B, Edtech
Initial valuation | £8m in 2017
MOIC | 5.5x
CENTURY Tech is an award-winning teaching and learning platform that leverages artificial intelligence, neuroscience, and learning science to personalize education for students in primary and secondary schools, as well as further education colleges. The platform offers English, maths, and science content, adapting to each learner's needs to enhance engagement and understanding. By automating administrative tasks such as grading and progress tracking, CENTURY Tech reduces teacher workload, allowing educators to focus more on instruction and student support. Real-time data analytics provide actionable insights into student performance, facilitating timely and targeted interventions.
“Reflecting on CENTURY Tech's journey, it's clear that our growth has been shaped by the support of investors who truly understand our mission. Angel Academe stands out as a partner who not only provided essential capital but also shared our commitment to leveraging technology for educational advancement. Their belief in our vision to personalise learning through AI has been unwavering, and their guidance has been instrumental in refining our approach. For any founder seeking investors who combine strategic insight with a genuine passion for innovation, I wholeheartedly recommend Angel Academe.” Priya Lakhani OBE Founder & CEO of CENTURY Tech
Angel Academe's team
Sarah Turner
Co-founder & CEO
Sarah is an entrepreneur and angel investor with more than 20 female-founded businesses in her own angel portfolio (and counting!). She’s spent most of her career working in digital technology internationally, as an advisor and connector. In 2014 she co-founded the fast-growing and awardwinning angel network, Angel Academe. Sarah acted as Low Carbon Innovation Fund NED & IC chair for 3 years and also spent 5 years as an NonExecutive Director of the UKBAA. Sarah has been one of Computer Weekly’s Most Influential Women in Tech over several years, and was ranked #3 in 2024 and #2 in 2023. She is also the first winner of Natwest Everywoman’s Fortuna Award.
Yee Mun Thum
Managing Director
Yee Mun is the Managing Director of Angel Academe and has almost two decades of experience across entrepreneurship, early-stage investing, commercial development and digital strategy. Prior to her current role, Yee Mun led global innovation consultancy Bakery Worldwide’s corporate venture and accelerator offerings, built King’s College London’s Entrepreneurship Institute investor network, and was a partner at early-stage angel investment syndicate Potential VC. An angel investor and Ignite Newcastle accelerator alumna, she also co-founded designer eyewear subscription service Scarlett of Soho, acquired by Glasses Direct in 2015. Yee Mun is a proud Chevening scholar and holds an MA in Digital Culture & Society from King’s College London.
Simon Hopkins
Co-Founder and COO
Simon is the co-founder and COO of Angel Academe and a seasoned technology strategist and angel investor. Simon began his career in the music industry in the mid-1980s before transitioning to the emerging digital tech sector in 1997. Over the years, he has held various production and management roles including playing a pivotal role in bringing the BBC’s radio and music services online. In 2007, Simon co-founded the strategic consultancy Double Shot which developed comprehensive technology and media strategies for clients such as the City of London Corporation, The Barbican Centre, Ofcom, BBC New Media, Glyndebourne, and the Wales Millennium Centre. During this time, Simon also served as the metadata and convergence “champion” for the Creative Industries KTN. He has over a decade of experience as a competition assessor for Innovate UK. As Angel Academe’s COO he has reviewed well over 5,000 pitch decks as well as developed Angel Academe processes for deal selection, assessment and investment.
Michelle McQueen
Network Manager
Michelle has been Angel Academe’s Network Manager since 2018, shepherding founders and angel investors through the assessment and investment process and bringing their events to life. As an experienced Executive PA, she started her own successful business in 2006 providing a wide range of support services to small businesses.
EIS tax relief
The Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) is a government scheme that offers investors a suite of tax relief to incentivise investment in startups at the pre-seed or seed stage. Tax reliefs are subject to status and change.
The tax reliefs available to EIS shareholders are:
Income tax relief of up to 30%
A £100,000 investment can result in a £30,000 reduction in your income tax bill for that year. To benefit from this, you need to have enough income tax liability and hold the shares for a minimum of three years. You can invest up to £1m a year. This allowance rises to £2m, if the first £1m is invested in knowledge intensive companies.
Maximise relief with carry back
You can apply relief to the previous year if you still have the allowance available. By using the allowances for both years, you could invest up to £2m at once. This also allows you to apply the tax relief to the previous year's tax bill, potentially reclaiming taxes you've already paid.
Defer your overall capital gains
Capital Gains Deferral Relief allows you to defer capital gains equal to the amount you invest in EIS-qualifying companies.
Tax-free capital growth
You normally don't pay capital gains tax (CGT) when selling EIS shares if you claimed income tax relief on them and the companies still meet the requirements.
Inheritance Tax Relief
EIS investments qualify for relief from inheritance tax under current legislation, provided that the investment has been held for at least two years, it is still held at time of death and remains unlisted.
Loss Relief
In the event of negative performance, there is some return on the downside through loss relief, on a per Investee Company basis.
The net amount of the loss (i.e. after deducting any income tax relief obtained on making the investment) can be offset against taxable income in the year in which the loss is made (or can be carried back to the previous tax year). If the loss is to be offset against a separate gain, this can be done in the tax year in which disposal occurs, or (in full or in part) in a subsequent tax year.
Fees
Please see a breakdown of fees to investors below:
Adviser fees for authorised financial advisers can be facilitated on application, as agreed with Investors, and in line with COBs rules.
We do not expect VAT to be applicable but will be included if required by prevailing laws.
After you invest and contact us
Syndicate Room, as Investment Manager, will have ultimate responsibility for managing Investments over their lifetime and for ensuring that there is:
Care for client money and assets in keeping with the FCA’s CASS Client Money & Assets rules and other requirements
Monitoring the portfolio of Investee Companies, including seeking rights to appoint a board member and observer rights although this is not guaranteed and is subject to change
Ongoing reporting
An online 24/7 dashboard through its website with real-time information on performance and EIS3 forms
9-5 weekday customer care and access to information
For any queries about the fund, please click the button below to arrange a call with us.