We are delighted to announce that Startup Funding Club has been shortlisted for the title of Best Angel Syndicate, a new category at this year’s third annual Growth Investor Awards. This is the organisation’s second nomination for this year’s Growth Investor Awards, which is also a finalist for Best SEIS Investment Manager. The Best Angel Syndicate award is open to angel investors that are co-investing as a recognised angel syndicate. The judges have chosen five finalists that have been identified as not just having invested in a small or medium-sized enterprise (SME), but have also displayed a measurable ‘impact beyond investment’.
Startup Funding Club will be competing alongside the following finalists: 24Haymarket, Endeavour Ventures, Green Angel Syndicate and Oxford Capital CoInvestor Circle. These finalists will now go on to a second round of judging before the winner of the inaugural award is announced at a black tie dinner for 450 guests on November 8th, 2017.
Commenting on being shortlisted, Joseph Zipfel, Investment Manager of Startup Funding Club said: “We're very pleased to be nominated for two awards at this year's Growth Investment Awards - Best SEIS Investment Manager and Best Angel Syndicate. This is a great testament to our model which has always been to structure co-investments between our seed funds and our angel network in order to bring maximum value to the companies that we invest in.”
Guy Tolhurst, Managing Director of Intelligent Partnership, said: “The Best Angel Syndicate award is designed to recognise the vital role angel investing plays in the SME investment ecosystem, by pairing ambitious and knowledgeable investors with talented and ambitious entrepreneurs. Not only do they present the opportunity for investors to enhance their investment capacity and spread their risk, it also creates micro-communities capable of providing invaluable advice and mentoring.”
“We introduced this category because it was clear to us that syndicates are a significant and sizeable part of the UK SME investment ecosystem. And we have been impressed with the caliber of entrants. This award embodies the very spirit of the Growth Investor Awards, which honour the talent, bravery and commitment underpinning the UK’s thriving smaller company environment. I’m delighted that the contribution of Startup Funding Club has been recognised, and wish them the very best of luck.”
Commenting on the importance of angel investing, Jenny Tooth OBE, Chief Executive of the UK Business Angels Association said: “Without knowledgeable syndicates that are prepared to collaborate and share risk, many businesses would struggle to get the investment and support they need at key stages in their growth journey. As these five worthy finalists demonstrate, angel investors today come in all shapes and sizes. Congratulations to all the finalists, but to win this award, the judges will be looking for the angel syndicate that truly stands out from the crowd, and has made an undeniably positive impact on its investee companies. Congratulations to Startup Funding Club and all the finalists. It should be an excellent contest.”