Ethical Equity

Are you curious about the world of angel investment and how it can make a lasting impact on your community? Did you know that you can start investing with just £500? Ethical Equity, the UK’s pioneering impact investment platform, is hosting its final Aspiring Angels meet-up for 2024 in Bristol supported by Evelyn Partners… and you’re invited!   Date & Time: Wednesday, November 20th · 3 - 5pm (arrivals from 3pm and the session will begin at 3:15pm) Location: 4th Floor, Evelyn Partners, Portwall Place, Portwall Lane, Bristol, BS1 6NA. During this session you will gain practical and experiential insights into the world of early stage investments by: Understanding the basics of tax. It's crucial for #investors to grasp tax basics, as taxation plays a key role in accessing a company’s tax situation and aid in making informed investment decisions. So, this session is designed to share the basics of tax. You will hear from Katherine Colledge, Partner and Head of Tax in Bristol at Evelyn Partners, who will shed light on the following: *      What are the types of tax? *      Demystifying tax terminology? *      Why companies need to be tax registered? *      Why VAT registration matters? *      Key things to look out for? Investing can be daunting, but our event is here to help. We welcome you to bring a friend with you too. Join us in this inspiring journey towards a brighter, more sustainable future through impact investment. Together, we can make a difference.   Reserve your spot now: https://lnkd.in/eq7EY3sY Daniella Genas MA. MBA, Tara Attfield-Tomes, Denis Lindsay, Anna Woźniak, Dr. Rachel Dugdale, Julia Streets, Stella Cox CBE, FCSI(Hon), James Myatt, Rob Hingston, Daniel Read, Nina Searle, Helen Bassett, Kim Lee, Mustafa Rampuri, Martino Burgess, nicholas faucher, Nigel Hall, Roy Zimmerhansl, Dash Virdee 🔗, Jason Sahota, Jof Walters, Simon Jenner, Caroline Hughes, Ali Kazmi David Mellor Dr Elizabeth Shaw   #impactinvesting #impactinvestment #angelinvesting #angelinvestor #Bristol

Ethical Equity had another one of their Aspiring Angels meet-ups, in Bristol, hosted by Evelyn Partners, last week. Thank you for everyone that came along. Helen Bassett, Regional Managing Partner at Evelyn Partners, took us through the basics of interpreting accounts, in a very fun and interactive way. It was a great experiential session. The session demonstrated why it is important for #investors to understand financial accounts, as they offer valuable insights into a company's financial health and aid in making informed investment decisions. Members of the first cohort of our Aspiring Angels programme turned out to the event too. By the end of this programme, they should have the confidence to self-certify as sophisticated investors as defined by The Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 (FPO). Did you know that self-certified sophisticated investors can start investing with just £500? The first cohort of the Aspiring Angels programme have already received a full Pro version license of the Angel Investor Simulator (AI Simulator), for use throughout the programme. If you are interested in the world of angel investment and how it can make a lasting impact on your community, why not reach out to us to find more about our Aspiring Angel Programme, and to be informed about when we will be running a second cohort? #impactinvesting #impactinvestment #angelinvesting #angelinvestor #Bristol Ali Kazmi Denis Lindsay Saj Hasnain Anna Woźniak Dr. Rachel Dugdale Tara Attfield-Tomes Daniella Genas MA. MBA Julia Streets Rob Hingston Stella Cox CBE, FCSI(Hon) James Myatt Roy Zimmerhansl Martino Burgess

“Do the best until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” – Maya Angelou As with many others, we have been following this latest example of how we all know that the underserved communities, particularly ethnic minorities, and the #femaleentrepreneurs, but especially black female founders, suffer from the disparities in outcomes that exist in the #PrivateMarkets. This is why Ethical Equity exists with the purpose to end systemic inequality in #Investment #Finance. One of the ways that we want to do this is by diversifying the investor pool, so that those with the same lived experience of those in the #underserved #founder communities can engage and benefit from impact investing. “Privilege is invisible to those that have it.” - Prof Michael Kimmel Our Aspiring Angels community is for those that are curious about the world of angel investment and how it can make a lasting impact on the communities that we all want to serve. Did you know that you can start investing, tax efficiently, with just £500? The aim is to create a new source of #capital that can be deployed into the nascent market of the underserved communities for the mutual benefit of the impact investors and the underserved founder communities that they want to serve. We already know that there are great opportunities for deal flow, that the status quo are choosing to ignore, with great businesses that have the potential to #scaleup and grow, that can be found in these underserved communities. Therefore, joining our aspiring angels community will enable you to accrue the knowledge of what you will need to become an impact investor and benefit from investing into these great businesses. Why not come along to our next aspiring angels event in Bristol? Date & Time: Wednesday, September 18th · 3 - 5pm GMT+1 Location: 21 Portwall Lane 4th floor Redcliffe, Bristol BS1 6NA. During this session you will gain practical and experiential insights into the world of early stage investments by: Understanding the basics of interpreting financial accounts. You will hear from Helen Bassett, Regional Managing Partner at Evelyn Partners, who will shed light on this subject.   Investing can be daunting, but our event is here to help. We welcome you to bring a friend with you too.   Reserve your spot now: https://lnkd.in/eBgUTjeV Denis Lindsay, Ali Kazmi Anna Woźniak, Amy Newton, Dr. Rachel Dugdale, Tara Attfield-Tomes, Daniella Genas MA. MBA, Dr Elizabeth Shaw, Vera Elizabeth B., Dr Yekemi Otaru, Martino Burgess, Joyann Boyce, Mustafa Rampuri, Monder Ram, Sharniya F. (She/Her)., Gillian Lamela, Kim Lee, Moataz Gad CMA, MBA, MSc, CMBE, Valerie Kontor, Charlene Oke (Chartered FCIPD), Kalpna Woolf, The Black Professionals Network, Prof. Jonathan A.J. Wilson PhD DLitt, David M. Brear, Gihan Hyde, Hannah Litt 🍉🍉🍉,Isaac Harvey MBE, Leanne Mair, Onyeka Nwobu, Samira Ann Qassim

We’ve kept this under wraps for a little while now, but the time has finally come! Super excited to announce that AI Simulator is now an official partner with Founder Institute! Dreams do come true, and this is a massive milestone for our journey. From humble beginnings to incredible achievements, this is just the beginning of what’s to come. Founder Institute: The Founder Institute is the world’s most proven network to turn ideas into fundable startups, and startups into global businesses. Since 2009, our structured accelerator programs have helped over 7,000 entrepreneurs raise over $1.8BN in funding. Based in Silicon Valley and with chapters across 100 countries, our mission is to empower communities of talented and motivated people to build impactful technology companies worldwide. AI Simulator: Angel Investor Simulator is an AI-powered platform designed to support early-stage founders, investors, and organizations by providing a comprehensive learning experience on private market fundamentals through modules, assessments, and simulations. It acts as an "co-pilot strategy partner," helping founders refine their business ideas into investable opportunities, while enabling investors to develop and execute credible investment strategies. The platform also empowers organizations like incubators (and others) to scale efficiently and plan impactful interventions, while delivering credible deal flow to early-stage investors. Big thanks to Jordan Jocius and his team! Daniyal Ashraf, Adeo Ressi, Jonathan Greechan, Andrew, Denis, Julia, David M. Brear, David, Gillian, Mustafa, Giuseppe, Dominic, Helen, Inc. Magazine, Saj Hasnain, Dr. Rachel Dugdale #MilestoneMoment #Partnership #FounderInstitute #Growth #DreamsComeTrue #ExcitedForTheFuture

Something Doesn't Sit Right: A Closer Look at Innovate UK’s Women in Innovation Awards I’ve been following the Innovate UK saga closely, and something isn’t sitting well with me. We all know that underserved communities, particularly ethnic minorities, often bear the brunt of systemic barriers. When an organisation like Innovate UK pulls a stunt like this, it raises serious questions about what’s really going on behind the scenes. To get to the bottom of this, I’ve sent a Freedom of Information request to Innovate UK. I want to see for myself (so do others) whether they are truly committed to their message of lowering barriers for everyone. Out of the 1,452 women who applied for the Women in Innovation grant/award, my gut feeling—one shared by others—is that ethnic minorities are not adequately represented among the 50 awardees. I sincerely hope I’m wrong (pls God), but this is a concern we can’t ignore. The real question is, how many ethnic minority women actually applied in the first place? I genuinely hope that some ethnic minority founders were among the winners. Let me remind you why this matters so much: between 2009 and 2019, less than 1% of investment went to ethnic minority female founders (in a 10 year period). While this particular grant isn’t VC or Angel money, it highlights the ongoing barriers that exist. I have a request for the LinkedIn community (please): if you’re from an ethnic minority group and applied for this award, whether you were successful or not, please share your experience in the comments or privately DM me. It’s time we amplify the voices that are too often overlooked. Ethnic minorities don’t have a voice—but together, we can make sure we’re heard. Denis, Anna, Amy, Dr. Rachel, Tara, Daniella, Dr Elizabeth, Vera Elizabeth, Dr Yekemi, Martino, Joyann, Mustafa, Monder, Sharniya F., Gillian, Kim, Moataz, Valerie, Charlene, Kalpna, The Black Professionals Network, Ethical Equity, Prof. Jonathan A.J. Wilson PhD, David M. Brear, Gihan Hyde, Hannah Litt 🍉🍉🍉, Isaac Harvey MBE, Leanne Mair, Onyeka Nwobu, Samira #WomenInInnovation #DiversityInTech #EthnicMinorities #Inclusivity #Innovation #EqualOpportunities #InvestInDiversity #StartupCommunity #WomenInBusiness #ImpactInvesting

*Edit* Pleased to see that Innovate UK has listened to feedback and did a u-turn on their decision. Hopefully there is more clarity on why this happened in the first place and I agree with others who have asked for more transparency in the decision-making. BUT in the meantime, a big congrats to the 25 women who are about to receive happy funding news! ---------------- I'm disappointed that Innovate UK has decided to halve the grants awarded to female entrepreneurs in this round of the Women in Innovation grant. Although I didn't apply this time, I supported several applicants who did with their technical specs and sharing my experiences from applying. While I'm sure Innovate UK has its reasons—hopefully, we'll hear more this week—right now, it feels like the goalposts have been moved... At a tech event, I once heard that women receive emotional support ("you can do it!") in their business and tech journeys, while men get the financial backing. Last year, only 2% of businesses funded by VCs in the US and Europe were female-founded (World Economic Forum, 2023). Even in femtech, where 70% of businesses are female-founded, male founders STILL raise more capital. Yet, studies consistently show that organisations with female leadership outperform in revenue and job growth (Harvard Business Review, 2019). Large UK firms that have women on their boards are 10 times more profitable than male-only boards (Bloomberg UK, 2020). Where is the balance? The UK says it wants more female entrepreneurs and tech leaders—but why should women risk their financial stability when they're often left unsupported? Imagine building a MVP, knowing VCs will likely ignore you, and then having to compete for one of 50 grants, only to see that number cut to 25. Even after winning an Innovate UK Smart Grant, I often feel this is my "one shot." I support my peers and strongly feel that ideas go before gender, but please—fund women, level the field, and give us the chance to fail and try again. Shout out to the angels out there trying to change this landscape—Ali Kazmi

"Winning the Rising Fintech Star of the Year at the 2023 Fintech Awards South West was a transformative moment for Ethical Equity. It not only validated our mission but also opened doors to new opportunities and connections within the industry. I'm incredibly excited for this year’s event and look forward to celebrating the innovation and talent that continues to drive the South West's FinTech community forward." – Ali Kazmi, Ethical Equity With 16 categories to enter, there's a spot for every kind of innovator. Whether you're leading the charge in sustainable finance, revolutionizing payments, or just starting your FinTech journey, this is your moment to shine. 🗓️ Submission Deadline: 20th September 2024 👉 https://lnkd.in/eUSCvkXK

Are you curious about the world of angel investment and how it can make a lasting impact on your community? Did you know that you can start investing with just £500? Ethical Equity, the UK’s pioneering impact investment platform, is hosting another Aspiring Angels meet-up in Bristol supported by Evelyn Partners… and you’re invited! Date & Time: Wednesday, September 18th  · 3 - 5pm GMT+1 Location: 21 Portwall Lane 4th floor Redcliffe, Bristol BS1 6NA. During this session you will gain practical and experiential insights into the world of early stage investments by: Understanding the basics of interpreting financial accounts. It's crucial for #investors to understand financial accounts, as they offer valuable insights into a company's financial health and aid in making informed investment decisions. So, this session is designed to share the basics of interpreting accounts. You will hear from Helen Bassett, Regional Managing Partner at Evelyn Partners, who will shed light on the following: * Where to find accounts? * Demystifying accounting terminology? * What are basic primary accounting statements? * Things to look out for in the numbers? * Questions to ask about the accounts? Investing can be daunting, but our event is here to help. We welcome you to bring a friend with you too. Join us in this inspiring journey towards a brighter, more sustainable future through impact investment. Together, we can make a difference. Reserve your spot now: https://lnkd.in/eBgUTjeV Daniella Genas MA. MBA, Tara Attfield-Tomes, Denis Lindsay, Anna Woźniak, Dr. Rachel Dugdale, Julia Streets, Stella Cox CBE, FCSI(Hon), James Myatt, Rob Hingston, Daniel Read, Nina Searle, Helen Bassett, Kim Lee, Mustafa Rampuri, Martino Burgess, nicholas faucher, Nigel Hall, Roy Zimmerhansl, Dash Virdee, Jason Sahota, Jof Walters, Simon Jenner, Caroline Hughes, Ali Kazmi David Mellor #impactinvesting #impactinvestment #angelinvesting #angelinvestor #Bristol

Back in 2021 Ali Kazmi became our first SuperTech WM “Seed”. His companies Ethical Equity and AI Simulator have gone on to help hundreds of startups, founders and investors multiplying the outcome of our small part in his story beyond all expectations. Ali truly embodies what we hope to find in a founder. Sure he has vision, grit and hustle in spades but he’s also diligent, humble, honest and patient. Every startup we fund as part of the West Midlands Combined Authority supported programme at STEAMhouse will get one years free subscription to AI Simulator (a platform which provides education and support for idea stage founders among other things) and we think that’s a nice way to keep working with Ali and his team.

Innovation Series: Innovations In Startup Fundraising Open Innovation: Where Startups and Corporates Unite Explore the cutting-edge trends in startup fundraising at our session. At this live online event, you'll discover the latest strategies and tools for securing funding, from angel investments to grant opportunities. More details here: https://lnkd.in/dyCbHCUp. About Founder Institute: The Founder Institute is the world’s most proven network to turn ideas into fundable startups, and startups into global businesses. Since 2009, our structured accelerator programs have helped over 7,000 entrepreneurs raise over $1.75BN in funding. Based in Silicon Valley and with chapters across 100 countries, our mission is to empower communities of talented and motivated people to build impactful technology companies worldwide. Big thanks to Founder Institute and Jordan Jocius (and his team). Saj Hasnain, Ali Kazmi, Denis Lindsay, Andrew Davidson, Julia Streets,David Henderson, Gillian Lamela, Ethical Equity, Hattie D'Souza, Connor Kirton, Karen Elliott