Obu

💥 WE'VE GOT EXCITING NEWS 💥 🎉 We've had to keep this under wraps since December but we're super excited to share that we've scooped a national award from Innovate UK, the UK's Innovation Agency. 🌟 In it's most highly engaged competition to date, we've won this prestigious award which will allow us to develop a suite micro-learning content on the topic of #angelinvesting That's right ... the Obu brand and ALL of our passion, wisdom and experience for growing AND diversifying the angel investor population in the UK all wrapped up in an accessible and inclusive learning experience. We now need your help! 👋 If you're an aspiring or first-time angel investor or you've made your first couple of angel investments AND you want to build your know-how, understanding and confidence in becoming an angel investor we WANT to hear from YOU. ⁉ Please take a few minutes to complete our survey. In it we'll be asking you about the topics you'd love to learn about (we've got some great options for you to choose from) and we want to understand how you love to learn (because we're all different and what matters to us is designing learning that works for you)! 📣 We would also really appreciate your help to spread the word - we would love to hear from as many people as possible so please like, share, comment on this post - because together we can build something we believe in! Take part in our survey here ---> https://lnkd.in/eR7gW5-x #beanangel #overbeingunderfunded #marketresearch #innovateuk #angelinvesting #angelinvestors

Lesson One in the series: 'stuff you need to understand about the entrepreneur you're considering investing in that you won't find in the pages of a pitch deck' . #angelinvesting #endurancelessons #founderlessons

#justsaying it’s not all about the founders.

Interested in sustainable fashion, impact investing and founder stories packed full of lessons? We've got you! Thank you Annick for sharing your story with Obu. #sustainablefashion #impactinvesting #angelinvesting #purposefulinvesting

...or maybe of more relevance: what comes first, entrepreneurs with an idea and ambition to scale a business OR investors and funders with the capital to back them? In reality a thriving ecosystem needs both.  The discussion on which comes first - honestly, I'm less interested in that and more interested that we have both at the same time, one fuelling optimism, growth and success in the other.  And that when you lift the lid on this ecosystem what you see is a diverse and inclusive space. Which is why I was really excited to speak at the launch of the (wait for it) D2N2 ESAIF Fund. What does this mean? It means there's a new £8m 'Early Stage Angel Investment Fund' for start-ups in the Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire region.  It means Haatch (the Fund Managers) want to hear from you if you're in this region. And it means, given the Fund is now live, we need to raise awareness of it. So I have two asks: 1️⃣ if you live or work in this region, SPREAD THE NEWS. Like, share, comment because the more awareness = the more deal flow = the more growth we have the opportunity to realise. 2️⃣ if you're a Founder in this region, find out more and count yourself in - the team at Haatch want to hear from you (links in comments below). Shout out to the team who have spent 2 years developing this Fund D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership East Midlands Chamber (Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire) British Business Bank British Business Investments Nicola Swaney Tom Goshawk Kiran Birring Lewis Stringer and to Charlie Weavers-Wright Fred Soneya and Scott Weavers-Wright OBE at Haatch 

What are you looking for when you invest in an entrepreneur?  Whilst it's likely to be a combination of things, I 100% agree with Coco Gauff in her interview with Jabari Young, Forbes - one of the things you need to search for is that little bit of craziness in their goal.  Call it audacious.  Call it ambitious.  Call it not done before. As Steve Jobs said - Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels ... <they are> the people who change things. They push the human race forward. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do. If you don't know Coco's story check out the great cover interview with her in Vogue where this image of her is featured: https://lnkd.in/et45U8PF. And her conversation with Jabari is here: https://lnkd.in/exKvtWZd 🤩 In the meantime, here's to the ones who add a little bit of craziness to their goals!

I want to live in a world where business is a restorative force. Where purpose, planet, people and profit co-exist in decision-making. I believe in this world because the alternative (if I'm being really honest) - scares me. ⏩ It's time to accelerate towards a different model. As Chris Turner describes in the foreword to the Demos & B Lab UK paper 'The Purpose Dividend' "There is no more significant field of innovation than the alignment of our economic needs with the need for a thriving planet and society". What can we all do? 1️⃣ Tomorrow is Better Business Day, created by Better Business Act, which is co-chaired by Mary Portas. Read the press coverage, understand the Act and if you agree join the Better Business Act Coalition (I'll add the link in the comments below) 2️⃣ If you're an aspiring or experienced angel investor, build 'the 4P's (purpose, planet, people, profit) into your due diligence of a start-up because where you place your capital, shapes the world we live in 3️⃣ Building a business that stands for these things, isn't easy. If anything, it's the harder path. So if you see a Founder of one of these start-ups sharing their purpose, lean into it. Show your support. Because being a passive by-stander is something I honestly feel we could all live to regret. I'm going to share a link below from a Founder who shared her why this morning - take a look, and you'll see what I mean. 👀 Oh - and take a look through the slides below (as you'll see this all just makes common sense)! #betterbusinessact #betterbusinessday #purposeandprofit

"Optimism isn't a belief that things will automatically get better; it's a conviction that we can MAKE things better". It's not always easy or even possible to hold onto conviction but if we want the future to look better, we have to find ways to fuel our conviction. I love how Melinda French Gates quote above and Obu's postcard turn optimism from something 'nice' into something powerful. Hope, inspiration and connection are all required ingredients for fuelling optimism and conviction, which is why I'm really excited to be taking part in these 3 events in the next few weeks and I'd love for you to join me: 🎟 On Thursday I'll be joining Catherine Gray and fellow panelists for the first screening on the global tour of Show Her The Money in London. The last few tickets remain - if you want a hit of hope and inspiration, join us! 🏔 Next Tuesday I'm joining Price Waterhouse Coopers- PwC 'Women in Tax' event in the Midlands to share 5 lessons from my experiences in entrepreneurship and endurance challenges that fuel my conviction that purpose, equality and impact in business aren't just a nice-to-have. Tickets available now. 🌊 And on 12th June I'll be joining Amy Newton and Inclusive Angels in Bristol for their event 'The Ripple Effect: Changing the face of Angel Investment', where I'll be having a conversation with Dr. Jill Jones on inclusive angel investing. If you'd like to fuel your conviction, join us - because the only way we're going to build a better future is to do it together. Links for tickets in the comments. 📷 One in a series of postcards that sits on my desk, created for Obu by my creative dream team Anna and Carrie 👊 #overbeingunderfunded #purposefulbusiness #angelinvesting #impactbusiness

💫 These women are trailblazers. They're rewriting the rulebook on what it means to be an investor and they're set to deliver outsize returns. Serena Williams who is featured in the Business Insider list, via her Venture Capital firm, Serena Ventures has invested in more than 85 businesses - 14 of whom hold unicorn status (a startup business with a value of over $1bn).  🌎 What's equally exciting and important is that Serena Ventures invest in innovations which 'level the playing field for women and people of colour' - meaning their impact isn't just economic but societal too. And if you look behind the headline, you'll see this is true for many of the investors in this list. 📈 Diverse investors at the Venture Capital stage of the investment lifecycle, means diverse founders and their innovations have a more equal opportunity as their peers, to grow and scale. ❓ But what do these lists mean for investors who are considering taking their first steps as an angel investor? Whose first deployment of capital (aka investment) might not reach into the number of 0's that the women featured in this list are deploying? 👀 If we look beyond the headlines, these lists provide a WEALTH of lessons. And for Obu, this is why these lists are so important. Yes, 100% for the acknowledgement these trailblazing women are so deserving of. But more for the lessons, inspiration and wisdom they are able to provide to the next 'first-time' angel investor who realises the power her capital holds in enabling a startup business to thrive. 💭 Whether you're an experienced or aspiring angel investor - what do you look for / plan to look for when you invest in an early stage entrepreneur? And what do you hope to contribute beyond capital? #overbeingunderfunded #angelinvestor #angelinvesting

Aspiring and active angel investors - do you know what the entrepreneurs you're invested in need? Entrepreneurs - how good are you at being clear on this? We'd love to hear your thoughts!