AccelerateHER ’s Post

If you’re reader of Times Business Times Enterprise Network newspaper, you might already have seen our BIG NEWS over your morning coffee… In an exclusive today, The Times has published it’s interview with our two co-founders Georgia Aubrey and Alice Aubrey, announcing the multi-million pound investment that means we can continue our mission to transform the domestic travel industry. And we can do it at pace. The round was led by Venrex and Redrice Ventures and joined by Active Partners & Velocity Capital. And for us…it’s a game-changer. Our CEO, Fed Pereira, said: “Having such well-respected investors on board as we double down on our mission to scale domestic tourism in the UK and internationally is a wonderful endorsement of what we’ve built to date and will provide the fuel needed to realise our ambitions over the coming years.” This investment will be used to scale operations in the UK and further the platform’s expansion - we're aiming to double growth and inventory year-on-year for the next three years. The funding will also be used to enhance the platform’s AI capabilities to further optimise the user experience. But what drives us, what gets us jumping out of bed every day, is the opportunity to make a real and lasting impact on our industry. To sell more tickets for the fantastic, and unbelievably resilient, attractions and events we work with by making it simple... really simple... to discover and book the best things to do in the UK.  Special thanks to people that helped with this raise: Martyn Davies at HCR Law, Tom Fleming, Lilac Watt, Tom March, Gabbie Swycher, Andrew Sutcliffe, Anna Sweetman, Billy Fox, Thomas Lindup, Rajeev Saxena Joseph Harris, Patrik Öqvist, Michael Blakeley Mishcon de Reya LLP, & PTM Law Huge thanks to Richard Tyler for the article. Also to Amy Mace and Crest Public Relations for support in releasing the news, and Matt Radcliffe for the always excellent photography. #thetimes #timesenterprise #investment #raise #vcs #founders #femalefounders #tourismindustry #domestictourism #techstartup

🌟GM 100 Rising Stars of Business - Deadline Monday 26th February 🌟 We've joined forces with BusinessCloud to shine a light on 100 of Greater Manchester’s most exciting companies across four key sectors: GreenTech; digital, creative and tech; advanced manufacturing and materials; and life sciences. This is open to the whole region and not just Manchester so we're encouraging firms from Bolton; Bury; Oldham; Rochdale; Salford; Stockport; Tameside; Trafford; and Wigan to get nominating. Janine Smith, Director of the GM Business Growth Hub, said: “We have a team of specialist advisors who can provide help on everything from raising investment; innovation; reaching international markets; building teams; ESG and a lot more besides. “We’ve identified GreenTech; digital, creative and tech; advanced manufacturing and materials; and life sciences as Greater Manchester’s frontier sectors and we want to give a platform to the rising stars in those industries from across Greater Manchester.” To find out more and start nominating, click here 👉 https://lnkd.in/e584SQKn #ManchesterRisingStars #ManchesterBusiness #GMRisingStars #BusinessGrowth #GreaterManchester #UKSPF

Shout out to investors, entrepreneurs and authors in my network…. Climb24 news update below. You coming?

Some of our product launches coming up, first up is a high-trust social network. Why we built this? We saw that business angels, people who invest their capital, network, and engagement to help others, are crucial for the economy. But no one had built anything on their terms without having another agenda. Individual investors have some influence, but as a group, business angels hold enormous power—perhaps the greatest in the nordics✊🏼 Business angels are an important voice for innovation but lack an independent organization to express this in the media and to politicians. If we come together as a group, entrepreneurs will have better access to capital. The capital is here in our region, but it's just lacking coordination. If we solve that, companies can focus on building their business instead of searching for capital in every corner of the world. Right? It feels great to showcase part of what we've built, something we've been working on to support investors and advisors, whether they are backing companies from an early stage or preparing them for an IPO or sale. Angels are involved all the way. During Angel Prize in Stockholm, Grand Hôtel Stockholm we demonstrated some solutions. First up is a high-trust social network for Angels to address some of the challenges we face as a region. Ash Pournouri

Earlier this week I had the opportunity to attend the Business NH Magazine's #Launch603 conference. It was a chance to learn alongside fellow start-up owners, celebrate the successes of the NH Start Up Stars, and meet IRL my awesome NH Small Business Development Center (SBDC) advisor Ed Miles. So many great insights from the event that apply to all employees, not just start up founders. A few key takeaways that resonated: 💡 "Do something every day to move the business forward" – Amy LaBelle This mindest doesn’t just apply to start up founders. Imagine the impact if every employee approached their role with the goal of advancing the business, not merely checking off tasks. 💡"Its not going to be perfect, leave yourself the options to transform. Just get started! – Adam Coughlin Perfection is the enemy of progress. Fostering a culture of ‘try it, fix it, try it’ can create a safe space for innovation and empower teams to engage more fully in the business's success. 💡"Don’t waste a crisis. See it as an opportunity to grow" – Joe Whitten It's like a kaleidoscope, shift your perspective slighly and a whole new picture emerges. Crises can be a powerful catalyst for growth when viewed from a different perspective, especially when your competitors aren't able or willing to adjust. 💡"Entrepreneurship is a team sport" – Bill Aulet Navigating change requires an entrepreneurial spirit to survive. Success comes from embracing the change. Congratulations to all of the NH Start Up starts!

⏮ Event Recap ⏮ Yesterday we were honoured to host the #ScaleUpBritain Tyneside Roadshow at our #2050InnovationHub in collaboration with the London Stock Exchange, Innovate UK and the ScaleUp Institute. Following the North East's recent mayoral election, it was the perfect opportunity to spark conversation on how key industry stakeholders can unlock investment and scaling potential in the region. 🔓 We kicked the morning session off with 3 informative keynotes, including the Port's Deputy Chair, Julia Prescot followed by Genius Foods Founder, Lucinda Bruce-Gardyne and rounded off by London Stock Exchange CEO, Julia Hoggett. ✨ After a lineup of #VenetureConnect showcase pitches, we moved swiftly onto panel discussions that covered business success stories, net-zero regional opportunities, SME investment advice and current landscape perspectives from investors. These panels were expertly moderated by Stock Exchange colleagues Florence K. & Bod Buckby. 🤝 Our wonderful cohort of 9 Venture Connect entrepreneurs returned after lunch to deliver their investment pitches to a select group of 3 investors: Nick Lyth, Thomas O'Neill and Mark Stoner. 📈 We'd like to thank the Port's own Dr Jo North & Jack Farrington for facilitating the event and invite any insight or feedback in the comments section below ⬇ #ScaleUpBritain #ScaleUp #RaisingPrivateCapital #PrivateMarkets #NorthEastScaleUps #Innovation #Cleantech #GreenInvestment #Decarbonisation #Maritime #Devolution #Startup #SME #Finance #NoOrdinaryPort #NoOrdinaryRiver

📣 CALLING ALL FOUNDERS 👋🏼 Are you looking to scale up your business? Introducing: ASCEND 🚀 A dynamic, 6-month flagship development initiative by GM Business Growth Hub in partnership with KPMG. Tailored for local founders of high-growth businesses in Greater Manchester, ASCEND is designed to rapidly scale your business and achieve your ambitions. What can you expect? 📝 Workshops: Hands-on workshops designed to drive significant growth and improvement, including the “Strategy to Action” day at KPMG. 🗣️ Personalised Coaching and Mentoring: Receive expert guidance and support to help you scale. ✈️ Experiential Travel: Step out of your comfort zone with the chance to attend Web Summit 2024 in Lisbon to expand your global connections and insights. 💵 Funding Opportunities: Connect with active investors to present your business and enhance your funding prospects. 🤝🏼 Elite Network: Join a community of high-growth founders, offering collaborative support and networking opportunities. 🔥 Fireside Chats: Gain valuable knowledge and insights from the successes and failures of seasoned entrepreneurs and founders. If you are a Greater Manchester-based founder with a clear vision and the potential to scale rapidly, apply now and take your business to the next level! 🚀✨ *** Powered by zally® & SoSquared 💜 #ManchesterTech #Founder #Funding #ASCEND #Scaleup

🎉 Celebrating One Year of Success! 🎉 We are thrilled to share a video highlighting our achievements in our first year! Thank you to our awesome team, clients, partners and friends for being part of our journey. Here's to many more years of growth, innovation, partnerships, and success together! 🚀🌟 #Technology #Innovation #Partnerships #Venturing  #Investing #ScaleUps Matt Bunn John Downes Adrian Holt MBA, CEng Alice Bardrick Sophie Miller James Povey Karina Thakrar Rebecca Wray

#Climb24 At the beginning of the week I sent out a few invites for the pre event #investor dinner, which we are hosting as part of #climb24 and the acceptances have been so positive that we are now looking for a bigger venue. Climb24 by Investor Ladder is really taking shape and promises to be the same #festival vibe as #climb23 - just twice the size. We have some great #international #speakers and #masterclasses / round tables being planned. So if you are #investing in #businesses, growing your #company or want to hear about the latest #innovations across a range of sectors, get down to #leeds on the 5th and 6th June. We will soon be opening the bookings for the round tables and masterclasses so book your tickets early before the next price increase We are also putting together the #author stage to provide the opportunity to hear about the content in some amazing books on #Leadership #growth and #wellbeing. We have confirmed speakers from #industry #innovation and #investment and we will be announcing some of them next week (follow ClimbUK). Exciting names from the UK, US Europe and Asia. So if you are an active investor and want to come to the dinner on the 4th June, please comment below and one of the team will reach out. Equally, If you have written or know somebody who has written an awesome #book, or if you are planning on writing a book, please reach out to the team at Investor Ladder www.investorladder.com And a massive thank you to the awesome people who keep joining us to make this happen - sorry i have exceeded the number of people i can mention, so please tag yourselves in the comments Guy Remond EHE Ventures Sophie Dale-Black PhDCat SmithMel Selvon EllyardZandra MooreRae WaltersEllie EdwardsUBSBritish Business BankInnovate UKInnovate UK KTNWest Yorkshire Combined AuthorityLeeds City CouncilPropel TeamsDepartmentRoyal Armouries Museum CRSIGreenTech GatheringBionowMolly GilmartinPraetura VenturesBen DaviesLancaster UniversityJessica Wenmouth Nexus LeedsDavid LevineUK Business Angels AssociationSharon Kaur Jandu OBEConnect YorkshireYorkshire Asian Business AssociationColin Glass OBEJLife MagazineFourth Day PR & ContentPartners&.Mishcon de Reya LLPStart CodonSure Valley Ventures

I talk to so many #founders who are very foxused in #funding and talk about “runway”. #investors want to see how that #money is going to great a value inflection on a multiple of that investment This means that the money they invest has to go to work and make the business a lot more valuable after it has been spent Showing how that will happen as part of the “pitch” makes businesses a lot easier to invest in And we all know that over the last year investors have fallen in love with the following 2 words: #revenue #traction That is why I am delighted that we can now announce another great #partner joining us at #Climb24 next week ! Negotia are specialists in Pre & Post Investment Value Creation for Investors and High Growth companies. After a lot of conversations with others in this space, we chose Negotia because they genuinely get it. But dont just take my word for it. I recommend getting over to the Rise stage at 4:15 on the Wednesday 5th to see their #founder Peter Baxendale alongside Brightsolid #CCO Alan Gardiner, talking about driving revenue growth through digital and sales infrastructure points of differentiation And if you cant get into that session (it will be very popular) Peter and the team will be on Stand C14 showcasing how to deliver immediate improvements in funnel conversion, time to signature, and deal value. Something we all need ! Peter Baxendale Founding Partner… ‘We are thrilled to be at #Climb24 to meet so many early stage companies and investors. As #CROs and investors ourselves we really understand the critical challenges involved for high growth companies to become ‘investor-ready’ and then scaling to deliver post investment value creation for their #VentureCapital and #PrivateEquity backers. Likewise we understand that it’s not all plain sailing once the funding has gone in and we work with investors to help companies get back on the right revenue track’ Absolutely delighted to have you on board Peter, and looking forward to our chat about CRSI Now the list of partners for Climb24 will definitely not fit and we have even more giid news to announce later - so follow us at ClimbUK Innovate UK British Business Bank UBS VeUP Squire Patton Boggs TECH SY Innovation SuperNetwork Northern Accelerator West Yorkshire Combined Authority Nexus Leeds Leeds Digital EHE Ventures South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority Yorkshire Asian Business Association Creative UK Partners&. Tech Climbers Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture Mishcon de Reya LLP United Autosports Propel Teams Fourth Day PR & Content The New Monday Tech North Advocates Bionow Lloyds Banking Group Banking Group Plexal GreenTech Gathering Digital Sport North SPIKE DIGITAL Bobble AI Barclays Eagle Labs Huumans.io Www.climb24.co.uk