Development Bank of Wales’ Post

Tech company Pelly have scored a £355,000 pre-seed investment from us alongside M-Sparc Angels and private investment. Three young entrepreneurs all under the age of 25, Iwan Pritchard, Stephen Hickinbotham, and Tomos Owen, are the co-founders of the tech company set up to provide cutting-edge platform for sports operation management. The investment, led by lead investor Robert Williams, through a syndicate of ten angels has invested £124,500, which was part-matched with a further £124,500 from us, and private investment completed the round taking the total to £355,000. Co-founder Iwan Pritchard said: ‘Pelly bridges the gap between data and action. We’ve built a platform that leverages AI to turn complex data into clear, actionable insights for clubs... The support of our team, advisors, and investors is helping us to accelerate our growth. They’re encouraging us to work smarter whilst opening doors and providing the working capital that we need to fund our early-stage development. It’s a huge vote of confidence in us, our business model, and our potential as a young and driven team’. Hear from Angel Investor Robert Williams, and Angels Invest Wales Fund Manager Tom Preene: https://ow.ly/AKFI50UG2gR #AngelInvesting #SeedFunding #DevBankHelped Pelly . M-SParc . Angels Invest Wales . UK Business Angels Association . Cyngor Sir Ynys Môn | Isle of Anglesey County Council . Busnes Cymru / Business Wales . Business News Wales

Tech company Pelly have scored a £355,000 pre-seed investment from us alongside M-Sparc Angels and private investment. Three young entrepreneurs all under the age of 25, Iwan Pritchard, Stephen Hickinbotham, and Tomos Owen, are the co-founders of the tech company set up to provide cutting-edge platform for sports operation management. The investment, led by lead investor Robert Williams, through a syndicate of ten angels has invested £124,500, which was part-matched with a further £124,500 from us, and private investment completed the round taking the total to £355,000. Co-founder Iwan Pritchard said: ‘Pelly bridges the gap between data and action. We’ve built a platform that leverages AI to turn complex data into clear, actionable insights for clubs... The support of our team, advisors, and investors is helping us to accelerate our growth. They’re encouraging us to work smarter whilst opening doors and providing the working capital that we need to fund our early-stage development. It’s a huge vote of confidence in us, our business model, and our potential as a young and driven team’. Hear from Angel Investor Robert Williams, and our Fund Manager Tom Preene: https://ow.ly/AKFI50UG2gR #AngelInvesting #SeedFunding Pelly . M-SParc . Development Bank of Wales . UK Business Angels Association . Cyngor Sir Ynys Môn | Isle of Anglesey County Council . Busnes Cymru / Business Wales . Business News Wales

🎄 As we near closer to the holidays, our investment manager Jessica Jackson has taken time to reflect on this year's milestone launch of #PraeSeed! 🙌 Our cohort-based investment programme, made possible thanks to #NPIFII backing, invested in seven exciting startups this year and will return in 2025. 🤔 Keen to find out more? Check out the full video below for Jess's rundown of the programme, the sectors we've attracted and the impact of the programme. 🤝 A special thank you to everyone who gave their time, from our mentors and partners to the solicitors involved in each deal and, of course, the British Business Bank for their support from ideation to delivery. #VC #VentureCapital #NextInTheNorth British Business Bank North of England

Our estates manager, Liz Cashon, recently attended a roundtable for TheBusinessDesk.com on the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II (NPIFII). The roundtable facilitated an insightful discussion on how creating the right conditions for entrepreneurs and innovative companies to thrive is hugely important to growth in the region. Liz joined other funders, fund managers, entrepreneurs, business owners and advisers to discuss the key themes of sustainable funding and growth. On the growth and investment of York Biotech Campus, Liz shared that her focus is on the wider ecosystem of bioscience in the region, commenting: “Obviously, it is very important to us to continue to nurture the growth of our businesses. But I think what our job really is to do, is to bring the experienced businesses to those early-stage businesses. “Luckily, we’ve got some really good mentors on the site that are very prepared to talk to those businesses and explain exactly how they were successful in achieving the funding. Bringing that community together is essential, but it’s also essential to reach out to the wider community.” Read the full piece here: https://lnkd.in/eK_5a4DD Thank you to The Business Desk for hosting an engaging roundtable, it was fantastic to speak with Victoria Garcia, CEO of BindEthics Ltd., Lizzy Upton, Senior Investment Manager and Simon Cunnington, Director at British Business Bank, James Fenwick, Director of Tråd Collective, Armando Leal Puente co-founder and Chief Executive of Eutechtics, Amir Hussain, Founder of Yeme Tech, Jason Crispin, Chief Executive at IMAGINaiTION, Will Clark, Managing Director and Pete Sorsby fund principal at Mercia Asset Management PLC, Christopher Lunardi, Ecosystem Manager at Barclays Eagle Labs. #Roundtable #Yorkshire #RegionalInvestment #Bioscience

When it comes to access to investor capital, what is relevant for private equity and venture capital is also relevant for scale-stage companies. Single family office, ultra high net worth, and private wealth together constitute a staggering amount of capital that can be deployed in private markets. However, successfully accessing those sources of capital can be extremely tricky, time consuming, and frustrating. Like any new and growing market, everything starts with educating the customer. As detailed in PitchBook today, "Many participants agreed that educating the market is the biggest challenge but also the first priority. There are different layers of instruction needed along the supply chain. In order to successfully sell a product, the intermediaries—including private bankers and wealth advisers—need to know what they are selling and whom they are selling to." However, education is just the start. There is a mountain of complexity that comes with the day to day operational aspects of having this type of investor on the cap table. However, the trend is firmly in place. Private markets are too big for these players to not be involved. Complicated as they may be, these investor channels will continue to increase their share of private market investments. Endeavor Colorado Zeb King Tegan Stanbach Kathryn Dickson #privateequity #venturecapital #innovation #entrepreneurship #founders #startups #investing https://lnkd.in/dFSjhydv

Thank you Tim Scott, Members of the United States Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, and staff for the introduction of the Empowering Main Street in America Act (#EMSAA). We are especially thrilled about the inclusion of the previously introduced Developing and Empowering our Aspiring Leaders (DEAL) Act. #DEALAct This legislation is necessary in addressing two key issues that have been burdensome for #ERAs: ⭐ #Secondaries: Currently, investing in secondaries is classified as a “non-qualifying” investment, limiting ERAs to having no more than 20% of their fund in such investments. The bill rectifies this by reclassifying secondaries as “qualifying” investments. Additionally, given the scarcity of IPOs and challenges in M&A, enhancing liquidity for firms' funds through secondaries can alleviate industry pressures. ⭐ #Investing in other VC funds: Previously, investing in other VC funds was also deemed a “non-qualifying” investment, consuming an ERA's 20% allocation. Historically, it has been common for firms to make small LP investments in other funds, often serving as a gateway for newcomers to enter the industry. Bipartisan advancement of this provision is necessary for smaller VCs to better support their #portfoliocompanies. Check out our CEO, Bobby Franklin's statement below:

🌟 Zosia Wanat from Sifted wrote an insightful piece on the EBAN - European Business Angel Network Annual Congress in Tallinn: 👉 Angel investing in Europe is maturing, with over 40k investors becoming more professional and structured. The community now includes national associations, syndicates, funds, and startup founders, highlighting a diverse and professional investor base. EBAN plays a crucial role in supporting this professionalisation by organising networking events, facilitating peer learning, and sharing best practices. 👉 Many angels are investing through syndicates or funds to mitigate risks and build long-term portfolios. Smaller ecosystems like Lithuania and Ireland are showing strong growth alongside leading countries like the UK, Germany, and France. AI and defense tech have become the hottest investment areas, replacing fintech and B2B SaaS. 👉 EBAN advocates for supportive regulations and tax benefits, aiming to harmonise rules and tax systems across Europe to ease investment. Mobilising idle funds into startup investments could significantly transform the European economy. You can read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/eCGib_DW #angelinvesting #EBAN2024 #startupecosystem #innovation

🌟 Dear Genuine Impact subscribers, we’re thrilled to invite you to an online webinar on Jan 27, 2025, at 2:00 PM London Time to explore early-stage investing! Who’s Leading the Charge? 📈 New Horizon Global: A cutting-edge investment advisory firm, specialising in connecting global investors with disruptive startups across industries. 📊 QVentures: One of the UK’s leading SEIS pre-seed funds, with a stellar track record of backing innovative ventures and delivering impressive returns. What’s in it for you? ✔ SEIS Tax Strategies: Maximise returns while backing innovative startups. ✔ Insider Insights: Discover how QVentures has risen to prominence as one of the UK’s leading SEIS pre-seed funds, and gain insights into their strategic methodology for identifying and supporting high-potential enterprises. ✔ Why It Matters: Discover the opportunities our partnership unlocks for forward-thinking investors. Note: SEIS is a tax relief program introduced by the UK government to help small startups raise funds. By investing in these ventures, individual investors benefit from attractive tax incentives, making SEIS an essential tool for diversifying portfolios and fueling innovation. 📍 Register now and secure your spot. Don’t miss this: https://lnkd.in/geRmQhWE #SEIS #InvestmentInsights #PersonalFinance #Investing #FinancialAnalysis

It is crazy to think we are already half way through December, this year has flown by and we at Black Sheep Capital are getting ready for some well deserved rest and relaxation. Below is our final portfolio monthly recap for the year - it is always great to highlight what our invested companies are up to.  See our December 2024 recap below, as always follow Black Sheep Capital to stay up to date. PS Links to articles in the comments: 💰 The Flock closed out The Flock Fund II, we are super excited to be launching into 2025 with a fund dedicated to pre-seed investing. Even more excited to have made our first investment into a company founded by 3 previously exited founders 🛒 Appetise relased their Must Know Shopper insights for New Zealand. The report is a great tool for FMCG companies showing the flavours, meal types and cuisines that are trending. 💡 Amber Electric and Pureprofile surveyed 1,000 Aussie household energy bill decision-makers to shine a light on their energy habits. The results are in, and Amber have compiled a recently released report revealing how Australians are powering up and where they’re driving change. 🏆 Haast and Aviva recently announced their partnership, the focus of which is to enhance Aviva’s regulartory processes. The partnership formed off the back of the Haast team meeting Aviva partnerships manager for group innovation Suzanne Lawson at InsureTech UK earlier in the year ☑️ Brainfish have been accepted into the Peak XV Partners surge program, giving them access to an experienced group of mentors and operators to help them on their journey to scale. 🧾 Ignition have launched a Solo Plan for professional services businesses globally. For those Solopreneurs who are sick of chasing payments? Tired of manually creating contracts and invoices? The Solo Plan is the perfect plan for their business. Allowing users to automate contracts, billing, and collections all in one place, so they can reduce business administration, grow revenue, and boost cashflow! Paul Osborne Alon Greenspan Alexandra Lewis Cheryl Mack 🌊 Vinko Grgić Toby Hilliam (Skilton) Elise Hilliam Christopher Thompson Dan Adams Jason Watling Kunal Vankadara Liam King Guy Pearson Dane Thomas Daniel Gavel

🚀 Key Learnings from the Private Capital Symposium 2024 🚀 I recently had the privilege of attending the 15th Private Capital Symposium hosted by Entrepreneurship and Private Capital at London Business School. This symposium brings together influential industry experts, academic thought leaders, and innovators from around the world. Here are my key takeaways: #1 Geographical Significance in Family Office Investments - London continues to be a pivotal hub for family office investments, with unique opportunities and strategic advantages discussed by experts like Hiroko Atherton, Rishi Patel, and Susanne Pöttinger. #2 Fireside Chat on the Future of PE - The fireside chat between Head of Private Capital Europe and North America, EQT Partners and Florin V. highlighted the evolving fundraising ecosystem, trend towards consolidation in PE similar to public markets and how GenAI is being harnessed within PE with specific use cases, emphasizing the importance of adaptability and forward-thinking strategies. #3 Democratization of Private Equity Investments - PE typically requires significant capital and sophisticated knowledge, limiting participation to a small group of elite investors. Reducing minimum investment amounts, creating new investment vehicles and platforms are some of the ways discussed to allow a wider range of investors to access PE opportunities. #4 Inspirational Story - Noor Sweid's journey from consultant to family business, and eventually to setting up her own venture fund with significant wins across three funds, was truly inspirational. Lastly, a big thank you to Eva Negrutzi Dip DigM, Luisa Alemany, Sairina Ramakrishnan and the team for organizing the event and giving me the an opportunity to volunteer. #whyIloveLBS #LBSPrivateCapitalSymposium #PrivateCapital #PrivateEquity