Hear from experts with experience of working with startups and investors and find out about some of the opportunities open to businesses seeking investment.

We will discuss:

How to decide what type of investment may be right for you
How to identify and approach the right investors
Tips on preparing your pitch deck and business plan
How to work with your investors
and much more.

Speakers include:

Martin Avison, Founder, AngelGroups
Will Schaffer, Investment Director, Mercia Asset Management

About the Speakers:

Martin Avison has over 30 years' experience in creating and funding growth. As well as raising millions in equity, grant and debt funding, Martin co-authored several of the UK Business Angel Associations due-diligence guideline documents, wrote his masters dissertation on investor readiness and is the founder of angelgroups. His knowledge covers various funding options including innovation grant funding schemes (such as Innovate UK and Horizon 2020), R&D Tax Credits as well as a range of other funding alternatives.

Will Schaffer is an investment director with Mercia’s Yorkshire-based venture equity team, primarily focused on the origination and execution of deals for the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund, in particular the provision of growth capital to trading SMEs with ambitious and innovative management teams. In his last year at KPMG in Leeds, Will was seconded to NorthInvest, where he developed an angel investor network and support ecosystem for tech start-ups across the North of England.

Workshop: Preparing for Investment