Bristol & Bath Regional Capital Joins as Engine Shed’s first Social Investor in Residence

• The current Investor in Residence sessions, with Deepbridge Capital, Ignite100 and ADV, are regularly fully booked and focus on for-profit enterprises
• Investors from BBRC will be at Engine Shed one day a month between August and November, to help advise social entrepreneurs and start-ups about funding

Engine Shed is pleased to announce that local C.I.C. Bristol & Bath Regional Capital (BBRC) will be joining its Investor in Residence service this autumn.

The Investor in Residence service provides no-obligation consultations with experienced investors. Companies will receive feedback on their pitch and advice on where they can find the right type of investment, as well as insight into what partner investors are looking for.

BBRC is a community-minded investment company working with local people, companies and institutions in the West of England to catalyse regional change. As a social enterprise investor, they will be at Engine Shed one day a month from August to November, with an initial investment focus on homes and communities, community services and asset development, low carbon economy & the environment and employability & enterprise.

BBRC helps entrepreneurs who put purpose at the heart of their activity. The right sort of finance for the right sort of organisation can boost the social impact, capacity and long-term sustainability of any business. Like Engine Shed, BBRC wants to help social entrepreneurs in the region to make those choices well.

As an Investor in Residence, BBRC will apply its investment and business planning experience to help entrepreneurs in the West of England become more resilient. BBRC is also open to working with charities looking to develop new delivery models, as well as public sector organisations wanting to rethink the way they deliver their services.

BBRC’s Chief Executive, Ed Rowberry, said: “Local social businesses that put purpose and community at the centre of a successful business model will play an increasingly key part in improving the fabric of our region.  We are absolutely committed to providing expertise and support to local social enterprises. As such, we are delighted to be working with local entrepreneurs through the Investor in Residence position at Engine Shed, providing advice and support on how to make their businesses sustainable, attractive to investors, and ultimately give something back to the region we live in.”

Nick Sturge, Director of Engine Shed, said of the appointment: “A sustainable economy needs businesses of different types – we need to create wealth but also encourage and grow businesses that have a strong social impact. All businesses, both for-profit and not-for-profit, create employment. BBRC brings world-class expertise to this sector and we are delighted to be partnering with such an experienced, regionally focussed organisation. BBRC is at the forefront of thinking on social investment and I am looking forward to more social enterprises successfully securing funding.”

BBRC will be joining Ignite and Episode 1, as well as returning Investors in Residence, Deepbridge Capital and ADV.

BBRC is owned and supported by Bristol City Council, the University of Bristol, the University of West of England, Bath Spa University, Voscur, The Society of Merchant Venturers, Business West, St John’s Foundation and the John Pontin Trust.

Engine Shed’s Investor in Residence service returned from 15^th August 2017. BBRC will be at Engine Shed on  23^rd October, and 22^nd November. Book your place here.