Engine Shed and British Business Bank are running a series of Meet the Funder: South West events in 2024, following the success of their inaugural event last year.
Meet the Funder is aimed at startups and SMEs and offers a guide to funding through the mind of an investor. The fireside chat format explores an investor’s thinking when looking at opportunities and how you can question your approach or thoughts on your own business proposition. The format includes a limited opportunity for 1-2-1 conversations with the investors following the fireside chat.
Register for the first Meet the Funder of 2024 on 16 April
Ed Tellwright, British Business Bank Senior Manager South West said: “With over 80% of the South West investment ecosystem identifying that SMEs are not well informed about early-stage equity, our Meet the Funders events aim to tackle this direct on. The events give deep insight into what a featured investor is looking for, alongside focused 1:1s to start building a relationship.”
Mike Paton, Director of Engine Shed said: “We’re delighted to be partnering with British Business Bank to build on the success of our first event. Our aim is to support investors and founders to keep investment here in the South West and raise awareness of how to do this.”
The decision by Engine Shed and British Business Bank to continue with the event collaboration was made at techSPARK’s Annual South West Investment Report launch in January.
The report highlighted that despite a 50% downturn in equity investment raised in 2023, the tech sector remained steadfast, underscoring its importance in driving regional growth. Notably, there was a notable uptick in investment toward clean tech, green tech, and net-zero solutions, signaling a collective shift towards sustainability-driven endeavors.
Download the Annual Investment Report 2023
Mike Paton continued: “The report highlighted that the availability of investment is critical to innovation, particularly in the development of new, complex technologies. The investment review is a fantastic resource not just to understand how we’re doing as a region, but to continue to build its profile as a destination for investors. With our mission to drive innovation in the region, we’re delighted to continue to support it.”
Engine Shed is a partner of the West of England Investment Activator Programme (IAP). IAP is run by techSPARK and is kindly sponsored by TLT LLP, delaware, West of England Combined Authority, UWE, Sanderson, Engine Shed and Rocketmakers.