Mint Ventures

Do you love Dragons Den? Have you always wondered what it would be like to be a Dragon? 🐉 Would you like to support more women-led early-stage companies? Come and find out how you can get involved. Investing from £2,000   📅 Thursday 13th November 2025 ⏰ 5.30pm registration for 6pm start 📌 OEUK, 4th Floor, Annan House, 33-35 Palmerston Road, Aberdeen, AB11 5QP 💰 Free to attend Mint Ventures is an angel investing group, focused on breaking down barriers and making angel investment accessible for women to get involved in supporting diverse teams in start-up businesses. We provide access, support, and education to empower women to know how to get involved and how to take that first step. The cultural barriers to women investing are real. We’re here to change that. Join us at our Aberdeen event, where you can meet other inspiring Mint members and find out how to invest in early-stage diverse companies. Whether you're just curious about investing or looking to learn more, this is the perfect opportunity to find out in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. BOOK HERE: https://lnkd.in/eKGhA2Zc   Who is behind this? Gillian Fleming, MD of Mint and Irina Krylova our Mint Aberdeen Ambassador – they will, in lay-person terms, give a brief introduction to angel investing to de-mystify some of the myths associated with this type of investment.   Why are we doing this? In line with the Invest In Women Taskforce and the Pathways recommendations, we want to make early stage investing more accessible to women and increase the number of women angels to enable them to help shape a future economy that they would like to see. What can you expect? Hear about angel investing as part of your investment strategy. Learn how to make use of the little-known tax benefits available to angel investors and explore how Mint can help you achieve your financial goals. There will also be lots of friendly chat, a drink on us and a great networking opportunity.   Please feel free to share this invitation to those in your network who you think might be interested in learning more about Angel Investing – in early stage companies - and how our CPD accredited training is a pathway to becoming an angel. BOOK HERE: https://lnkd.in/eKGhA2Zc For any enquiries or further information, please e-mail Heather: [email protected] Offshore Energies UK Irina K. Professor Gillian Fleming Mary Jane Brouwers Jamie Landale Rebecca Trengove Anna Lagerqvist Christopherson Nicola Martin

The Gender Index Report - some key takeaways: 1. Growth & Turnover Performance 💡 In Scotland in 2024, female-led companies saw a 29% increase in turnover, which was higher than the male-led average (24%) and the UK average for female-led growth (24.6%). 💡 In the UK, female-led firms continue to under-represent in number: in Scotland, for instance, 1 in 5 newly incorporated companies are led by women (≈ 20%) versus ~63% male-led.  2. Access to Investment 💡 Female-led companies in 2024 received only 6.9% of venture capital and 4.8% of private equity investment.  💡 This suggests that even with strong growth potential, access to funding remains a major barrier. 3. Regional / National Variation 💡 While Scotland is highlighted as a relatively strong performer within the UK (in turnover growth for female-led firms), the general UK picture still shows significant gender imbalance in business leadership and funding.  4. Persistent Barriers 💡 A recurring theme: even when women lead companies with solid performance (turnover growth etc.), structural barriers remain in funding access, underrepresentation in leadership roles, and perhaps in scaling to larger size. 💡 The gap between performance and resource access suggests systemic inequality rather than capability deficits. 📢 There is still much work to be done! The Gender Index #womeninbusiness #angelinvestors #femalefounders #investing #startups #womenangels #entrepreneur #investinwomen #giveback #womenwhoinvest #supportwomeninbusiness https://lnkd.in/gxE7yBdb

📢 Have you ever wanted to start selling on Amazon but had no idea where to start then this FREE online masterclass could be just what you are looking for. 💡 The four-week series provides a structured, data-driven approach to launching and scaling a brand on Amazon’s international marketplaces. 💪 Whether you’re new to the platform or looking to expand internationally, this programme provides a step-by-step roadmap to successfully launching product on Amazon across multiple markets. 🗓️ Starts Thursday 30th October for 4 weeks every Thursday until 20th November ⏰ 10am to 12pm (UK Time). 🔗 https://lnkd.in/ewHy6TEZ Scottish Enterprise Amazon #startups #entrepreneur #entrepreneurlife

Mint Ventures backs BindEthics Ltd. in £150k Seed Round led by Lifted Ventures Mint Ventures is proud to announce investment in BindEthics Ltd, a pioneering sustainable commercial adhesive company transforming industrial food & beverage waste into high-performance, non-toxic adhesives supporting healthy homes as part of the £150k round led by Lifted Ventures.  This deal represents a powerful collaboration between two UK women-led angel investment groups, working together to help close the chronic funding gap facing women founders and leaders of UK start up businesses. Why We Invested in BindEthics  🌱 1. Game-Changing Product Innovation  BindEthics has developed a world-first bio-adhesive derived from brewing waste, offering a non-toxic, fully recyclable alternative to conventional formaldehyde-based glues used in furniture wood. With wide application potential across the furniture, construction & packaging industries, BindEthics’ adhesives are:  Biodegradable  Low-carbon (up to 86% lower emissions than standard glues)  Cost-competitive  Scalable  Non-toxic and circular  True waste feedstock  🧠 2. Exceptional Diverse Founding Team  Led by CEO Victoria Garcia, who holds an MSc in Molecular Design & Synthesis, alongside CTO Alexandra Sirre & CFO Michiel Wolzak, the founding team combines deep technical expertise with commercial insight and leadership. The team has demonstrated a strong ability to:  Develop & optimise high-performance adhesive formulations  Scale from lab to manufacturing  Build partnerships with world class manufacturers and distributors  🌍 3. Massive ESG Impact  Healthier Homes  Replacing toxic adhesives with safe, plant-based alternatives dramatically reduces exposure to harmful chemicals.  Industrial Compatibility  Designed for manufacture with existing equipment An Urgent Market Need  With the global adhesive sector valued at over £51.2 billion, industries are under pressure to find greener, safer alternatives due to evolving regulatory, environmental, and consumer demands & Bind Ethics is answering this call.  “We are truly honoured to join BindEthics on their mission to replace harmful glues and support the critical healthy ageing sector. This is exactly the kind of purpose-led, women-led innovation that is aligned with our members investment values.” Gillian Fleming Fleming, MD Mint Ventures    ''We're delighted that we have been able to work with Mint Ventures in backing Bindethics to accelerate their growth journey. Women focussed investment organisations like Mint Ventures and Lifted Ventures are compounding their investments through powerful coinvestment conversations which as the latest Invest In Women Code results show have a significant investment amplification effect.'' Helen Oldham Co-Founder Lifted Ventures    Mint Ventures & Lifted Ventures are supported by the British Business Bank Scotland   Mary Jane Brouwers Jamie Landale Rebecca Trengove Anna Lagerqvist Christopherson Irina K. Katrine Young

Setting up a food and drink business? Then this lunch and learn on Thursday might be of interest to you - FREE to attend. Click 🔗 below for more info. Enterprise Nation #startups #femalefounders #diversity  #inclusion  https://lnkd.in/eXH_5ryE

Have a listen to this inspiring podcast where Lindsey Frances BSc PGD GMBPsS MISF interviews Professor Gillian Fleming, co-founder of Mint Ventures , about the importance of women in angel investing. They discuss the barriers women face in investing, the need for more female investors to support women-led companies, and the educational initiatives Mint Ventures offers to empower women in this space. The conversation highlights the systemic biases in investment and the potential for women to drive change through purpose-driven investing. Mary Jane Brouwers Jamie Landale Rebecca Trengove Anna Lagerqvist Christopherson Irina Krylova Katrine Young Nicola Martin https://lnkd.in/eC3ipdK3 #angelinvesting #femalefounders #diversity  #inclusion  #founders  

This is a brilliant guide - well worth saving the link to your favourites. #investing #growingandscaling #funding #angelinvestors

🗓️ Next week -  Ada Scotland Festival returns with events across the country to tackle the gender gap in computing, inspiring young people and building a more diverse future tech workforce. 💡 There were 4.1 young men for every young woman studying computing degrees in the UK in 2024. However, a record 6,310 UK women started Computing at UK universities in 2024. They are a growing portion of the 32,710 total of UK-based entrants, according to BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT. 🔗 See link below to find events in your area. #womenintech   #WomenInTechnology #womenintechnology https://lnkd.in/ejfBSj_Q

📢 We can finally share some HUGE news! After months of planning and conversations Breakthrough Founders is here! Funded by Innovate UK, Breakthrough Founders offers a 12-month, fully funded pathway to investment, designed specifically for overlooked and underrepresented founders in the entrepreneurial ecosystem. 🫵 Breakthrough Founders is now open for applications. If you’re a UK founder looking for investment (from ideation through to scaling) and if you’ve ever felt overlooked, then this is for you!   📌 The initiative, which has an objective to advance the fundraising of 150 founders, and secure funding for at least 45 start-ups over the next eighteen months, targets founders who identify as women, are of ethnic minority, neuro-diverse, disabled, LGBTQIA+, primary caregivers and those from low-income or non-traditional backgrounds including both 18-30 and 55+ age brackets. The programme’s mission is simple: to support underrepresented entrepreneurs by giving them the tools, network and strategy to build, scale and close investment. Breakthrough Founders has been created by four organisations that specialise in providing entrepreneurial and funding support. It is led by The 200Bn Club and delivered with the expertise of Catalyst, Focused For Business and Mint Ventures This multi-entry level programme supports diverse founders to easily access the resources they need to grow their companies. Mint Ventures will support access to funding and investment through different educational pathways and flip the script to connect underfunded founders to the right investors. 🔗To find out more or apply: https://lnkd.in/eHAKCHE5 🏷️ Please tag any UK based founders that are looking to raise over the next 12 months and share the news! Professor Gillian Fleming Mary Jane Brouwers Jamie Landale Rebecca Trengove Anna Lagerqvist Christopherson Irina K. Katrine Young #BreakthroughFounders #InnovateUK #Angelinvestors #Funding #Entrepreneurship #Innovation #angelinvesting

📢 We’re excited to be participating alongside 120 VCs in the Europe-wide Female Founder Office Hours on 30th October 2025, led by Playfair in collaboration with Microsoft for Startups, HFL and OakNorth. To date, this initiative has brought together over 3,060 founders for 13,560 one-to-one mentoring and pitch meetings. If you’re a female founder and would like the opportunity to meet investors for pitching or mentoring, you can register here: https://lnkd.in/dSa3c4Qb #officehours #femalefounders #diversity #inclusion #announcement #founders #vc #community #technology