Last week, Frontline Partner 🌎🌍Will Prendergast spoke to Emmet Ryan at The Irish Times about what early-stage founders can expect when raising pre-revenue, sharing three key pieces of advice: 1. Qualify your investors carefully 2. Lead with very high levels of ambition 3. Prepare to get a lot of “No”s before you get a “Yes” Find the full article, featuring insights from Ann-Marie Costello at Grant Thornton Ireland and Brian Caulfield at Scale Ireland, here: https://lnkd.in/ej3jE5jY

At Joseph Gunnar & Co., we’re always keeping a close eye on where the market is headed and how best to support our clients in raising capital. Here’s a video from our NYC Investor Reception, aboard the beautiful Feadship BG Charade last week, featuring our Partner & Head of Investment Banking Peter Serra, interviewed by Lisbet Castillo, Co-Founder of PACTA, sharing insights on: 🔹 The sectors we’re focused on right now 🔹 The strategies we’re seeing companies successfully use to raise capital in today’s environment It’s an exciting time across disruptive tech, natural resources, and beyond—and we’re proud to be guiding innovators and investors alike through this evolving landscape. 🎥 Watch the full clip below and let us know your thoughts on where you see the greatest opportunities emerging. Joseph A. Alagna Joshua Mann Anna Stone Vincent Miscioscia, MBA William Brown Charles A. Danca PACTA Lisbet Castillo Jessika Angarita #EmergingMarkets #Investors #CapitalRaise #PublicMarkets Bobby Genovese #BGCharade

This may be a BIG opportunity for some of you… Simon Blakey (Avonmore Developments) invested £400k in pre-seed and seed deals last year, but these were often in syndicated, larger rounds. So he’s just launched a new initiative: £25k into ambitious, “day-zero” entrepreneurs just stepping out of the lab or leaving a job. This combines fast financial backing alongside Simon’s time and ongoing support. At least half the awards will go to female founders. This is for UK founders who are tackling a fundamental problem with venture-scale potential. The criteria and process: ✅ UK based. Not raised external funding before (grants are fine) ✅ 6 questions → follow-up due diligence → a decision in 2 weeks. ✅ Either a solo £25k investment under an ASA or participation in a larger pre-seed round. ✅ The bar will be high, but not every founder, team or idea is venture-scale. Apply here: https://lnkd.in/e6s2mbKM

Now that the angels have listened to my pitch… what’s next?” That’s one of the most common questions founders ask after presenting to investors. The truth? The pitch is just the beginning. Once the angels have listened, the real process begins; a mix of curiosity, verification, and relationship building. Here’s what typically happens next: 1. Internal Review & Deliberation Angels take time to review your deck, notes, and responses. They assess your business model against their investment thesis — stage, traction, valuation, and scalability. 2. Due Diligence If there’s initial interest, they’ll request supporting documents — financials, cap table, customer traction, legal status, and team bios. It’s not personal; it’s process. 3. Follow-up Conversations Expect clarifying questions. Some angels may want one-on-one calls to dive deeper into your assumptions or to get to know you beyond the pitch. 4. Syndicate Coordination In angel networks like LAN, deals often move as syndicates. Interested angels signal commitment, and a lead investor may emerge to structure the deal. 5. Decision & Communication Finally, founders are notified either to proceed to negotiation, to pause for alignment, or to stay on the radar for future opportunities. So, when you ask “what’s next?” It’s this: 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲, 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄-𝘂𝗽. The best founders don’t wait silently; they keep the communication warm, respond quickly, and show progress. Because every investor conversation, even if it doesn’t lead to a cheque - is an opportunity to grow your visibility and credibility in the ecosystem. At Lagos Angel Network, we’re helping founders understand this process and helping angels stay transparent and collaborative at every step. #StartupFunding #FounderTips #DealFlow #AfricanStartups G. Sopitan | Adeolu Adewumi-Zer | Kola A. | Olumide Soyombo | Tomi Davies | Biola Alabi | Yemi Keri | Iyinoluwa Aboyeji | Adedotun (Dotun) Sulaiman| Gareth Shepperson | Daniel Adeboyejo | Ayodeji Oyetunde | Joseph Afasinu | Dr Adeola Olatunji | Taiwo Okwor | Caroline Eboumbou | Patricia Ifewulu, Prof.PgDip (GRC), FICA | Solomon King | Adejare Rasheed Olaoluwa

Continuing our discussion from our "From Idea to MVP and Beyond" webinar, we're diving deeper into the principles of funding readiness. Etemore Glover - (MBA) identified four core elements that investors look for when assessing a venture. Beyond a brilliant idea, it's about building a business on these four pillars. Swipe to learn what they are. #CBP #NCIC #CEPLP #CEPLPWebinar2 #CircularEconomy #SustainableProducts #AccessToFinance #StartupFunding #EcoInnovation #Nigeria #ImpactInvesting #ProductDevelopment #IdeaToMVP #IdeatoFinance #MVPFinance #StartupFunding #AccessToFinance #CircularEconomy #BusinessGrowth #Investment #Nigeria

I joined a two part seminar last month by Thesis Driven (hosted by @PaulJStanton) on raising capital from family offices and I walked away with a few insights worth sharing! Raising capital isn’t just about term sheets and structures anymore; it’s about connection. The best partnerships go deeper than business. They’re built on shared values, trust, and a long-term vision that matters, investing in people and places you’d be proud to stand behind a decade from now. Family offices get misunderstood all the time. There’s no one size fits all, there are four main profiles (SFO w/ and without RE teams, Real Estate FO's and Multi-Family Offices), each with its own criteria and personality. What really stuck with me from day one was this: once you know who you’re talking to, the dialogue moves from “here’s our deal” to “here’s how we think.” That’s what really stuck with me. Institutions follow playbooks. Family offices follow people. Their decisions are personal, strategic, and more often than not, unpredictable. It’s not about selling, it’s about fit. The best relationships start when both sides see the world through a similar lens, not when one side’s trying to convince the other. Capital is nothing without conviction. The capital funds the project and conviction fuels the partnership. I could keep going, but you’ll get more out of attending it yourself. If you’re curious about how family office capital really moves today check out the Thesis Driven workshop. I found it to be a great playbook for building meaningful relationships in one of the fastest growing sources of private equity.   Link: https://lnkd.in/gqrgfmK5

Last night I joined the Enterprise Investment Scheme Association (EISA) event in Edinburgh, a brilliant evening of panels and networking with founders, fund managers, and investors. The theme was clear: EIS and SEIS remain some of the most powerful tools available to Scottish entrepreneurs. My key takeaway? Timing matters. Taking the time early in your journey to understand what options you have — whether EIS, SEIS, or other capital structures — can make the difference between funding that fuels scale and funding that limits it. It’s not about rushing into a raise. It’s about knowing the landscape, planning ahead, and choosing the path that protects your growth. 💡 Founders, when did you first look seriously at your funding options: at idea stage, early traction, or once investors were already knocking? #EIS #SEIS #FundingOptions #ScottishStartups #InnovationFunding #RockingHorse

This week’s event hosted by Bates Wells on how universities can support founders of social ventures highlighted the vital role universities can play in helping purpose-driven ventures move from ideas to sustainable impact. Speakers from London London Social Ventures, Recycle Labs Ltd., Trim Tots CIC, and UCL Business shared valuable insights on: 🔹 Connecting founders with translational funding and expert networks 🔹 Aligning mission and investment as ventures mature 🔹 Using governance and legal mechanisms to “lock in” purpose 🔹 The importance of founder wellbeing and peer support At Consult4impact, we believe that joining the dots between academia, social innovation, and impact investment is essential to build ventures that are both impact-true and investment-ready. We look forward to continuing the conversation with universities and accelerators on how to best support this growing ecosystem. #ImpactInvestment #SocialVentures #Universities #ImpactEcosystem #Governance #SocialInnovation

🚨 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐀𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 🚨 We’re pleased to share that Fuel Ventures has entered into a partnership with Henderson Rowe, a UK-based investment manager. Henderson Rowe has been operating for over 25 years and is supported by an experienced team, including Art Baluszynski, John Whick Chartered FCSI, Thomas Simpson and Dom Wright. Over that time, the firm has developed long-standing relationships with clients in the UK and internationally. 🤝 This collaboration represents a strategic relationship between two firms with a shared focus on supporting the UK growth economy.

“𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘭, 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦, 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘣𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘵; 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦, 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘰𝘳, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘮 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦, 𝘴𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘭𝘦.” At the DIONZ Members Panel “𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘊𝘢𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘭: 𝘐𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘮 𝘰𝘳 𝘐𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦?” during Building Bridges 2025, Rosanne Whalley, CEO of AHL Venture Partners, shared her journey leading the impact strategy for a Swiss-based single-family office investing across Africa. With over 17 years of experience in venture, private equity, and project finance, Rosanne has seen firsthand what it takes to make impact investing both commercially viable and transformational. Under her leadership, AHL pivoted toward private credit, financing essential yet often overlooked businesses in #climate, #food and #agriculture, and #financial #inclusion. Her message is one of grounded 𝐨𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐦 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐲: achieving both return and impact is hard, but possible. True conscious capital requires not just purpose, but 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞, 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐦, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞, especially in markets where access to private capital remains one of the biggest barriers to sustainable development. Rosanne’s reflections remind us that conscious capital isn’t theory, it’s tested daily on the ground, where resilience, integrity, and long-term vision define success. #DIONZ #BuildingBridges #ConsciousCapital #ImpactInvesting #SustainableFinance #LeadershipWithPurpose #SystemChange #NextGenLeadership #FinanceForGood #PurposeDrivenCapital #FamilyOffice #ImpactInvesting #AfricaInvestment #SustainabilityLeadership #EcosystemOfProsperity