You'd think being asked to leave after you've pitched to 30 investors would be a bad thing. At Leeds Angels it's the format. Four founders, three minutes each, ten minutes of questions, then you're ushered out so the investors can talk among themselves. They're mostly ex-operators themselves, and they really focus on how they can help the businesses they select. This is the format they found that gives the best outcomes. Judging by the conversations before we left, I can believe it. They were full of sharp questions and insights. Some investors didn't even wait for the follow-up to share that they were interested in continuing the conversation. I was one of four founders pitching on Wednesday, the other three brilliant founders/businesses were: - Ciara Flannery at Enough Energy - Felix Hughes at Bueno - June Angelides, MBE at MyPholyo Thank you to Hazel Savage, Chang Choon Fah, Mark Roberts and Jason Crispin for hosting us and making the room so welcoming. If you're a founder and you're raising, put Leeds Angels on your radar. They're a Leeds-based angel group with a preference for UK businesses, not just Leeds, but will look at exceptional businesses from anywhere. They also have the most founder friendly terms I've seen: no charge to pitch, no fees on investments. It's competitive to get into the room, but it's well worth applying.
It was great to have you pitch to us Ben Beavers - amazing to see how quickly SmartyPlants has developed in such a short space of time!
Hi Ben - that’s the normal format for the most effective Angel events that I attended when I was investing. Good luck!
You were excellent Ben and it was so lovely to meet you and learn more about Smarty Plants ☺️
Good luck with the follow-ups Ben.
Congrats, Ben! 🎉 Love seeing ex-operator models like Leeds Angels in action—makes us super excited for when we bring our roadmap to Leeds soon!
Very cool. Hope it went well mate! Have you 3D printed a couple new versions of yourself as you are everywhere at the moment. Love to see you and SmartyPlants going from strength to strength! 👏
Completely agree, Ben Beavers and thanks for including Bueno. What stood out was how quickly the questions moved from understanding the business to exploring where their experience and connections could help. You could feel the operator experience in the room. Three minutes gets the conversation started; the quality of the questions makes you want to continue it. A pleasure to pitch alongside you, Ciara Flannery and June Angelides, MBE.