Business angels network targeting £10m of new investments

DSW Angels, the business angel network focused on UK regional scale-up companies, is planning £10m of new investment over the next 12 months to help support the post-COVID-19 recovery.

DSW Angels is part of the Dow Schofield Watts group, an advisory and investment business based in Daresbury, Warrington.

The network – which closed its largest investment at the start of the lockdown with a £1.7m funding round for One Utility Bill – has since seen an enhanced flow of new enquiries from quality businesses and has a strong pipeline of new investments.

It will also have the capacity to make larger investments following the decision by one of its funding partners – British Business Investments – to increase its rate of funding.

British Business Investments, which announced a £10m commitment to be invested alongside the DSW Angels network in September 2019, will now commit up to 50% for each investment.

DSW Angels has led a total of £4m of venture capital investment into regional scale-up businesses in the past two years.

David Smith, a founding partner of DSW Angels, said: “We have seen no reduction in either the flow of new scale-up opportunities or enthusiasm from our investors, which is reinforced by the renewed support from British Business Investments.

“We intend DSW Angels to be a major player in supporting high-growth businesses as the country recovers from the lockdown.”