Collaboration sees formation of Angel Hub facility in city centre

An ‘Angel Hub’ has been launched in Manchester to serve investors and provide crucial support to local start-ups and scale-ups.

The UK Business Angels Association (UKBAA) has opened Angel Hub Manchester, in Bloc, hosted by Bruntwood SciTech, in a collaborative venture, facilitated by UKBAA in partnership with Manchester Angels and Praetura.

Located between King Street and Market Street, Angel Hub Manchester is an exclusive space tailored for investors seeking unparalleled opportunities for collaboration, idea sharing, and expanding networks within a dynamic and focused environment.

Investors can take advantage of private meeting rooms and a range of event spaces, to help conduct their business and ensure that discussions and negotiations are kept confidential.

Angel Hub Manchester allows investors to discover a wealth of opportunities to collaborate on exciting ventures, exchange ideas, and establish meaningful partnerships.

Carefully curated events, workshops and networking sessions will spark innovation, encouraging exploration of new avenues and staying ahead of emerging trends in the investment landscape. Tailored exclusively for investors, the year-round events include investment workshops, pitch sessions, educational seminars and networking mixers.

Roderick Beer, managing director for the UK Business Angels Association (UKBAA), said: “The Manchester Angel Hub provides a conducive environment for investors to connect, network, and foster synergies in the dynamic realm of early stage investing.

“This achievement is largely owed to the support of Bruntwood SciTech, a strong advocate for advancing the science and technology sector, who has breathed life into the hub, in collaboration with Manchester Angels, a dedicated network championing the angel investor community in Manchester, and Praetura, a distinguished venture capital firm in the North West.

“The Manchester Angel Hub has emerged as a nurturing ground for investor relations. This hub solidifies its pivotal role in the thriving ecosystem of Manchester, showcasing its commitment to fostering a dynamic and supportive environment for investors of all backgrounds and investment objectives.”

Deb Hetherington, head of innovation, North of England at Bruntwood SciTech said: “We’re thrilled that UKBAA have chosen to bring their Angel Hub to Bloc and look forward to welcoming them into the Bruntwood SciTech community.

“The investor community is a vital pillar of the start-up and scale-up ecosystem and we’re excited to be able to give UKBAA a space that will allow them to both expand and continue their important work in establishing new partnerships and facilitating collaboration and investment.

“At Bloc, their colleagues and investors will be treated to a wellbeing-focused workspace that embraces biophilia, art, sustainability, wellness, amenity and technology.”

David Levine, local champion for the Angel Hub, said: “The UKBAA are the go-to when it comes to angel education, cross network-collaboration and representing the interests of the early-stage tech investment community to a wide array of stakeholders. The new AngelHub will be the meeting place for current and prospective angels as well as portfolio businesses and the startups seeking to attract angel investment.”

Ben Davies, director at Praetura Group, said: “The North West is on an incredibly exciting growth trajectory. Cities like Manchester and Liverpool are consistently producing exceptional break out businesses, but a lack of early-stage risk capital still limits our ambitions.

“The only way we will reach our full potential is by nurturing an active and informed angel community, that’s why Praetura helped start Manchester Angels some years ago and continues to support them to this day. From our own research ‘What’s Powering The Powerhouse’, we know that proximity to early investors is important. The Angel hub will help physically bring founders and angels closer, creating the launch pad for the region’s scale ups.”

Angel Hub Manchester membership is available to UKBAA members and investors.