The British Business Bank has partnered with the UK Business Angels Association (UKBAA) to launch the Diverse Angel Syndicate (DAS) programme.<\/p>\n
This initiative is designed to broaden participation in angel investing and increase the flow of capital to underrepresented business founders.<\/p>\n
The programme will provide both financial and non-financial support for operational growth and development, including up to \u00a3400,000 of grant funding per syndicate over a four-year programme period. The funds will be used to help diversity-focused angel syndicates recruit, train and activate investors, strengthen their operations, and build sustainable long-term models.<\/p>\n
Angel investing participation remains less diverse than the wider UK population. Women currently make up around 14% of UK angel investors, according to the Investing in Women Code Annual Report 2025<\/em>, while UKBAA estimates that around 11% are from black and ethnic minority backgrounds.<\/p>\n Evidence suggests investors are more likely to back business founders with similar backgrounds, meaning a lack of diversity on the investor side can influence which entrepreneurs are able to access early-stage capital.<\/p>\n Through the DAS, successful syndicates will receive support to raise awareness of angel investing as an asset class, onboard a mix of novice and experienced investors, provide investor education, develop stronger operational infrastructure and connect with peer syndicates, early-stage investors and co-investment partners.<\/p>\n UKBAA will act as strategic programme partner, providing specialist support to help syndicates develop the structures, processes and capabilities needed to operate and run effectively, while helping the opportunity reach relevant syndicates through its established national network. Public IO, through the Angel Investing School, will provide ‘train-the-trainer’ support.<\/p>\n The programme builds on the bank\u2019s DAS pilot, established in 2023, to support a cohort of five female-led syndicates: Mint Ventures, Awaken Angels, Women Angels of Wales, Lifted Ventures and Investing Women Angels. By 30 June 2026, participating syndicates had recruited 277 angel investors, including 265 women and 232 novice investors, and completed 74 deals with a total round value of \u00a358.7m, including \u00a32.3m invested directly by the syndicates.<\/p>\n The pilot has also demonstrated its ability to turn interest in angel investing into active and sustained participation. By June, 169 investors had made their first angel investment through participating syndicates; representing an activation rate of 49%.<\/p>\n Susan Nightingale, senior director for local growth at the British Business Bank, said: \u201cWe want to work with ambitious angel syndicates, whether emerging or established, that share our passion for tackling evidenced disparities in angel investing.<\/p>\n \u201cUltimately, our ambition is to see diverse syndicates develop into commercially viable, self-sustaining organisations that continue to bring new investors into the market and unlock more capital for entrepreneurs across the UK.\u201d<\/p>\n Jenny Tooth, executive chair of UK Business Angels Association, said: \u201cBuilding a more diverse angel investment ecosystem across the UK is vital and we need to enable many more women and those from wider diverse backgrounds with the capacity to invest to become part of angel investment syndicates.<\/p>\n \u201cBy providing them with new skills, knowledge and connections, we aim to strengthen their role and capacity to mobilise many more diverse investors into their angel groups and ensuring their long-term growth and sustainable impact on the level of investments into diverse founders across the UK angel investment market.\u201d<\/p>\n Applications for the programme open on 11 November. A webinar will take place on 4 November, followed by office hours over a two-week period to provide further information to prospective applicants.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u00a3400,000 of grant funding is being made available per successful syndicate, over a four-year period<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":278857,"featured_media":2835,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"coauthors":[137126],"class_list":["post-8399","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest-news","tag-featured-story","tag-national","tag-scotland"],"yoast_head":"\n