The Growth Company, powered by its early-stage investment arm GC Angels, and Bruntwood SciTech brought together over 130 investors, Northern founders and key ecosystem partners for their second ‘Early-Stage Northern Showcase – Investor x Founder’ event in Leeds.
Held at Nexus, the University of Leeds’ innovation hub, the event welcomed more than 70 early-stage businesses from across the North of England and a strong cohort of over 60 investors and other institutions from across the UK, further strengthening connections between regional and national investment communities.
Opening the event, Gareth Scargill, Director of Nexus at the University of Leeds, welcomed attendees to a day of networking and insightful discussion. The showcase also brought together key ecosystem stakeholders, including representatives from the British Business Bank, Innovate UK, Greater Manchester Combined Authority, Leeds City Council and NatWest.
Designed to connect investors from outside the region with Northern founders and local investment networks, the event focused on building relationships, increasing visibility and helping to address long-standing regional funding disparities.
The showcase builds on GC Angels’ Venture Forward accelerator programme, which supports underrepresented founders across the North in securing their first venture capital investment. Since launch, the programme has supported 52 founders across two cohorts, with nine participants from the inaugural cohort raising a combined £3.1 million within three months of completing the programme. Recruitment for cohort 3 starts later this month and will be delivered over 6 weeks from September.
The day opened with an investor lunch, bringing together leading investors and ecosystem stakeholders to discuss opportunities within the Northern investment landscape. The programme featured a welcome address from Marc Shirman, Head of Equity Investment at GC Angels, alongside a sponsor address from Bradley Jones, Founder and CEO of ThatRound.
A dedicated panel discussion explored how female investors assess female founders for investment, chaired by Ranvir Singh, Senior Investment Manager at GC Angels. Panellists included Elizabeth Young of PXN Ventures, Katie Nicholson of Gateway Angels, Eve Myers of Mercia Ventures, Dr Lucy Buckley of Digital Health Associates and Imaara Keshwani of GC Angels.
The main event opened with welcome addresses from Marc Shirman and Katherine Megson, Head of Innovation & Growth at Bruntwood SciTech. Attendees also heard from keynote speaker Mandy Ridyard, Director of ASG Aerospace and Business Advisor to the Mayor of West Yorkshire, who shared her insights into regional growth, innovation and scaling businesses from the North.
A founder panel, chaired by Bradley Jones, focused on navigating the challenges of the early-stage investment journey and featured founders who have successfully secured investment and scaled their businesses: Phil Melia of Breezemove, Dr Amanda MacCannell of Pathways Open, Kamila Malavia of JadeApp, Hannah Latif-Walmsley of Laika and Dr Emma Thornton of Cocoon.
Following this, the showcase’s signature reverse pitch session saw investors pitch themselves directly to founders, helping demystify the fundraising process and create more accessible pathways to investment.
The event concluded with a networking reception, providing founders, investors and ecosystem leaders with further opportunities to build relationships and explore future collaboration.
Marc Shirman, Head of Equity Investment at GC Angels, said: “Access to the right investment networks remains one of the biggest challenges for ambitious founders outside London. The North is home to exceptional businesses, but greater visibility among investors can make a significant difference to their growth and fundraising prospects.
“By bringing together active investors and high-growth businesses through events like this and our Venture Forward accelerator programmes, we’re creating valuable opportunities for founders to build relationships, understand investor expectations and accelerate their fundraising journeys. The quality of businesses on display demonstrates the depth of innovation and entrepreneurial talent that exists across our region.”
This latest event builds on the ongoing work of GC Angels and Bruntwood SciTech to strengthen the Northern investment ecosystem, creating opportunities for ambitious founders to access capital, connections and support.
Katherine Megson, Head of Innovation & Growth at Bruntwood SciTech, said: “The North is home to some of the UK’s most exciting and innovative early-stage businesses, but unlocking their full potential requires greater connectivity between founders, investors and ecosystem partners.
“At Bruntwood SciTech, we’re committed to creating the environments, communities and opportunities that help ambitious businesses scale. This showcase is a powerful example of what can be achieved when organisations work collaboratively to champion regional innovation and attract investment into Northern businesses.
“By bringing investors and founders together in Leeds, we’re continuing to demonstrate the strength of the Northern ecosystem and reinforcing the message that world-class businesses can be built and scaled from anywhere.”
Cohort 3 opens for Greater Manchester International Scale Up Programme