What Angel Academe does

Angel Academe is a UK-based angel investor network founded in 2014 by Sarah Turner (Co-founder & CEO) and Simon Hopkins (Co-founder & COO), operating as the country's longest-established female-focused angel network. The platform connects a community of 1,000+ investors (predominantly female at 70%) with female-founded UK technology startups through a structured deal pipeline that reviews 500+ applications annually, evaluates 120-140 in detail, and advances 3-4 to screening meetings per cohort. The company serves two primary segments: female founders (UK businesses with £1m-£15m pre-money valuation raising £250k-£5m) and sophisticated/high-net-worth angel investors seeking pre-screened deal flow, with monthly online pitch events and a Thursday screening-call cadence as the primary sourcing channels.

The company's core products are the Angel Network (deal sourcing, screening, due diligence, and post-investment portfolio support) and the UK's first EIS Fund exclusively for female founders, launched in May 2025 in partnership with FCA-regulated SyndicateRoom. The EIS Fund enables individual investors to back 7-10 female-founded startups with a single £10,000 ticket while accessing 30% EIS income tax relief. Revenue is generated primarily through a 5% success fee on investment raised from introductions, with no application, pitch, review, monitoring, or exit fees. A £1 million co-investment commitment from the British Business Bank and Innovate UK's non-dilutive match funding pathway layer additional capital into the funding stack for portfolio companies.

Since founding, Angel Academe has backed 60+ female-founded tech startups through 107+ funding rounds, with portfolio companies attracting £200m+ in co- and follow-on investment. EIS Fund 1 was fully deployed across 8 investments by April 2026, and a second EIS Fund received FCA approval by June 2026. The company's strategic partner ecosystem includes Innovate UK (Investor Partnerships programme), Alumni Ventures (US scouting), Kingsley Napley (legal), haysmacintyre (EIS/SEIS tax), DC Advisory (corporate introductions), Akaina Talent, Beauhurst, and Investing in Women Code. Industry recognition includes Angel Team of the Year (2019), Growth Investor Awards finalist (2025), and sustained Computer Weekly Most Influential Women in UK Tech rankings for CEO Sarah Turner over five consecutive years.

Name

Angel Academe

Legal name

Angel Academe

Website

https://angelacademe.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Angel Academe is a UK angel investor network founded in 2014 connecting 1,000+ investors with female-founded technology startups, monetising via 5% success fees and managing the UK's first female-founder EIS Fund.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Angel Investing / Private Equity Network

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Micro-VC & Angel Funds (FSANAAAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Gender Lens / Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Funds (FSANAJAM)

Keywords

• Angel investor network
• EIS fund management
• Female founder funding
• Startup deal screening
• Venture capital syndication

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Success fee on investment raised: Angel Academe charges a 5% success fee on all investment raised from their introductions. There are no application, pitch, review, monitoring, or exit fees, and no obligations to purchase services from them or their partners.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Angel Academe operates the UK's longest-established female-focused angel investor network, sourcing and screening UK female-founded technology startups, presenting curated opportunities at monthly pitch events, and conducting structured due diligence for its 1,000+ angel members. In May 2025 it extended this with the UK's first EIS Fund exclusively for female founders (run with SyndicateRoom), enabling individual investors to back 7-10 female-founded startups via a single £10,000 ticket with EIS tax relief.

Product overview

Angel Academe operates as an angel investor network focused on backing exceptional female-founded technology startups in the UK. The core offering consists of the Angel Academe Angel Network (connecting angel investors with vetted female founders through a structured screening and pitch process) and the UK's first EIS Fund for female founders (in partnership with SyndicateRoom, enabling diversified investment with tax relief). The company screens 100s of startups annually, presenting only the best opportunities at monthly pitch events, and provides full due diligence and post-investment portfolio support. Their portfolio spans 60+ companies across fintech, medtech, edtech, cybersecurity, cleantech, and enterprise software sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Angel Academe EIS Fund: UK's first EIS fund focused exclusively on investing in female founders, launched in partnership with SyndicateRoom.

Products and services

• Angel Academe Angel Network
• Angel Academe EIS Fund
• Entrepreneur in Residence Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Female founders backed by Angel Academe have attracted £200m+ in co- and follow-on investment
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Innovate UK Investor PartnershipscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInvestor partner in Innovate UK Investor Partnerships programme. Startups raising investment with Angel Academe can apply for non-dilutive IUK match funding and accelerated referral for Innovate UK innovation loans.
• Kingsley NapleycoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLegal partner providing expert guidance on term sheets, deal completion, and legal aspects of angel investing. Hosts workshops and educational sessions for members. James Fulforth serves as Senior Partner.
• haysmacintyreminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerChartered accountants and tax advisors providing information sessions on EIS and SEIS tax benefits for angel investors attending pitch events.
• DC AdvisoryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational investment bank sponsor committed to making a difference. Offers access to 650+ professionals across 22 locations in Asia, Europe, and US. Hosts portfolio company connector events with potential enterprise customers.
• inspir'emminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSales training and leadership coaching founded by Sarah Turner. Delivers services across UK, Europe and US with majority of trainers being ex-practitioners and revenue leaders.
• Akaina TalentminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerTalent acquisition partner helping Seed to Series A founders build exceptional teams. Robin Beattie provides content on talent strategy and best hiring practices for portfolio companies.
• BeauhurstminorOthersUK startup research platform providing data and insights. Partner organization supporting female founder ecosystem.
• Investing in Women CodeminorOthersIndustry initiative supporting female entrepreneurs. Partner organization advancing gender diversity in investment.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Cambridge Angels: Cambridge-based angel network active in UK early-stage tech investing; co-invested alongside Angel Academe in portfolio company Adora, making it a directly comparable UK angel network competing for similar deals and lead angels.
• Ada Ventures: UK-based early-stage venture fund focused on under-represented founders (gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic); competes directly with Angel Academe for the female-founder deal flow and offers a similar thesis-driven, diversity-led fund structure.
• SyndicateRoom: FCA-regulated fund management platform for EIS funds and angel syndicates; partner on the Angel Academe EIS Fund, while also running its own diversified EIS offerings, making it a directly comparable EIS fund manager in the UK.
• Backstage Capital: US-based venture fund investing exclusively in underrepresented founders (women, people of colour, LGBTQ+); runs a similar diversity-mandate angel network + fund structure to Angel Academe in a comparable early-stage tech thesis.
• Female Founders Fund: US-based early-stage venture fund investing in female-founded consumer and tech companies; an internationally recognised reference point for the female-founder focused fund model Angel Academe replicates in the UK.
• SoGal Ventures: Global early-stage venture fund investing in diverse, female and minority founders; pursues the same thesis-driven, female-founder fund model as Angel Academe in fintech, health, and consumer technology.

Broad incumbents

• Episode 1: UK-based early-stage VC investing in seed-stage UK technology companies; overlaps with Angel Academe on UK seed-stage tech deal flow but operates a broader fund mandate rather than a female-founder-only thesis.
• Connect Ventures: London-based early-stage fund investing in European B2B software, marketplaces, and consumer; overlaps with Angel Academe on early-stage UK/European tech deal flow but with a generalist (not female-founder-focused) thesis.
• Stride.VC: UK early-stage VC investing in UK and European technology businesses at seed and Series A; competes broadly with Angel Academe on deal flow and fund structure but without the gender-lens mandate.

Others

• Investing in Women Code: UK industry initiative supporting female entrepreneurs through signatory commitments by VCs and angel networks; Angel Academe is listed as a partner organisation, making it a thematic/ecosystem peer advancing the same female-founder investment agenda.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/angel-academe
• Xx.com/angelacademe

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments55 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Angel Academe