Dorset Business Angels

What Dorset Business Angels does

Dorset Business Angels Network Limited (DBA), founded in 2013 and headquartered at Waverley House, 115–119 Holdenhurst Road, Bournemouth, is a privately held angel investment network serving High Net Worth Individuals and Sophisticated Investors in southern England. Its core activity is the operation of four structured pitch events per year (January, May, September, November) at the Bournemouth Carlton Hotel, where five pre-screened early-stage businesses present 10-minute pitches followed by Q&A, alongside pre-pitch networking and 'Meet the Founder' sessions. Entrepreneurs can also submit proposals year-round through the online Pitch Portal, and the organisation runs an Angel Investing for Women initiative plus a 2024-launched pilot Ambassador Programme to broaden deal flow.

The network's underlying 'technology' is its deal-screening process and curated investor community rather than a software platform. Services include due diligence screening, access to EIS/SEIS tax incentives (advised by partner Saffery Champness), investor membership at £30/year, mentoring via its bench of exited entrepreneurs, and co-investment pathways through its FSE Group partnership with the South West Investment Fund, which lifts addressable ticket sizes from £150k–£550k up to £1.5M. Supporting partners include TC Group (accountancy, with Finance Director James Paget a partner there), Ellis Jones Solicitors, Rathbones, and BCP Council's Economic Development Team.

DBA is funded primarily from investment commissions on deals it facilitates, supplemented by annual investor membership fees. Since 2013 the network has facilitated in excess of £2.5 million into portfolio companies spanning telecoms, medical, mapping, used-car marketplace, food-toxin detection, aerosol valves, SaaS publishing, aviation/aerospace, gin distilling, catering, broadband, cyber security, confectionery, sustainable packaging, and wellbeing gaming. It won UKBAA's Best New Angel Network award in 2014 and was shortlisted for UKBAA Co-investment Deal of the Year in 2019. The legal entity is Dorset Business Angels Network Limited, incorporated in England; the board is led by Chairman Don McQueen (since 2014) and Managing Director Peter Eales, with Vice-Chair Frank Guinn, Finance Director James Paget, Director Max Wright, and an Ambassador cadre.

Name

Dorset Business Angels

Legal name

Dorset Business Angels Network Limited

Website

https://dorsetbusinessangels.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Dorset Business Angels is a Bournemouth-based angel investment network, founded 2013, that connects High Net Worth and Sophisticated Investors with early-stage southern England businesses via quarterly pitch events and an online Pitch Portal. It is funded by investment commissions and a £30/year investor membership.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Angel Investment Network

NAICS

Miscellaneous Intermediation (52391), Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (52394)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Micro-VC & Angel Funds (FSANAAAI)

Keywords

• Angel investment network
• Private equity deals
• Startup equity funding
• Investor pitch events
• Early stage capital

Headquarters

HQ city

Bournemouth

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Others

Revenue model

1. Investment Commissions: Dorset Business Angels is funded from investment commissions generated when angel investors make investments in portfolio companies through the network.
2. Investor Membership: Annual membership fee of £30 for investors to join the network and access pitch events, deal flow, and networking opportunities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Dorset Business Angels is a regional angel investment network based in Bournemouth that connects High Net Worth (HNW) and Sophisticated Investors with startup and early-stage high-growth businesses seeking equity capital. The network operates quarterly Investors' Dinner pitch events and provides deal screening, due diligence support, and an online Pitch Portal for entrepreneurs to submit investment proposals. Members access syndicated investment opportunities, often using EIS/SEIS tax incentives, with the network earning commissions on completed investments.

Product overview

Dorset Business Angels is an angel investment network that operates as a service rather than a software product. The core offering consists of quarterly pitch events at the Bournemouth Carlton Hotel where entrepreneurs present to investor members, supported by an online Pitch Portal for submissions, Investor Membership for HNW/sophisticated investors, and an Ambassador Programme to strengthen deal flow. Additional services include Angel Investing for Women (an initiative to increase female participation in angel investing and entrepreneurship), University Entrepreneurs support, Entrepreneur Resources, Due Diligence Services, and access to EIS/SEIS tax incentives. The network hosts four main pitch events per year in January, May, September, and November, along with networking sessions, social events, and conferences throughout the year.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Quarterly Pitch Events Four investor pitch events per year held at the Bournemouth Carlton Hotel, where 5 entrepreneurs present their businesses to angel investors in 10-minute pitches followed by 10-minute Q&A sessions, with pre-pitch networking and informal Meet the Founder sessions.
• Investor Membership Annual membership program priced at £30/year for High Net Worth and Sophisticated Investors providing access to private equity deal flow, pitch events, networking sessions, and investor resources.
• Pitch Portal Online portal through which entrepreneurs can submit their business plans and investment proposals for consideration by Dorset Business Angels investor members.
• Due Diligence Services Initial screening and review of business proposals by DBA's screening committee to ensure investment-worthy criteria before presenting opportunities to investor members.
• Conferences Larger-scale investment conferences and events featuring keynote speakers, panel discussions, and multiple pitching opportunities.

Quantifiable outcome

• 22 expressions of interest generated at latest pitch event (May 2026)
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• UKBAA (UK Business Angels Association)coreOthersRegistered members of UKBAA, the national trade association representing angel and early-stage investment in the UK. Provides access to deal flow, market intelligence, government connections, and promotion of good practice in angel investing.
• Rathbones Incorporating Investec Wealth and InvestmentminorGTM or Marketing PartnerWealth management firm specializing in financial planning and investment management services. Serves as sponsor for Dorset Business Angels events.
• TC GroupcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLeading business services firm specializing in accountancy and tax services. Finance Director James Paget is a Partner at TC Group. Provides accounting, tax, and compliance advisory services to the organization.
• Ellis Jones SolicitorscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLeading independent law firm based in Bournemouth. Provides legal guidance on investment documentation and intellectual property protections for investors and entrepreneurs.
• BCP Council Economic Development TeamcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partner representing Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole local authority economic development interests.
• Saffery ChampnesscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerChartered accountants providing advice on Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) and Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS) tax incentives. Offers guidance on investment documentation and business valuation.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Cambridge Angels: One of the UK's longest-running regional angel networks, Cambridge Angels runs structured pitch events and syndicates early-stage deals with HNW investors in the Cambridge cluster. It is a direct regional network peer to DBA, operating with similar pitch-event mechanics, screening committees, and EIS-eligible deal flow.
• London Business Angels: London-based structured angel network running regular pitch events and syndicating SEIS/EIS-eligible deals through a member base of HNW individuals. Operationally near-identical model to DBA but with a larger London catchment and longer track record.

Regional players

• Bristol Private Equity Club: A South-West-focused angel/early-stage investment club serving HNW investors in the Bristol area. Geographic overlap with DBA's South West catchment (and adjacent to Dorset) makes it a regional competitor for both deals and investor members.
• Archangels (Archangel Informal Investment): Scotland's leading business angel network, structured as a membership-based syndicate running pitch events for Scottish early-stage companies. Comparable in operating model to DBA but based in Scotland — useful regional peer for international benchmarking of angel-network unit economics.

Others

• UKBAA (UK Business Angels Association): The UK trade body of which DBA is a member; UKBAA represents 160+ angel networks and 18,000 investors. It is the industry umbrella under which regional networks like DBA operate, and a key reference for understanding DBA's market position rather than a commercial competitor.
• FSE Group: A South West-focused fund manager operating the £400M South West Investment Fund, and a strategic funding partner of DBA for co-investment into larger rounds. Not a competitor but a collaborating capital pool that defines DBA's ability to scale deal size.

Broad incumbents

• Mercia Asset Management: A regional venture capital and private equity manager focused on UK early-stage and growth businesses, including those in the South West. Operates with institutional capital alongside regional angel networks like DBA, often as a follow-on investor in angel-led rounds.
• Crowdcube: A leading UK retail/investor crowdfunding platform for equity investment in early-stage and growth companies. Competes with DBA primarily on the entrepreneur deal-submission side, offering a faster, broader distribution channel for early-stage fundraising.

Emerging players

• SyndicateRoom: UK online angel syndication platform enabling HNW investors to co-invest in vetted EIS-eligible startups digitally. Provides a tech-enabled alternative to in-person pitch events that competes with DBA for both investor mind-share and entrepreneur deal submissions.
• Angel Investment Network: An online platform matching UK startups with angel investors, operating as a digital matchmaker broadly equivalent to DBA's offline pitch-and-screening model. Useful peer for assessing digital vs. in-person angel intermediation dynamics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/dorsetbizangels
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dorset-business-angels

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments2 records

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

Frequently asked questions about Dorset Business Angels