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Greetings from Capital Pilot HQ!

The past six months have been a whirlwind for our team, and it’s been exciting over the last year to see so many UK startups come through our virtual doors.

Welcome to the newly revamped Founder Focus newsletter. We look forward to keeping you updated on news and views on the UK startup ecosystem each month. If there’s something you think we need to know or feature — reply to this email to tell us!

In this edition, we look at the recent launch of BoostFund.uk, 50 female entrepreneurs to watch in the UK, and what we learned from the completion of our own seed fund round. 
 

On our radar this month

🚀  Equal access to funding. For everyone. Everywhere.

🦸‍♀️  50 Female Entrepreneurs to Watch in the UK in 2022

📚  7 Lessons We Learned About Fundraising

🔍  Startup Fundraising Resources

BOOST FUND
 

Equal access to funding. For everyone. Everywhere.

Boost Funding to help UK startups and scaleups.

Working in partnership with the Manchester Growth Company, our team recently welcomed startup founders, VCs, accelerators and service providers from the North West’s busy startup scene to the launch of the Boost Fund

The Boost Fund is a fast, data-driven investment vehicle that backs startups with real potential. Funded by a high net worth investor, the fund will make fixed £50,000 investments in 100 startups in just six months - high speed and high volume to help as many early-stage companies as possible. 

Applying for boost funding is quick and easy. Apply for a Capital Pilot Investability Rating, and if you score high enough, you automatically qualify for funding, subject to satisfactory online due diligence checks and approvals. That's it!
 

Read more about the launch — click here
FOUNDER INSPIRATION
 

50 Female Entrepreneurs to Watch in 2022

Each has raised many millions of pounds in investment, reaching into the billions at the top end.

According to Beauhurst’s latest deal data, businesses founded by female entrepreneurs raised 24% of equity rounds in the UK private market last year (double the proportion seen in 2011) but just 15p in every £1 deployed. 

This is despite the fact that 26% of high-growth UK companies have at least one female founder. So whilst a disproportionately small number of businesses were founded by women, an even smaller proportion go on to secure equity finance. In fact, for all-female founding teams, this figure is closer to 1p in every £1.

Beauhurst currently tracks 6,368 high-growth UK companies that were founded by at least one female entrepreneur, around half of which (3,407) have raised equity investment. That’s £12.1b secured in funding since 2011—by 4,222 female founders or co-founders. 

Diversity in business and tech is undeniably important year-round but, in celebration of International Women’s Day, Beauhurst narrowed down that list of successful businesswomen to create their annual ranking of the UK’s top 50 female entrepreneurs.
 

Discover 50 of the UK's top female founders — click here
STARTUP LIFE
 

7 Lessons We Learned About Fundraising

Raising money for your business can be a challenging task. But, it's an important one. 

That's why we've gathered the seven most important lessons we learned from our own EIS seed round. By understanding these lessons, you'll be able to raise the money you need to take your business to the next level.

Our number one recommendation? Get out of your own head. It is all too easy to get trapped in the way you talk with your team about your business, rather than talking like an investor would. 

Get out of that funk and start asking yourself what they want from a company - are there certain risks you know investors will not take? Can you alleviate some pain points or solve big problems for them so their portfolio grows?
 

7 Things ALL founders should keep in mind — click here

AND, FINALLY...

Startup Fundraising Resources

  • How to raise money for your startup  - we've seen many pitch decks. In the process, we've built up some valuable insights on typical errors and omissions, as well as approaches that are better than others.

  • Startup Jargon: Business Terms & Lingo Glossary - As a startup founder or investor, it's important to understand the language of business. This jargon-filled glossary will help you decode the most commonly used terms and phrases in the startup world.

🚀

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