In the wake of the latest Report “Make Business Your Business” and the new StartUp loans initiative, led by Lord Young, the Government’s Enterprise Tsar, the British Business Angels Association is launching its new Be An Angel portal and campaign aimed at encouraging more individuals to put their spare finance and business experience to work behind Britain’s entrepreneurs.
The Be an Angel site www.bbaa.org.uk/be-an-angel led by the UK trade body for angel and early stage investing, is part of a new wide ranging awareness raising and education programme, led by the angel investing community, seeking to double the number of Business Angels across the UK and which has the backing of Government and Lord Young.
With Angel Investing being recognised as a major source of finance for start-up businesses to accelerate their development and achieve successful growth, the BBAA’s Be an Angel web-site offers a new platform to encourage more private individuals to engage in this vital area of entrepreneurial finance. The site offers new and would-be angels an important online resource detailing information and advice about the whole angel investing process, the risks and rewards of angel investing and key tips drawn from the experience of the existing angel community, many of whom are featured on the site telling their story of why they became angel investors.
The Be an Angel site especially draws attention to the major tax benefits available to angel investors through the Enterprise Investment scheme, including the new 50% tax break to support those prepared to back seed and start-up businesses. It also offers access to further downloadable materials and factsheets, links to other relevant sources and details of how to get engaged in local activities including access to pitching events and sources of entrepreneurial investment around the country.
Lord Young who is himself a long term angel investor said: “ I know from my experience of being a business angel investor that there are tremendous opportunities and rewards from angel investment in dynamic small firms. The very generous incentives offered through tax relief like the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme mean rewards for investors can now be even greater. For an investee business, it can not only gain from an angel's financial investment, but also the expertise and business and professional nous that can come with it.
"I very much hope that Be An Angel can whet the appetite of many people looking for somewhere to invest their money and time, and encourage them to use this superb online resource to find out how they can go about joining this exciting and important investment community.”
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