Entrepreneurs

Green Angel Syndicate welcomes approaches for equity funding from early stage companies which contribute to solving global warming and climate change. This includes cutting greenhouse gas emissions, absorbing carbon dioxide, or preserving or rehabilitating the natural environment.

Preferred sectors, though not exclusive, are Energy, Agriculture and Food, Transport, Buildings, Water and Natural Resources.

Green Angel Syndicate is especially keen to encourage applications from diverse minority group founders.

We also offer investee companies an additional service for their own angel investors. We can create a temporary membership for them as External Members for the duration of the specific deal, with the invitation to extend into full membership. This offers the investee company and its team the benefit of convenience and streamlining the tedious bureaucracy; but its major appeal for the entrepreneur is that it also means the company’s own investors will attract match funding as members of Green Angel Syndicate from the two Funds co-investing in all GAS deals. Their investments can be as much as doubled (or more, depending on circumstances), without the company lifting a finger.

Case Studies

Smile Plastics

Smile Plastics is a materials design and manufacturing house making exquisite hand-crafted panels from waste materials. Rosalie McMillan and Adam Fairweather launched the business in 2015 at the London Design Festival and didn’t realise quite how popular their product would be. Constraints on production capacity and a lack of time meant that investment was very much needed.

Smile secured investment through Green Angel Syndicate in August 2019, along with funding from the Welsh Government and WRAP. Smile had a clear scale up plan, which investment from GAS enabled. The company has now bought new equipment, increased production capacity and more than doubled its team.

Smile elected GAS Chair and investor John Hinnigan as Chairman of their board. He has helped the company put together a business case and secure further investment. GAS member Colin Nunn also sits on the board as a Non Executive Director, providing advice on the financial side.

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John is really passionate about what we do – he puts a lot of time and energy into supporting us. He’s involved in strategy and some operational decisions too. It’s a pleasure to have him as a key part of our business, as we’re aligned personally and professionally. He brings experience in industrial manufacturing and has a good understanding of this rather niche market.” Rosalie McMillan, Founding Director.
Rosalie McMillan, Founding Director

Thrift+

In 2015, Joe Metcalfe launched Thrift+ – the UK’s first Click & Collect app for high street charity shops. His vision was to create the single best destination to shop for second-hand clothes, helping individuals to turn their unwanted belongings into funding for worthwhile causes all over the world.

Having spoken to VCs and realised that Thrift+ was a little too early-stage for VC funding, Joe realised that seeking out angel investment was the way forward. After a successful application process, Thrift+ pitched to Green Angel Syndicate members in 2019 and ended up securing two rounds of GAS investment that year.

GAS Chief Operating Officer Cam Ross was appointed as an observer on the board and the investment enabled Thrift+ to grow the team from 6 to 30 staff. In 2020 sales increased 8-fold. With this success under its belt, Thrift+ is now heading towards the VC route.

Thrift+ Founder Joe Metcalfe

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The value from Green Angel Syndicate came even before the investment. The syndicate model saves time, because you’re not having to form relationships with individual angel investors who may or may not invest. GAS was brilliantly organised and efficient, keeping us up to date and treating us like one of their treasured clients.
Joe Metcalfe, CEO & Co-founder, Thrift+

Piclo

Piclo is a smart energy company that is making the UK’s electricity grids more efficient, reliable and sustainable. Piclo leverages the latest digital technology to develop an independent, online marketplace for trading energy flexibility.

CEO and Co-Founder James Johnston first met Green Angel Syndicate at the Ecosummit in 2015 and discussed Piclo’s first product with them. The relationship developed and GAS invested in Piclo in 2018. Piclo also recently secured investment from the Clean Growth Fund and James found that GAS continued to be a great help throughout the process.

We’ve had a very positive experience with GAS. Having a collection of angel investors gives you an unparalleled network. It’s been fantastic having GAS member Jonathan Graham sitting on the Piclo board – he’s been a huge asset to the company over the years. For any pre-series A start-ups we’d recommend getting in touch with GAS. For Piclo, it’s been a good experience and a more efficient process than going to Angel investors directly.
James Johnston CEO & Co-founder, Piclo

Swytch Technology

London-based Swytch Technologies are a team of talented designers and engineers creating e-transport products. Their latest innovation, an e-bike conversion kit, is the most advanced kit currently on the market – just half the size and weight of its closest competitors. An electric motor in the specially built front wheel is discreetly linked up to a lightweight, discreet and removable battery with a range of 25 or 50 miles. The simple design means you can switch between traditional and electric bike in seconds.

Swytch successfully pitched to GAS in September 2018 with the round closing in March 2019.

Whilst the design, product development and sales all met or exceeded the business plan Swytch ran into difficulties in the supply chain with delays in receiving the kits from their manufacturing partner in China threatening the survival of the business.

Swytch accepted GAS’ offer to help. Two syndicate members were seconded to the Swytch board on a temporary basis and at no cost. James Heath, an engineer and successful entrepreneur with experience in R&D and manufacturing overseas and John Waters, a serial angel investor and business consultant who mentors senior leadership teams, and provides strategic input on sales and operational issues. James and John were able to identify the business critical issues and devise a workable plan to get the company back on track.

Zedify

Zedify runs a network of electric bikes, vans and trikes for urban deliveries. Their mission is to make cities cleaner, quieter and less congested, reducing carbon emissions by providing a replacement to the usual diesel delivery vans and trucks.

Zedify first pitched to Green Angel Syndicate in December 2020 and have found that the investment and input from GAS has enabled them to transform their business, giving them a boost in ‘ambition, energy and speed’. Zedify has expanded its fantastic team of people. Co-Founder and CEO Rob King found the process of applying for funding and working with GAS ‘easy and straightforward’.

Criteria

The preferred investment profile for companies considering applying to Green Angel Syndicate for funding are:

The company must be able to demonstrate its effect in reducing carbon emissions, reducing other greenhouse gases, or removing carbon concentrations from the atmosphere.
The company can either be trading, or not yet trading, but should have developed its product or service to at least MVP stage, or, in technology readiness scales, TRL 6 or above.
The company should be eligible for the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS)- in other words, UK-based and provided with advance assurance by HMRC.
The company must have an Exit plan for angel investors.
The company should be looking for up to £5 million. We rarely fill a round ourselves as we are happy to coinvest.
The company must be investor-ready, with a business plan, financial projections, an established team, evidence of demand, a clear competitive advantage and protectible IP.

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Investors

We have a diverse and growing membership of HNWI investors, many of whom play an active role in our investment deals in support of the Management Team.

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