NorthInvest

If you're a startup founder in the North of England, there’s a good chance you’ve already heard of NorthInvest. Based in Leeds and founded in 2016 by telecoms entrepreneur Adam Beaumont, NorthInvest has quickly established itself as a major node in the region’s early-stage investment ecosystem. But unlike many angel groups or venture firms, it wasn’t created to turn a profit. NorthInvest operates as a not-for-profit, aiming to close the funding gap for startups outside the capital—and it’s taken a distinctly community-first approach to doing so.

NorthInvest’s network of angels has facilitated over £41 million in investment to date, mostly into startups across the North’s tech and digital sectors. That includes everything from healthtech and fintech to AI, edtech, and semiconductors. Their model focuses on bringing together high-net-worth individuals, experienced operators, and specialist angels to back founders at the seed and pre-Series A stages—typically with ticket sizes from £25,000 to around £500,000, though rounds sometimes exceed £1 million with co-investment. They don’t lead rounds in the traditional sense but are happy to collaborate with institutional funds or other networks. Around a third of their deals are follow-ons.

For founders, what sets NorthInvest apart isn’t just the cheque size. The team is known for being refreshingly candid. Founders are offered pre-pitch coaching, strategic feedback, and connections well before any investment is on the table. That directness extends into the pitch process too: expect honest appraisals and, where the fit is right, introductions to angels who genuinely want to be involved. “We’re very grateful to NorthInvest for their support in refining our proposition and letting us pitch, which ultimately led us to SFC Capital,” said founder Russell Clifton of B-B-L Protect.

The organisation has also made diversity a priority. In 2020, it co-founded Fund Her North, a collective of female investors focused on improving access to capital for female-led teams. The results speak for themselves: within a year, nearly half of NorthInvest-supported startups were female-led—a notable shift in an industry often criticised for its gender gap.

NorthInvest’s value-add doesn’t end at funding. The group is embedded in a network of regional accelerators, universities, and service providers. Founders backed by NorthInvest can expect introductions to legal advisors, IP experts, and other founders, as well as visibility at ecosystem events and investor showcases. Its angels—many of whom are former founders themselves—tend to be hands-on, often mentoring or even joining boards.

This is not a Silicon Roundabout-style investment group. NorthInvest’s focus is firmly outside London, and so is its mission. It’s designed to work with startups that may not have the same access to capital as their southern counterparts—but that have all the ambition. For founders looking to raise early-stage capital, especially those building in the North, NorthInvest offers more than money: it offers community, experience, and a route into one of the UK’s most active angel networks.