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We share the origin story behind Canopy Capital and why we believe fixing access to finance means also fixing networks, role models and support. We explain how we want to reduce bias in early-stage investing while staying clear that the fund is still in process and not currently FCA regulated. 
• Rachel’s path from tax and pension advice into the Canopy community 
• Matt’s route from software and product leadership into CTO-style support for founders 
• three barriers for underrepresented founders: role models, professional networks, access to finance 
• why friends and family rounds can be an unfair investment signal 
• how SEIS shapes cheque sizes and the responsibility to help founders deploy money well 
• why wraparound support and non-exec guidance matter alongside capital 
• using People’s Choice winners from Demo Nights to widen feedback and reduce blind spots 
• assessing startups through desirability, feasibility and viability 
• what we learn about the paperwork, rigour and timelines of setting up a fund 
• what it feels like to build a new venture as a three-person founder team 

SeedLegals
The platform for Startup Legals including SEIS Advance Assurance.

Scribe
Find and connect with angel investors in the UK

Founded by Rob Cossins

Revolut
Business banking from Revolut

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Support the show

Note: you can also watch these episodes on youtube.com/@canopycommunity617 

Send us Fan Mail

We sit down with Ala Amar, co-founder and CEO of Equisy, to unpack why first-time founders struggle with fundraising and how a more structured process can change outcomes. We explore how valuation, pitch deck analysis, and organised evidence help founders and investors move from story to proof faster. 
• Ala’s journey from accounting to startup CFO support and fundraising advisory 
• Why non-financial founders often hit a numbers blind spot 
• What Equisy does for founders, accelerators, incubators and investors 
• Moving from narrative to evidence through a structured fundraising journey 
• Valuation as education and negotiation support, including pre-revenue contexts 
• AI pitch deck analysis informed by investor feedback 
• Investor screening and due diligence support to save time at scale 
• UK SEIS and why systemising the first £250k matters 
• How Bristol and university-led ecosystems build stronger regional pipelines 
• Practical advice on validating assumptions and defining the right ICP 

Scribe
Find and connect with angel investors in the UK

Founded by Rob Cossins

Revolut
Business banking from Revolut

SeedLegals
The platform for Startup Legals including SEIS Advance Assurance.

#TRIBE
Community Membership at Canopy

Virtual Incubation at Canopy
Virtual Incubation for new and emerging Founders. Zero to One.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Support the show

Note: you can also watch these episodes on youtube.com/@canopycommunity617 

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We sit down with Jeffrey Faustin to trace how one of the UK’s longest-running SEIS funds is built, from the early days of the scheme to the realities of backing pre-revenue founders. We dig into what makes a founder investable, how follow-on EIS conviction works, and why fees and fund structure can make or break an emerging manager. 
• Jensen’s origin story and why early SEIS was different 
• why SEIS became a catalyst for UK startups and equity crowdfunding 
• an agnostic thesis with a net positive filter 
• why Jensen tends to lead rounds and how angels fit 
• the two biggest founder deal-breakers: listening and domain expertise 
• portfolio strategy across SEIS and EIS with follow-on discipline 
• what exit rates and failure rates look like in practice 
• the awkward trade-offs in SEIS management fees versus GPLP norms 
• practical support for first-time founders through networks and guidance 
• removing barriers linked to social mobility, trust and friends-and-family capital 

SeedLegals
The platform for Startup Legals including SEIS Advance Assurance.

Scribe
Find and connect with angel investors in the UK

Founded by Rob Cossins

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Support the show

Note: you can also watch these episodes on youtube.com/@canopycommunity617 

Send us Fan Mail

We talk with Mark, a Dutch angel investor in the Algarve, about how his group backs pre-seed startups in southern Portugal and why sustainability and regional impact drive their decisions. We also unpack what founders get wrong in pitch decks, how AI changes investor evaluation, and why revenue and team quality beat inflated market claims at the earliest stage. 

• how Sotavento Angels invests in the Algarve with €75k to €150k tickets 
• why sustainability and Faro University partnerships shape the thesis 
• what “archangel” ownership looks like inside an investor syndicate 
• portfolio examples across healthtech, food innovation, and algae protein 
• the reality of Portuguese public funding schemes and compliance demands 
• real estate culture and legal perceptions that affect foreign investment 
• building a south Portugal startup ecosystem with accelerators and community 
• linking Portugal to London through university networks and demo nights 
• entrepreneurship as social mobility and a focus on female founders 
• why team, data access, and early revenue matter more than TAM slides 

Connect with Mark https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-p-haaksman-76512

More about the fund https://www.sotaventoinvest.pt

Scribe
Find and connect with angel investors in the UK

Founded by Rob Cossins

Revolut
Business banking from Revolut

SeedLegals
The platform for Startup Legals including SEIS Advance Assurance.

Virtual Incubation at Canopy
Virtual Incubation for new and emerging Founders. Zero to One.

#TRIBE
Community Membership at Canopy

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Support the show

Note: you can also watch these episodes on youtube.com/@canopycommunity617 

Send us Fan Mail

We talk with Matt O’Donovan about what it really takes to sell a tech business, then switch viewpoints to what he looks for when investing as a UK angel. We dig into due diligence, founder integrity, SEIS and EIS, and the big open question of exits as AI reshapes software. 

• Matt’s path from telecoms to building Spark Wi-Fi and exiting during Covid 
• What surprised him most in financial due diligence and how to defend your numbers 
• Why hype and “hockey stick” forecasts damage trust with acquirers 
• How angel investors assess founders first, then market, product and competition 
• Investing at pre-revenue versus waiting for traction and why AI changes the risk 
• When SEIS and EIS matter and why they are not the core strategy 
• Why meeting founders in person still matters even with remote work 
• How efficient, automated businesses become more attractive acquisition targets 
• The human unpredictability inside deals and why there is no one formula 
• Best advice to first-time founders: answer the investor’s why with honesty and purpose 

Scribe
Find and connect with angel investors in the UK

Founded by Rob Cossins

Virtual Incubation at Canopy
Virtual Incubation for new and emerging Founders. Zero to One.

SeedLegals
The platform for Startup Legals including SEIS Advance Assurance.

Revolut
Business banking from Revolut

#TRIBE
Community Membership at Canopy

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Support the show

Note: you can also watch these episodes on youtube.com/@canopycommunity617 

Send us Fan Mail

We sit down with Michael McDowell from Seed Legals to talk about making early-stage fundraising faster, cleaner, and less mentally draining for founders and funds. We dig into Northern Ireland’s startup ecosystem, the reality of SEIS and EIS rounds, and where AI can remove admin without replacing human judgement. 
• why Northern Ireland produces resilient founders and strong university spin-outs 
• Michael’s path from commercial roles to crowdfunding and legal tech 
• teaching early-stage basics through Raise Ventures like cap tables and term sheets 
• when shutting down early and returning cash can be the most mature move 
• what Seed Legals handles across SEIS and EIS documentation and compliance 
• how funds use the platform for term sheets, negotiation, signatures, and cap table updates 
• AI support for founder questions using up-to-date HMRC and Companies House guidance 
• why speed matters most at the exact moment founders need to build and sell 
• the shift in the market towards traction, efficiency, and revenue focus 
But come on to your platform and it'll explain it all beautifully and it'll become perfectly clear.

SeedLegals
The platform for Startup Legals including SEIS Advance Assurance.

Scribe
Find and connect with angel investors in the UK

Founded by Rob Cossins

Revolut
Business banking from Revolut

#TRIBE
Community Membership at Canopy

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Note: you can also watch these episodes on youtube.com/@canopycommunity617 

Send us a text

Oli from Fuel Ventures unpacks the firm's investment strategy across their pre-seed and seed funds, sharing his personal "Venture Playbook" that guides their decision-making process. He reveals counterintuitive insights about founder profiles and what makes a business truly "VC-able" in today's funding landscape.

• Fuel Ventures operates two vehicles: a pre-seed fund (30-40 deals yearly at £250k max) and their flagship seed fund (10-12 deals yearly at £1-2.5 million)
• Their investment remit covers marketplaces, platforms and SaaS model businesses across B2B and B2C sectors
• Oli's "Venture Playbook" includes eight rules developed through investment experience, including avoiding "mediocre founders with good ideas" and requiring total founder commitment
• Previously successful founders often make better investments as they can take bigger risks without worrying about basic financial security
• Fuel Ventures prefers observation rights over board seats to better allocate resources across their portfolio
• Not all businesses are "VC-able" - venture funding requires potential for £50-100M+ in annual revenue and comfort with burning capital
• Different funding sources (angels, corporate ventures, VCs) have fundamentally different expectations and criteria for investment

Know what you're trying to achieve before approaching investors. Save yourself time and effort by understanding if your business truly matches what VCs are looking for or if another funding path might be more appropriate.

Virtual Incubation at Canopy
Virtual Incubation for new and emerging Founders. Zero to One.

#TRIBE
Community Membership at Canopy

Scribe
Find and connect with angel investors in the UK

Founded by Rob Cossins

Revolut
Business banking from Revolut

SeedLegals
The platform for Startup Legals including SEIS Advance Assurance.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Note: you can also watch these episodes on youtube.com/@canopycommunity617

Send us a text

Cintia, CEO of Core Angels, shares insights into how angel investing communities can democratize early-stage investing while providing powerful frameworks for investment decisions.

• Core Angels operates 14 angel funds where investors pool capital and make collective decisions about startup investments
• Their book "Angel Investing Explained" aims to break down misconceptions and bring more women into angel investing
• Women investors typically gather comprehensive information before investing while men often learn through direct experience
• When evaluating startups, the market potential and founding team quality are the two most critical factors
• Team dynamics must be complementary with clear distribution of responsibilities across technology, sales, and product
• AI is enabling founders to accomplish more with smaller teams but human judgment remains essential
• Secondary cities offer promising startup ecosystems with potentially more reasonable valuations
• Entrepreneurship serves as a powerful tool for social mobility and regional development
• Education is evolving toward experiential learning and human-centric capabilities
• First-time founders should carefully consider whether external investment aligns with their goals

Connect with Cintia to learn more about angel investing and Core Angels' community approach to early-stage funding.

#TRIBE
Community Membership at Canopy

Virtual Incubation at Canopy
Virtual Incubation for new and emerging Founders. Zero to One.

Scribe
Find and connect with angel investors in the UK

Founded by Rob Cossins

Revolut
Business banking from Revolut

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Note: you can also watch these episodes on youtube.com/@canopycommunity617

Send us a text

Marwa shares her unique perspective as both a former founder and current investment analyst at Hatch VC, providing insider insights into what early-stage investors truly look for in B2B SaaS startups.

• Hatch VC backs B2B SaaS startups at SEIS and EIS stages, founded by successful entrepreneurs who've exited multiple businesses
• 72% of Hatch's portfolio companies successfully raise follow-on funding
• Three key criteria: founders solving deep pains, clearly defined customer personas, and experienced teams with industry knowledge
• Evidence trumps talk - successful founders provide proof of traction through signed contracts, POCs, and quantifiable metrics
• Multi-founder teams outperform solo founders who often struggle with burnout and lack of distributed responsibilities
• First-time founders should recognize investors back the person as much as the idea
• View investor meetings as learning opportunities, not just funding pitches
• Building the right community of advisors, co-founders and supporters is crucial for the entrepreneurial journey

If you're building a B2B SaaS startup and looking for investment, connect with Marwa at Hatch VC to explore how they partner with founders to scale from zero to over a million in ARR.

#TRIBE
Community Membership at Canopy

Virtual Incubation at Canopy
Virtual Incubation for new and emerging Founders. Zero to One.

Scribe
Find and connect with angel investors in the UK

Founded by Rob Cossins

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Note: you can also watch these episodes on youtube.com/@canopycommunity617

Send us a text

Renato shares his journey as an investor in the clean energy space, bringing his unique perspective from corporate venture capital, pan-European investment, and angel investing experiences.

• Background in engineering with over 10 years in clean energy investment
• Energy sector facing multiple challenges: decarbonization, affordability, reliability, and availability
• Team importance varies by stage - critical in early stages, less dominant as companies mature
• Different investment vehicles require different approaches but always treated with the same ownership mentality
• Energy investments more challenging due to physical nature - "electrons and molecules are not bytes"
• Building trust requires putting yourself in others' shoes and understanding their position
• Successful exits require careful investor selection and managing expectations about potential failures
• Best advice for first-time founders: balance incorporating feedback while staying true to your vision

#TRIBE
Community Membership at Canopy

Virtual Incubation at Canopy
Virtual Incubation for new and emerging Founders. Zero to One.

Scribe
Find and connect with angel investors in the UK

Founded by Rob Cossins

Revolut
Business banking from Revolut

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Note: you can also watch these episodes on youtube.com/@canopycommunity617