Angel CoFund grows investment committee

The Angel CoFund, a Government-backed fund for small and medium sized British businesses has appointed two to its investment committee. Angel investors Stephen Houston and Peter Cowley will be joining the existing committee of 10.

PRESS RELEASE

The Angel CoFund, the £100m fund for small and medium sized British businesses, with Government backing, has today announced two appointments to its Investment Committee. Renowned angel investors Stephen Houston and Peter Cowley will be joining the existing committee of 10, to preside over the fund’s investment decisions.
Stephen Houston is best known for his involvement with Halo, the business angel network for Northern Ireland, which in 2010 was named British Business Angels Association’s Angel Network of the Year. With a background in Fast Moving Consumer Goods and property, Stephen brings to the role 25 years of management and start-up experience.
Peter Cowley is a technology entrepreneur and angel investor, who is well known in the Cambridge enterprise scene, where he is a Board member of the Cambridge Angels, as well as a Fellow in Entrepreneurship at the Cambridge University Judge Business School.
Founded in 2011, the Angel CoFund seeks to back promising UK businesses and to help develop the emerging UK business angel investment market. Backed by the British Business Bank and the Government’s Regional Growth Fund, the £100m Angel CoFund is able to make initial investments of between £100,000 and £1 million into businesses, alongside syndicates of business angels. The investment committee’s role is to examine potential investment opportunities, discuss term sheets and review due diligence.
Tim Mills, Investment Director at the Angel CoFund, said of the appointments: “Since launching over two years ago, the Angel CoFund has made a significant impact on the UK angel investment and enterprise space, backing over 40 British businesses to date. It is with great pleasure then that we announce Peter and Stephen’s appointment to the investment committee. As active advocates of angel investment in the UK, they bring with them a wealth of experience and knowledge. We look forward to benefiting from this and welcome them on board.”
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About Angel CoFund
Launched in 2011, the Angel CoFund is a privately run fund that works alongside groups of business angels to invest in high growth small and medium sized businesses across the UK, directly providing funding as well as encouraging the expansion of the business angel market.

Backed by the British Business Bank and the Government’s Regional Growth Fund, the £100m Angel CoFund is able to make initial investments of between £100,000 and £1 million into businesses, alongside syndicates of business angels.

To date the fund has supported 42 companies (for example Ventive, Yplan, PlayJam and Micrima) providing over £17 million in direct investment alongside £65 million from business angels and other investors.