GC Angels has officially launched the second cohort of Venture Forward, bringing together 22 exceptional founders from across the North for the opening workshop at The Queens Hotel, Leeds.
This first session marked the beginning of an eight‑week journey designed to build investment readiness, strengthen strategic thinking and level the playing field for underrepresented founders.
Workshop 1: Understanding the investor mindset
The opening workshop focused on one of the most important and often misunderstood elements of early‑stage fundraising: the difference between how founders think and how investors make decisions.
Led by Marc Shirman, Head of Equity Investments at GC Angels, the session explored the signals investors look for when assessing early‑stage opportunities. As Marc emphasised, investors are not persuaded by long explanations or polished pitches they are persuaded by clarity, evidence and alignment.
GC Angels Senior Investment Manager Ranvir Singh reinforced this message with a simple but powerful framework:
The 30‑second pitch that gets you noticed
Founders were challenged to communicate their business in just three sentences:
- What your business does
- How big your market is
- Evidence of traction
A concise pitch won’t close an investment round on the spot the process isn’t Dragon’s Den or Shark Tank but it will open the door. More importantly, it forces founders to think the way investors do.
As Michael Seibel of Y Combinator famously put it:
“The more you talk, the more your opportunity to say something people don’t like. Talk less, and it’ll probably be better.”
This mindset shift is at the heart of Venture Forward.
A programme built to grow potential
Venture Forward exists to support underrepresented founders who often face structural barriers when raising early‑stage capital. Over the coming weeks, the cohort will take part in workshops covering:
- investor expectations
- storytelling and narrative building
- financial readiness
- data room preparation
- and how to engage confidently with institutional investors
The programme is delivered in partnership with: Mountside Ventures, Stronger Stories, Firstport, Foundervine, and Innovate UK - combining investor insight, founder support and practical tools to help businesses scale.
Building on the success of Cohort 1
Last year’s inaugural cohort demonstrated the impact of this approach. Within three months of completing the programme, 9 out of 30 founders raised a combined £2.8m, with many more progressing toward their first institutional round.
Cohort 2 is already showing the same ambition, energy and appetite to learn.
Looking ahead
Workshop 1 set a strong foundation for the weeks ahead. The 22 founders taking part will now deepen their understanding of the investment landscape, refine their propositions and build the confidence needed to engage with investors on equal footing.
We’re excited to see how each founder develops and how this cohort contributes to the next wave of Northern innovation.