Workshop 3 of Venture Forward took place this week in Leeds, marking the halfway point of the programme and bringing a powerful dose of honesty, resilience and lived experience to the cohort.
Rather than theory or frameworks, this session focused on what early‑stage entrepreneurship looks like in the real world the setbacks, the breakthroughs and the mindset required to raise capital and scale.
Hearing from founders who’ve done it
The cohort spent the day with two Northern entrepreneurs whose journeys reflect the grit and determination GC Angels looks for when investing at early stage.
Amman Ahmed — Founder of MusicForPets
Amman shared the story of being fired from his first VC‑backed venture, bootstrapping his next company from scratch, and ultimately scaling and selling it to a major US hip hop label in an eight‑figure exit.
His message to the cohort was clear: resilience, focus and self‑belief matter just as much as strategy.
Elliot Roxby — Founder of OurPetsLife (GC Angels portfolio)
Elliot showed what’s possible when you start small and build with discipline. Beginning with a £10k loan, he grew OurPetsLife to £1.5m annual revenue in just three years, with a team of only two.
Both founders brought radical honesty and zero ego- openly discussing what they got right, what they got wrong and what they would do differently. Their transparency gave the cohort a rare window into the realities of early‑stage growth.
Why lived experience matters
GC Angels Senior Investment Manager Ranvir Singh explained why founder stories are central to Venture Forward.
Investment readiness isn’t just a set of tools or frameworks - it’s pattern recognition, mindset, and learning from those who have already navigated the challenges of raising early‑stage capital.
Hearing directly from founders helps the cohort understand:
- how to respond to setbacks
- how to build momentum with limited resources
- how investors interpret founder behaviour
- and how real traction is created long before a pitch deck is opened
This is the kind of insight that can’t be taught in slides - only through experience.
A programme built on real‑world learning
Venture Forward continues to combine investor insight with practical, founder‑led learning. As one of the most active early‑stage investors in the North, GC Angels sees first‑hand what works and what doesn’t when founders attempt to raise capital.
That’s why the programme focuses on:
- mindset
- clarity
- strategic investor engagement
- and learning from those who’ve succeeded against the odds
This approach is already delivering results. 7 out of 30 founders from Cohort 1 raised investment within three months of completing the programme.
Looking ahead
Workshop 3 gave the cohort a powerful reminder that investment readiness is not an academic exercise, it’s a lived journey shaped by resilience, clarity and the ability to learn fast.
With three workshops still to come, the cohort is developing the mindset and discipline needed to engage investors with confidence and credibility.
GC Angels is excited to see how these founders continue to grow and how their stories will shape the next wave of Northern innovation.