Women Angels of Wales celebrate first anniversary

More than 50 business women gathered for an event hosted by Women Angels of Wales in collaboration with Cardiff University and Women on Boards to celebrate the first anniversary of Women Angels of Wales that was set-up by the Development Bank of Wales in 2022.

With a commitment to collaboration and supporting diversity in entrepreneurship, Women Angels of Wales is working with Cardiff University to help aid better research into angel investment and generate funding opportunities for spin-outs from the University.

Carol Hall, Investment Manager for Angels Invest Wales spoke at the event about the importance of raising awareness of the benefits of angel investment and the work underway to improve access to funding for women entrepreneurs.

Carol said: “I am delighted with how the event went. It was great to see so many females from a range of diverse backgrounds attend and want to find out more about angel investing and how to get involved. By encouraging more women to become angel investors, we have an opportunity to support the businesses that matter to them and to create new sources of capital for innovative businesses. Women Angels of Wales aims to level the playing field and support female-led and female-owned businesses, which is why female syndicates are so important.”

Led by lead investor Jill Jones, Women Angels of Wales includes more than 30 women from all walks of life. The syndicate welcomes new and aspiring female investor members across Wales who are committed to supporting the Welsh economy, the creation of Welsh jobs, and the companies that matter to them.

Jill is an ESRC funded PhD student at Cardiff University Business School, an experienced business angel investor and passionate supporter of women in entrepreneurship. She said: “This event was a wonderful opportunity to mark our one-year anniversary, build connections and further embed Women Angels of Wales in the local ecosystem. We're already looking forward to the next event as we continue  to collaborate with our partners to support the process of research and educating investors and founders on the benefit of syndicated investment.”

Deirdre Walters, Co-founder of Untapped Innovation was at the event and has since registered as an investor with Women Angels of Wales. She said: “It was great to meet more female angel investors and see the synergies in action, within the investment ecosystem of businesses and universities in Wales.” 

The next event to be hosted by Women Angels of Wales, Cardiff University and Women on Boards is expected to take place at Sparc in September. Date to be confirmed.