British Business Bank makes first investment through the Regional Angels Programme’s co-investment platform alongside Games Angels
The British Business Bank has made its first investment through the Regional Angels Programme new co-investment platform.
JECO, an automated toolset provider, designed specifically for video games software developers and digital creatives looking to streamline their development processes and future-proof their products has secured $1.3m / £960,000 in growth funding. The deal was led by Games Angels, with British Business Bank participating in the round.
JECO is co-founded by a Forbes 30Under30 female entrepreneur alongside an established industry professional with more than 25 years in the gaming and technology. The business is on a mission to transform how developers create software and how users treat their hardware.
The Regional Angels Programme, launched in 2019 with the objective of addressing regional imbalances in access to early-stage equity finance, targets angel networks and other early-stage investors outside of London. This first investment under the programme’s £7m platform (facilitated by Haatch Ventures), supports this mission, enhancing access to capital for early-stage businesses across diverse sectors.
Mark Barry, senior investment director at British Business Bank, said: “We are delighted to make this first co-investment with the Games Angels as part of the Regional Angels Programme. The investment into JECO aligns with our programme goals to strengthen the UK’s regional economy and, leverage investment potential into innovating entrepreneurs in key sectors.”
CEO and co-founder Emily Bailey said: “JECO was born out of the belief that if developers are given frictionless ways to improve and enhance their development processes, they can find quicker, cost effective routes to market, and can also start to play an important role in addressing wider environmental issues that may impact our industry in the future. Simon and I are incredibly grateful to all our investors for supporting us in our mission; to support developers in making positive behavioural changes through the power of technology.”
Nick Button-Brown, lead investor, former chair of the BAFTA Games Committee, and now founder at Games Angels said: “Software development is fundamentally flawed. It’s built fast and on tight budgets, where performance is an afterthought, and is costly and time-consuming to fix. I thought co-founders Emily and Simon were building an incredibly strong team around an idea that addresses this, and simply makes so much sense, so it was a fairly easy choice to invest. What they have already achieved is phenomenal and I think JECO will have a great impact over the next few years.