British Business Bank commits £2m to South East Angels
The British Business Bank today announces a £2m commitment from its Regional Angels Programme to South East Angels, the award-winning community for angel investors based in the South East of England.
South East Angels operate one of the most active angel syndicates in the UK, bringing together exited founders, business owners and industry experts who back ambitious early-stage tech startups with capital, experience and networks.
Founded in 2020 by Kristina Pereckaite with five founding members, the group has since brought together more than 100 members who have collectively invested over £7m into 48 startups. South East Angels were named Most Active Investor in the Regions at the 2024 UK Business Angels Association (UKBAA) awards, have been shortlisted for Angel Group of the Year for three years running, and named Game-Changing Investor by Startups Magazine.
This £2m commitment from the British Business Bank’s Regional Angels Programme aims to reduce regional imbalances in access to early-stage equity finance across the UK. The funding will be co-invested alongside capital from South East Angels’ members, supporting founders building high-growth potential businesses across the South East and the wider UK.
Kristina Pereckaite, founder of South East Angels, said: “We started South East Angels with five founding members and a belief that angel investing is far more successful, and far more enjoyable, when you do it together. Six years on, our members have deployed over £7m into British startups, and having the British Business Bank alongside us is a huge vote of confidence in our community, our process and the founders we back. It means more capital reaching brilliant founders in the stage when it matters most.”
Mark Barry, senior investment director at the British Business Bank, said: “South East Angels have built one of the most active angel communities outside London, bringing experienced investors together to back ambitious founders across the region. We are pleased that this £2m commitment, through our Regional Angels Programme, will help their members continue to support high-growth businesses.”
Fred Soneya, co-founder and general partner at Haatch, said: “The Regional Angels Programme is designed to increase the supply of early-stage capital across the UK, and delivering it through the Haatch Platform allows active angel groups like South East Angels to co-invest alongside the British Business Bank in a simple, scalable way. We’re pleased to support South East Angels and the founders their members back.”