Ada Ventures reveals regional angel investor programme

London-based VC firm Ada Ventures has revealed the second cohort of its angel investing programme with members spanning from across the UK.

Each of the 20 members in the Ada Ventures angel programme will invest up to £50,000.

Check Warner MBE, founding partner of Ada Ventures, said: “It is 65% female, 20% Black, 20% Asian, 15% LGBTQ+, and 10% have a disability. We will only solve the hardest problems we face with talent from different backgrounds and with different lived experiences.”

Warner added that an increased regional focus on tech is something she would like to see in Wednesday’s Spring Statement.

The full Ada Ventures angel programme cohort is

1. Beth Glenfield, director of Women Who Code Belfast
2. Bruce Walker, CEO and co-founder of Future X
3. David Newman, CCO and co-founder of Delio
4. Aarushi Kapur, head of special projects of BIOS Health
5. Oyinkansola Adebayo, CEO and founder of Niyo
6. Christian Tooley, founder of i3 Investing
7. Samantha Payne MBE, founder of OpenBionics
8. Izzy Obeng, CEO of Foundervine
9. Richard Ng, CTO of greenworkx
10. Pia Hauch, chief of staff at Currencies Direct
11. June Angelides MBE, founder and investor
12. Amina Ahmad, head of community and impact at Diversity VC
13. Celia Hensman, co-founder and director of The Disability Policy Centre
14. Michael Tefula, CFO of CIRCA5000 and Atomico Angel
15. Many Nyarko MBE, co-founder of Startup Up Discovery School
16. Edwina Johnson, head of global of Alloy
17. George Thomas Jones, director of mental health at Livi UK
18. Beth Carter, head of growth at Flexa
19. Sriya Sundaresen, founder of Transition Zero

Ada Ventures told UKTN it expects to reveal the final name of the cohort this or next week.

Izzy Obeng, founder of Foundervine, said: “As someone with lived experience of the challenges that ethnicity, economic background, gender, and place have on entrepreneurial opportunities, I know first-hand the impact it can have when investment decisions are more objective, transparent, and fair.”

In October, Ada Ventures closed £36m in funding for its second fund to invest in early-stage startups.

“There is a massive amount of economic growth to be unlocked by increasing access to underrepresented founders across the regions of the nations of the UK that most London-based VCs would only dare to look at, much less do something about,” said Samantha Payne MBE, founder of Open Bionics.

“I can’t wait to start writing angel cheques with Ada Ventures’ money and my own across the South West.”