New-look YABA joins forces with Nabarro in sponsor deal
Yorkshire Association of Business Angels (YABA) has welcomed its first Corporate Specialist sponsor - commercial law firm Nabarro.
After 17 successful years supporting business angels and entrepreneurs in Yorkshire, YABA re-launched in March as a self-sustaining organisation following the completion of its Yorkshire Forward funding. YABA has made significant changes and improvements to its membership packages for both angel members and corporate sponsors, and its geographic area has been expanded to include the whole of the north of England.
As a Corporate Specialist (Angel Engagement) sponsor, Nabarro hosts all of YABA’s Sheffield Investor Meetings in which invited business angels hear presentations from companies seeking finance. YABA’s sponsors also benefit from increased visibility on the YABA website and exclusive opportunities to promote their services within the YABA network. YABA currently has more than 100 business angel members with a combined investment pot of over £30 million.
Barbara Greaves, YABA Manager, says: “Business angels are becoming increasingly important and visible in the start-up and early-stage sector, providing much-needed commercial expertise as well as essential investment. Nabarro has provided the first key endorsement of our new services to help angel members build investment portfolios through syndication and achieve good overall returns on investment in line with national research, plus taking advantage of the new and enhanced Government tax incentives – Seed EIS and EIS. I’m sure that the relationship between YABA and Nabarro will benefit both angel members and investee companies.”
Andrea Cropley, Partner in Nabarro’s Corporate team in Sheffield, says: “Nabarro is committed to the entrepreneur community. Joining forces with YABA was a logical move for Nabarro; the YABA team is very professional and there’s a growing need for angel funding. YABA has access to potential high-growth start-up and early stage businesses and Nabarro can draw from its full range of advisers in Sheffield and London to advise these companies. Nabarro also understands the interests of YABA’s business angel members and we can also advise them on the best way to make, and exit, their investments.”
YABA’s new-format monthly Investor Meetings in Leeds and Sheffield have a more targeted approach and have been well-received. There is currently angel syndicate interest in four out of the five companies which have recently presented at Investor Meetings. Wlad Baranoff-Rossine of presenting company, MobiCart, says: “I was very impressed with the event. Very simple and to-the-point which is exactly what is needed.”
There are sponsor packages available for companies to get involved and work with YABA.
See www.yaba.co.uk/supportersfor more information.
