Northern investment duo Jordan Dargue and Helen Oldham are taking their Lifted Ventures investment platform to Newcastle, having officially launched the gender-focused angel network earlier in the year in Leeds.
Dargue and Oldham, who were previously known as the joint leaders of the award-winning NorthInvest angel network, and co-founders of Fund Her North, and Women Angels of the North.
The pair now take to the North East in Newcastle to declare the North of England as the premier destination for female-founded businesses in pursuit of funding, with the British Business Bank supporting the event.
With every pound invested in a male business, only a penny finds its way into a female-owned venture. Lifted Ventures is dedicated to catalysing transformation within the female founder landscape in the North of England. Lifted Ventures serves female entrepreneurs seeking investment opportunities, and is breaking barriers when it comes to supporting them.
By backing female founders, investors contribute to building more diverse and inclusive companies, which can lead to improved decision-making and performance. Investing in female founders is not just about financial returns; it’s also about driving positive social change.
Start-up funding is quoted as the biggest barrier by female founders, with less than 2% of all venture funding being investment into businesses founded by all-female teams, according to The Alison Rose Review of Female Entrepreneurship report in 2023.
To encourage accessible funding for female-led startups across the North, Lifted Ventures is creating a diverse investment community that wants to empower female founders through capital,
expertise and mentorship and believes that investment should be accessible to all, irrespective of their background, ethnicity, gender, or neuro or physical diversity.
Lifted’s tailored support is developed by a team of experts who have worked with many diverse backgrounds. In addition to establishing networks of angel investors and co-investors, Lifted Ventures offers comprehensive support to aspiring female entrepreneurs. This includes guiding them through investment opportunities, elucidating various funding avenues, and ultimately assisting them in becoming investment-ready.
Dargue and Oldham’s past endeavours showcase their unparalleled expertise in constructing inclusive early-stage investment ecosystems, angel networks, and communities. Collectively, they have facilitated funding exceeding £450m, supported over 1,000 entrepreneurs, and emerged as the most engaged Innovate UK investor partner outside of London.
Now they aim to lengthen their wealth of experience to turn discussions into tangible support for Northern women in business, beginning with a transformative shift in dialogue.
“Whilst Lifted Ventures focuses on the opportunities of investing in women entrepreneurs, we want to educate and develop an all-rounder angel investor community and be able to take that above and beyond for founders in the North of England,” said Oldham, co-founder of Lifted Ventures, Angel Investor and Board member of the UK Business Angels Association and a member of the Women Angel Investment task force.
Dargue added: “We offer a range of benefits to our network in the North. The biggest is that we connect startups with angel investors and co-investors, facilitating access to much-needed capital for growth and expansion. By supporting female founders, investors gain access to an often overlooked pool of talent and untapped potential, increasing opportunities for lucrative investment returns. We provide access to a diverse range of angel investors, offering startups the opportunity to secure funding. We strive to ensure that inclusivity is a cornerstone of our community and that angel investing is accessible for everyone.”
Lifted Ventures officially launched in Leeds, in February 2024, again with support from The British Business Bank. The No More Talking event in Newcastle is aimed at anyone in the investment community interested in learning more about the business benefits of backing women and making a lasting change to the female founder space.
Joining Dargue and Oldham in Newcastle will be numerous special guest speakers, providing their perspectives on the opportunity to back intersectional female founders; how to understand their needs and provide relevant investment pathways.
