Startup Funding Explained | VC, Angels, Grants & Debt
Raising capital is one of the biggest decisions a founder will make — and not every startup should take the same route.
This event brings together experts across venture capital, angel and family office investment, grants, and debt financing to help founders understand the full funding landscape.
Whether you’re pre-raise, actively fundraising, or planning your next stage of growth, this session is designed to help you make more informed funding decisions.
What to expect?
Through a short introductory panel, speakers will outline how each funding option works, what types of businesses they suit best, and the trade-offs founders should consider.
After the panel, founders will break into focused sessions to explore each funding route in more depth, including a dedicated breakout on SEIS.
The evening will close with open networking, giving attendees the chance to connect with peers, investors, and advisors.
Agenda
4:45pm - Doors open
5:15pm - Warm welcome
5:30pm - Panel discussion
6:00pm - Breakout session 1
6:20pm - Breakout session 2
6:35pm - Networking
7:15pm - Event close
Meet the speakers
Billy Fox is part of the Active early-stage team where he spends his time unearthing the most exciting companies across the consumer landscape and meeting amazing founders. He also sits on the board of Active portfolio company, TravelLocal, an early-stage travel marketplace.
David French has worked in Santander’s Growth Capital team since its inception in 2012. The team provides debt solutions for high-growth businesses to fund investment, typically in sales and marketing and/or product development. To date the team has provided funding of over £1.6bn supporting over 240 businesses.
Katie Fulford-Smith is an early-stage Alma Angel investor, investing at pre-seed in high growth, technology businesses with a focus on health and wealth outcomes.
Hatti Whitman is the Principal Funding Consultant at Grantify UK, the global fundraising launchpad which to date has helped founders secure £185M+ in non-equity, non-repayable grants. Grantify simplifies the complex world of government tech grants using a unique blend of human expertise and cutting-edge AI.
Your hosts
Novabook is the accounting firm for startups. We give founders access to the best UK accountants to handle all your accounting, with real humans you can call whenever you need. Alongside this, Novabook has built a software platform that automates the admin founders hate - no invoice chasing, no missed emails, and no manual payments. We save founders time and money with the most responsive accounting solution for your startup.
Running a business can be isolating, but it doesn’t have to be. All Together Collective is the UK’s most accessible support network for founders and CEOs. We connect small business leaders with a community of experienced CEOs and founders, giving members access to expert advice from the UK's top entrepreneurs, targeted events with support and resources to help you and your business thrive.
Blue Garage is a creative makerspace in South East London where ideas can be designed, prototyped, and built under one roof. Members get access to labs, workshops, flexible studios, and the Blue Factory prototyping machines, helping solo founders and small teams turn ideas into real products. Flexible monthly memberships make it easy to learn, create, and grow.
Please note
By registering for this event, you consent for your details to be shared with all event partners, as listed.