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Growth Investment and members take honours at BBAA Awards
23/07/2010
Growth Investment and several of its members walked away with a series of awards at the recent British Business Angel Association (BBAA) Awards, held in Manchester on July 13th. Growth Investment is the network of investors and professional firms driving investment in small businesses in the East Midlands, and is funded by emda.
Held at the Lowry Hotel, the awards ceremony was attended by over 200 guests from the early stage investment industry. Delegates were there to share in the success and achievements of colleagues over the past year, with the presentation of six awards judged by an expert independent panel.
The “Early Stage Team of the Year” award was won by Octopus Ventures, a Growth Investment Member since 2006. They were chased all the way to the line by Growth Investment member East Midlands Early Growth Fund, which was also then shortlisted for another award, “Early Stage Investment of the Year” for its investment in Lovestruck Limited.
Two other members to earn praise were businesss angel group Turning Point and venture capital company EV, as they were shortlisted for Early Stage Investment of the Year for their joint investment in Doff Portland Limited.
With the members doing well on the night, there was also recognition for Growth Investment itself, as it took the award for "Expert Contribution to the Early Stage Investment Market".
Toby Reid, operations manager at Growth Investment said;
“These are national awards and to see so many of our members doing so well here is great testimony to the expertise in the region and to the quality of the deals that have been done here in the East Midlands during very challenging times.
“Deal-making is not done by any single person or even any single team. It is a joint effort by all parties and bringing them together is an even more crucial role in these challenging times. I’m delighted that this strong showing at the awards has helped us to demonstrate the value in being part of a strong network such as Growth Investment and look forward to working with our members to forge more alliances and deals this year.”
Growth Investment has been supported by East Midlands Development Agency (emda) since its formation in 2004. It consists of a network of private sector organisations set up to stimulate business growth through private equity investments ranging from £50,000 to £2 million.
Mike Carr, Executive Director of Businesses Services at emda, said: “This award recognises the significant part that Growth Investment has played in helping investors and businesses get together for the purpose of raising finance and support.
"There are lots of exciting opportunities for Business Angels and venture capitalists to invest in East Midlands businesses, which is why emda supports Growth Investment. I know that there are many talented entrepreneurs in the region with innovative ideas, who would benefit from the financial support and expertise that investors can bring to their businesses. By the same token, those investors will themselves reap the rewards as those businesses develop and grow."
Growth Investment runs a range of events throughout the year for entrepreneurs, investors and intermediaries. The next event, “Angel Insight” will give a full introduction to the concept of Angel investing.
Submitted by Gemma Cann