Manchester has 13 active angel investors and networks writing pre-seed and seed checks for founders in 2026. Here's who they are and how to reach them.
Angel rounds in Manchester close faster than London. The networks are tighter and angels here often know each other.
GC Angels led four investments worth £1.87m in March 2026 alone. Manchester Angels has backed over 40 companies from its GP Bullhound and Bruntwood network. DSW Ventures led the £800K pre-seed round for RoxFit in 2025 and followed on with the £1.9m seed in 2026.
The North's angel ecosystem has grown since PXN was formed from the Praetura-Par Equity merger in 2025. British Business Bank regional programmes now co-fund rounds alongside Manchester networks.
Set up an Ellty data room before you start outreach. Angels move fast - having your cap table, financials, and deck in one shareable link saves days.
| Stage | Check size | Sector focus | Website | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GC Angels | Pre-seed to seed | £25K-£2M | Tech, digital, creative | gcangels.uk |
| Manchester Angels | Pre-seed to seed | £50K-£300K | Tech, life sciences | manchesterangels.org |
| DSW Ventures | Pre-seed to Series A | £300K-£1M+ | SaaS, deep tech, consumer | dsw.vc |
| SFC Capital | Pre-seed to seed | £100K-£300K | Generalist, SEIS/EIS | sfccapital.com |
| Haatch | Pre-seed to seed | £150K-£500K | B2B SaaS | haatch.com |
| Ascension | Pre-seed to seed | £150K-£1M | Impact, generalist | ascension.vc |
| Manchester Tech Trust Angels | Pre-seed to seed | £100K-£1M | Tech, life sciences | manchestertechtrust.com |
| NorthInvest | Seed to Series A | £100K-£500K | Tech, Northern founders | northinvest.co.uk |
| Deepbridge Capital | Seed to Series A | £250K-£3M | Tech, life sciences, EIS | deepbridgecapital.com |
| River Capital | Pre-seed to Series A | £250K-£2M | Tech, AI, SaaS | rivercapitaluk.com |
| PXN Ventures | Seed to Series A | £1M-£3M | B2B tech, Northern | pxnventures.co.uk |
| Foresight Group | Seed to growth | £1M-£5M | Tech, regional growth | foresight.group |
| Maven Capital Partners | Seed to growth | £1M-£5M | Tech, consumer, Northern | mavencp.com |
See which angels open your deck
Build an Ellty data room. Track which investors open your financials.
Start free 14-day trialWhat is a Manchester angel investor?
A Manchester angel investor is a high-net-worth individual or network writing early checks into pre-seed and seed stage founders in the North West.
Most Manchester angels write £25K to £300K individually. Networks like GC Angels and Manchester Angels syndicate multiple angels into a single round, reaching £500K to £2M per deal.
Angels here prioritise the founding team and early traction. Unlike institutional VCs, most won't require a board seat for sub-£500K checks.
Compare Manchester SaaS investors if you're raising a seed or Series A. Some institutional funds in Manchester write first checks smaller than you'd expect.
Manchester has a genuinely active angel community. Founders get faster decisions here than in London, because the networks are smaller and angels often know each other and the founders they're backing.
13 Manchester angel investors
1. GC Angels
GC Angels is the Growth Company's venture arm for Greater Manchester. They back pre-seed and seed founders with £25K to £2M checks. In March 2026, they led four investments totalling £1.87m including Breezemove (PropTech, £750K round), Gaia Learning (edtech, £400K), and OurPetsLife (pet retail, £270K). Their Venture Forward accelerator programme supports underrepresented founders ahead of first institutional rounds.
- Recent Deals: Breezemove £750K seed (March 2026); Gaia Learning £400K (March 2026); OurPetsLife £300K (2025); TheNextLevel pre-seed (2025)
- LinkedIn: GC Angels LinkedIn
- Sector Focus: Tech, digital, creative, underrepresented founders
- Stage Focus: Pre-seed to seed
- Location: Manchester, UK
- Website: gcangels.uk
2. Manchester Angels
Manchester Angels is a tech-focused angel network backed by GP Bullhound and Bruntwood. It matches pre-seed and seed founders with 40+ exited entrepreneurs who invest and mentor. They only back companies in the 10 boroughs of Greater Manchester raising under £1M with a pre-money valuation under £5M. Individual angels write minimum £50K checks and the network has closed deals up to £300K.
Use Ellty to share your deck with trackable links before a Manchester Angels pitch session. You'll see which angels open your financials vs. just skimming the intro slide.
- Recent Deals: HACE: Data Changing Child Labour pre-seed (oversubscribed, 2025); UrFuture investment (2026); active monthly pitch events
- LinkedIn: Manchester Angels LinkedIn
- Sector Focus: Tech, life sciences
- Stage Focus: Pre-seed to seed
- Location: Manchester, UK (Greater Manchester boroughs only)
- Website: manchesterangels.org
3. DSW Ventures
DSW Ventures is a Manchester-based early-stage VC that leads pre-seed rounds with angel-scale checks. They write £300K to £1M+ and led RoxFit's £800K pre-seed (May 2025) and the £1.9M seed follow-on (March 2026). Their latest deal was Northern Light Microscopy in April 2026. They back 29+ companies across SaaS, deep tech, and consumer.
- Recent Deals: RoxFit £1.9M seed (March 2026); Northern Light Microscopy (April 2026); TheNextLevel pre-seed (2025); 29+ portfolio companies
- LinkedIn: DSW Ventures LinkedIn
- Sector Focus: SaaS, deep tech, consumer
- Stage Focus: Pre-seed to Series A
- Location: Manchester, UK
- Website: dsw.vc
4. SFC Capital
SFC Capital is the UK's most active seed investor with 500+ angels in its network. They received a £25M British Business Bank commitment through the Regional Angels Programme in 2025 to fund 100+ early-stage businesses across the UK. Their latest Manchester-connected deal was Careloop, a University of Manchester spinout. They made 22 investments in 2025 and 12 in Q1 2026.
Set up an Ellty data room before SFC Capital outreach. They move fast and expect your cap table and financial model ready on request.
- Recent Deals: Careloop (University of Manchester spinout); Shoutt.ai £525K (January 2026); 22 investments in 2025; 12 in Q1 2026
- LinkedIn: SFC Capital LinkedIn
- Sector Focus: Generalist, SEIS/EIS focus
- Stage Focus: Pre-seed to seed
- Location: London with UK-wide regional mandate
- Website: sfccapital.com
5. Haatch
Haatch is an early-stage VC founded by Scott Weavers-Wright OBE backing B2B SaaS at pre-seed and seed. They received an additional £10M British Business Investments commitment in January 2025, part of a £32M programme to back diverse angel syndicates. Their mandate explicitly includes Greater Manchester, Lancashire, and Cheshire. Portfolio spans 150+ companies with £1B+ combined valuation.
- Recent Deals: Peripear FemTech investment (2025); KareHero AgeTech investment (2025); £32M BBB-backed diverse angel syndicate programme; B2B SaaS mandate
- LinkedIn: Haatch LinkedIn
- Sector Focus: B2B SaaS
- Stage Focus: Pre-seed to seed
- Location: UK-wide, Greater Manchester mandate
- Website: haatch.com
Send trackable links to angel investors
Use Ellty to see which angels open your deck and which pages they review.
Start free 14-day trial6. Ascension
Ascension is one of the UK's most active pre-seed and seed investors with 231+ portfolio companies. They secured a £10M British Business Bank Regional Angels Programme commitment in January 2026. They deploy capital across Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Edinburgh, and Belfast. Their average seed check ranges from £150K to £1M and they made 6 investments in the first four months of 2026.
- Recent Deals: 6 investments in Q1 2026; £10M BBB commitment January 2026; active UK regional mandate; impact and generalist focus
- LinkedIn: Ascension LinkedIn
- Sector Focus: Impact, generalist pre-seed
- Stage Focus: Pre-seed to seed
- Location: London with Manchester and UK regional deal flow
- Website: ascension.vc
7. Manchester Tech Trust Angels
Manchester Tech Trust Angels is a local angel group backing tech and life science companies in Greater Manchester. They invested in UrFuture (April 2026), Monument Therapeutics (seed, February 2025), and HACE: Data Changing Child Labour. They co-invest alongside Manchester Angels and GC Angels in pre-seed and seed rounds.
- Recent Deals: UrFuture investment (April 2026); Monument Therapeutics seed (February 2025); HACE: Data Changing Child Labour pre-seed
- LinkedIn: Manchester Tech Trust Angels LinkedIn
- Sector Focus: Tech, life sciences
- Stage Focus: Pre-seed to seed
- Location: Manchester, UK
- Website: manchestertechtrust.com
8. NorthInvest
NorthInvest is the most active angel investment network in the North of England with deal flow across Manchester and Leeds. They have facilitated over £41M of equity investment and grant funding into Northern tech startups. Portfolio includes Holly Health, Power Roll, and FourJaw. They run monthly pitch events for their investor network.
Read how to build a fundraising pipeline before applying to NorthInvest. They want well-prepared founders with a clear investor pipeline.
- Recent Deals: Holly Health investment; active monthly pitch events; £41M+ facilitated; healthtech and enterprise mandate
- LinkedIn: NorthInvest LinkedIn
- Sector Focus: Tech, healthtech, enterprise
- Stage Focus: Seed to Series A
- Location: Leeds and Manchester, North of England
- Website: northinvest.co.uk
9. Deepbridge Capital
Deepbridge Capital backs Northern EIS founders at seed and Series A. They write £250K to £3M using SEIS/EIS structures and focus on Manchester tech and life science founders with clear IP. They suit capital-efficient teams raising first institutional rounds.
Use Ellty to organise your IP documentation and SEIS/EIS compliance files for Deepbridge. They check IP ownership carefully before committing capital.
- Recent Deals: Active Northern EIS mandate; £250K-£3M checks; tech and life sciences focus; SEIS/EIS structures; seed to Series A
- LinkedIn: Deepbridge Capital LinkedIn
- Sector Focus: Tech, life sciences, EIS
- Stage Focus: Seed to Series A
- Location: North West, UK
- Website: deepbridgecapital.com
10. River Capital
River Capital is a Manchester and Liverpool fund backing tech and AI startups from pre-seed through Series A. They run the fund:AI programme for software and AI platforms and write £250K to £2M. They suit Northern founders with early ARR who want patient regional capital.
- Recent Deals: Active fund:AI mandate; Northern tech and AI focus; £250K-£2M checks; pre-seed to Series A
- LinkedIn: River Capital LinkedIn
- Sector Focus: Tech, AI, SaaS
- Stage Focus: Pre-seed to Series A
- Location: Manchester and Liverpool, UK
- Website: rivercapitaluk.com
11. PXN Ventures
PXN was formed in 2025 from the merger of Praetura Ventures and Par Equity, creating a £670M Northern investment platform. Their PraeSeed programme invests £1M to £3M into 10-15 companies per year across Northern England. Recent deals include OBT Live $2.97M Series A and PEAK:AIO seed (October 2025). Portfolio exit AccessPay closed in March 2026.
- Recent Deals: OBT Live $2.97M Series A; PEAK:AIO seed (October 2025); AccessPay exit (March 2026); 65+ portfolio companies
- LinkedIn: PXN Ventures LinkedIn
- Sector Focus: B2B tech, fintech, Northern founders
- Stage Focus: Seed to Series A
- Location: Manchester, UK
- Website: pxnventures.co.uk
12. Foresight Group
Foresight Group backs Northern tech companies from its regional funds and writes £1M to £5M. They co-invest alongside PXN and British Business Bank programmes. They suit Manchester founders at seed or Series A with recurring revenue and a Northern expansion plan.
Read what goes in a data room before reaching out to Foresight. They run detailed IC processes and expect a complete financial model from day one.
- Recent Deals: Active Northern tech and regional mandate; £1M-£5M checks; seed to growth stage; UK regional deal flow
- LinkedIn: Foresight Group LinkedIn
- Sector Focus: Tech, regional growth
- Stage Focus: Seed to growth
- Location: Manchester and UK regions
- Website: foresight.group
13. Maven Capital Partners
Maven Capital Partners runs Northern Powerhouse funds and backs tech and consumer founders across the North. They write £1M to £5M into capital-efficient companies. They suit Manchester startups at seed or Series A with clear ARR trajectory and a Northern deployment plan.
- Recent Deals: Northern Powerhouse fund mandate; £1M-£5M checks; tech and consumer focus; seed to growth stage; Northern deal flow
- LinkedIn: Maven Capital Partners LinkedIn
- Sector Focus: Tech, consumer, Northern
- Stage Focus: Seed to growth
- Location: Manchester, UK
- Website: mavencp.com
How angel rounds work in Manchester
Most Manchester angel rounds are £100K to £1M at pre-seed. Angels write individual checks of £25K to £150K and syndicates pool multiple angels for larger rounds.
SEIS and EIS tax relief matter here. Most Manchester angels expect SEIS eligibility and will ask before taking a meeting. Confirm your SEIS status before outreach.
Compare Manchester healthtech investors if you're raising seed capital in life science or digital health. Several Manchester angel groups have a specific life science mandate.
How to verify a fund is still deploying
Check the fund's Companies House registration and last filed accounts. A fund with no accounts after 2023 probably isn't actively deploying.
Look at portfolio company LinkedIn pages. Dead portfolio companies with no recent posts are a red flag. Active investor-backed companies post funding news on LinkedIn within days of closing.
Read virtual data room examples to understand how investors expect materials presented. A clean Ellty data room signals that you're organised and serious about the raise.
Where Manchester angels find deals in 2026
Manchester's angel deal flow comes from three places: GC Angels' Venture Forward programme, Manchester Digital events, and warm intros through Bruntwood and GP Bullhound networks.
The Manchester Angel Hub at No.1 Circle Square hosts monthly pitch events. It's where Manchester Angels, UKBAA, and Bruntwood SciTech bring founders and angels together.
Read investor relations tools to manage your investor pipeline after meetings. Use Ellty to send follow-up materials with analytics so you know who's engaged.
How to pitch a Manchester angel investor
Four steps that match how Manchester angels evaluate pre-seed and seed founders.
- 1.Confirm your SEIS/EIS eligibility firstMost Manchester angels require SEIS status. Check before outreach.
- 2.Lead with traction, not projectionsAngels back what you've built, not spreadsheet forecasts.
- 3.Target networks that match your sectorGC Angels backs broad tech. Manchester Angels backs software only.
- 4.Apply to pitch events, not cold emailManchester Angels and GC Angels both run structured intake processes.
How Ellty helps you land a Manchester angel investor
Angels move fast. Prepare your materials before first contact - not after.
- 1.Build your data room and upload your deckAdd your deck, cap table, and financials. Send one link.
- 2.Set link permissions before sharingRequire email before access. Protect your term sheet and cap table.
- 3.Track which angels review your financial modelSee who opens your deck. Follow up on real engagement only.
Common questions about Manchester angel investors
- Most require it. Get SEIS advance assurance before outreach to any Manchester network.
- At pre-seed, a working prototype or early users. Revenue is expected by seed stage.
- GC Angels requires you to be based in Greater Manchester. Others are more flexible.
- Expect 8 to 16 weeks from first pitch to funds in bank for a syndicated angel round.
- Yes. Manchester Angels, GC Angels, and DSW can all be in the same round.
- Before first contact. Angels who like your pitch ask for documents within 24 hours.
