Early Stage Funding 101

Early Stage Funding 101

In partnership with Bethnal Green Ventures (BGV), British Business Bank, and SETsquared, we’re exploring the varied funding routes available to early-stage founders — from bootstrapped beginnings to angel investors and institutional capital.

As Europe’s leading tech for good VC, BGV invests in ambitious ventures that use technology to drive measurable social and environmental change. Since their founding, they’ve supported more than 170 start-ups through their Tech for Good Programme, backed by a £33 million fund and certified as a B Corp, demonstrating both impact and integrity.

The British Business Bank is the UK’s economic development bank, dedicated to making finance markets work better for smaller businesses. They provide access to finance, support growth, and back founders who are building businesses that power the UK economy.

SETsquared is the world’s leading university business incubator, supporting founders through expert mentoring, programmes, and access to investment. Their mission is to help innovative start-ups and scale-ups grow, while driving positive social and economic change.

We’re excited to bring this conversation to Bristol — a city consistently ranked among the UK’s strongest start-up clusters outside London, with 589 high-growth companies generating over £4 billion in turnover. Bristol is the South West’s biggest growth hotspot and closely reflects the patterns highlighted in our recent Impact Investment Report.

The session will be led by our Commercial Director, Dhevesh Mewawalla, who brings over 15 years of experience spanning Tech for Good, B2B SaaS, banking and social impact. As an early-stage impact founder who has worked across start-ups, scale-ups and enterprise in multiple industries, he brings deep expertise in scaling organisations, commercial strategy and leadership.

💡 What to expect:

Registration & Welcome (5.00 – 5.30pm)

Start-up Readiness Workshop (5.30 – 6.00pm):
Led by Dama Sathianathan, Senior Partner at BGV, sharing tangible examples and practical steps for shaping your funding strategy.

Panel Discussion (6.00 – 6.45pm):
Hosted by Dhevesh, the panel will feature leading voices in the investor ecosystem and impact founders:

• Melanie Hayes – BGV

• Ed Tellwright – British Business Bank

• Peter Lockett – Angel Investors Bristol

Networking (6.45 – 7.30pm):
Build connections with founders, funders, and ecosystem partners.

This session will:

• Map out practical steps for founder funding strategies

• Demystify capital options by stage and impact

• Share lived experiences at the crossroads of mission-driven innovation and growth