What is the Centre of Excellence?
Angel investment is the most significant source of early-stage risk capital for innovating growth businesses. Angels bring not only equity funding, but access to business experience, strategic advice, contacts and links to support and nurture early-stage growth.
The Centre of Excellence is designed to support new and experienced Angels with the tools they need to back fantastic founders across the UK. From helping you begin your investing journey through to running your own Angel Group, this resource hub contains all of the information you need to succeed. With informative guides, downloadable materials and videos featuring key players from the early-stage ecosystem, the Centre of Excellence is an essential tool to help you with every aspect of your journey.
Investing Basics
Explore angel investing starting from what it means to be an angel to how to go about backing innovators and honing your skills. Work through a series of informative guides and videos to help you learn the basics as you embark on your angel investing journey.
Tools and guides
Once you’ve learned the basics, it’s time to step up your knowledge and deep dive into the documents you’ll need on your investing journey. Explore the key legal documents, understand how to develop your own cap table and find out how to create a post-investment strategy.
Webinars & Library
Watch a series of in-depth webinars featuring leading lights of the early-stage ecosystem as they share their experience and advice. Whether it’s doing your first deal or exploring regional imbalances, we’ve got a wealth of content to aid your learning. We’ve also got a growing library of recommended reading to elevate your knowledge even further.
Recently added content
Angel Diaries- What 60 Angel Investments Really Teach You- Failures, exits, and the patterns you only see with experience
With 60 angel investments and 140 rounds behind him, Simon Thorpe has seen nearly every early-stage outcome—from strong exits to tough failures. Here, he shares what he’s learned and how it’s shaped his investing approach.
Angel investing essentials: a practical introduction.
Cornel Chirac, partner at 2050 Capital discussed how angel investing isn’t just about capital, it’s about understanding how deals work, developing sound judgement and learning to invest with structure and confidence.
The Angel Diaries with Simon Blakey - how experienced angels actually manage portfolios. When to stay angel‑only, when to bridge, and when to take liquidity
With over 100 angel investments and seven years as Chair of the Investment Committee at Playfair Capital, Simon Blakey brings extensive experience across both angel and venture investing.
How to access the Centre of Excellence
Members
The Centre of Excellence is a resource hub that’s available only for UKBAA members. If you’re an existing member, you simply just need to log into the site and you’ll get immediate access.
Please note that if you are a subscriber of the UKBAA site, that is not the same as being a member. The Centre of Excellence is not accessible by subscribers, only paying members of UKBAA.
Become a Member
Join our community of leading early-stage investors, and get access to the Centre of Excellence as well as a whole host of fantastic benefits that will help you build lasting relationships across the industry.
From Seed to Series A, UKBAA’s members include angel groups, VCs, corporates, individual investors, investment platforms, accelerators and intermediaries. Become a member of the UKBAA and be recognised for the important role you play in supporting and backing entrepreneurial growth from start-up to scale-up.