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Investor Circle

Stewart Noakes

Building better relationships between founders and investors.

That's the mission behind Canopy Community and the Investor Circle podcast.


We believe great founders can come from anywhere.

But too often, investment feels confusing, inaccessible or reserved for people with the right networks, introductions or experience.


We're here to change that.


In each episode, host Stewart Noakes sits down with angel investors, venture capitalists, family offices, fund managers and leaders from across the startup ecosystem to explore what really happens behind investment decisions.


Together they uncover the conversations that rarely happen in public.

- What makes an investor believe in a founder?

- Why do some startups raise funding while others don't?

- How do experienced investors assess opportunity, risk and character?

- What does a great investment relationship actually look like?


These aren't pitch competitions. They're honest conversations about trust.


Every guest brings a different perspective. Some have built and exited companies before becoming investors. Others manage funds, support founders or shape the wider investment ecosystem. 


Each conversation reveals how experience, judgement and empathy influence every investment decision.


Our hope is simple.

One conversation at a time, we want founders to better understand investors, and investors to better understand founders.


Because raising investment isn't simply about finding capital.

It's about building confidence. Building credibility. And building relationships that can last for many years.


Whether you're validating your MVP, finding customers, preparing your first funding round, investing through SEIS, launching your own fund or simply curious about how early-stage investing really works, Investor Circle shares practical lessons from people who have built businesses, invested their own money and experienced both sides of the table.


The conversations go beyond term sheets and valuations.


They explore integrity, due diligence, storytelling, resilience, customer validation, exits, AI, governance, failure, and the decisions that shape successful companies long before the investment is made.


Produced by Canopy Community, one of Europe's leading startup communities, Investor Circle is part of a bigger mission:

To leverage entrepreneurship as a tool for social mobility by making investment more transparent, more relatable and more accessible to the next generation of founders and investors.


Because every investment starts long before money changes hands.

It starts with curiosity.

It grows through trust.

And sometimes, one conversation is all it takes for a founder to find belief, or for an investor to discover the person they've been looking for all along.


🎙️ Follow Investor Circle for new episodes as they drop.

🌱 Learn more about Canopy Community: https://www.canopy.community/

👋 Connect with Stewart Noakes: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stewartnoakes/

📺 Watch every episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@canopycommunity617


#InvestorCircle #AngelInvesting #EarlyStageInvesting #SEIS #FounderFriendly #StartupInvestment #FirstTimeFounder #StartupFunding #VentureCapital #CanopyCommunity #SocialMobility #Innovation #MVP #Validation #FollowYourDreams #IfNotNowThenWhen #Tribe

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  • 6 episodes
  • weekly
  • Avg 31 min
  • English

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Episodes 6

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  • S3 · E5
    Friday · 27 min

    What Would Investing Look Like Without Bias

    Send us Fan Mail We share the origin story behind Canopy Capital and why we believe fixing access to finance means also fixing networks, role models and support. We explain how we want to reduce bias in early-stage investing while staying clear that the fund is still in process and not currently FCA regulated. • Rachel’s path from tax and pension advice into the Canopy community • Matt’s route from software and product leadership into CTO-style support for founders • three barriers for underrepresented founders: role models, professional networks, access to finance • why friends and family rounds can be an unfair investment signal • how SEIS shapes cheque sizes and the responsibility to help founders deploy money well • why wraparound support and non-exec guidance matter alongside capital • using People’s Choice winners from Demo Nights to widen feedback and reduce blind spots • assessing startups through desirability, feasibility and viability • what we learn about the paperwork, rigour and timelines of setting up a fund • what it feels like to build a new venture as a three-person founder team SeedLegals The platform for Startup Legals including SEIS Advance Assurance. Scribe Find and connect with angel investors in the UK Founded by Rob Cossins Revolut Business banking from Revolut Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Support the show Note: you can also watch these episodes on youtube.com/@canopycommunity617

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  • S3 · E6
    September 18 · 19 min

    How Equisy Turns Pitch Deck Stories Into Investor-Ready Evidence

    Send us Fan Mail We sit down with Ala Amar, co-founder and CEO of Equisy, to unpack why first-time founders struggle with fundraising and how a more structured process can change outcomes. We explore how valuation, pitch deck analysis, and organised evidence help founders and investors move from story to proof faster. • Ala’s journey from accounting to startup CFO support and fundraising advisory • Why non-financial founders often hit a numbers blind spot • What Equisy does for founders, accelerators, incubators and investors • Moving from narrative to evidence through a structured fundraising journey • Valuation as education and negotiation support, including pre-revenue contexts • AI pitch deck analysis informed by investor feedback • Investor screening and due diligence support to save time at scale • UK SEIS and why systemising the first £250k matters • How Bristol and university-led ecosystems build stronger regional pipelines • Practical advice on validating assumptions and defining the right ICP Scribe Find and connect with angel investors in the UK Founded by Rob Cossins Revolut Business banking from Revolut SeedLegals The platform for Startup Legals including SEIS Advance Assurance. #TRIBE Community Membership at Canopy Virtual Incubation at Canopy Virtual Incubation for new and emerging Founders. Zero to One. Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Support the show Note: you can also watch these episodes on youtube.com/@canopycommunity617

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  • S3 · E4
    September 11 · 28 min

    Great Early-Stage Investing Starts With Listening

    Send us Fan Mail We sit down with Jeffrey Faustin to trace how one of the UK’s longest-running SEIS funds is built, from the early days of the scheme to the realities of backing pre-revenue founders. We dig into what makes a founder investable, how follow-on EIS conviction works, and why fees and fund structure can make or break an emerging manager. • Jensen’s origin story and why early SEIS was different • why SEIS became a catalyst for UK startups and equity crowdfunding • an agnostic thesis with a net positive filter • why Jensen tends to lead rounds and how angels fit • the two biggest founder deal-breakers: listening and domain expertise • portfolio strategy across SEIS and EIS with follow-on discipline • what exit rates and failure rates look like in practice • the awkward trade-offs in SEIS management fees versus GPLP norms • practical support for first-time founders through networks and guidance • removing barriers linked to social mobility, trust and friends-and-family capital SeedLegals The platform for Startup Legals including SEIS Advance Assurance. Scribe Find and connect with angel investors in the UK Founded by Rob Cossins Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Support the show Note: you can also watch these episodes on youtube.com/@canopycommunity617

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  • S3 · E3
    August 10 · 36 min

    Stop Selling The TAM And Bring The Team

    Send us Fan Mail We talk with Mark, a Dutch angel investor in the Algarve, about how his group backs pre-seed startups in southern Portugal and why sustainability and regional impact drive their decisions. We also unpack what founders get wrong in pitch decks, how AI changes investor evaluation, and why revenue and team quality beat inflated market claims at the earliest stage. • how Sotavento Angels invests in the Algarve with €75k to €150k tickets • why sustainability and Faro University partnerships shape the thesis • what “archangel” ownership looks like inside an investor syndicate • portfolio examples across healthtech, food innovation, and algae protein • the reality of Portuguese public funding schemes and compliance demands • real estate culture and legal perceptions that affect foreign investment • building a south Portugal startup ecosystem with accelerators and community • linking Portugal to London through university networks and demo nights • entrepreneurship as social mobility and a focus on female founders • why team, data access, and early revenue matter more than TAM slides Connect with Mark https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-p-haaksman-76512 More about the fund https://www.sotaventoinvest.pt Scribe Find and connect with angel investors in the UK Founded by Rob Cossins Revolut Business banking from Revolut SeedLegals The platform for Startup Legals including SEIS Advance Assurance. Virtual Incubation at Canopy Virtual Incubation for new and emerging Founders. Zero to One. #TRIBE Community Membership at Canopy Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Support the show Note: you can also watch these episodes on youtube.com/@canopycommunity617

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  • S3 · E2
    August 3 · 38 min

    A Great Deal Starts With A Truthful Story

    Send us Fan Mail We talk with Matt O’Donovan about what it really takes to sell a tech business, then switch viewpoints to what he looks for when investing as a UK angel. We dig into due diligence, founder integrity, SEIS and EIS, and the big open question of exits as AI reshapes software. • Matt’s path from telecoms to building Spark Wi-Fi and exiting during Covid • What surprised him most in financial due diligence and how to defend your numbers • Why hype and “hockey stick” forecasts damage trust with acquirers • How angel investors assess founders first, then market, product and competition • Investing at pre-revenue versus waiting for traction and why AI changes the risk • When SEIS and EIS matter and why they are not the core strategy • Why meeting founders in person still matters even with remote work • How efficient, automated businesses become more attractive acquisition targets • The human unpredictability inside deals and why there is no one formula • Best advice to first-time founders: answer the investor’s why with honesty and purpose Scribe Find and connect with angel investors in the UK Founded by Rob Cossins Virtual Incubation at Canopy Virtual Incubation for new and emerging Founders. Zero to One. SeedLegals The platform for Startup Legals including SEIS Advance Assurance. Revolut Business banking from Revolut #TRIBE Community Membership at Canopy Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Support the show Note: you can also watch these episodes on youtube.com/@canopycommunity617

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  • S3 · E1
    July 27 · 38 min

    Seed Funding Without The Headache

    Send us Fan Mail We sit down with Michael McDowell from Seed Legals to talk about making early-stage fundraising faster, cleaner, and less mentally draining for founders and funds. We dig into Northern Ireland’s startup ecosystem, the reality of SEIS and EIS rounds, and where AI can remove admin without replacing human judgement. • why Northern Ireland produces resilient founders and strong university spin-outs • Michael’s path from commercial roles to crowdfunding and legal tech • teaching early-stage basics through Raise Ventures like cap tables and term sheets • when shutting down early and returning cash can be the most mature move • what Seed Legals handles across SEIS and EIS documentation and compliance • how funds use the platform for term sheets, negotiation, signatures, and cap table updates • AI support for founder questions using up-to-date HMRC and Companies House guidance • why speed matters most at the exact moment founders need to build and sell • the shift in the market towards traction, efficiency, and revenue focus But come on to your platform and it'll explain it all beautifully and it'll become perfectly clear. SeedLegals The platform for Startup Legals including SEIS Advance Assurance. Scribe Find and connect with angel investors in the UK Founded by Rob Cossins Revolut Business banking from Revolut #TRIBE Community Membership at Canopy Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Note: you can also watch these episodes on youtube.com/@canopycommunity617

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Showing 1–6 of 6 episodes