The Bettany Centre for Entrepreneurship at Cranfield School of Management convened a cross-sector investor panel on 19 February 2026 to provide founders and students oncampus with practical guidance on sourcing and structuring growth capital. The event examined current funding channels, readiness for practical action, and the choices that shape early-stage scaling.

Martin Rigby, Managing Director of ET Capital and a long-standing member of the Bettany Centre Advisory Board, chaired the session. With more than three decades of experience managing early-stage funds across the Cambridge cluster and expanding into the Oxford–Cambridge corridor, Martin opened with a candid, experience-based framing that set the tone for a pragmatic, deal-focused discussion. A diverse group of investors, including angels, venture capital, venture debt and regional growth funds, then o􀆯ered a rounded view of today’s funding landscape.

Stepan Galaev, a Cranfield MBA alumnus and Managing Partner at Enterprise Investment Systems (EIS), traced the evolution of alternative finance over the past decade. He argued that, while reward-based crowdfunding and the rise (and subsequent cooling) of equity crowdfunding and SPACs have changed the mechanisms of capital formation, long-term sustainability still depends on liquidity and exit pathways. Media-driven platforms such as Dragon’s Den and Shark Tank, he observed, function as e􀆯ective hybrids that combine capital with powerful marketing exposure. “Structures change, but investors always bet on the team”, he concluded.

Building on that emphasis, Cheryl Weeks, Head of Funds at FSE Group, reframed networking as a strategic, long-term process rather than a series of transactional pitches. She advised founders to start investor conversations 6 to 18 months before funds are required and to research prospective investors carefully to ensure sector and ticket alignment. Cheryl cautioned against hard pitching at events, recommending instead that founders aim to secure substantive follow-ups. She stressed transparency, due diligence will surface exaggeration, and the importance of maintaining relationships, since a decline today can become a commitment tomorrow. She also noted a regional development: a forthcoming £350 million British Business Bank-backed initiative intended to create significant investment funds in the East and South East of England for the first time.

Sonia Powar, Venture Partner at Anthemis Group and Chair of the Investment Committee at Frog Capital, demystified venture debt and its role lying between bank lending and equity. She explained that venture debt typically suits businesses with clear product-market fit and meaningful revenues (often in the region of £2–3 million or more), o􀆯ering growth capital through loan repayments and equity warrants in return for higher risk. Sonia emphasised that venture debt is not a rescue instrument; it performs best when growth is predictable, and cash metrics are well understood. Founders must therefore be able to articulate revenue growth, churn, LTV/CAC and runway, and to answer candidly what leap of faith investors are being asked to take. Properly used, she said, venture debt can reduce dilution while accelerating expansion.

Nigel Grierson, former venture partner at Doughty Hanson and now a non-executive at Frontier IP Group, reflected on the maturation of the UK ecosystem spoke about his time at Intel, working for Andy Grove, and ending at Intel Cap. He went to say that while there is now greater capital availability and a richer support infrastructure, including incubators, accelerators, and university entrepreneurship centres, the characteristics that distinguish successful founders remain unchanged: tenacity, courage, focus, and the ability to build something distinctive. Nigel highlighted a recurring leadership archetype in breakout companies: a visionary founder complemented by an operational executor.

Yvette Lamidey, Co-Founder of Central Arc Angels, focused on the earliest stage of investment, where individual angels typically invest £5,000 to £20,000. Central Arc Angels supports founders through mentoring, rehearsal pitches and investor-readiness before introductions to angels. Yvette drew attention to the persistent funding gap outside major tech hubs and to the specific challenges confronting advanced manufacturing and deep-tech ventures. She underlined the importance of preparation, an orderly data room, a clear understanding of term sheets and realistic expectations, and reiterated that while angels seek scalable opportunities, they ultimately invest in founders who demonstrate passion, clarity of purpose and resilience.

Across the panel, a clear consensus emerged on pitching. Founders have roughly 20 seconds to land a core message and about 2 minutes to establish credibility; subsequent details reinforce the initial impression. E􀆯ective pitches therefore articulate the problem and solution succinctly, demonstrate market understanding and a credible go-to-market approach, present realistic and defensible financial assumptions, and set out team capability while acknowledging gaps and plans to address them. An early, wellstructured data room remains essential. Panellists agreed that in early-stage investing, the team frequently outweighs the product: a strong team can rescue a mediocre product, but the reverse is rare.

On the broader market, the UK remains Europe’s largest venture market, although smaller than the US. Brexit has complicated some cross-border flows, but founders are increasingly successful in raising capital internationally. The panel’s view was consistent: great companies attract capital irrespective of geography, provided founders target investors aligned with their sector, capital needs and growth profile.

The evening returned repeatedly to a simple, human truth: funding models evolve, and markets fluctuate, yet entrepreneurship remains fundamentally about people. Investors look for energy, integrity, adaptability and the ability to execute under pressure. Forecasts rarely unfold exactly as planned; what matters is a team’s capacity to respond, pivot and persist. For founders, the practical takeaway was clear: Prepare early, know your metrics, cultivate relationships and build a team investors can trust!

Want to learn more about upcoming events at the Bettany Centre? Sign up for our newsletter and follow us on social media!