£8m Institutional Regional Fund
Haatch and the East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA) have collaborated on an £8m Fund to Fuel Growth in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire’s Startup Ecosystem.
In May 2024, Haatch, known for its entrepreneurial roots and commitment to fostering innovation outside of London, announced a groundbreaking collaboration with EMCCA. This partnership aims to drive economic growth by investing in emerging startups and entrepreneurial talent in the region.
East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA) was established in Spring 2024, following a £1.14 billion devolution deal with Government. EMCCA, which covers Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Derby and Nottingham, is led by Mayor of the East Midlands, Claire Ward, with powers devolved from Government to make regional decisions around transport, housing, skills and adult education and net zero.
Haatch ESAIF Investment Thesis
Our investment thesis for this fund is slightly more agnostic than our SEIS and EIS funds. The ESAIF fund is sector-agnostic and able to invest in all ranges of businesses registered in the Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire regions. The fund will particularly look to prioritise support to businesses that add value to net zero / low carbon strategic outcomes, target underrepresented groups (in terms of investment) and create new jobs within the EMCCA region.
Our Thesis Summerised:
- Sector agnostic
- Companies based in Nottinghamshire or Derbyshire
- Revenue generating
- Have been trading for 6-24 months
- Looking to add value to net zero/low carbon strategic outcomes, demonstrate credible ESG credentials and create new jobs
Regional Investing
Since inception, 75% of Haatch’s investments from all funds have been made into companies based outside of London so our deep desire to invest regionally expands even further with the Haatch EMCCA ESAIF.
Notable regional based companies in Haatch’s portfolio include;
- Aerocloud, an airport management platform who have raised from Haatch, Playfair, Stage 2 Capital, Triple Point and others
- Native Teams, a cross-border employee management tool supported by Haatch and Eleven Ventures
- Made With Intent, a platform that helps retailers understand visitor Intent who have raised from Haatch, Portfolio Ventures and Mercuri
- Bunch, a tool that allows users to manage all their household bills and divide them between housemates
Looking Forward
Over the next two years, the Haatch ESAIF will invest in approximately 13 companies, providing a significant step forward in unlocking the potential of Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire’s startup ecosystem and driving sustainable economic growth.
The £8m Haatch Early Stage Angel Investment Fund
The collaboration between Haatch and The East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA) sees the two parties investing in businesses based in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire through the Fund titled “Haatch ESAIF”, meaning “Early Stage Angel Investment Fund”.
With £8 million ring-fenced for investment, the partnership aims to fuel the growth of emerging startups and entrepreneurial talent in the region.
The partnership will also see co-investment from British Business Investments a wholly-owned commercial subsidiary of the British Business Bank, who committed £10m to Haatch in 2022.
The Haatch Early Stage Angel Investment Fund (or Haatch ESAIF for short) is an £8m Fund created by Haatch and the East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA) to Fuel Growth in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire’s Startup Ecosystem.
The Fund follows a similar thesis as the Haatch EIS & Haatch SEIS Funds, with the additional elements of;
- Sector agnostic
- Companies based in Nottinghamshire or Derbyshire
- Revenue generating
- Have been trading for 6-24 months
- Looking to add value to net zero/low carbon strategic outcomes, demonstrate credible ESG credentials and create new jobs
The Fund is a limited partnership with investment made up of the EMCCA and Haatch SEIS & Haatch EIS Funds. British Business Investments will also co-invest in line with our Haatch investment policies & strategies.
Our website has an open pitch form for founders to contact us directly. Our investment team monitors inbound applications daily and aims to respond within 14 days. You can submit your pitch here.
Our investment process is fluid and evolves based on the context of the investment round. The quickest we’ve made an investment decision is three days, but our typical timeline is three to four weeks.
The stages of our investment process are highlighted below:
- First call; one of our investment team will have an introductory call with you to understand the market and persona you’re building for. This is an opportunity for us to dive deeper into your story, the pain felt by your buyer and how deep it is. It also allows you to ask us any questions you might have.
- Successive calls; following a successful first call, we typically have two to four additional calls, diving into any areas of uncertainty and learning more about the market and how your solution fits their pains. The key question we ask ourselves throughout this process is, “How deep is the problem this team is trying to solve, and does their solution tie directly to the pains of their ICP?”
- Investment committee; following our calls, the Haatch team will create a memo highlighting every aspect of our knowledge of your company. We’ll next come up with any final comments/questions, which we’ll ask you during a 45-minute session with the entire Haatch team. Following this discussion, we’ll make our investment decision, for transparency, 80% of the investment team need to have a resounding, yes.