Dow Schofield Watts Angels (DSW Ventures) – the business angel network – has expanded its team with the appointment of Ellie Boardman as Investment Executive.
Ellie joins the firm from KPMG in Manchester where she spent three years working in the audit department and where she qualified as a Chartered Accountant. During this time, she gained experience working with a wide range of businesses, including international tech firms located both in the UK and US.
Ellie will be based at DSW Ventures’ Daresbury office, where her role will include helping to assess applications from early-stage companies seeking scale-up funding, liaising with angel investors in the network and supporting existing investments.
Her appointment comes as DSW Ventures expands its operation across the UK regions after recently being announced as a partner in British Business Investments £100m Regional Angels Programme, designed to help reduce regional imbalances in access to early stage equity finance for smaller businesses across the UK. British Business Investments is a wholly-owned commercial subsidiary of the British Business Bank, the UK government’s economic development bank.
Established in summer 2017, DSW Ventures now has circa 100 investors. Its investments include Warrington-based software company Avanite, Manchester-based e-commerce platform Shopblocks, online events marketplace PopTopUK of Newcastle and Chester-based women’s outdoorwear brand ACAI.
Keith Benson of DSW Ventures said: “Ellie’s financial skills and her experience working with tech firms will be invaluable in helping us to identify and invest in early-stage businesses with high growth potential. Her appointment comes at an exciting time for DSW Ventures. Ellie will play a key role in helping us to expand the network outside the North to help bring the benefits of angel investment to businesses in other UK regions.”
