Investor Circle

About Investor Circle

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/ (https://www.canopy.community/) 👋 Connect with Stewart Noakes: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stewartnoakes/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/stewartnoakes/) 📺 Watch every episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@canopycommunity617 (https://www.youtube.com/@canopycommunity617) #InvestorCircle #AngelInvesting #EarlyStageInvesting #SEIS #FounderFriendly #StartupInvestment #FirstTimeFounder #StartupFunding #VentureCapital #CanopyCommunity #SocialMobility #Innovation #MVP #Validation #FollowYourDreams #IfNotNowThenWhen #Tribe

Publisher

Stewart Noakes

Category

business · business · business

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

10 Jul 2025

Latest episode

25 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

10 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   25 Sept 2026

   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 b...

2. 

   18 Sept 2026

   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 ...

3. 

   3 Aug 2026

   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 sti...

4. 

   27 Jul 2026

   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&...

5. 

   17 Sept 2025

   Are You VC-able? Hard Truths About Startup Funding

   Send us a text Oli from Fuel Ventures unpacks the firm's investment strategy across their pre-seed and seed funds, sharing his personal "Venture Playbook" that guides their decision-making process. He reveals counterintuitive insights about founder profiles and what makes a business truly "VC-able" in today's funding landscape. • Fuel Ventures operates two vehicles: a pre-seed fund (30-40 deals yearly at £250k max) and their flagship seed fund (10-12 deals yearly at £1-2.5 million) • Their i...

6. 

   11 Jul 2025

   Why Women Approach Investing Differently Than Men

   Send us a text Cintia, CEO of Core Angels, shares insights into how angel investing communities can democratize early-stage investing while providing powerful frameworks for investment decisions. • Core Angels operates 14 angel funds where investors pool capital and make collective decisions about startup investments • Their book "Angel Investing Explained" aims to break down misconceptions and bring more women into angel investing • Women investors typically gather comprehensive information...

7. 

   10 Jul 2025

   What Makes B2B SaaS Startups Irresistible to Investors

   Send us a text Marwa shares her unique perspective as both a former founder and current investment analyst at Hatch VC, providing insider insights into what early-stage investors truly look for in B2B SaaS startups. • Hatch VC backs B2B SaaS startups at SEIS and EIS stages, founded by successful entrepreneurs who've exited multiple businesses • 72% of Hatch's portfolio companies successfully raise follow-on funding • Three key criteria: founders solving deep pains, clearly defined customer p...

8. 

   10 Jul 2025

   Why Building Trust Matters More Than Money in Energy Investing

   Send us a text Renato shares his journey as an investor in the clean energy space, bringing his unique perspective from corporate venture capital, pan-European investment, and angel investing experiences. • Background in engineering with over 10 years in clean energy investment • Energy sector facing multiple challenges: decarbonization, affordability, reliability, and availability • Team importance varies by stage - critical in early stages, less dominant as companies mature • Different inv...

9. 

   10 Jul 2025

   Why Your Investor Relationships Matter More Than Your Pitch Deck

   Send us a text Drew Ellis joins us from South Devon to share his entrepreneurial journey from designing iconic album covers for stars like Radiohead and Pink Floyd to running Eye to Eye Capital, a funding firm focused on projects aligned with the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. • Started as an art student working with Hypnosis, the famous design company behind Dark Side of the Moon • Founded Icon, a record sleeve design agency with clients including Robert Plant, David Gilmour, and ABBA ...

10. 

    10 Jul 2025

    Why Southwest Tech Startups Need More Angels

    Send us a text Ben Cooper, co-founder of Angel Investors Bristol and director of Tech Southwest, shares insights on building the largest angel investment network in Southwest England and redirecting capital to support regional tech innovation. • Angel Investors Bristol formed in 2023, now has 150 members and has completed 10 investments • The group receives 30-40 investment applications monthly but can only fund about two companies • Current market conditions have shifted investments toward ...

Podcast Authority Score: 22 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

44

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

0

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