GC Angels announces first cohort for Venture Forward accelerator programme

Venture Forward, funded by Innovate UK, will run two accelerators over the next year, equipping early-stage founders with the knowledge, tools and investor connections needed to secure growth capital.

The first cohort brings together 30 innovative and diverse businesses from across the region, spanning sectors including health, financial services, wellbeing, agriculture and consultancy. Of these, 60% are female-founded, 73% are ethnic minority-founded and 33% have a disabled or neurodivergent founder. These figures are significantly higher than the industry average and demonstrate the programme’s commitment to widening access to investment. The full list of cohort members is available below.

The cohort also reflects the strength and diversity of innovation across the whole of the North. Manchester-based businesses form the highest proportion of the cohort at 47%, followed by Liverpool (13%), Preston (10%) and Sheffield (10%).

Running for eight-weeks from October 2025, the programme will cover every stage of the fundraising journey through workshops, mentoring, access to resources and opportunities to network with investors and industry leaders.

Following the programme, GC Angels will offer up to £500k of equity investment to standout founders in the cohort, giving them the capital to overcome early-stage hurdles and secure the resources they need for long-term growth.

A second cohort will launch in February 2026, with the two rounds supporting a total of 60 companies from across the north of England.

Marc Shirman, GC Head of Equity Investment, said: "We’re very excited to be launching the first phase of Venture Forward this October. The response we received has been phenomenal – receiving over 150 applications from founders across the North. Narrowing this down to just 30 was difficult but means that we’ve assembled an incredibly strong group.

“This first cohort highlights the depth of talent among underrepresented founders in the region, and the need for more early-stage investment opportunities. Through Venture Forward, we’re sharing our knowledge and experience as early-stage investors with ambitious founders and giving them unique insights into how investors make decisions. Our ultimate goal is to support more diverse founders with the backing they need to grow. I look forward to getting to know these businesses further over the next eight weeks.”

Cohort 1: