HOW TO APPLY
We are now accepting applications on a rolling basis.
next application deadline:
8th January 2025
next Business Showcase:
March 2025 (Date TBC)
Quick links What we offer | How we assess opportunities | Eligibility criteria | Apply now
STEP 1. WHAT WE OFFER
At Daring Capital, our primary focus is to establish valuable connections between investors and entrepreneurs. This strategic collaboration is the foundation for cultivating investment partnerships that drive innovation and social impact.
£50k to £200k in equity investment
free legal support with your raise
advice & mentoring from angels
In addition our founders get access to:
A pool of interested board members (please note we do not require you to have a board or that we sit on it – this is an optional extra)
Support finding customers and partnerships through our exclusive network
Our trusted suppliers and infrastructure support organisations
Follow-on funding from our network
STEP 2. HOW WE ASSESS OPPORTUNITIES
we take a founder first approach
We take a ‘founder-first’ approach to investing. Fundamentally, the question we ask is: do we back this founder to solve this problem?
Unlike other investors, we do not ask founders to fill in long forms or produce lots of pointless documentation. We prefer to spend our time getting to know you, your product and your vision.
we score each opportunity
We use this framework to assess founders and companies. We are sharing this for illustrative purposes to show how we approach an investment opportunity. We do not necessarily expect you to cover every base – we just want to give you a sense of what we are looking for.
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Is it solving a social problem that is genuinely very painful for those who are affected by it?
Is it unique (in the sense that nobody else is doing it in this way)?
Is it well informed by the data and evidence?
Is there an addressable market here and is it big enough? We welcome applications from businesses with small addressable markets but we still need to see proof there is one
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Founder/product fit: are they the right team to make this happen?
Bifocal: can they see both short term detail and long-term vision?
Do they have the right experience to understand the problem and deliver the solution?
Are they passionate about the problem and obsessed with finding a solution?
Are they determined enough to run a business?
Do they have the right blend of experience across the team?
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We take a ‘design-thinking’ approach:
Desirability: will people want it?
Feasibility: is it practical to deliver?
Viability: could it be profitable?
This section should cover any regulatory or public policy concerns
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What evidence is there that this will work?
What metrics are they using to measure this?
Where are they on the journey to product/market fit?
step 3. our ELIGIBILITY criteria
OUR INVESTMENT THESIS
Our mission is to invest in extraordinary, underrepresented founders building for-profit companies that make the world a better place.
The businesses focus on providing necessary, accessible and affordable products and services for underserved/marginalised communities, or improving the socio-economic prospects for those communities.
By ‘underserved/marginalised communities’, we are referring to individuals that face the following challenges:
Poverty
Discrimination
Lack of access to justice
We focus on founders with lived experience of the problem they are tackling because we believe that solutions are more impactful when designed by those with a deep understanding of and familiarity with the issue.
We focus on early-stage businesses which we define as either pre-seed or seed. We particularly welcome applications from pre-revenue companies. Our focus is on this stage because there is a lack of finance for early-stage founders and we believe our wrap-around support can have the most impact at this point.
We focus on underrepresented founders because there is evidence that individuals from diverse racial, ethnic, socio-economic and gender backgrounds face systemic barriers in accessing capital and resources to start and grow their businesses. We are specifically looking to support the following types of founders:
Women
Minority ethnic
Those from low-income backgrounds
In addition:
Your activities generate revenue through traded income (as opposed to philanthropy)
You are a for-profit company limited by shares
You are eligible for SEIS or EIS (you will need advance assurance from HMRC before we can close the round)
You have ambitions to grow your business
Your headquarters are in the UK
You commit to paying all staff the Real Living Wage
Who cannot apply:
Businesses whose main beneficiary group live outside of the UK
Businesses whose primary mission is to improve the natural environment or prevent climate change
Businesses whose mission is the advancement of religion
Businesses with the following legal structures: community interest companies limited by guarantee; companies limited by guarantee; or charities.
The application comprises three key elements. Please provide the following:
A short Introduction Video Submission (answering specific questions detailed below)
Pitch Deck/Application (in your chosen format)
A Cash Flow Projection
step 4. APPLY
What to include
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Video should be no longer than 5 mins
You can upload it as a link to youtube/vimeo/google and share it as a private link
The aim of the video is to understand a bit more about you, your passion and how well you can articulate your vision. It’s OK if some of the information overlaps with your deck
No slides, props or graphics are necessary - just talk to the camera.
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1) What is your vision for this business?
2) Can you describe what the business does or will do in three sentences or less?
3) Who is your customer and what problem are you trying to solve for them?
4) What experience do you have of working with this customer and on this problem?
5) What have you done so far that makes you think this will work?
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Your application should address the following points:
Business summary – A short summary of your business
Vision – Tell us more about your vision for the business
Problem – Elaborate on the problem you are trying to solve from both an impact perspective and a market perspective
Solution – Describe your solution and explain why it’s the right solution to this problem
Why you – Background about who you are, why you care about this cause and why you are the right person to deliver this solution
The team -Background about the team
Competition – Who else is doing this and why are you different?
Traction – What traction do you have so far? Include any proof points that are relevant
Fundraising – How much are you raising? What have you raised to date? What will it be spent on? How much runway will it give you?
Financial performance – If you have revenue, what has been your financial performance to date?
You Choose the Format
You can choose to submit your application in the format that best highlights your strengths and preferences. This could be a word document, a PowerPoint presentation, or any other format that would work well.
Our goal is to better understand your talents and provide a smoother and more efficient application experience.
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Please submit a 12-month cash flow projection
It should start at the point you expect to receive the investment and should detail how you will spend it
You can find a cashflow forecast template here. You don’t have to use it but it will give you a sense of what you are looking for
you choose the format
For your pitch deck/application you can choose the format that best highlights your strengths and preferences. This could be a word document, a PowerPoint presentation, or any other format that would be useful.
Our goal is to better understand your talents and provide a smoother and more efficient application experience.
What our founders say
MORE INFORMATION
Application Timeline
03/12/24 Applications open
08/01/25 Applications close at midnight
TBC Telephone Interviews
TBC In-person Interviews - Central London
TBC Pitch practice training session, full day - Central London
TBC Pitch practice training session, half day (PM)
Mid/Late March Business Showcase, morning - Central London
April (4 weeks following Showcase) Money is committed
our fee structure
DARING CAPITAL FEES
For companies, we charge a transaction fee of 5%.
For example, the company raises £100k from our syndicate. After the raise, we would invoice them for £5k (the transaction fee).
We are not currently registered for VAT.
Join a Q&A
Join one of our Q&A sessions with Founder, Jem Stein.
We’ll be running through the application process and answering any questions you may have.
16/12/24 10am
07/01/25 10am
