South West Angel and Investor Network (SWAIN)

SWAIN is an independent not-for-profit company supported by the South West Regional Development Agency (SWRDA) and the South West Business Links which specifically addresses the shortage of risk capital available to small and medium sized companies which has become known as the 'equity gap'. SWAIN is focussed on deal sizes ranging from £25,000 to £750,000 and this concentrates our energy on opportunities, which are too small to be considered by the majority of venture capital institutions.

SWAIN is exempt from the provisions of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 and therefore acts as a facilitator and not as an investment advisor. All Investors are always strongly recommended to take professional advice before making any investment related decisions.

SWAIN operates throughout the South West region incorporating the counties of Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, former-Avon, Somerset, Dorset, Devon and Cornwall.

Our introductions are made in a variety of ways:

• a series of Introduction Meetings at which up to six companies give short presentations about their business to potential Business Angels.
• circulate details of new opportunities to all those Angels on our Network via the SWAIN UPDATE.
• provide details of the opportunities available on both our website and through our newsletter SWAINEWS.
• charge modest membership fees to both our Investors and Companies and success fees when investments are made.

In all cases, having made the initial introduction we leave entrepreneurs, investors and their respective advisers to negotiate terms

SWAIN works with external advisors and entrepreneurs to guide their companies through an Investment Readiness process to ensure that the opportunity is presented in an appropriate and attractive way. Prior to Investment Meetings those companies selected to present will often have an opportunity to test their business proposals with a panel of professionals. Typically the panel would include a corporate financier, marketer, banker and/or a venture capitalist.