In partnership:

The British Business Bank launched the new Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II (NPIF II) in March of last year, a £660m Fund which covers the entire North of England. NPIF II, aims to build on the success of the initial fund, with the purpose of driving sustainable economic growth by supporting innovation and creating local opportunities for new and growing businesses across the North. The Fund will increase the supply and diversity of early-stage finance for Northern smaller businesses, providing funds to firms that might otherwise not receive investment and help to break down barriers in access to finance.
Providing loans from £25k to £2m and equity investment up to £5m, the Fund will continue investing in companies operating within the North West, Yorkshire and the Humber and Tees Valley.
It is now expanded to include the whole of the North East enabling businesses across the whole of the North to access the Fund to start up, scale up or continue on their growth journey.
This evening we hear from some Tees Valley businesses that have received investment from NPIF II and hear how that investment has made a difference to their business.
The running order for events is:
6:00pm Registration and arrival drinks
6.30pm Introduction from Jane Reynolds MBE Chair of Tees Valley Business Club
6:35pm A Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II update and panel discussion from the British Business Bank, NPIF II Fund Managers and case studies
7:20pm Siobhan McCardle, Tees Valley Business Board
7:35pm Bianca Robinson CEO Sleepout Darlington
7:45pm Andrew Stogdale, Spark Aspiration Tees Valley
7:50pm Pritthijit Datta, Roseberry Community Consortium
7:55pm Supper and networking
8:30pm Close
Could one night change your life - and someone else’s forever?
Bianca Robinson, CEO of national charity CEO Sleepout, takes the stage at Tees Valley Business Club on 17 July at Rockliffe Hall. As someone who has slept out over 100 times, Bianca invites you to step up, lie down, and discover why one cold night under the stars could be the most powerful move you make this year.
Member invitations will be issued by direct email.
Guest booking: We enable six guests to attend each of our events. If you have not attended one of our events in the past, and would like to come to an event to find out if the club is something you would like to be part of, you will be able to register your place on a future event, please get in touch info@teesvalleybusinessclub.co.uk for further information.
All places will be allocated on a first come first served basis.
Sarah Newbould
Senior Investment Manager, British Business Bank
Sarah has worked at the British Business Bank (BBB) since its inception in 2014 and has been focused on Regional Funding programmes since 2018. Sarah has worked on the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund, the Midlands Engine Investment Fund and the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Fund and led on the establishment of the Growth Finance Fund, a £37.5m fund supporting smaller businesses in Northern Ireland. In 2022 Sarah joined the team responsible for the establishment and management of the Nations and Regions Investment Funds (NRIF), a £1.6bn suite of funds supporting the growth of smaller businesses across the England, and the Devolved Nations, and has a specific focus on the North East of England for the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II.
Prior to NRIF, Sarah worked on various other BBB programmes, including the Enterprise Capital Funds and has extensive experience of managing and monitoring government led Venture Capital interventions.
Rebecca Minchella
Investment Manager, NPIF II – Maven Equity Finance
Rebecca joined Maven as an Investment Manager in July 2023, as part of the North East regional investment team based in our Newcastle and Durham offices. Her main responsibilities include deal origination and execution across the North East of England. Prior to joining Maven, Rebecca worked in EY’s Private Capital Tax team, advising both individuals and businesses, working on a range of projects including residence and domicile planning, business structuring, succession planning and implementing family investment and trust structures. She also worked with clients in the wealth and asset management space, including hedge funds and private equity funds on a range of projects.
Mike Guellard
Senior Investment Executive NPIF II– NEL Smaller Loans
Mike joined NEL Fund Managers in July 2016. He is responsible for sourcing and executing investment transactions with a focus on economic prosperity and generating impact for investors. Prior to joining NEL he worked in various client facing roles across the North East and London in both advisory and executive capacities.
Mike holds separate degrees in Politics and Law from Nottingham University and has spent the duration of his career to date working to support growing SMEs with fund raising requirements.
He is a Certified Employee under the FCA Senior Managers and Certification Regime (“SM&CR”).
Michael Williams
Investment Executive, NPIF II – NEL Debt Finance
Michael joined NEL Fund Managers in 2024. He is responsible for sourcing and executing investment transactions with a focus on economic prosperity and generating impact for investors. Prior to joining NEL he worked in various client facing roles at Armstrong Watson.
Michael holds an Accountancy Degree from Northumbria University and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.
Please check back after the event to view any show notes...
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