Entrepreneurs Collective
What is raising, what is closing, and who is actually writing cheques
Two emails, out of one room in central London. Every month we put six or seven screened founders in front of fifteen or more active angels — six minutes each, no slides — then write down what actually happened.
Founders get what is being funded right now, the valuations we are seeing, and the question an angel asked that killed a deal. Investors get what pitched, what raised and on what terms, and first sight of next month’s line-up.
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Two companies, one team
Entrepreneurs Collective is the room. Alator Capital is the raise.
Michael Blakeley founded Entrepreneurs Collective in 2019 to put founders and investors in the same room. By 2022 enough of those founders needed more than a room — they needed someone to run the whole raise — so Alator Capital was built for exactly that, out of the community, with the same people behind it.
They are not competing products and you do not have to choose. Most founders meet us at an event and bring Alator in later, when the round gets larger or more complex. Plenty only ever need one of the two.
| Entrepreneurs Collective | Alator Capital | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | The community and the events | The fundraising advisory |
| Since | 2019 | 2022 |
| Who it is for | Founders raising £200k+, and angels looking for deal flow | Founders raising from SEIS through to Series B |
| What happens | Monthly Speed Pitch, pitch competitions, investor evenings | Strategy, deck, model, target list, outreach, term sheet, close |
| How long | One evening | Six to nine months |
| What it costs | £1,500 + VAT per Speed Pitch, 5% on anything raised from the room | Mostly success fee. Retainers only where there is build work or a hard deadline |
Why running both is the point
Most advisory firms have a thesis page. We have a room, every month, full of angels who are writing cheques right now. That tells us who is actually deploying rather than who says they are — and the mandates tell us, in return, what investors will genuinely fund at each stage. Each side makes the other better informed. It is why the note is worth reading.
Recent mandates: £3.1m led by Venrex · £6m for Swiipr, including £4m from Octopus Ventures · £500k pre-seed for Stuart Trevor, with a £1.5m seed in progress.
Rather skip the email
Get straight on with it
I am raising
In market, about to be, or six months out and getting ready.
- SEIS and EIS rounds through to Series B
- Mostly success fee — we get paid when the money lands
- Over £300 million in transactions behind the team
I want to pitch
Six minutes, face to face, with fifteen or more active angels.
- Monthly in central London, six to eight founders per room
- £1,500 + VAT, and 5% on anything raised from the room
- If no investor asks for a follow-up, your next one is free
I am investing
Early-stage UK deal flow, screened before it reaches you.
- First sight of each month’s line-up before it goes public
- Six-minute one-to-ones, so you meet everyone in the room
- No charge for investors to attend
Still not sure which one you are?
Tell us what you are working on and we will point you at the right thing — including, sometimes, somewhere that is not us.