Charlotte Kirby: The Friendly Face Behind Your Cambridge Angels Application

If you’ve ever submitted an application to Cambridge Angels, chances are your pitch deck has passed through the expert and ever-curious hands of Charlotte, our Deal Applications and Events Manager. Here she chats about how the process really works – and to hear a bit more about what goes on behind the scenes at one of the UK’s most respected angel groups.

Charlotte’s Background

Charlotte didn’t start in the world of angel investing. In fact, her early career saw her orchestrating events for a materials software company in Cambridge. After that company was acquired, she eventually found her way to Cambridge Angels in 2019. While events were her initial focus, Charlotte’s role has since expanded to encompass that vital early stage of the Cambridge Angel deal flow process.

The Cambridge Angels Application Process

If you’re an entrepreneur applying to Cambridge Angels, here’s how it works:

“We ask people to email their deck to our info@cambridgeangels.net email,” Charlotte explains. “Emmi, my colleague, moves it into our CRM, and then I go through them. Usually in order… unless I spot something that really catches my eye!”

First stop in Charlotte’s review process? “Are they based in the UK? You’d be amazed how many aren’t. That’s always an immediate ‘no’.”

Assuming you’re in the right geography, Charlotte then dives into your pitch deck.

Timing wise, the Cambridge Angels team aims to respond within 21 days. “Sometimes we get it down to ten,” Charlotte says, “but things like our January AGM can really slow us down. If there’s a big backlog, we prioritise the most promising-looking ones. However, we always try to give some feedback even to those decks we unfortunately have to say no to”

The Breakfast Club

If a deck looks promising, then Charlotte passes it on to “the Breakfast Club” for review. No, it’s not just coffee and croissants – it is a weekly Friday meeting where a rotating group of Cambridge Angels reviews these potential deals from Charlotte. If they approve it then it goes to ‘informals’; an online meeting every fortnight where the entrepreneur gets their first chance to pitch to a group of the Cambridge Angels live.

So what makes Charlotte decide to put your company in front of the Friday crew?

“If you’re raising under £2 million, your valuation seems reasonable, you’ve got an MVP, you’re not a sole founder, you’ve got IP – that’s a big one – you’re in an industry area that appeals to many of our members, such as science and engineering-based technology or healthcare”

And yes, plenty of deals make it to Breakfast Club, but the bar is rising. “We’ve been trying to be stricter because it was getting too crowded. Informal pitches were backed up over a month, which doesn’t work for fast-moving startups.”

What Makes a Great Pitch Deck?

“I just want to know what you do,” Charlotte says. “Honestly, if I open a pitch deck and I can’t work out what the company does in the first slide or two, it’s a problem.”

Keep it short. Keep it clear. And please don’t send a novella.

She offers a couple of pro tips:

• Use Canva if design isn’t your strong suit. “There’s no excuse for poorly designed decks anymore.”

• Include the key info up front – what the product is, what problem it solves, who your customers are, how much you’re raising.

• If you change something, like reducing your raise or changing the business model, “put it in the deck. I can’t send a pitch to Breakfast Club with an email attached saying, ‘they might be doing this differently.’ The group have a lot to review so the info has to be in the material.”

And yes, if your deck shows promise but needs tidying up, Charlotte will give you feedback before it’s presented. “We had one with over 30 slides – we said, come back when you’ve cut it down. It sounds harsh, but it matters.”

Cambridge Angel Events

Charlotte doesn’t just review pitch decks. She also curates the events that glue the Cambridge Angels community together – from early-stage office hours for founders not quite ready to pitch, to classic pitching events, to portfolio company panels, to the annual summer party.

“That’s my favourite,” she grins. “It’s stressful to organise, but once it’s happening, it’s such a joy. Everyone’s happy. My husband and son have come along. It’s the one time I feel I can properly relax and enjoy it.”

She also plays a part in making Cambridge Angels more inclusive.

“I remember asking in my interview, ‘How many women do you have in the group?’ Emmi just went, ‘Tick!’” she laughs. “We’re too often seen as the pale, stale, male crowd, but I really want to help change that.”

And the Best Bit?

“It’s the people,” Charlotte says. “You meet someone who founded Alexa or built a billion-dollar company… and they’re just normal, kind people. I’ve seen them take time to give advice to my husband on his own business (EngineLab - builds cloud technology and AI solutions that helps creative studios work more efficiently) – completely outside their remit. It’s such a generous, thoughtful group.”

So, if you’re thinking of applying to Cambridge Angels, now you know: your pitch isn’t going into a black hole. It’s going to Charlotte – the warm, straight-talking, super-organised engine behind our application process. Keep it clear, keep it concise, and who knows? You might just find the perfect Cambridge Angel to back your business.