Fundraising & tech investing changed dramatically in 2020. Without physical networking events or a pre-existing network of introducers, it is pretty tough for an angel to get access to potentially successful deals. Startup founders feel lost too and keen to find out where they can get that first investment cheque.

Join our January #FASHHACK panel to find out everything you need to know about the investor landscape in 2021. From AR/VR dressing rooms to temperature-changing smart fabrics and beyond, we will dive into the fashion & retail sector, exploring the opportunities for startup investing. We will also look into what kind of the year 2021 will be for fundraising and its impact on the prospective founders.

In detail, we will discuss:

- Investment landscape today & outlook for 2021

- The next big names in fashion & retail tech and the investors who drive their innovation;

- Assessing the factors influencing fundraising.

Agenda:

5.00pm (GMT) - Welcome & Introduction

5.05pm (GMT) - Panel Discussion

5.40pm (GMT) - Q&A

Panelists:

Wendy Hammett, London Fashion Fund

Wendy is a strategic fashion professional with a design background in the fashion industry. She was the Dean of Enterprise at the University of the Arts between 2007 and 2017, leading London’s pioneering fashion incubator - Centre for Fashion Enterprise (CFE), and supporting many recognised fashion talents, including Erdem, Christopher Raeburn, Mary Katrantzou, Emma Shipley & Craig Green. In 2012 Wendy set-up the Fashion Innovation Agency (FIA).

Wendy Hammett co-founded the London Fashion Fund (LFF) in 2018, with the funding from the Mayor of London. LFF invests pre-seed into early stage fashion & fashion- tech founders, where innovation is driven by sustainability & social and environmental responsibility.

LFF has invested in sustainable fashion product, sustainable services, fashion-tech, and agri-tech and are actively meeting virtual fashion and bio-tech founders. London Fashion Fund's portfolio to date is: BEEN London; Clothes Doctor; Compare Ethics; HydroCotton; KAPDAA; Nuw Wardrobe; Own-Kind ; Rewritten.

Rani Saad, Stanford Angels

Rani has built and invested in ventures for 25 years. He is an active deep-tech investor (with close to 30 investments), is co-founder and President of the Stanford Angels of the UK, and Founding Partner at Apex Black, a venture investment partnership.

Rani recently helped found and manage a Berlin-based global VC fund. He has previously co-founded or co-built four startups in Silicon Valley, London and elsewhere, in addition to an emerging markets VC fund. He launched products globally and directed innovation acceleration at Microsoft, launched cutting-edge fintech platforms at Capital One, and led venture formation at ideas42, a leading behavioral sciences entity affiliated with Harvard, MIT and Princeton. He also formerly served as a Partner at Delta Pacific Partners (based in Silicon Valley and Tokyo) and an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at a Silicon Valley accelerator, Reactivity. Rani holds an MBA from Stanford and degrees in three engineering fields.

Hannah Williamson, Edge Investments

Hannah Williamson is an Investment Manager at Edge Investment. Her role includes supporting the team with deal flow generation and assessment, particularly focusing on retail tech and content businesses. Prior to Edge, Hannah worked at the online retailer ASOS for 3 years, within the operational side of the business. Hannah holds a first-class honours degree in Fashion and Textile Management from Nottingham Trent University.

Edge invests in dynamic businesses guided by exceptional management operating in the creative industries and enabling technologies.

Bethany Greer, Bethnal Green Ventures

Bethany Greer is an Investment Manager at Bethnal Green Ventures, that invests in ambitious founders using technology to tackle big social and environmental problems that aim to radically improve millions of lives.

Bethany is responsible for leading investments into exciting startups and supporting portfolio ventures. Bethany previously worked at Centre for Fashion Enterprise, supporting retail tech startups to run and scale their businesses. Prior to moving to London, Bethany worked in fashion design and for early-stage startup fashion media company, The Coveteur, in New York, Toronto and Sydney.