Entrepreneur and angel investor Mark James has launched The Gay Investor Network (The GIN), bringing together LGBTQ+ founders and investors to create new opportunities for early-stage businesses.
Mark, who has spent 25 years in business and a decade as an angel investor, founded the network in 2025 after experiencing the challenges of deciding how much of his identity to share in professional investment settings.
He has spent the past year building the network, funding its development himself with the support of a team of investment professionals who have volunteered their time.
The network celebrated its official launch on 21 October at law firm Cooley’s offices at 22 Bishopsgate in London, where 140 founders, investors and industry professionals gathered for its first Come Out & Connect event.
During the evening, Mark announced the network’s first completed investment, with members investing £100,000 in London-based AI company Atlian.
Atlian was founded by serial entrepreneur James Buckley-Thorp, who started his first business with just £40 before growing it into a Sunday Times Fast Track 100 company and selling it in 2016. He subsequently founded life insurance app Bequest and was an early team member at insurance technology business Zego.
The investment forms part of a pre-seed funding round led by Fuel Ventures.
Speaking about why he established The GIN, Mark said:
“Three out of four LGBTQ+ founders in this country are not comfortable sharing their identity with every investor. A founder who spends their time editing their own story is bad for business and bad for returns. The GIN exists so that every founder and investor can be comfortable showing their true selves.”
The network, which describes itself as the UK’s first UKBAA-accredited angel investment syndicate for the LGBTQ+ community, has already screened more than 100 business pitches.
It has also introduced SIX, a free six-month programme designed to help people take their first steps into angel investing.
James Buckley-Thorp said: “Mark is building a great community with The GIN, and I’m proud that Atlian is its first investment.”
Mark now plans to expand the network beyond London, with potential angel investor hubs in Brighton, Manchester, Cardiff and Edinburgh.
The GIN’s launch event also recognised the volunteers who helped bring the network together, including investors, legal professionals and event organisers who contributed their time without charge.
More information is available at thegin.uk.
Photo credit:Harry Kinnaird Photography
