SHAP[E]ing investment for impact

We support more socially responsible innovation by facilitating investment in ventures that are driven by the highest-quality research into human behaviour and our relationship with the environment.

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A collage of different image assets containing elements of academia, economy, sustainability, humanities and the arts.

Sourcing the best SHAPE ventures from leading universities worldwide

SHAPE stands for Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities for People and the Economy.

What we do

We work with the world’s leading universities to identify start-ups that incorporate research from the social sciences, humanities and arts (SHAPE) to tackle the world’s biggest challenges. We connect these ventures with our angel network to take them forward to achieving growth and scale.

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Entrepreneurs

Are you a SHAPE entrepreneur looking for funding...

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Investors

Are you an investor looking for SHAPE ventures...

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Aspect Angels - Change-makers of the investor community

As an Aspect Angel you will be part of a vibrant, inclusive community of people who believe that companies have a responsibility to create meaningful and measurable positive impact for those who they aim to serve.

You want to see that if you choose to support a venture, it is underpinned by high-quality research and it balances measurable impact with return on investment. You may be a seasoned investor, or a first-time investor, but you are aware that the world faces challenges and you wish to play a part in tackling them.

Speak to us now about how you can be involved.

"The Aspect Angel Network is a new and exciting initiative that plays an integral role in the discover, launch, grow and scale framework of Aspect in supporting SHAPE research commercialisation.”

Professor Julia Black

Strategic Director of Innovation, London School of Economics and Political Science, Chair of the ASPECT Steering Group and President of the British Academy

Social sciences, Humanities, Arts

SHAPE stands for Social sciences, Humanities and Arts for the People and the Economy. It was developed as a tool to tell the story of these subjects, which help us make sense of the human world, to value and express the complexity of life and culture, and to understand and solve global issues.

Understand behaviour

Research in SHAPE subjects are not only essential for understanding people and societies, they are critical to understanding the interaction of people and the natural and physical world. In tackling many of the challenges of our time, it is crucial to understand behaviour, and SHAPE subjects are central to this understanding.

Social Impact

SHAPE research and skills are particularly valuable in the 21st-century where social impact is increasingly recognised as a vital component of economic enterprise. SHAPE disciplines teach us to analyse, interpret, create, communicate and collaborate with rigour, clarity and energy – key contributions to understanding and delivering social impact.

SHAPE in numbers

68.5%

Graduate entrepreneurs in the UK with SHAPE degree

(National Centre for Universities and Businesses)

£5bn

Investment in UK spinouts (6.17x increase in past decade)

(Gov.uk/Beauhurst)

+20%

Companies built by PhD founders achieve on average a 20% higher company valuation

(FootHill Ventures)

3.14x

Higher valuation of spin-out companies, if the spinout has a mixed gender founder team

(Beauhurst)

81%

SHAPE backgrounds account for 81% of UK economic output

(Office for National Statistics)

60%

FTSE 100 leaders have backgrounds in SHAPE

(National Centre for Universities and Businesses)

What is SHAPE investing?

Investing in SHAPE ventures is about looking beyond simple financial return, to inherently sustainable innovation and ventures that bring lasting impact to the world’s largest challenges.

Want to learn more?

Is SHAPE investing for you?

Do you feel passionately about helping solve global challenges? Do you believe that companies should be socially responsible in delivering their product or service? Do you want to have exclusive access to ground-breaking ideas, innovation and research from leading universities worldwide?

Yes, get in touch!

Get involved - upcoming events

Register your interest

Across the year we hold SHAPE Salons in which we showcase SHAPE ventures to the Aspect Angels network and provide specialised training for those who wish to learn more about investing in SHAPE ventures and network with the people and organisations involved.

If you would like to keep up-to-date with our upcoming events, register your interest by completing the form.

Thank you for registering your interest in our upcoming events.

You will be notified via e-mail of any upcoming events.

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Our university network

Ventures sourced from the best universities

46 universities and counting...

Our network and our eco-system is expanding all the time.

Access to the best researchers

The ventures we work with are underpinned by the highest quality research.

I'm interested in investing

I have a venture

Aspect Angels – scaling SHAPE ventures

Our angel investment community is a first-of- its-kind network that helps build pathways from ideas and research through to commercialisation via angel investment.

Two men sat against a wall having a conversation

A group of professional investors and entrepreneurs having a engaging conversation

Leveraging the Aspect university network and the SHAPE Catalyst

Aspect (A SHAPE Platform for Entrepreneurship, Commercialisation and Transformation) is £7.4 million funded network for organisations looking to make the most of commercial and business opportunities from SHAPE research.

The Aspect Research Commercialisation (ARC) Accelerator is the delivery partner in the new SHAPE Catalyst transforming research in ventures with £4 million funding over the next 3 years.

Join the Aspect Angels community

Join an inclusive community of first-time and seasoned investors.

Become part of the community

Be part of our community networking platform with access to both investors and entrepreneurs across the globe.

Be the change

Attend SHAPE Salons and exclusive events bringing together the world’s leading change-makers.

Curated pipeline

Gain access to, or be part of, an exclusively curated pipeline of socially responsible research-backed ventures from leading universities worldwide.

Financial and impact returns

Have the opportunity to invest and benefit from financial and impact returns.

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SHAP[E]ing investment for impact

What we do

Entrepreneurs

Investors

Aspect Angels - Change-makers of the investor community

Meet SHAPE

Social sciences, Humanities, Arts

Understand behaviour

Social Impact

SHAPE in numbers

What is SHAPE investing?

Is SHAPE investing for you?

Get involved - upcoming events

Register your interest

Our university network

Aspect Angels – scaling SHAPE ventures

Leveraging the Aspect university network and the SHAPE Catalyst

Join the Aspect Angels community

Say hello and contact us today!