ABOUT DAISY FORD-DOWNES
Back in the day, I accidentally joined a start-up. There, I fell in love with entrepreneurship as a way to create change.
For over a decade now, I've worked in investment across Scotland's startup ecosystem. At Firstport, I led the Investment Team creating innovative finance solutions for social entrepreneurs – while scouting category-defining deals for Ada Ventures. Before that, I managed blended finance investments at Foundation Scotland and, before that, supported high-growth co-investment deals at Scottish Enterprise Growth Investments. I qualified as a Chartered Accountant in Deloitte's Entrepreneurial Business team and, somewhere in there, helped build a rural community development trust.But I kept encountering the same problem: the funding models we have don't fit the businesses we need.Sometimes VC is the right choice. Sometimes concessionary capital is. But - too often - what founders need are the missing options in the middle that don't exist yet.Now I'm working to create the governance frameworks, financial instruments and ecosystem support that make mission-aligned capital actually work. I design alternative instruments, help structure flexible funds, provide early stage investment education and build the practical tools this emerging market needs.
| CREDENTIALS |
|---|
| ex Big 4 Chartered Accountant |
| Responsible Finance Clore Fellow |
| MSc Innovation, Creativity & Entrepreneurship |
WHAT I DO (AND HOW IT RELATES TO YOU)
I design solutions across the early stage ecosystem – creating funds that work for impact companies, preparing founders to raise capital and building the infrastructure to support them both.
Alternative Product & Fund Design
Designing financial products that meet impact-led ventures and social enterprises where they are. Flexible instruments, impact assessment, eligibility frameworks, application processes and portfolio support approaches.
Are you:
a trust or foundation looking to support impact through innovation and need new tools for the job?
a high net worth individual or family office thinking that your philanthropy and investment approaches needn't be so far apart?
responsible for economic development in your area of the world and looking for alternative ways to support economic, social and environmental resilience?
Comprehensive Investment Readiness
Programmes and workshops that prepare founders for fundraising - concessionary capital, impact funds, venture capital and beyond. From understanding what they actually need and want, to identifying and appraising their options, to positioning themselves to secure funding.
Are you:
an accelerator, incubator or early stage programme looking to provide a wider range of fundraising education, beyond just VC?
supporting impact-led companies solving for deep social or environmental problems?
Purpose-led fundraising and governance strategy
Support for companies wanting to lock their mission into their model and figure out how to fund it.
Are you:
an impact founder wondering what your options are for governance and funding (that will actually align with your mission and growth trajectory)?
an impact-led company looking for light-touch fundraising support?
Speaking, Writing & Movement Building
Thought leadership on how to build a more positive capital ecosystem where the 'how' aligns with the 'why'. Convening practitioners building this new economy together.
Are you:
interested in how we re-design our systems to support people and planet?
commissioning events or content on how the traditional tools of business can produce long-term progress and regeneration?
SELECTED WORK
Investment Product Design
Financial products designed to fuel growth, sustainability and impact.
Designed and led Scotland's £15m revenue-based loan fund for social enterprises at Firstport. Flexible enough to fund organisations scaling up for global impact AND those scaling deep to transform local communities.
Provides flexible equity-like finance of £50k+ to ambitious ventures unable to access traditional social investment. Repayments based on a percentage of trading revenue to align success for investor and investee.
Four distinct support routes serving impact innovators, community businesses, global majority entrepreneurs and social enterprises – providing investment readiness and post-investment growth support from experts in each field.
Expanding the field on impact governance and what it means to be a global social enterprise, building from Scotland.
Designed Firstport's 0% interest loan product (£5k–£30k) for social enterprises ready to scale strategies that are already working – incentivising sustainable revenue growth.
Built the application process as a practical investment readiness exercise: applicants make their own business case and design their own repayment plan.
Light touch assessment for quick decisions.
Cashflow Support Loans
Emergency cashflow support for critical community organisations with a clear recovery plan and short term cash need.
Partnering with support services for those difficult times when money alone is not enough.
Investment Readiness
Helping purpose-led founders bridge the gap from idea to investment.
Reshaped Firstport's flagship investment readiness programme for social and community enterprises getting ready to raise repayable finance for the first time.
Now supports cohorts through an on-demand digital learning journey, wrapped around with workshops, peer learning and 1-1 expert support interventions – with clear pathways into social investment.
Through 2021-24, 42 early stage enterprises selected for the programme raised £2.1m in funding.
Fundraising accelerator for under-represented founders as part of a national consortium, backed by Innovate UK.
Expert-led curriculum for 21 ambitious founders, with contributions from top tier VCs, culminating in a London investor day.
Fundraising workshops
Bespoke, interactive investment readiness sessions, including:
introduction to investment
alternative finance models
climate tech funding
venture capital strategy
Ecosystem building
Contributing to the wider infrastructure that helps it all happen.
Selected Writing
Thoughts on the Scottish Technology Ecosystem Review (essay, 2020)
Impact Shakers City Guide: Edinburgh with Daisy Ford-Downes (Impact Shakers, 2021)
How to finance your platform co-op (contributor, Co-ops UK, 2021)
Beyond equity: start-up funding alternatives to explore (Converge Challenge, 2022)
The Considered Directory: Scotland edition (Considered Capital, 2024)
Beat the odds: how Scotland’s founders can unlock the right investors (Fintech Scotland, 2025)
Panellist/ Judge
Panellist, judge and/or speaker for various programmes including Converge Challenge, PowerHerUp, Summer Startup School, Michelin Scotland Innovation Parc accelerator, and CivTech.
Led the Edinburgh chapter (2018–2022) of the global network building ethical, inclusive alternatives to venture capital culture. Organised networking, learning and support events for local purpose-driven companies and advisors.
Convened Zebras across the whole of the UK virtually during COVID, alongside London chapter lead Esme Verity.
GET IN TOUCH
I'm interested in freelance projects and consultancy in investment innovation, alternative finance and ecosystem building. Whether you're designing a fund, building a programme, or exploring new investment models, let's talk.Email, connect on LinkedIn or book a call below:
Copyright © Daisy Ford-Downes 2026. All rights reserved.