Blog Post
E25. Sarah Henley, NextUp Comedy - Putting the Fun into Fundraising
#Seedrs #Crowdcude #crowdfunding
£1.5m raised
Sarah Henley, the Founder and COO of NextUp Comedy started a comedy video subscription business three years ago to fill a much-needed gap in the video-on-demand industry.
Previous to founding NextUp, Sarah worked in comedy for over a decade along with her three co-founder friends. Sara’s ultimate vision is to build NextUp into the worldwide home of live comedy, using her passion for diversity and equality in the arts to make a mark in the comedy business.
In 2019, Sarah and her co-founders raised £760K in investment finance to grow the business from a mix of angel investors, venture capital and crowdfunding. Crowdfunding made perfect sense as a strategy for Sarah as it meant comedy performers and the enthusiastic audience fan base could all chip in and t ake a stake in the success of the company.
In this episode you'll discover:
- How a "rolling close" strategy can benefit both you and potential investors
- The ways you can approach investors directly through social media platforms
- How you can take a positive approach to fundraising by treating it as part of your job description
Subscribe to the podcast
In our Fundraising Stories podcast, we showcase inspirational interviews with female founders who share their honest experiences of fundraising – the highs, the lows, the challenges… and top tips for how to be successful.
Make sure you never miss a show by subscribing, and please rate and review, so that other female founders and professionals in the investment community can discover it.
Book an Accelerator Session
Want some fast advice? Select your one-to-one Accelerator Session with Julia Elliott Brown then pick a time that suits you best. You'll then be invited to complete a short pre-session form to help us to prepare. You'll get a video recording of the session and email follow up.
30m - Jump start
£150+VAT
- ask one or two questions
- fast feedback on your Investability
- initial advice on your fundraising approach
60m - Tank up
£300+VAT
- ask three or more questions
- review your pitch deck or financials
- step-by-step strategy and action plan
90m - Rocket fuel
£450+VAT
- ask as many questions as you can!
- review all your pitch assets
- full guidance on how to find your ideal investors
