Accelerator: An organisation that delivers a (usually) short term engagement to accelerate the development and market establishment of a startup that has already proved its viability.
See also: Venture Builder Incubator
Accredited Investor: A person or business entity permitted to invest in securities without Financial Conduct Authority regulations applying.
Activation: Brand activation refers to an interaction, campaign or event which produces long-lasting relationships between a company and its potential customers. This activation also raises brand awareness amongst the target audience.
Advance Assurance: Advance assurance is when someone asks HMRC whether they agree that an investment meets the requirements of a venture capital tax scheme. Learn more about HMRC's advance assurance or AA
Advance Subscription Agreement a.k.a. ASA: An Advance Subscription Agreement is where investors pay for shares before receiving them in a later funding round. ASAs are an equity instrument. Read more about Advance Subscription Agreements or ASAs. Also learn about why we aren't a great fan of ASA.
Advisor: Someone who gives advice on a specific aspect of a business or transaction.
Advisory Board: An advisory board is a collection of experts who give their skills, knowledge and other support to an organisation.
Agile Funding: Agile funding can allow businesses to respond to evolving situations. This flexible approach enables businesses to fundraise outside of a formal financing round and accept money from some investors without waiting for all of them. Agile funding rounds are very straightforward to run on FounderCatalyst
Alphabet Shares: Alphabet shares are shares that are put into different classes that start with a letter in the alphabet. E.g. 'A' shares, 'B' shares.
See also: Share Class
AML a.k.a. Anti Money Laundering: the legal requirements businesses must follow to avoid criminal activity. Anti-money laundering includes regulations, policies, and laws.
Angel Investor: An angel investor invests their money, support and knowledge into a small business, such as a start-up, for a minority equity stake. If you''ve seen the TV shows Dragon''s Den or Shark Tank, there are Angel Investors on there. Read more information about Angel Investors
Annual budget: An annual budget lays out a company's projected income and expenses for a defined 12 month period.
Anti Money Laundering a.k.a. AML: the legal requirements businesses must follow to avoid criminal activity. Anti-money laundering includes regulations, policies, and laws.
Anti-dilution: Anti-dilution provisions protect shareholders' rights to maintain ownership percentages if new shares are issued. You can read more about antidilution rights on our blog.
AP01: A Companies House form used to appoint a new director to an existing company. The business must submit the form to Companies House within 14 days of the individual's appointment.
Articles of Association: Highly important rules that say how a company should be run and overseen. These rules are, with a Shareholders Agreement, the foundational agreement between a company and its shareholders. We've got a great article detailing all of the documents produced by FounderCatalyst as part of a funding round.
ASA a.k.a. Advance Subscription Agreement: An Advance Subscription Agreement is where investors pay for shares before receiving them in a later funding round. ASAs are an equity instrument. Read more about Advance Subscription Agreements or ASAs. Also learn about why we aren't a great fan of ASA.