HERmesa

Marla Shapiro, as Founder and CEO, leads the investment process for HERmesa. The firm operates a syndicate model where individual angel investors participate in sourcing and due diligence, but final investment decisions are coordinated through the central investment company structure. The specific committee or voting mechanics are not publicly detailed, though the partnership with entities like Science Angel Syndicate suggests collaborative decision-making on co-investments.

HERmesa sources opportunities through a combination of its angel membership network, strategic partnerships, and its affiliation with the UK Business Angels Association. The 2021 partnership with Science Angel Syndicate specifically targets female-founded deep science companies, creating a dedicated origination channel for spinouts and university-linked ventures. The firm's advocacy work with the British Business Bank and Alma Angels also positions it within UK policy and founder networks that surface early-stage companies.

HERmesa is neither a single-family office nor a traditional venture firm. It is structured as an investment company and angel syndicate that pools capital from individual angel investors to deploy into female-founded startups. There is no disclosed single-family wealth backing; instead, the firm aggregates angel capital on a deal-by-deal or portfolio basis, operating more like a managed angel network with an institutional framework.

The firm targets pre-seed and seed-stage rounds, writing initial cheques into companies at their earliest institutional entry points. Cheque sizes are not publicly disclosed, but the angel syndicate model typically implies investments ranging from tens of thousands to low hundreds of thousands of pounds per round. HERmesa does not publicly state participation in Series A or later-stage follow-ons, although angel syndicates frequently have pro-rata rights.

HERmesa's investment mandate is sector-agnostic within technology, with a stated emphasis on deep science, enterprise software, digital health, climate tech, and fintech. The partnership with Science Angel Syndicate, formed in 2021, specifically targets female-founded deep science companies. The firm has not published explicit exclusionary sectors, though its gender-lens mandate and technology focus mean consumer discretionary and traditional industries are unlikely to appear in the portfolio at meaningful scale.

HERmesa is a signatory of the Investing in Women Code, a UK government-backed initiative supported by the British Business Bank. The firm also receives investment through the British Business Bank's angel syndicate platform, which co-invests alongside approved angel groups. This relationship provides HERmesa with institutional co-investment capital and signals the firm's alignment with UK policy goals on improving female founder funding access.

HERmesa does not maintain a separate philanthropic foundation, but it engages in active advocacy. In 2023, the firm collaborated with Alma Angels on research into how UK high-net-worth investor eligibility rules affect angel participation. Marla Shapiro also represents HERmesa within the Financial Alliance for Women, a global network focused on advancing women's roles in finance, indicating an advocacy dimension that runs parallel to the investment syndicate.