Pub industry veteran Alistair Arkley is helping to launch an angel-investor group to fund start ups and fledgling enterprises in the North East.
Arkley, who sold New Century Inns to Greene King late last year, has teamed up with nine other entrepreneurs from the region to form Hotspur Capital Partners.
Each has invested £250,000.
Arkley told the Morning Advertiser: “We are looking at companies we can back with north-east involvement.
“As well as the investment, we are able to use our contacts to help open doors for them and, if appropriate, we may take non-executive directorships.”
Those entrepreneurs looking for investment have to present to a panel of Hotspur investors, similar to the process endured in the BBC2 programme Dragon’s Den.
Arkley sold New Century for £32.6m last November.
