How Investment Works: A Friendly Introduction

For lots of creative and cultural freelancers, charities and small organisations, private investment can feel like a world with its own language, its own rules, and very few plain-English guides. This practical, welcoming session is designed to change that.

We’ll cover the basics of how investment works, explain common terms in plain English - know your VC, from your angel to your social investor - and help you decide whether investment fits your plans and ambitions. There will be a chance to hear from people who have successfully raised private finance for their project / business as well as insight from investors and chance to ask questions.

Featuring...

Rachel Green – Figurative

After a decade managing institutional investments for blue chip City institutions, Rachel has spent the past 15 years working with a variety of cultural enterprises, helping them to finance their businesses and balance creative, social and commercial priorities.

She has a huge breadth of experience across the cultural sector, from independent films to music venues and from museums to dance companies and many others. Throughout this period, Rachel has been focused on innovation, finding new ways for cultural enterprises to strengthen their financial resilience and access sources of capital. She helped to establish one of the first music copyright funds, managed the groundbreaking Arts & Culture Impact Fund, combining investments in the cultural space with social impact expertise, and as Chief Investment Officer was instrumental in the creation of Figurative, an independent charity focused on driving impact, investment and innovation in the cultural and creative sectors.

Whilst continuing to work with Figurative, Rachel has now broadened her activities to support individual cultural enterprises with their growth and financing needs. Rachel has a degree in History from Cambridge University, gained an MA in Cultural Leadership from the Royal Academy of Arts/University of Maastricht in 2022 and is a Trustee of the Cambridge Union Society where she chairs the Finance & Operations Committee.

Anna Byrne – Creative Factory / The Auxiliary

Anna Byrne is the Executive Director of Creative Factory Middlesbrough, working in property development and creative regeneration. The organisation has just launched a cluster of artist houses in Middlesbrough - a first for the region. She is the co-founder of The Auxiliary Project Space and Middlesbrough Art Week festival, the largest annual contemporary arts festival in the Northeast. Originally from Ireland, she now lives in Hartlepool. Anna has been part of the team that has raised significant investment to upgrade and renovate the Auxiliary Project Space, a gallery, artists' studio and events space in Middlesbrough, which will open very soon.

Nick Donaghy – Creative UK

Nick Donaghy is an Investment Manager at Creative UK, working within the Creative Growth Finance fund to support ambitious creative businesses across the UK. He joined the organisation in 2024, bringing a background in corporate banking and SME lending gained at institutions such as NatWest, Santander and FW Capital. His career has focused on assessing businesses, understanding strategic goals and financial performance, and deploying capital to support growth. In his role, Nick works closely with founders and leadership teams to help them access funding and navigate the challenges of scaling in a fast-moving, talent-led industry. He is particularly focused on understanding the story behind the numbers, combining financial insight with a genuine appreciation for creative processes. Through Creative Growth Finance, he supports businesses that may struggle to secure traditional lending, guiding them from initial conversations through to investment and beyond, and helping them adapt and grow in an evolving market.

Date: 14 May 2026
Time: 2pm–4.30pm, followed by drinks and networking
Location: Flok, Middlesbrough

Who is it for? Any creative or cultural business, freelancer, artist, creative, charity, CIC based in the Tees Valley.

No prior finance knowledge needed.

This event is part of the Tees Valley Combined Authority Run Your Numbers Financial Literacy Pilot delivered by Counterculture through investment from Arts Council England.

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