Derry Chamber member AwakenAngels is celebrating after co-founder and Director of Investor Relations Denise McQuaid was named UK Diversity in Investment Champion at the UK Business Angels Association Angel Investment Awards 2026.

The award recognises Denise’s work to make angel investment more accessible to women across the island of Ireland through AwakenAngels, which she co-founded in 2023 with CEO and Londonderry Chamber Board Member Clare McGee.

AwakenAngels is the only women-led investment syndicate on the island of Ireland and is the sister organisation of AwakenHub, the all-island community supporting women founders to start and scale their businesses.

The syndicate was established in response to the barriers women entrepreneurs continue to face when seeking early-stage investment. It now has 141 members across Ireland, Scotland and internationally.

Through initiatives including its CPD-accredited AwakenAngels Academy and dedicated Deal Leader programme, the organisation is helping more women develop the knowledge and confidence to become angel investors. It has also lowered the minimum investment level to £2,000, €2,000 or $2,000 per syndicate member, making participation more accessible.

AwakenAngels was also shortlisted for UK Angel Group of the Year and Regional Champion of the Year at the awards.

The recognition follows a successful period for the syndicate, which recently completed its tenth investment with HaPPE Earth, a provider of compostable PPE solutions. Since making its first investment in April 2024, AwakenAngels has helped its portfolio companies secure more than £6.7 million in follow-on investment.

Congratulating her co-founder, Clare McGee said of Denise’s recognition “Anyone who knows Denise will know she is a human dynamo who has worked tirelessly to remove many of the barriers that have traditionally prevented women from participating in angel investing,”

Clare added that the organisation’s recognition across three award categories reflected its commitment to supporting women founders, championing regional leadership and building a more diverse investment ecosystem.