Just like Dragons' Den - the Angels Lending a Helping Hand in Crunch ; ANALYSIS

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IT LOOKS like a scene from the BBC reality show Dragons' Den except no-one is hamming it up for the TV cameras and the clock ticks even faster. This is an anonymous business centre off Tottenham Court Road with a roomful of entrepreneurs, eager to pitch to investors. The reason they have gathered is speed pitching, a furiously-paced funding idea a little like speed-dating for businesses. It is a model that may turn business finance on its head.

These so-called "angel networks" are proving to be a lifeline for many new businesses, particularly as banks have been refusing to lend cash because of the turmoil in global money markets.

In this Dragons' Den-type …