VGC Partners
VGC Partners is an early-stage private equity investor focused on the Attention Economy – industries where human attention is the primary driver of economic value. They specifically target B2B companies that are shaping how attention is acquired and monetized. VGC combines the discipline of private equity with the potential of early-stage ventures, employing a highly selective and hyper-focused approach. The firm invests in companies across three key sectors: Sports & Entertainment, Content & IP, and Marketing Services. Within Sports & Entertainment, they look at businesses that excel at engaging audiences and monetizing attention, including fan engagement platforms, sports data analytics, talent representation, event technology, gaming, and merchandising. In Content & IP, they target companies creating, owning, or distributing content and intellectual property, such as podcasting platforms, video production studios, creative agencies, and IP licensing platforms. The Marketing Services focus encompasses agencies and platforms that help businesses capture attention effectively, like creative automation tools, performance marketing agencies, analytics platforms, influencer marketing solutions, and brand strategy firms. VGC aims to operate in the "overlap" – the intersection of network and know-how. They provide access to a wide network of industry contacts and offer operational expertise to support the growth of their portfolio companies. The firm recognizes the increasing importance of capturing and retaining attention in today's noisy world and seeks to back companies that are at the forefront of this trend.
Venture Studio from Crisis
Venture Studio from Crisis is an investment initiative dedicated to supporting startups that are developing innovative solutions to address homelessness and the housing crisis. Established in 2020, this venture studio aligns with Crisis's broader mission of driving long-term, systemic change through policy, research, and frontline services. Recognizing the significant increase in households in temporary accommodation and the critical need for more social homes, the Venture Studio aims to prevent or end homelessness for up to 1 million people by backing scalable, sustainable solutions that improve access to quality, affordable housing. The investment strategy focuses on providing equity funding to businesses with the potential to drive efficiency and affordability in the housing sector. Crisis actively co-designs solutions with individuals who have experienced homelessness, ensuring that the startups' efforts are grounded in real-world insights and needs. They leverage Crisis's expertise to help founders create greater impact. Moreover, the Venture Studio nurtures a community of innovators and entrepreneurs, reinvesting any returns to tackle the underlying drivers of homelessness over the long-term. Crisis is deeply involved in advocating for policy changes, conducting research to understand homelessness, and providing direct support to those at risk or experiencing homelessness. The Venture Studio operates alongside these efforts to create a holistic approach to ending homelessness. By convening stakeholders across public, private, and third sectors, they aim to foster collaboration and drive meaningful change. The organization reinvests returns from their portfolio to further support new companies and projects, creating a sustainable funding cycle for tackling homelessness. Their work extends to influencing legislation, as seen in their contributions to the new homelessness law in Wales, and providing comprehensive support through Skylight centers across Great Britain.
Verge Healthtech Fund
Verge HealthTech Fund focuses on investing in transformative healthtech companies that aim to extend healthspan and improve healthcare accessibility, quality, and efficiency. They believe that healthtech can amplify the current health system by connecting traditional sectors with non-health sectors, reaching billions of people. The fund supports visionary founders who are creating transformative healthtech companies and addresses large unmet needs in health through platforms that can reach millions. They provide active expertise, access to a global ecosystem, and portfolio synergies to help companies scale from early to growth stage.
Wayra UK
Wayra UK is the Corporate Venture Capital (CVC) arm and open innovation platform of Telefónica. Their primary mission is to foster innovation and drive progress in startups by facilitating their collaboration with Telefónica and other organizations. They achieve this through a 'venture-client' approach, which provides startups with access to Telefónica's extensive network of 380 million customers, thereby accelerating their entry into global markets and facilitating scaling. Wayra also builds bridges between corporations and startups by investing in startups for other companies based on custom-designed investment theses. Wayra has evolved from a startup accelerator into a CVC fund with over 15 years of experience in the global entrepreneurial landscape. They operate hubs in Europe and Latin America, allowing startups to achieve a global presence. Since 2018, Wayra has played a significant role in open innovation, not only investing in startups, but also offering innovation services directly to Telefónica and other corporations through their open innovation platforms. Wayra focuses on identifying and supporting disruptive projects within the startup ecosystem. They aim to incorporate these innovations into Telefónica's operations, generating impactful results. Their open innovation services are designed to help other corporations enhance their own innovation strategies, further extending Wayra's influence on the entrepreneurial landscape. Their investment strategy is underscored by a set of core values, namely: 'Think Big,' encouraging ambition and challenging the status quo; 'Trust,' emphasizing honesty, integrity, and accountability; 'Bias for Action,' promoting determination and implementation focus; 'We Are One Team,' valuing collaboration and mutual support; and 'Have Fun,' highlighting the importance of enjoyment, empathy, and care throughout the venture journey.
1818Venturecapital
1818 Venture Capital focuses on backing the next generation of FinTech founders who are reshaping the financial services landscape, primarily in the UK and the Middle East, but extending beyond. They provide capital and expertise to companies from the first cheque to scale, supporting product innovation, business model reinvention, and technology-driven execution. The firm aims to invest early in people, technologies, and models that challenge the status quo, offering deep insight, strategic support, and long-term alignment to help founders navigate complexity, refine strategy, and unlock opportunity. They focus on building true partnerships with their portfolio companies, working shoulder to shoulder with founders from initial investment to exit. They aim to deliver exceptional returns while driving meaningful, lasting innovation. 1818 Venture Capital acts as a bridge connecting capital and innovation between the UK and the Middle East. The firm prides itself on being more than just a capital provider, emphasizing the value of their strategic guidance, market access, and network of sector specialists and institutional partners. The firm's partners have extensive experience in both public and private markets, with a focus on consistent performance and low failure rates, which contributes to their ability to provide a higher level of strategic oversight. The firm supports bold entrepreneurs who are transforming financial services, helping turn visionary concepts into realities through expert guidance. They also appear to value a strong operational approach from the internal team.
Air Street Capital
Air Street Capital is a venture capital firm focused on investing in AI-first companies. They aim to invest as early as possible, actively participating in the iteration of product, market, and technology strategies from the initial stages of a company's development. The firm is driven by the goal of creating enduring companies that have a lasting impact on their respective markets.
Aviva Ventures
Aviva plc is a UK-based diversified insurer with operations spanning insurance, wealth, and retirement. They also have significant operations in Ireland and Canada. The company's strategy is centered around Growth, Customer, Efficiency, and Sustainability. Aviva aims to be a strategic partner for national and regional growth in the UK, investing in homes, jobs, and regeneration. They plan to invest £25 billion over the next decade to support national growth and long-term economic resilience, building upon their existing £22 billion in UK real assets. Their investments are designed to drive local growth and back the UK's policy agenda, particularly in areas like decarbonizing housing, power, and transport, as well as supporting innovation and competitiveness through R&D hubs and skills investments. Aviva is focusing on markets where they operate at scale, with leading positions and profitable operations, leveraging their trusted brand and broad product offering to serve customers' needs. The company also emphasizes sustainability as a fundamental part of its strategy.
Leadblock Bitpanda Ventures
Leadblock Bitpanda Ventures (LBV) is a EU-based investment fund that concentrates on early-stage and pre-listing digital asset startups. They strategically target companies that drive the next crypto cycle, emphasizing the middleware and application layers that form the foundational infrastructure. Furthermore, they focus on user-oriented interfaces that are critical for facilitating mainstream adoption of Web3 technologies. By investing in these key segments, LBV aims to capitalize on the expanding digital asset ecosystem and its increasing integration into everyday life.
The49
The49 operates as both a venture studio and a corporate innovation partner. Their core thesis revolves around building and scaling innovative solutions with a focus on driving tangible impact and lasting value. They partner with established businesses to fuel growth through strategic initiatives, technological solutions, and creative approaches. Simultaneously, they collaborate with founders to validate, fund, and scale ventures, offering support from the initial concept to achieving significant traction. They don't view innovation as a mere buzzword but as a driving force for creating sustainable and positive change. The firm emphasizes a hands-on, execution-oriented approach, distinguishing themselves from traditional consultancies. They prioritize agile, focused teams, transparent processes, and flexibility for their clients. They aim to solve complex challenges and deliver measurable results by combining strategy, technology, and creativity. The49 is committed to identifying and nurturing bold ideas, empowering visionaries to shape the future across various industries. Their methodology is based on creating solutions that contribute to business growth while also making a positive impact on the world. Their dual approach – corporate innovation and venture studio – allows them to leverage insights and resources across both domains. They work with startups that disrupt and define industries, providing guidance and support to scale ventures. Additionally, they help corporate clients to rethink business models, identify opportunities, and take strategic leaps with confidence. Their focus is on helping businesses navigate the complexities of the modern landscape and seize opportunities for growth and innovation. The49's approach involves building digital products, platforms, and software to unlock new revenue streams, optimize operations, and create solutions that were previously unattainable. They have a deep understanding of the challenges faced by businesses, and they are committed to delivering practical solutions that drive real results. They aim to build lasting partnerships with clients and founders, helping them to achieve their vision for the future.
Jonathan Hollis
I invest in UK startups qualifying for EIS raising a late seed or A round.
Mountside Ventures
Mountside Ventures is positioned as a leading accelerator and advisory firm in Europe, focusing on optimizing the fundraising process for both startups and investors. They aim to be the first point of contact for founders and funds seeking capital, operating across the entire venture value chain from pre-seed to growth stages. Their approach involves offering accelerator programs, providing interim CFO and fundraising advice, and connecting startups with a network of venture capital firms, family offices, and corporate venture capital firms. They also work with venture capital funds, accelerating fund managers and identifying promising managers for Limited Partners, in addition to building connections for Family Offices. Mountside Ventures focuses on supporting ambitious entrepreneurs to become the next generation of technology leaders. Their model revolves around leveraging their experience from building early-stage startup propositions at Big 4 firms, indicating a deep understanding of the challenges faced by early-stage companies. They claim to have advised startups that have raised over £500m with a combined valuation of £3bn. The firm's strategy seems to be two-fold: direct support to startups through fundraising advisory, and also through acting as an intermediary between startups, VCs, LPs and Family Offices. They run free accelerator programs funded by corporates, VCs and government organisations. For more mature companies they offer interim CFO and fundraising support and growth equity advice and debt advice. The firm claims to have facilitated over £210m in funding for their clients. Mountside Ventures appears to be a hybrid model, combining accelerator, advisory and placement agency services, all focused on facilitating the flow of capital within the European startup ecosystem. They are also a B Corp.
Pario Ventures
Pario Ventures backs founders who are building real businesses, focusing on companies that demonstrate pragmatism and commercial execution rather than hype. They invest at Seed and Series A stages, prioritizing partners who understand what it takes to build, scale, and survive the challenges of early-stage growth. The firm values founders who are resourceful, respect capital, and are focused on getting to market and building strong foundations. They are sector agnostic but highly value the team, resilience, and execution capabilities of the founders. They aren't looking for quick IPOs but sustainable growth, profitability, or strategic exits through M&A.
Ugly Duckling Ventures
Ugly Duckling Ventures (UDV) focuses on backing Nordic founders at the pre-seed and seed stages. Their investment strategy centers around providing capital, know-how, and real-world application to early-stage ventures. They aim to be active GPs, leveraging their experience as builders and business angels to help startups scale rapidly. UDV emphasizes building relationships with founders, valuing transparency, and offering straightforward communication. They take a hands-on, operational approach, actively engaging with their portfolio companies to prepare them for growth. A key differentiator is their GPs-only model, ensuring that portfolio founders work directly with experienced partners rather than junior account managers. Furthermore, their established network within the Danish startup community provides access to investors and resources that can assist portfolio companies.
7percent Ventures
7percent Ventures focuses on backing determined founders solving significant problems with the potential for 200x returns. They seek to invest in technologies and products that will become indispensable in ten years, aiming for breakthrough companies and technologies rather than incremental market iterations. The firm looks for moonshots, indicating a high-risk, high-reward investment strategy. They aim to invest in solutions to problems which impact a lot of people. With experience as ex-founders in both the U.K. and U.S., the firm provides expertise and capital through the networks they've co-founded. Their guiding principle is to help, not hinder, startups, empathizing with the challenges founders face due to their own operational backgrounds. They believe the venture capital journey is best for big risk, big outcome businesses – startups with exponential growth potential and sector-defining change. The firm name is based on the idea that a good early-stage growth rate is 5-7% a week.
Nesta Impact Investments
Nesta is a research and innovation foundation focusing on designing, testing, and scaling solutions to address significant societal challenges. Their strategy is driven by a mission to tackle issues such as inequality, obesity, and household carbon emissions. They leverage applied methods and innovation lifecycle expertise to create impactful solutions. Nesta's approach involves working across various stages of the innovation process. They aim to improve life chances by focusing on early childhood development, promoting healthier lifestyles by halving obesity rates, and fostering a sustainable future by reducing home carbon emissions. These objectives are targeted for achievement by 2030. Nesta extends its reach and impact through specialized units like BIT (Behavioural Insights Team) and Challenge Works. BIT utilizes behavioral science to improve public services and organizational effectiveness, while Challenge Works designs and manages challenge prizes to stimulate innovation in science, technology, and society. Equity, diversity, and inclusion are central to Nesta's operations. They actively work to reduce pay gaps, increase staff diversity, and ensure their projects deliver equitable outcomes for disadvantaged communities. They set specific goals, such as achieving representation of the UK's diversity in terms of ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender, and socioeconomic background by 2027.
Bullhound Capital
Based on the limited information available, it's difficult to construct a comprehensive investment thesis. The website focuses primarily on showcasing portfolio companies and team members with links to their LinkedIn profiles. There's no explicit description of their investment strategy or the types of companies they look for. They likely focus on companies they believe are disruptive and have high growth potential, given the inclusion of companies like Revolut, Klarna, and Discord. They appear to be building with founders, suggesting a collaborative approach to venture capital.
Concept Ventures
Concept Ventures invests in early-stage startups with a focus on unconventional, high-conviction ideas. They prioritize founders with strong domain expertise and a clear vision, often backing them before broad market validation or traction. The fund emphasizes 'first-cheque' investments and supports founders through the pre-seed and early stages with tailored, founder-centric backing.
Emerge Education
Emerge Education is a pre-seed fund focused on democratizing access to opportunity by investing in early-stage founders building the future of work and learning. The firm aims to be a catalytic partner, providing not only capital but also access to a community of 100+ experienced operators in the future of work and learning space. Their investment approach centers on identifying ambitious founders with a desire to learn from those who have successfully navigated similar challenges, supporting them on their journey to becoming global category leaders. The firm believes in providing hands-on support and being mission-aligned with their portfolio companies from day one. Emerge Education's strategy involves leveraging its extensive network of venture partners, covering a wide range of skills, business models, and customer types relevant to the future of work and learning. By connecting portfolio companies with these experienced operators, Emerge aims to accelerate their growth and increase their chances of success. This community-driven approach is intended to offer early-stage companies valuable insights and mentorship that goes beyond traditional financial investment. They seek pre-seed and seed founders who are building innovative solutions that will shape the future of how people learn and work. The fund is committed to supporting companies with the potential to scale and become global leaders in their respective categories. Emerge Education positions itself as more than just a source of capital; they aim to be a true partner, offering strategic guidance and operational support through its network and dedicated team.
Blossom Capital
Blossom Capital focuses on providing relentless belief and powerful support to Europe's most visionary founders. They limit their investments to 5-6 Series A rounds per year to dedicate their full expertise to each company. Their strategy is centered around identifying and partnering with exceptional European tech talent and ambition, providing the resources and guidance needed to scale and succeed on a global stage. The firm is committed to investing deeply in a select few companies, enabling a higher level of involvement and support. This hands-on approach helps portfolio companies navigate the challenges of early-stage growth and maximize their potential. Blossom aims to back founders at the Series A stage, providing them with not only capital, but also strategic guidance and operational support. They look for innovative companies addressing large market opportunities with scalable business models. By concentrating on a small number of investments, they can offer tailored assistance in areas such as product development, go-to-market strategy, and team building. They aim to be more than just a financial backer, but rather a trusted partner to their portfolio companies. Their website showcases a portfolio of companies operating across a range of sectors, including fintech, AI, SaaS, and infrastructure. The displayed logos of their portfolio companies illustrates diversity in their investment targets. The firm's focus on Series A investments allows them to capture promising startups at a critical stage of development and provide them with the resources needed to accelerate their growth trajectories. The focus on European tech talent implies a deep understanding of the local ecosystem, including its strengths and challenges.
InMotion Ventures
InMotion Ventures focuses on backing founders building exceptional early-stage startups tackling critical enterprise challenges. They aim to support founders from the inception of their journey, co-investing across three specialist verticals where they can have a significant impact. Their approach is collaborative and results-driven, anchored in patient capital, industry partnerships, and specialist domain expertise. They provide the support and insights founders need to navigate their journey, from idea to impact, leveraging their relationship with JLR (Jaguar Land Rover) to give their portfolio companies a unique advantage. They aim to unlock a global ecosystem of innovators co-creating the most desirable brands and services, aligning the objectives of all stakeholders to encourage responsible and sustainable scale. Their investment thesis emphasizes early-stage investing, demonstrating a commitment to supporting companies at the crucial initial phases of development. They strategically co-invest in specific verticals, suggesting a targeted and specialized approach. The firm's emphasis on collaborative partnerships, patient capital, and deep domain expertise highlights their commitment to providing value beyond mere financial investment. Their connection with JLR provides portfolio companies with a significant competitive edge through unique access and resources. InMotion Ventures aims to foster responsible and sustainable growth for its portfolio companies by aligning the objectives of all stakeholders. The firm seeks to identify and support founders who are building innovative solutions to address critical enterprise challenges in climate, industrial and enterprise sectors. This commitment is evident in their investment selection criteria and their approach to nurturing and scaling their portfolio companies. They are interested in companies that can create a positive impact on the global ecosystem by co-creating desirable brands and services. By leveraging their unique relationship with JLR and cultivating a global network of innovators, InMotion Ventures creates an environment where portfolio companies can thrive and achieve sustainable success. Their focused investment strategy, combined with their commitment to collaboration and responsible growth, positions them as a valuable partner for early-stage startups seeking to disrupt traditional industries.
Latitude
Latitude partners with founders and their teams from breakout to scale-up. While a detailed investment thesis is not explicitly stated, the firm's portfolio and news suggest a focus on companies leveraging technology to disrupt traditional industries. This includes fintech, insurance, and other sectors undergoing digital transformation. They appear to seek companies with strong growth potential and the ability to scale rapidly. The firm also publishes articles on emerging themes, which helps inform a non-exhaustive understanding of their strategy. For example, interest in Carbon fintech is apparent in their news.
Mercuri VC
Mercuri VC is an early-stage venture capital fund investing at the intersection of media, entertainment, and technology. The firm focuses on backing outstanding entrepreneurs developing tech-driven products for the new age of enterprise and the digital lifestyle of the consumer. A key aspect of their strategy is an engaged approach, adding value to their portfolio companies, often taking board seats post investment. Mercuri's investment thesis prioritizes vertical integration, IP defensibility, and human-led expression, especially in the generative media space. They seek companies that rebuild the creative value chain around AI, rather than simply applying AI to media. They aim to find companies that unlock new creative processes and build AI-native systems. Mercuri emphasizes responsible investing with a commitment to strong data policies, transparent AI practices, diversity and inclusion, and sustainability. They aim to reach net zero emissions for scope 1 & 2 by 2025, reduce scope 3 emissions by 50% by 2030, and achieve full net zero by 2040. They are a certified B Corp and co-founder of Reframe Venture, among other partnerships and initiatives. Mercuri lives by its values: integrity, equality, courage, passionate curiosity and responsible citizenship which inspire our team culture and inform our investment process. The name Mercuri is inspired by the Roman god of commerce and communication, reflecting their focus on technology that transforms how people connect, create, and consume.
UCL Technology Fund
UCL Technology Fund (UCLTF) invests in world-class intellectual property created by UCL researchers, focusing on scaling globally with the potential to transform lives and move markets. Managed by AlbionVC in collaboration with UCL Business, the fund builds on a 20-year relationship between these organizations, aiming to support the development of the UCL ecosystem. UCLTF offers investment throughout the commercialisation journey, from early-stage proof-of-concept projects through to spinout investments to take innovations to market. The Fund's mission is to support the development of the UCL ecosystem by offering investments of up to £7m in total to support teams in taking unique, capital-efficient and protectable technologies all the way through to market. Spinout funding recipients are typically entrepreneurial founding teams with a leadership structure, a strong technically differentiated approach, and identified sizeable markets. The fund also provides up to £2 million for post-proof-of-concept projects, enabling researchers to develop technologies for partnering or licensing with commercial entities. Furthermore, UCLTF offers Proof-of-Concept (PoC) funding, providing up to £250,000 per project over 12 months to support UCL founders in developing their technology and demonstrating commercialization potential. The fund prioritizes projects with the potential to deliver significant outsized investment returns, employing a rigorous investment process that considers both the quality of the science and its commercial potential. All investments support the commercialization of UCL research into physical and life sciences applications.
Albany Investment
Albany Investment specializes in UK-based cyber, defence, and dual-use technologies, focusing on mitigating global instability risks. The firm combines venture capital with bespoke corporate finance services (advisory, M&A, capital raising) for SMEs, emphasizing responsible investment with robust ESG policies.