IW Capital
IW Capital focuses on backing ambitious founders who are building high-growth businesses in the UK SME sector. They aim to deploy capital with pace and purpose, emphasizing agility and momentum. Beyond providing capital, IW Capital delivers connections and commitment to accelerate growth, leveraging their powerful network to connect portfolio companies to the right people at the right time. The firm also provides dedicated teams in growth marketing, PR, and public affairs (IW Catalyst) to fuel the impact of their portfolio companies. This strategy is based on a belief that AI-integrated consumer hardware, built around genuine utility rather than novelty, represents a durable structural opportunity. IW Capital aims to transform SME investments in the UK, advising and directing a substantial network of High Net Worth Individuals, Wealth Managers, Family Offices, and IFAs. This results in the successful investment of hundreds of millions of pounds into UK SMEs. The firm's investment philosophy also includes a focus on sustainable and impactful investments. This is evident in their partnerships, such as Reconome's collaboration with Good Things Foundation to deliver devices to digitally excluded people, demonstrating a commitment to maximizing device reuse for social impact and reducing electronic waste. IW Capital looks for companies that offer genuine utility and solve real-world problems, evidenced by their portfolio companies like Daily Dose and Transcend Packaging that are addressing sustainability and health needs.
Kiko Ventures
Kiko Ventures is a cleantech venture capital firm dedicated to redefining what's possible in the fight against climate change. They aim to invest in science-based businesses with the potential for significant impact on planetary sustainability. Their approach is characterized by deploying permanent capital, allowing them the flexibility to invest across various stages and remain committed throughout the growth journey of their portfolio companies. They seek to back businesses and breakthroughs that support the return to a regenerative world, where people and the planet can thrive. Kiko Ventures is focused on early-stage, science-based, and impactful companies. They emphasize the importance of enduring technological advantages that can withstand market cycles. Their investments are exclusively in companies with a core focus on improving planetary sustainability and tackling climate change. As part of IP Group, Kiko Ventures has the financial backing to support companies from early stages to late-stage success, demonstrating a commitment to long-term growth and impact. They look for companies commercializing disruptive technologies to combat climate change. Kiko Ventures believes that technology holds the key to solving the world's greatest problems, particularly those related to climate change. They actively seek out and support companies with the potential to make a substantial difference in reducing emissions, promoting sustainability, and fostering a regenerative future. Their investment strategy is geared towards creating a positive impact on both the environment and the financial success of their portfolio companies.
Mouro Capital
Mouro Capital is a venture capital firm investing in the future of financial services. The firm takes a broad view, looking beyond today’s industry boundaries and building strong theses around topics they are passionate about. They focus on how to bring automation and real-time applications into banking infrastructure, how banking services can be delivered through APIs and embedded in third-party journeys, and what new client value propositions are emerging in developed and developing markets. The firm is also interested in how novel technologies and new engineering paradigms like AI, blockchain, and quantum computing are changing how we bank. They further explore new enterprise solutions and emerging platforms that will be the gateway to tomorrow's financial services. Finally, they analyze how industries can be more integrated and converge into new white spaces fuelled by finance and the role of money in a data-rich world.
Northstar Ventures
Northstar Ventures invests venture capital in early and later-stage, high-growth companies tackling global challenges, focusing on climate tech and healthy ageing. They aim to achieve both venture and impact returns, partnering with companies and investors driven by financial success and a desire to make a real difference. They offer more than just funding, providing expertise, experience, and a powerful network to help their portfolio companies grow and achieve lasting impact. Rooted in the north of England, they have a global outlook and a unique perspective and approach. They are committed to supporting businesses that can create positive change on a local, national and global scale. The firm is passionate, committed, and enthusiastic about what they do, and what they want to achieve. They are committed to the North East and the communities in it, while firmly believing that the solutions and innovation created within the region can be scaled up to benefit citizens globally. They believe in collaboration, with their partners and also their investees. When they invest, they support the company with their networks and expertise, as well as funding. They have experience in building successful companies at all stages of the journey and work with companies to help make their vision a reality. They are focused on reimagining the future, investing in ambitious teams with solutions that will help solve societal challenges and are primed to scale up globally.
Octopus Ventures
Octopus Ventures is a large and active venture capital investor in Europe focused on investing in people, ideas, and industries that will change the world for the better. They prioritize investments in areas where they can make the biggest impact: building a more sustainable planet, empowering people, and revitalizing healthcare. They aim to invest £10 billion by 2030 in industries bringing about positive change and seek to back founders with purpose who are building revolutionary solutions. They look for companies tackling significant global problems, such as eliminating carbon footprints, creating cancer vaccines, building the next phase of the internet, and charting a greener approach to space travel. They focus on companies with strong values and contribute to a more equitable landscape. They focus on building long-lasting relationships with founders, investing as early as an idea on a page and supporting at every stage of growth. They invest across B2B Software, Bio, Climate, Consumer, Deep Tech, Fintech, and Health, offering hands-on support. Octopus Ventures is looking for founders who are great storytellers with a clear vision, focused on solving society’s biggest problems, not just building products, they also value diversity in founding teams. Octopus Ventures is also a B Corp certified company. They also run a mentorship program to match the founders and senior leaders from their portfolio companies with executives and operators in their network.
Outlier Ventures
Outlier Ventures' 'Triple A' thesis focuses on AI, Atoms (materials/manufacturing), and Association (networks/governance) as key drivers of a $275T market by 2036, driven by rising sovereignty demands across financial, cognitive, energy, biological, and orbital domains.
Par Equity
PXN Ventures (formerly Par Equity) focuses on deploying venture capital and natural capital investments to support and scale businesses in the North of the UK. The merged firm aims to champion the region’s investment ecosystem, fostering growth for founders, advisers, investors, and institutions by delivering scalable, impactful investments.
Pioneer Group Life Science Accelerator
Pioneer Group operates as a vertically integrated platform focused on curating innovation-focused ecosystems, specifically within the life sciences sector. Their strategy encompasses three core components: Real Estate (owning, developing, and operating innovation-focused campuses), Ecosystem Building (creating environments conducive to scientific innovation and business success), and Venture Building (running accelerator programs and an internal VC fund to translate ideas into commercial realities). They aim to increase the likelihood of success for businesses operating within these ecosystems by providing them with the necessary infrastructure, resources, and connections. The firm's core value proposition revolves around offering a comprehensive suite of services to life science companies. This includes access to specialized lab spaces, support networks, and funding opportunities. Their accelerator programs are designed to nurture early-stage companies, providing them with mentorship, resources, and investment to accelerate their growth. The internal VC fund plays a critical role in providing seed and early-stage funding to promising startups within the Pioneer Group ecosystem. By controlling the real estate, they can tailor facilities to the specific needs of life science companies, ensuring access to specialized equipment and infrastructure. The ecosystem building component fosters collaboration and knowledge sharing among companies within their network. The venture building arm provides early-stage funding and support, helping to de-risk and accelerate the growth of promising companies. They aim to create a synergistic environment where companies can thrive and drive innovation in the life sciences sector. Pioneer Group positions itself as a key enabler for life science innovation in Europe. By providing a vertically integrated platform that encompasses real estate, ecosystem building, and venture building, they offer a unique value proposition to companies operating in this sector. Their integrated approach reduces barriers to entry, fosters collaboration, and increases the likelihood of success for their portfolio companies.