Insights from a startup investor: Tips from VC Kiran Mehta
Get inside the mind of startup investor Kiran Mehta from Mercia Ventures for expert tips and inspiration on startup inve...
The below London-based funds were some of the most active early stage VC funds of 2023. For any founders looking to approach these funds, it’s worth considering what stage your business is at before you approach. So for example, if you’re looking for pre-seed money (i.e. you’re pre-revenue, maybe pre-product), it’s not the best use of time to approach a seed or a Series A focused fund.
7Percent
Investing between £300-650k, prefer to be the first or second money in deeptech or generalist tech companies.
Amadeus
Investing from seed to growth, reported to have done 15 deals over 2020*.
Anthemis
Investing specifically in fintech, reported to have done 15 deals over 2020*.
Ascension Ventures
One of the most active seed investors in the UK, and creator of the Debut Sessions. Ideal for startups raising their first or second round of capital.
Balderton Capital
One of the VC stalwarts, predominantly a Series A player investing across Europe. Includes high profile investments on its book such as Betfair, CityMapper, GoCardless and Revolut.
BGF Growth Capital
Whether your (S)EIS qualifying or not, making £1m or £100m revenues, BGF invests between £1m – £15m tickets in, taking 10-40% equity.
Connect Ventures
Software seed investor, investing across Europe, ticket sizes ranging from $450k – $1.8m.
Crane
Investing across Europe in seed companies solving problems for enterprise and enterprise workers.
Frontline
Based in London and Dublin, and supporting entrepreneurs in Europe and the US, the fund focuses on B2B companies.
Fuel Ventures
Active EIS and now SEIS investor in companies with a specific focus in marketplaces, platform and SaaS.
Index Ventures
One of the most prolific names in the game, Index Ventures is an international VC firm with dual headquarters in San Francisco and London, investing in technology-enabled companies with a focus on e-commerce, fintech, mobility, gaming, infrastructure/AI, and security. The firm invests mostly at the Series A stage but can write seed tickets from time-to-time. Has invested in tech giants such as Adyen, Deliveroo and Slack.
JamJar Investments
Investing in high growth consumer brands from Seed to Series A across Europe. They invest between £500,000 and £3 million. They’re happy to lead or invest alongside.
LocalGlobe
Investing from Seed to Series A across Europe.
Octopus Ventures
One of the largest VCs in Europe, typical investment being £1 million for Seed to £10 million for Series B in future of health, future of money, deeptech and consumer.
Parkwalk Advisors
The UK’s most active investor in the university spin-out sector, having invested in over 100 companies in conjunction with the universities of Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial and Bristol.
Seedcamp
One of the most renowned seed players, Seedcamp is a European seed fund that invests in tech-enabled businesses. Its portfolio includes Revolut, SeedLegals and Transferwise.
SFC
Sector-agnostic SFC wrote over 30 tickets in 2020*, often being the the first ticket into the company (pre-seed). The fund invests in SEIS qualifying businesses, investing between £100-300k in exchange for 10-20% equity.
Sustainable Accelerator
(S)EIS investor investing in agritech, building technology, future energy, mobility and the circular economy.
*data kindly provided by our friends at Beauhurst
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Jonny Seaman
Jonny Seaman is our Investor Partnerships Manager. With over 200 closed rounds under his belt, he’s seen the good, the bad and the ugly of startup investment.
