NoBa Capital
NoBa Capital is a venture capital firm focused on investing in ambitious startups that are changing the future of work. Their mission is to positively impact 30 million workers by 2030. They invest in companies providing solutions that improve access to work opportunities, career development, diversity and inclusion, financial stability, wellbeing, and flexibility, ultimately benefiting both workers and employers. They focus on companies that Engage workers and employers, Enable them with digital tools and improved skills and Empower them through independent work and flexibility. NoBa Capital employs a high-conviction, hands-on approach to early-stage investing. They establish relationships throughout the venture lifecycle and tailor their investment strategies and support based on the company's stage. They provide active board involvement and are particularly interested in supporting scalability. They have three investment programs: NoBa Spark, NoBa Elevate, and NoBa Scale. NoBa Spark supports idea-stage to launch, offering hands-on 0-1 support and collaborating on new business model innovation within their portfolio. NoBa Elevate focuses on pre-seed investments, helping companies transition from early build to product-market fit. Applications for Elevate are launching in November 2025. NoBa Scale invests in seed rounds, including leading rounds, helping companies scale from product to growth.
Oxford Capital Partners
Oxford Capital Partners invests in high-growth, early-stage companies across the UK, focusing on backing exceptional founders with innovative ideas and disruptive technologies. With over 25 years of experience, they have invested over £500 million in over 100 companies, providing capital from pre-seed to growth stages. The firm emphasizes its ability to identify and support entrepreneurial successes from their earliest stages to later growth, making them a valuable partner for startups seeking to scale. They aim to provide individuals, families, and institutions with access to high-potential investment opportunities. Their strategy is centered around identifying and nurturing disruptive technologies and business models, particularly in sectors that benefit from the knowledge cluster around Oxford. They look for companies with strong growth potential and the ability to scale, offering both financial investment and strategic support. Oxford Capital offers products and services that enable individuals, families, and institutions to participate in and benefit from investment opportunities. Oxford Capital positions itself as a partner to founders, providing not just capital but also expertise and access to a valuable network. They are based in Oxford, leveraging its unique ecosystem to find and support innovative companies across the UK. Their commitment to early-stage ventures and their experience in guiding companies through various growth stages make them a prominent player in the UK venture capital landscape. They operate through funds such as their EIS (Enterprise Investment Scheme) funds, offering tax advantages to investors, while directing capital to UK-based startups. Oxford Capital targets sectors driven by innovation, like technology, science and AI driven businesses.
SFC Capital
SFC Capital is the UK's leading SEIS fund, specializing in early-stage startups that qualify for tax-efficient investment schemes (SEIS/EIS). The fund focuses on high-risk, high-reward opportunities for sophisticated investors, aiming to generate returns through strategic investments in innovative businesses.
Semantic Ventures
Semantic Ventures focuses on investing in the "new rails" for data and the digital economy. While the provided content is limited, this suggests a thesis centered around enabling infrastructure, tools, and platforms that facilitate the flow, management, and utilization of data in modern digital systems. They aim to capitalize on emerging trends and opportunities arising from the increasing importance of data-driven applications and technologies. Further information is needed to fully understand the depth of their investment focus and specific areas of interest within this broad theme. The term "new rails" suggests a focus on technologies that are replacing or augmenting existing data infrastructure. This could include investments in areas such as data engineering, data science, machine learning, AI, blockchain, and decentralized technologies. They are likely looking for companies that are building innovative solutions to address challenges related to data storage, processing, analysis, security, and governance. Semantic Ventures' investment strategy appears to be driven by identifying and supporting early-stage companies with disruptive technologies that can reshape the data landscape. They likely seek to provide not only capital but also strategic guidance and resources to help their portfolio companies scale and succeed in a competitive market.
Unrest
Unrest is a B2C Impact Accelerator focused on supporting the next generation of founders determined to leave the world better than they found it. They operate a 16-week program offering 100+ hours of custom content delivered by experts in finance & fundraising, branding, and impact. A key aspect of their program is collaboration with Uncommon Creative Studio to develop mission-driven brands, building consumer trust from day one. Unrest's investment strategy centers around taking an equity stake in participating businesses, aiming for the lower of a 2% equity share or £33k worth of equity. This approach underscores their commitment to aligning their success with that of their portfolio companies, fostering a shared vision for positive impact. The firm believes in the power of brands to drive rapid societal change and aims to unleash a collective force of purpose-driven companies on pressing global issues, spanning from LGBTQIA+ mental health to sustainable food solutions and carbon removal. Their portfolio showcases ventures addressing diverse challenges and highlighting their commitment to supporting ventures that contribute to a better world. Unrest also publishes a newsletter providing monthly updates on impact events, programme news, and portfolio success stories. This demonstrates a commitment to building a community around impact-driven entrepreneurship and fostering collaboration among founders.
V3 Ventures
V3 Ventures is a venture capital firm that focuses on backing founders building the consumer brands of tomorrow. They invest in fast-growing early-stage consumer businesses with purpose-driven brands and innovative technologies. The firm emphasizes building communities of fanatical customers and focuses on long-term investments to support founders in realizing their vision. They bring a founder-centric approach, leveraging their own experiences as consumer business builders to guide portfolio companies. Their global perspective, with dedicated teams in the US, Europe, and India, enables them to invest in brands across the globe. V3 Ventures believes that strong brands have long-term competitive advantages. They leverage a proven legacy of building iconic brands, supported by Verlinvest, a family-backed global investment fund with nearly 30 years of experience. Portfolio companies gain access to a world-class network of consumer brand experts, receiving unwavering support from early stage through growth and beyond. The firm aims to empower visionary entrepreneurs to redefine industries and create a lasting impact, indicating a commitment to supporting founders through various stages of their growth.
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
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Mountside Ventures specializes in helping European technology companies raise institutional funding by providing interim CFO services, fundraising acceleration, and investor introductions. They also offer programs for emerging VC managers, LP-focused events, and educational resources like term sheet demystification.
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.