Top 24 VC Firms In London [2024]

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Updated: April 11th, 2022

Are you looking for the best Venture Capital (VC) firm in London?

London is one of the top cities which has drawn investor attention with some of the biggest VC firms in UK, based here. It is also one of the best cities in the world for access to funding & quality of investment ecosystem. In 2021, VC investment in London startups soared to over $25 Bn, an all time high.

Overall, the London startup ecosystem provides immense funding opportunities for early stage as well as established startups.

While the needs of these new startups are as diverse as the products and solutions they offer, they all value connections with industry support through funding that can aid their venture to market.

VC firms in London offer good investment and provide startups business management approach, resources, and extensive networking opportunities.

However, finding the right investment firm for your startup can be a daunting task.

To make this task simpler, we have curated a list of 24 successful venture capital firms in London. Additionally, we provide you with their:

Investment size
Funding stages
Typical industries the firm works with
Well known companies the VC firm has invested in

Here's the list of Top VC Firms in London:

#	VC	Funding	Stage	More
1	Seedcamp	£200K - £750K	Pre-Seed and Seed-Stage	More
2	Octopus Ventures	$1 Million -$10 Million	Seed-Stage, Series B	More
3	Index Ventures	$100K - $1 Million	All Stages	More
4	Ascension Ventures	$10M - $15M	Seed Stage	More
5	Balderton Capital	$1 Million - $20 Million	Seed Stage and Growth Stage	More
6	SFC Capital	$100k - $300k	Seed Stage	More
7	MMC Ventures	£25K - £3M	Seed Stage	More
8	Accel Partners	$50M - $75M	Seed Stage, Series A, Series B	More
9	BGF Growth Capital	£1M - £15M	Seed Stage	More
10	Playfair Capital	£100k - £500k in round sizes of up to £3m.	Seed Stage	More
11	Forward Partners	£200k - £2M	Seed Stage	More
12	Notion Capital	$2M - $10M.	Seed Stage	More
13	Beringea	$2M-$10M	Seed Stage, Series A	More
14	Connect Ventures	$450K - $2.6 Million	Seed Stage	More
15	Draper Esprit	£2M - £50M	Series A, Series B	More
16	IQ Capital	£500K - £30M	Seed Stage, Series A, Series B.	More
17	Calculus Capital	Not disclosed	Seed Stage	More
18	Passion Capital	Not Disclosed.	Seed Stage	More
19	LocalGlobe	Not Disclosed.	Seed Stage	More
20	Fuel Ventures	Not disclosed	Seed Stage	More
21	Downing Ventures	Not disclosed	Seed Stage	More
22	AlbionVC	Not disclosed	Late Stage To Series B	More
23	Anthemis Group	Not disclosed	Seed Stage	More
24	Force Over Mass	Not disclosed	Seed Stage	More

1. Seedcamp

Location: London
Industries: Technology
Investment Range: £200K - £750K
Stage: Pre-Seed and Seed-Stage
Companies invested in: Revolut, Sorare, Hopin, Wefox Group, Skew, Maze, Harbr, Primer, Wise.
No. of Investments made : 299
No. of Portfolio Exits : 48

Seedcamp invests in pre-seed and seed-stage companies, providing financial and human capital to help startups compete effectively.

The venture capitalist leads the pre-seed round with an investment of between £200K - £750K in exchange for an ownership stake between 6-7%. For seed-stage investments.

The VC firm is sector agnostic and focuses on backing world-class founders creating valuable, technology-focused businesses for sufficiently large addressable markets.

Learn more about Seedcamp ➜

2. Octopus Ventures

Location: London, New York
Industries: Fintech, Health, Deep Tech, Consumer, B2B Software.
Investment Range: $1 Million -$10 Million
Stage: Seed-Stage, Series B
Companies invested in: Secret escapes, Ibex, Ultrasoc, Zynstra, SwiftKey, WaveOptics, AudioTelligence, Memrise.
No. of Investments made : 335
No. of Portfolio Exits : 46

Octopus Ventures focuses on health, fintech, deep tech, consumer, and B2B software companies.

Apart from financial support, the venture capitalist commits time and energy to see that the companies they have invested in excel. Octopus Ventures invests in seed-stage and Series B companies that have shown the maximum potential for growth, innovation, and impact.

Typical investment starts from $1 Million for Seed to $10 Million for Series B

Learn more about Octopus Ventures ➜

3. Index Ventures

Location: Australia, London, San Francisco, Geneva
Industries: All Sectors
Investment Range: $100K - $1 Million
Stage: All Stages
Companies invested in: Dropbox,Roblox, ArthurAI, Etsy, Elastic, Adyen, Figma, glossier, Datadog, Trustpilot, Squarespace.
No. of Investments made : 1033
No. of Portfolio Exits: 216

Index Ventures works with entrepreneurs and their companies at every stage, and across every sector.

The VC firm will often invest between $100K and $2Million as a pre-venture investment in seed-stage companies. Investments at a later Stage depend on the business potential.

Learn more about Index Ventures ➜

4. Ascension Ventures

Location: London, St Louis
Industries: Healthcare
Investment Range: $10M - $15M
Stage: Seed Stage
Companies invested in Academic Partnerships, Accretive Health, Aethon, Apama Medical, Arista MD, Bind, Augmenix.
No. of Investments made : 268
No. of Portfolio Exits: 35

Ascension Ventures is a strategic healthcare venture fund. The VC firm provides investments of up to $10 Million per round and up to $15 Million to companies in their early-stage or late stages of development.

Since its establishment, the firm has been keen on providing venture and growth equity investments for companies interested in healthcare information technology, medical devices, and diagnostics.

Learn more about Ascension Ventures ➜

5. Balderton Capital

Location: London
Industries: Technology
Investment Range: $1 Million - $20 Million
Stage: Seed Stage and Growth Stage
Companies invested in: Adludio, Aircall, 3D Hubs, Andjaro, Arive, Bebo, Axitec, Betfair, Big fish Games.
No. of Investments made : 393
No. of Portfolio Exits: 71

Balderton Capital supports technology-focused companies at both the early-stage and growth stages. Balderton invested in companies that provide software solutions, communications, security, mobile computing, and consumer services. The VC firm remains committed to sharing its expertise with founders and entrepreneurs from early stage to exit.

The Balderton team comprises legal talent, finance, and marketing experts who offer advice to ensure expert service.

Learn more about Balderton Capital ➜

6. SFC Capital

Location: London
Industries: Food & Drink, Life Sciences, Media & Entertainment, Mobile & Online Solutions.
Investment Range: $100k - $300k
Stage: Seed Stage
Companies invested in: Onfido, Cognism, Humanising Autonomy,Transcend Packaging, Bean, ScreenCloud.
No. of Investments made : 377

SFC Capital focuses on early-stage firms within the sector of food & drink, life sciences, media 7 entertainment, online solutions, services, manufacturing, and science.

The VC firm is keen on investing in firms that combine the right entrepreneurial mindset to build successful companies that will deliver significant returns to investors and ensure a positive impact on the world.

SFC typically invests anywhere between $100k to $300k at the primary stage.

Learn more about SFC Capital ➜

7. MMC Ventures

Location: London
Industries: Technology
Investment Range: £25K - £3M
Stage: Seed Stage
Companies invested in: Gousto, Signal AI, Current, Masabi, DigitalGenius, Qflow, Habitual, Small World, Synthesia, Senseon.
No. of Investments made : 177
No. of Portfolio Exits: 22

MMC Ventures primarily supports technology companies, and initially makes an investment between £25K and £3M, with an exit horizon of 3 to 5 years.

The VC firm has over $500 million under management, within companies that are transforming industries, innovating with nascent, and companies within fast-evolving technologies like artificial intelligence and Blockchain.

Learn more about MMC Ventures ➜

8. Accel Partners

Location: Sydney, London, Palo Alto, CA, Bengaluru, India, Karnataka, India
Industries: Technology
Investment Range: $50M - $75M
Stage: Seed Stage, Series A, Series B
Companies invested in: 1Password, Ada, Algolia, Away, BlackBuck, Chainalysis, BrowserStack, Checkr, Cognite, Cohesity, Ethos.
No. of Investments made : 1793
No. of Portfolio Exits: 349

Accel Partners provides investment capital to both early-stage and growth-stage companies working in the technology sector. The VC firm helps global entrepreneurs by providing funding and helping entrepreneurs through business decision-making.

Their investments range is $50M - $75M, and the company brings decades of experience in building and supporting companies.

Learn more about Accel Partners ➜

9. BGF Growth Capital

Location: London, Dublin
Industries: Multi-sectors
Investment Range: £1M - £15M
Stage: Seed Stage
Companies invested in: Paintbox, eflex, Prodrive, Agile Spray Response, BF1systems, Orbex.
No. of Investments made : 370
No. of Portfolio Exits: 65

BGF Growth Capital supports entrepreneurs and innovators who are powering the future of the economy. The VC firm funds early-stage startups with investments of between £1M and £15M. BGF exists to help businesses grow.

The firm also provides access to expertise and knowledge, ensuring the success of beneficiary companies.

BGF invests in advanced technology, artificial intelligence, automotive & aerospace, business services, E-Commerce, Education, and other sectors.

Learn more about BGF Growth Capital ➜

10. Playfair Capital

Location: London
Industries: Technology
Investment Range: £100k - £500k in round sizes of up to £3m.
Stage: Seed Stage
Companies invested in: AeroCloud Systems, Heka, Koala, Nory, Omnipresent, Orca AI, Recycleye, Rensource, SensorFlow.
No. of Investments made : 73
No. of Portfolio Exits: 6

Playfair is an early-stage venture capital firm investing in companies that focus on the technology sector, including Fintech, Cybersecurity, marketplaces, remote working, Artificial Intelligence, Computer Vision, and so much more.

As a pre-seed and seed-stage VC firm, Playfair invests between £100k - £500k in round sizes of up to £3m.

Learn more about Playfair Capital ➜

11. Forward Partners

Location: London
Industries: Technology
Investment Range: £200k - £2M
Stage: Seed Stage
Companies invested in: Ably, Ahauz, Airsupply, Applied AI, Big Health, Cazoo, ClickMechanic.

Forward Partners funds early-stage businesses focusing on eCommerce, Marketplace, and applied AI sectors.

Apart from funding, Forward Partners provides advice and on-demand execution support, while working closely to design, build and hire, to ensure beneficiary companies reach strategic goals faster.

The VC firm funds between £200k and £1 million for the pre-seed stage, and up to £2 million for Seed-stage funding.

Learn more about Forward Partners ➜

12. Notion Capital

Location: London
Industries: Technology
Investment Range: $2M - $10M.
Stage: Seed Stage
Companies invested in: Acin, Adfenix, Adbrain, Apperio, Avrios, Brightpearl, Bryter, Currencycloud, Claims, dealflo, Demyst.

Notion Capital invests in companies focusing on SaaS and enterprise Technology.

The VC firm looks for founders with an elusive combination of qualities and supports them to ensure they become category-leading companies.

Their initial investment range is between $2M to $10M.

Learn more about Notion Capital ➜

13. Beringea

Location: Detroit, MI, London
Industries: Advanced manufacturing, Media, Retail, SaaS, Healthcare, Business services, and consumer.
Investment Range: $2M-$10M
Stage: Seed Stage, Series A
Companies invested in: Popular Pays, Aistemos, Avid Ratings, Complion, Arctic shores, ATLAS Space Operations.

Beringea is a transatlantic venture capital seeking to invest in rapidly scaling entrepreneurial companies.

The VC firm typically invests between $2M-$10M in preferred equity. Focusing on fast-growing sectors, the VC firm prefers companies with promising revenue at the series A or at the small buy-out stage.

Beringea adds value through building leadership teams and providing strategic connections to their investees.

Learn more about Beringea ➜

14. Connect Ventures

Location: London
Industries: Technology
Investment Range: $450K - $2.6 Million
Stage: Seed Stage
Companies invested in: Detail, Deepstash, Progression, Contigent, Timeular, Woolf, Comma, Thursday, Superthread, Oyster, Emma.

Connect Ventures funds seed-stage startups and early-stage companies investing in product-led companies. The VC firm provides investments ranging between $450K and $2.6 Million. Connect ventures exists to add value to the founders and leadership teams of the companies they back.

Their core mission is to accelerate the learning curve of the founders and their team and to help them make better decisions.

In addition, the VC firm exits to ensure there is the right environment for them to build meaningful connections with their peers.

Learn more about Connect Ventures ➜

15. Draper Esprit

Location: London
Industries: Consumer, digital Health & Wellness, AI, DeepTech, Cloud, Enterprise, and SaaS
Investment Range: £2M - £50M
Stage: Series A, Series B
Companies invested in: Cazoo, Perkbox, Revolut, Thought Machine, Graphcore.

Draper Esprit invests in the most promising high-growth technology companies at the series A and series B stages. The VC firm helps with strategy, finance, hiring, and international expansion strategy.

Draper Espirit is keen on funding the companies that see new ways for the world to work, and specifically those within the Consumer, digital Health & Wellness, AI, DeepTech, Cloud, Enterprise, and SaaS sectors.

The VC firm provides funding to the tune of £2M to £50M.

Learn more about Draper Esprit ➜

16. IQ Capital

Location: London
Industries: Technology
Investment Range: £500K - £30M
Stage: Seed Stage, Series A, Series B.
Companies invested in: Concirrus, Thought Machine, Fluidic Analytics, Speechmatics, Privitar, M-Cube, Quantum, TurinTech.

IQ Capital invests in disruptive technology companies capable of dominating the global markets.

The firm is keen on funding Seed stage and Series A companies within the AI, Data Science, IoT, and other technology-based sectors.

IQ Capital invests up to £1.5 M for seed-stage ventures, £5M for Series A, and up to £30 for Growth stage ventures.

Learn more about IQ Capital ➜

17. Calculus Capital

Location: London
Industries: Multi-sectors
Investment Range: Not disclosed
Stage: Seed Stage
Companies invested in: eConsult, Spectral MD, Brouhaha Entertainment, Invizius, Arecor, Home Team content, Wazoku.

Calculus Capital invests £2Million to £5 million in entrepreneurial companies selling real products and services.

The VC firm executes in-depth due diligence of investment opportunities using an experienced investment team.

Their hands-on approach ensures they monitor performance, and effect changes where needed.

Learn more about Calculus Capital ➜

18. Passion Capital

Location: London
Industries: Technology
Investment Range: Not Disclosed.
Stage: Seed Stage
Companies invested in: Adzuna, Mendeley, Bonfire, Smarkets, Picklive, Vicampo, Wedo, Pusher, Wine In Black, DueDil, Lulu, Eyeem, Mixlr, Tripbirds, Vinetrade, Loopcam.

Passion Capital invests in early-stage technology-focused startups.

The venture capitalist remains committed to fostering an ecosystem of technology and believes that the critical differentiator and key asset of a successful business is the passion and ability of its founders.

Learn more about Passion Capital ➜

19. LocalGlobe

Location: London
Industries: Technology
Investment Range: Not Disclosed.
Stage: Seed Stage
Companies invested in: Equity Bee, Plum Guide, Goodlord, Empathy, Eden Life, Kano, Tide, Otta, Cleo, Wise.

Local Globe focuses on early-stage technology startups in SaaS and Artificial Intelligence. The VC firm offers financial assistance, and other technical expertise required to propel startups forward.

Learn more about LocalGlobe ➜

20. Fuel Ventures

Location: London
Industries: Technology
Investment Range: Not disclosed
Stage: Seed Stage
Companies invested in: OneBuy.com, Volt, Heroes, Capdesk, Shift, MootGroup, Peckwater, Glorify, Beyonk, Outfund.

Fuel Ventures provides funding to early-stage and growth-stage companies focusing on technology.

The VC firm factors most ambitious entrepreneurs in the sectors covering globally scalable marketplaces, platforms, and Software

Learn more about Fuel Ventures ➜

21. Downing Ventures

Location: London
Industries: Technology
Investment Range: Not disclosed
Stage: Seed Stage
Companies invested in: Abaka, Adaptix, Aday, ADCBIO, Arecor, Aventus, Avid Technology, AyarLabs, BridgeU, BBC Maestro.

Downing Ventures invests in early-stage and growth-stage companies focusing on deep technology, enterprise, and healthcare sectors.

The venture capital firm understands that these areas encompass the most interesting challenges within the digital world.

Therefore, the firm ensures support and remains open to ideas. They provide a skill set that goes deep into core sectors they invest in and help drive the companies forward.

Learn more about Downing Ventures ➜

22. AlbionVC

Location: London
Industries: Healthcare, B2B Software Solutions, and DeepTech
Investment Range: Not disclosed
Stage: Late Stage To Series B
Companies invested in: Abcodia, Academia, Accelex, Anthropics, Active Hotels, Achilles Therapeutics, Arecor, Astroscreen.

AlbionVC focuses on early-stage companies within the healthcare, B2B Software solutions, and DeepTech.

The VC firm aims at empowering seed-stage companies, enabling them to create the businesses they want to lead.

Throughout the cooperation, the firm aims at building a strong relationship with the management team, offering an extensive experience and deep-rooted network of connections required to grow a scalable company.

Learn more about AlbionVC ➜

23. Anthemis Group

Location: London
Industries: Fintech, Insurtech
Investment Range: Not disclosed
Stage: Seed Stage
Companies invested in: Tide, Timetric, Tremor, TreasurySpring, Unmind, TrueLayer, Wayhome, Wollit, ZyFin, YuLife, Xapix.

Anthemis invests in technology-driven companies that focus on Fintech, Insurtech, and those that work towards changing the financial system.

The VC firm provides strategic and investment advice for financial services and technology companies, helping them to meet the demands of 21st Century consumers and businesses. Anthemis brings deep know-how and capabilities, ensuring the companies excel.

Learn more about Anthemis Group ➜

24. Force Over Mass

Location: London
Industries: SaaS, Security, EDTech, FinTech, InsurTech, Big Data & Analytics, Health & Bio.
Investment Range: Not disclosed
Stage: Seed Stage
Companies invested in: A Million ADS, AI Build, AI XPRT, Action.AI, Admix, Apaleo, Bud, Banxware, Banked.

Force Over Mass supports companies and founders over multiple rounds.

They invest in the seed stage, series A, and Series B stages, delivering strong and consistent performance across funds.

The VC firm believes that success is driven by broad sourcing and ensuring a disciplined investment process.

By so doing, Force Over Mass Capital helps companies to scale effectively.

Learn more about Force Over Mass ➜

Reasons To Move Your Startup To London

London remains the melting pot of diverse cultures, talented professionals, and creative workspaces, and this is not by accident.

Here are some basic reasons to consider London as your next investment destination.

1. Londons Talented and Educated Workforce

London enjoys close proximity to excellent universities. For that reason, startups have a huge potential for attracting an educated cosmopolitan workforce.

2. Investors Are Everywhere

As London becomes more and more of a startup hub, Venture Capital investors are also targeting the city. The city attracts a great number of investors who are looking to pour their money into the next big companies.

3. London Offers Great Opportunities For Exposure

Investors and founders understand that exposure plays a critical role when it comes to startups growth.

Considering that London is home to leading online and in print publications, startups enjoy great potential when it comes to targeted advertising.

4. London’s Growing Community

If you are the kind of investor who thrives from having the innovation and motivation around you, then London is most certainly the place to invest.

Startups have access to shared workspaces, networking events, and meetings where investors bump into each other and exchange ideas.

5. It’s Easier Than you Thought

Do you know that the UK government actively encourages startups by offering financial support and entrepreneurship visas?

Here is an overview of the great business grants available in the UK.

Access to a talented workforce and multiple VC firms are some of the top reasons to consider launching your business in London.

How Does A VC Firm Work?

Venture Capital is a form of equity financing where investors fund a company in exchange for equity.
The firm or person making the investments is the venture capitalist. Therefore, the venture capitalist buys a stake in an entrepreneur's idea, nurtures the idea for a short period, before existing. Note that a venture capital fund is not long-term investment. ideally, the venture capitalist invests in the company balance sheet until it reaches a certain size and credibility.

What Are The Roles Of A Venture Capital Firm?

Typically, good venture capitalists in San Diego provide assistance to startups in many significant ways. The top five roles of VC firms include:

General Partners: As general partners, the VC firm is responsible for all fund investment decisions and normally invest their capital in the fund.
Venture Partners: The VC firm will source investment opportunities and they are paid based on the deals they close.
Investment Principals: The VC firms take the mid-level investment-focused position, and have experience in investment banking or other experience relative to the fund investment strategy.
Associates: Junior staff experienced in investment banking or management consulting.
Entrepreneur-in-residence: They are industry experts hired as advisors or consultants to the venture capital firm temporarily, and often assist with due diligence or pitching new startup ideas.

What Does A Venture Capitalist Look for When Making an Investment?

VC firms look for a competitive advantage in the market. They are interested in their portfolio companies to be able to generate sales and profits before competitors enter the market. Therefore, before putting money into an opportunity, the VC firms want to know if the firm's management is up to the task, that the size of the market opportunity, and whether the product has what it takes to make money.

Ideally, all this is to reduce the riskiness of the opportunity.

meet the author

Pat Walls

I'm Pat Walls and I created Starter Story - a website dedicated to helping people start businesses. We interview entrepreneurs from around the world about how they started and grew their businesses.

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