Top 10 VC Firms in the United Kingdom

The startup scene in the UK is seeing good growth. A lot of its credit goes to the VC firms. They have been providing funding and support to businesses of various stages. In places like London, Manchester and Edinburgh, startups are growing rapidly. Most of the startups are focused on tech, finance, health, sustainable projects etc. The UK government also plays an important role. They are offering tax breaks to attract more investors. In this blog, we’ll try to give you a list with an overview of top 10 VC firms in the UK. We’ll try to talk about the unique stories, investments, and mission.

Here is our list:

1. Atomico

Atomico is a prominent venture capital firm. They support tech founders from all over Europe. They initiate their support from Series A and beyond. Startups get a huge assistance from their extensive operational expertise that helps fuel their growth. The firm has collaborated with 100+ dynamic teams that include big names like Klarna, Supercell etc. Atomico’s team of founders, investors and operational leaders has played important roles in the expansion, hiring, and marketing at renowned companies like Google, Twitter, Skype, and Uber. Currently, they manage an asset of $4.7 billion. 

Website: atomico.com

Founding Year: 2006

Investment Range: $100k to $300M

Stage: Early - Late

Sector: Technology

Investment Geography: Global

Notable Investments: Stripe, Supercell, Masterclass, Skype, Messagebird

2. Accel

Accel Ventures is a popular venture capital firm known for its early-stage investments. Most of their investments are for tech sector. They have a global reach with a diverse sector focus. They support startups all over the world. They provide valuable guidance in go-to-market strategies and business scaling. Altogether, it makes them very favorable partner for startups.

Website: accel.com

Founding Year: 1983 

Investment Range: $500k - $100M

Stage: Early - Late

Sector: Consumer Technology

Investment Geography: Global

Notable Investments: Flipkart, Bumble, Etsy, Dropbox, Deliveroo, Slack

3. Index Ventures

Index Ventures is a global venture capital firm. It is known for its collaboration with visionary entrepreneurs. It assists them in the growth and scaling of their businesses. The firm's primary focus lies in startups. It supports them from the initial stages to IPO and beyond. It results in long lasting partnerships. With an international presence, Index Ventures backs innovators across the globe. 

presence, Index Ventures backs innovators across the globe. 

Website: indexventures.com

Founding Year: 1996

Investment Range: $500k - $100M

Stage: Early - Late

Sector: Technology, FinTech

Investment Geography: Global

Notable Investments: Notion, Discord, Patreon, Wise, Trustpilot

4. Balderton Capital

Balderton is Europe's foremost venture capital investor. They are exclusively dedicated to European technology companies. They provide support to companies from the seed stage to exit, with a track record of backing groundbreaking firms such as MySQL, Betfair, The Hut Group, and Yoox Net-a-Porter. Companies within the Balderton portfolio benefit from their extensive network of globally connected executives with real-world experience in founding and growing technology firms, access to the Balderton CEO Collective, and a range of legal, talent, and marketing services through the firm's platform. 

Website: balderton.com

Founding Year: 2000

Investment Range: $500k - $50M

Stage: Seed to Exit

Sector: Consumer Technology

Investment Geography: Global (Focused on Europe)

Notable Investments: Big fish games, Infarm, Beauty pie, Jokr, Aircal

5. Episode 1

Episode 1 is a London-based venture capital champion. It has a heartwarming £60 million fund that's all about supporting UK software-driven startups. They've been like a beacon of hope for successful companies such as Carwow, Touch Surgery, Zoopla, and Attest. What makes them truly special is their knack for leading investment rounds, especially when teams bring fresh market insights and innovations, like "deep tech." 

Website: episode1.com

Founding Year: 2013

Investment Range: £500k - £3M

Stage: Seed to Series A

Sector: Technology, Software

Investment Geography: Europe

Notable Investments: Fig, Frame, Supercede, Zipcube, Superlinked

6. Octopus Ventures

Octopus Ventures is an innovative investment firm dedicated to the potential of transformative ideas and visionary individuals. They offer both funding and hands-on support throughout a venture's journey, from inception to IPO. With an annual investment of over £200 million, their seasoned team assists portfolio companies in achieving growth. Although located in London, they have partners in the U.S. and Asia, showing their commitment to global progress.

Website: octopusventures.com

Founding Year: 2007

Investment Range: £1M - £10M

Stage: Early-stage to Growth

Sector: Health, Fintech, Deep Tech, Consume, B2B Software

Investment Geography: Europe, The United States

Notable Investments: Sova, Vira, Zoopla, Big Health, Inflow

7. Molten Ventures

Molten Ventures is formerly known as Draper Esprit. They are a highly active European venture capital firm committed to supporting visionary tech entrepreneurs. They offer patient capital, international networks, and decades of business-building expertise. Molten Ventures is invested in a diverse portfolio featuring companies like Revolut, UiPath, Trustpilot, Ledger, and Graphcore. Their dedication is to empower disruptive, high-growth technology firms and back the entrepreneurs shaping the future.

Website: moltenventures.com

Founding Year: 2006

Investment Range: €2M - €50M

Stage: Early-stage to Growth

Sector: Early-stage to Growth

Investment Geography: Global (Focused on Europe)

Notable Investments: Agora, B2X, CoachHub, InstaMotion, Roomex

8. Seedcamp

Seedcamp is one of the Europe's pioneering seed funds. it invests early in visionary founders targeting large global markets and tech-driven solutions to real-world problems. The Seedcamp Nation comprises over 440 startups transforming how people live, interact, and transact. Notable members include UiPath, Wise, and unicorns like Revolut, Hopin, Sorare, Pleo, wefox, Grover, and viz.ai, as well as fast-rising ventures such as Ezra, THIS, and Synthesia. Seedcamp accelerates founders' visions by providing instant access to smart capital, a lifelong support community, and a global network shaped by over a decade of nurturing exceptional talent.

Website: seedcamp.com

Founding Year: 2007

Investment Range: €100k - €5M

Stage: Early-stage to Growth

Sector: Technology, FinTech

Investment Geography: Europe

Notable Investments:  Revolut, Hopin, Grover, Synthesia, Peppy, Sorare

9. Passion Capital

Passion Capital, a collective of entrepreneurs and operators, applies its rich experiences to support founders and early-stage teams in building exceptional digital media and technology companies. Committed to nurturing a thriving technology ecosystem in Europe, they firmly believe that a founder's passion and ability are the core drivers of business success. They take pride in their founders and teams, with notable successes like GoCardless, Tray.io, Mendeley, and many more, demonstrating their commitment to excellence and innovation in the digital realm.

Website: passioncapital.com

Founding Year: 2011

Investment Range:  £50k - £2M

Stage: Early-stage to Seed

Sector: Technology, Digital Media

Investment Geography: Europe, The United States

Notable Investments: Nested, PolyAi, Remato, Mixlr, Focalpoint, Culture AI

10. Forward Partners

Forward is known for partnering with ambitious teams that are in the process of building groundbreaking businesses. They offer funding that's fair and adaptable because they understand that every business has its own needs. They're involved from the very beginning, providing hands-on support in strategy and execution to help these teams reach their full potential more quickly.

Website: forwardpartners.com

Founding Year: 2013

Investment Range: £250k - £1M

Stage: Early-stage to Seed

Sector: Technology,  Healthcare

Investment Geography: Europe ( Focused on United Kingdom)

Notable Investments: Ably, Airsupply, Bighealth, ClickMechanic, FairHQ, Hailo