While global investment in fintech experienced a whopping 30% drop in 2022 compared with the previous year, things were much better in the UK, which saw a relatively low decrease in fintech funding (8%).
This number proves that despite the recession, the UK remains one of the most attractive fintech investment destinations. It’s the indisputable European leader and the second in the global fintech market.
If you are one of the early-stage startups looking to partner with a UK venture capital investor, we’ve got you covered. This guide explores the top fintech funds in the UK that are actively investing in promising startups.
10 top fintech investors in the UK
Seedcamp
Our number one pick is Seedcamp — a London-based fintech investment firm that started its way in 2007. The firm was launched by a group of 30 European investors, with Reshma Sohoni and Carlos Espinal as managing partners. According to its founders, Seedcamp was created with the genuine belief that exceptional talent can come from anywhere and that excellent people drive great success.
Today, the Seedcamp nation consists of over 460 startups, including nine European unicorns: Hopin, Wise, Revolut, Sorare, wefox, Pleo, UiPath, viz.ai, and Grover. Seedcamp is renowned for investing early in entrepreneurs attacking global markets and helping users solve their problems through technology, mainly focusing on fintech apps, marketplaces, SaaS, and analytics.
Anthemis
Anthemis Group is a global venture capital investment company headquartered in London with offices in Luxemburg, New York, and Geneva. It was founded by Sean Park, Amy Nauiokas, and Nadeem Shaikh, bankers focusing on angel investing. Since 2010, they have been cultivating change in the fintech sector by investing in fintech startups committed to resiliency, transparency, access, and equity.
Extensive experience in markets and business models combined with a passion for cutting-edge technology allows Anthemis Group to adapt financial services to the information age by investing in innovative fintech businesses.
Moreover, they’re among fintech investors that focus on diversity and inclusion — with over 58% of women, Anthemis belongs to the most gender, racially, and geographically diverse teams in the industry. Their most notable investments include Agreena, Trov, Greenspark, Flock, Matic, Hokodo, and others.
Force Over Mass Capital
Founded in 2013 by Martijn de Wever and Theo Osborne, the London-based Force Over Mass focuses on investing in B2B fintech companies across the UK and European markets that combine technology innovation (Industry 4.0, artificial intelligence, fintech) and robust business models. Force Over Mass is renowned for supporting entrepreneurs over multiple funding rounds, from Seed investments to Series B stage.
Force Over Mass has demonstrated excellent performance across Funds and exceptional fund risk profiles — even their oldest fund boasts a survival rate of 84% today.
Octopus Ventures
Octopus Ventures is one of the most active investors in the UK. According to their founder team, they invest in people, ideas, and industries that change the world. Besides empowering early-stage companies that innovate finance, they channel many of their efforts into helping businesses that focus on building a more sustainable planet and revitalizing healthcare.
As active fintech investors, Octopus Ventures prefer working with startups that strive to make transactions safer, faster, and more efficient. They support those exceptional entrepreneurs who transform traditional finance and change how consumers and businesses interact with money.
Hambro Perks Ltd.
One of the most active London-headquartered fintech funds, Hambro Perks was created in 2013 by Rupert Hambro and Dominic Perks. According to its founding team, the firm drives innovation by investing in breakthrough and growth technology businesses.
The Hambro Perks portfolio lists more than 100 firms, including Previse — an AI fintech startup, Tide — a mobile banking service for small businesses, HawkEye 360 — a geospatial analytics company, Movewise – a multi-agent property seller, and others.
Passion Capital
Since its launch in 2011, the firm has funded 95 early-stage tech startups, of which about half are fintech industry players. The founding team at Passion Capital is firmly convinced that companies recognizing the importance of environment, society, and governance issues have more chances to succeed.
They prefer working with businesses whose founders and team members are well aware of issues such as climate change and diversity. As active investors, they promise to nurture that awareness. Passion Capital has been recognized as one of the most active VC firms supporting innovations in fintech, with a high success rate in transforming Seed investments into Series A funding.
Global Founders Capital
Launched in 2013 by Oliver Samwer and headquartered in Berlin, Germany, Global Founders Capital is a global early-stage investor empowering gifted entrepreneurs. Over the past decade, the firm has supported over five hundred businesses, including Revolut, Facebook, Zalando, LinkedIn, Slack, TaxBit, etc.
LocalGlobe
If you’re looking for a VC firm with decades of experience in investing, consider LocalGlobe, which is based in London. This venture capital and private equity firm was founded in 1999 by Robin and Saul Klein, father and son.
Saul Klein is renowned for his outstanding investment track record. Besides growing LocalGlobe, he was a co-founder of LoveFilm and Seedcamp and a partner at Index Ventures.
While LocalGlobe is a generalist firm, it is known to have a particular interest in supporting fintech startups throughout all investment stages. In addition, they are interested in insurtech and open banking. Their most notable fintech investments include Justworks, Wise, and At-Bay.
SFC Capital
With over 400 investments made in innovative British startups since 2012, SFC belongs to the UK’s most active early-stage investment firms. The firm was founded by Stephen Page, who has been its CEO since its inception.
SFC Capital operates the leading SEIS fund, an EIS fund, and an angel network. By pairing their award-winning angel syndicate with their seed investment funds, the SFC team created a unique model that enables business angels to invest in promising startups either directly or via a diversified portfolio approach managed by their team.
Their portfolio is dominated by B2C tech, health, B2B software, and, of course, fintech startups, including Bean, FilmChain Group, MyFutureNow, Ryft, Sticky, and others.
Ascension
If you’re an ambitious early-stage tech startup looking for venture capital in the UK, consider partnering with Ascension, one of the most active Seed investors in the nation. Since their launch in 2010, they’ve backed over 175 startups through their (S)EIS & Institutional Funds. Besides their capital, the team at Ascension offers their extensive operational expertise, platform resources, and vast network to support startups on their journey to Series A and beyond.
The firm invests in UK technology and impact businesses across the Next Gen Media, New Work, Digital Health & Life Sciences, Sustainability, FinTech, Commerce, and Deep Tech sectors. Their most notable fintech investments include Albert, Arma Karma, Guardian Angel, SuperFi, Youtility, and many others.
Ready to fundraise?
If you’re in search of reliable venture capitalists, UK has a lot to offer. However, raising funds fast and putting your product or service on the market as soon as possible requires a well-thought-out approach. An exciting product idea, a firm business plan, and an ambitious team might not be enough for your startup to survive today’s intensely competitive business environment.
Let’s face it: investors tend to favour reliable, factual data over just exciting ideas. So before raising money, it’s wise to test your concept rather than rely solely on your experience and feelings. This is where it’s worth turning to experts for help.
With years of experience in building financial software and working with fintech startups, the team at DeepInspire can help you validate your concept and develop a comprehensive roadmap for a winning pitch. Get in touch with us at [email protected] if you need support and professional advice from fintech experts.
FAQ
How does venture capital work in the UK?
A VC firm will typically invest capital in exchange for equity in the company, letting the investors share in the company’s growth and profits. The process of securing VC funding in the UK is competitive due to investors conducting extensive due diligence before committing capital.
How many VC funds are there in the UK?
There are 547 active VC and PE funds in the United Kingdom.
How do I get into venture capital in the UK?
To work in venture capital, you need at least five years of professional success as an entrepreneur or management-level experience at a portfolio company or in the IT, health services, or biotechnology sector.
What is a fintech fund?
A fintech fund is an investment fund that provides capital to startups operating in the fintech industry. Fintech funds may invest in various companies across different industry sectors, including payments, insurance, lending, wealth management, etc. In addition to financial support, fintech funds can provide strategic guidance, mentorship, and access to networks of industry experts and partners.
