10 Most Active Venture Capital Firms in London
London has been leading the way in European venture capital (VC) funding and entrepreneurship for many years now, even giving Silicon Valley a run for its money. Venture capital firms have pumped over £74.6b into the city’s ecosystem in the past ten years, from high-risk, pre-seed companies to more established ventures.
Here, we’ve ranked the 10 most active venture capital funds in the capital, by number of investments made into London-based companies between 2015-2025. We’ve also analysed the state of investment in the capital in 2025, analysing which industries are seeing the highest investment activity.
Carry on reading for full profiles on each fund, including their investment criteria and some of the fast-growing businesses they’ve backed.
What are venture capital funds?
Venture capitalists are the most common equity investors in high-growth companies, ahead of both crowdfunding platforms and angel investors. VCs specialise in buying shares in and growing the valuations of private companies. But how does venture capital investment differ from other forms of startup funding? Unlike other institutional investors, many venture capitalists have been on the other side of the table, as founders of their own startups, so can offer their expertise and longer-term support, alongside growth finance.
Venture capital funds also typically invest in riskier portfolios than private equity and hedge funds, although each fund will have its own set of criteria outlining the types of investment opportunities considered. These decisions are made by fund managers (General Partners or GPs), whilst financial backing usually comes from large corporate investors or high-net-worth individuals (Limited Partners or LPs).
Venture capital in London’s startup ecosystem
Private equity and venture capital firms are very active investors in London startups and scaleups. Since 2015, 52% of equity deals secured by UK companies and backed by PE or VC firms have gone to businesses based in London.
Our data indicates that over the past ten years 4,585 funds have backed 6,896 equity investments in the city.
Aside from a marginal drop in 2018, VC activity in London has grown significantly over the past decade, from just 370 deals in 2015 to 970 in 2022. And despite — or potentially because of — the COVID-19 pandemic, we saw particularly strong growth in venture capital investment between 2020-2022. In 2025, PE and VC companies backed 529 deals for London-based companies, totalling £8.68b in investment.
This article looks at the most active venture capital funds in London, regardless of sector. If you want to narrow down these VCs even further, or dig into activity in other regions, then you can do so on the Beauhurst platform.
Whether you work in corporate finance and are looking to secure venture funding for your clients, or you’re an angel or fund seeking venture capitalists to co-invest with, Beauhurst data can indicate the best VC firms for you to approach and partner with.
The Deal 2026: Review of 2025 Equity Deals
London’s venture capital activity in 2025
In 2025, PE and VC funds backed 522 fundraisings worth £8.57b into London’s ecosystem. This number of rounds is down from 726 in 2024, but the amount invested is 20% higher than the previous year.
As with the past ten years, the lion’s share of this funding went to Seed-stage and Venture-stage companies (79%). Growth-stage companies secured 15% of the total funding from PE and VC funds, and Established-stage companies secured 5%.
Overall, London-based application software companies received the most funding (69%), with data provision and analysis companies coming in second place (22%). Online retailing companies also received significant funding (8%).
Most active venture capital firms in London 2015-2025
Listed here are London’s most active* venture capital firms from 2015 through to 2025. We’ve ranked these private equity and venture capital funds based on the number of rounds between 2015 and 2025.
These numbers are accurate as of 02 February 2025.
10.
BGF
Known investments:
108 rounds
81 companies
BGF invests in SMEs across all sectors and regions of the UK and Ireland. Its average investment is around £9m, with an average 27% equity share taken. BGF (formerly Business Growth Fund) has a strong success rate, with more than 100 exits by its portfolio companies.
BGF has backed over 600 companies across the UK in total. Alongside growth finance, the fund offers access to a global network of experts and other investors, as well as support with strengthening boards, succession planning, and exit strategies.
09.
TechStars Venture
Known investments:
127 rounds
111 companies
Techstars is a US-based, global venture capital firm and startup accelerator that invests in early-stage technology companies. It was founded by David Cohen, and is best known for its accelerator programmes. Techstars typically invests at the pre-seed and seed stage, providing founders with initial capital alongside intensive mentorship, founder education, and access to a worldwide network of investors, operators, and corporate partners.
The fund has invested over £355m into London-based companies. Its average investment is £1.34m, with an average 15% equity stake taken.
08.
Republic Europe
Known investments:
134 rounds
Companies TBC
Republic Europe, formerly Seedrs, is a global crowdfunding investment platform that enables both institutional and retail investors to back early-stage private companies. The Islington-based firm has participated in 2,288 fundraisings totalling £2.37b in London-based companies since it was founded as Seedrs in 2009. Its average amount invested is £1.04m, with an average 12% equity stake taken.
In addition to capital, Republic Europe supports founders through its investor community, fundraising infrastructure, and strategic guidance, helping companies raise follow-on funding and build engaged shareholder bases.
07.
AlbionVC
Known investments:
143 rounds
73 companies
AlbionVC, another Islington-based fund, focuses on backing early-stage technology companies, particularly those emerging from academic research and deep technical innovation. It was founded in 1996 as the technology investment arm of Albion Capital, and began investing as AlbionVC in 2017.
The fund has a strong presence in sectors such as healthcare, life sciences, software, and deep tech, often investing in spinouts from leading UK universities. Since it was founded, the fund has participated in 215 fundraisings totalling £2.53b in London-based companies, with an average investment of £12.0m.
06.
Octopus Ventures
Known investments:
146 rounds
Companies TBC
Founded in 2000 by Simon Rogerson, Christopher Hulatt, and Guy Myles, Octopus Group is a fund management company that has expanded into all kinds of areas, including energy, real estate, and wealth management. Its investments into private companies are carried out through its European venture capital arm, Octopus Ventures.
Since the fund launched in 2008, it’s primarily invested in businesses operating in the deep tech, B2B software, fintech, healthtech, biotech, consumer, and climate sectors. It looks to back companies led by talented entrepreneurs who are seeking to make a significant, positive impact on the world.
Investments typically start at £100k for pre-seed rounds and the fund seeks to continue supporting its portfolio companies through to IPO. The fund also provides companies with a network of coaches and operating consultants, alongside its Venture Partners.
05.
Access EIS
Known investments:
149 rounds
138 companies
Cambridge-based fund Access EIS is an investment manager specialising in tax-efficient early-stage investing through the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS). The fund backs high-growth startups across a range of sectors, with a particular focus on tech businesses.
Since it was founded in 2012, Access EIS has participated in 254 fundraisings totalling £266m in London-based startups, with an average investment of £1.07m. The stake taken by the fund in these deals averaged 18% at a £5.73m pre-money valuation.
04.
LocalGlobe
Known investments:
163 rounds
107 companies
Managed by Phoenix Court Group, LocalGlobe is a venture capital fund based in Camden. The most common sector it invests in is SaaS, with a particular focus on artificial intelligence.
LocalGlobe has participated in 255 fundraisings totalling £2.55b in London-based companies, with an average investment of £10.1m. The stake taken by investors in these deals averaged 27% at a £24.8m pre-money valuation.
03.
Ascension
Known investments:
163 rounds
120 companies
Ascension operates a collection of early-stage VC funds, built by exited entrepreneurs to back the next generation of technology and impact founders. With visibility of over three thousand investment opportunities a year, Ascension invests through a number of funds.
This includes tax-efficient funds like Ascension EIS, Ascension SEIS, and the Ascension Life Fund, as well as its institutional funds Fair By Design (an impact investing fund that backs businesses reducing the poverty premium) and Good Food Fund (backing innovative foodtech companies that tackle childhood obesity).
Whilst Ascension doesn’t publish its investment range, Beauhurst research indicates that it typically invests between £500k and £5m.
02.
Seedcamp
Known investments:
207 rounds
134 companies
Launched in 2007, Seedcamp invests in founders using technology to tackle large, global markets. The fund is focused on early-stage companies, and typically invests between £350k and £1m. Whilst its sector agnostic, Seedcamp most commonly backs software-as-a-service (SaaS) companies. The fund supports its portfolio companies to find product-market fit, build out their sales and marketing functions, and makes introductions to a global network of experts.
The fund has an excellent track record, having backed several of the UK’s unicorn companies, including Revolut, Wise (formerly TransferWise), and virtual events platform Hopin. Its portfolio also includes top fintech startups Primer, Curve, and challenger bank Monese.
01.
SFC Capital
Known investments:
288 rounds
238 companies
SFC Capital is one of the UK’s most active early-stage investors, specialising in seed-stage funding through SEIS and EIS structures. The fund invests primarily in technology and innovation-driven startups, with a focus on scalable business models and strong founding teams. It has participated in 288 rounds for London-based startups across 2015-2025, placing it at number one in our list.
Founded in 2012, the fund has backed 466 companies overall, across 581 funding rounds. Its average investment is £520k, with an average stake taken of 16% at a £2.73m pre-money valuation.
*Although the Beauhurst platform does track unannounced fundraisings, we’re only able to assign investors to a round if their participation has been announced to the press or Beauhurst directly. As such, the actual number of deals completed by these funds may be higher than stated.
How AlbionVC Uses the Beauhurst API
The future of venture capital funding in London
The future of venture capital funding in London has accelerated rapidly in the previous decade, marked by a dynamic startup landscape that has embraced technological advancements in industries such as cleantech and artificial intelligence. And as the capital continues to foster innovation and entrepreneurship, both private equity and venture capital firms are expected to continue playing a pivotal role in supporting the growth of emerging startups across the UK.
The rise of fintech, biotech, and sustainable technologies is likely to attract substantial investment, with London’s status as a global financial hub further enhancing its appeal to investors.
Additionally, collaborative efforts between government initiatives, corporate partnerships, and the venture capital community are anticipated to contribute to the resilience and adaptability of the London venture capital scene, ensuring its position at the forefront of the global innovation landscape.
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FAQs
There are currently 509 VC funds in London, as of 16 September, 2024.
A number of PE and VC funds use Beauhurst, including AlbionVC as well as Puma Private Equity, to find investment opportunities. Using Beauhurst, you can create Collections of companies based on a flexible set of criteria — and then import them to your CRM.
At Beauhurst, we’re always keeping on top of the latest developments in the private equity and venture capital circles. With this in mind, you can check out our full ranking of the most active VC funds across the UK on our blog.
