DISCLAIMER – Past performance is not an indicator of future performance of VC funds.
What do the investors in Monzo, Oatly and Deliveroo all have in common? Simple. They’ve all included Seedrs investors in their recent funds.
That means that eligible Seedrs investors have been able to invest in VC firms with great track records, into funds run by some of the most experienced managers in Europe. Providing easy diversification into vetted deals, and access to sectors rarely available on platforms like Seedrs, these are just some of the VC funds that have raised on Seedrs.
Passion Capital
Passion Capital was established in 2011 to bring founder-friendly, operationally-minded venture investing to the UK and Europe. Founded by former entrepreneurs, Passion was one of the first operator-led venture funds both in Europe and with a female founding GP in Eileen Burbidge.
In 2011 there were plenty of established multi-stage VC funds serving the European market, including Index, Balderton, and Accel, but no dedicated pre-seed funds. Passion was one of the first dedicated pre-seed tech funds in Europe, translating the success of US firm First Round Capital to the European market.
Since its first fund, Passion has invested and continues to invest at the earliest possible investment round. They often invest alongside friends, family and angel investors, and look to acquire a meaningful stake (10-15%) in all the businesses they back.
The team is active with their investments, working closely with founders in the earliest stages. As companies enter the growth and scale phases the Passion team takes more of a back seat, letting other types of investors apply their expertise.
Passion is sector agnostic. The partners look to invest in compelling, motivated, and trustworthy founders working on exciting propositions with real potential.
Over the last eleven years the team has invested in and exited some of the strongest European founders and startups. Its portfolio includes Mendeley, GoCardless, Tide Banking, Monzo, Butternut Box, Marshmallow, and many more.
In 2021, whilst raising Fund III, the Passion team broke more industry norms and opened up an allocation of the fund to individual investors on Seedrs. This generated lots of excitement in the industry – with TechCrunch referring to it as ‘a first for Europe’. Passion hit its target in 20 minutes, saw £1m of investment through the platform in just an hour.
“Investment into a private venture fund is usually reserved for institutions. We are throwing our doors open to a much wider range of investors in this unique collaboration with Seedrs as we look to diversify our investor base and increase access for investors who might be interested in partnering with us. This way their single investment will be applied across a range of world-class entrepreneurial talent, rather than through the direct single company investment traditionally made through equity crowdfunding campaigns.”
Eileen Burbidge, Founding Partner, Passion Capital
JamJar Investments
Richard Reed, Jon Wright, and Adam Balon, the co-founders of Innocent Drinks, exited to Coca-Cola in 2013 for over $700m. Two days later they launched JamJar Investments Fund I with Katie Marraché, Europe’s youngest female VC partner and their former colleague at Innocent.
The team were inspired by their own experience when raising money for Innocent — when everyone said no! They finally caught a break with an angel investor who loved both the concept and the founding team, something JamJar now emulates. They focus on gifted and relentless entrepreneurs creating consumer brands that come to define and dominate their category, making the world a better place while doing so.
JamJar’s first fund backed several unicorns from inception and has had multiple successful exits, including Tails.com, Babylon Health, Deliveroo and Oatly. The £100m Fund II was launched to invest in the next generation of disruptive, brilliant UK and EU consumer startups, solidifying JamJar’s position as the UK’s leading consumer fund.
Through Seedrs, JamJar were able to invite their portfolio of founders, friends and family, and members of Seedrs Private Deal Room to invest in its second fund. All individual investors were able to invest on the same terms as the institutional LPs including the British Business Bank.
The second fund continues to focus on investing at the Seed and Series A stage, making around 10 investments per year. JamJar Fund II has backed some exciting consumer brands, including Urban Legend, the healthy doughnut company replacing Krispy Kremes in branches of Tesco nationwide, and Lucky Saint, the low-alcohol lager brand popping up in shops and pubs all over the UK.
“JamJar is looking forward to helping new category-defining brands win their fight. Consumer consciousness is in our blood and we are proud to be the first fund to absorb all Seedrs fees meaning our crowd has come in on exactly the same terms as larger LPs. ”
Katie Marraché, Partner, JamJar
“If you want pressure, that is how you put yourself under pressure. You get the British Business Bank’s money, your own money, and then all your friends and family and colleagues’ money. It focuses your mind.”
Richard Reed, Partner, Jamjar (The Times)
If you’re interested in learning more about JamJar and how the firm selects its investment opportunities, we interviewed Richard Reed at JamJar on our Go Fund Yourself podcast. Check out the episode here.
Coming soon on Seedrs
Hambro Perks
Hambro Perks is an international investment firm backed by leaders in the fields of finance and technology. They enable innovation by investing in breakthrough and growth technology companies.
Hambro backs the best founders to build global technology businesses across stages and sectors. The companies it invests in are at the forefront of their fields and are changing the way we live and work.
So far the firm has invested in over 130 companies across the globe, many of which have grown to become household names including MoneyBox, What3Words, Tide and PrimaryBid.
Hambro Perks has partnered with Seedrs as a VC Fund Partner, just like Passion Capital and JamJar Investments.
Sign-up here to receive updates on the partnership at the link below.
DISCLAIMER – Past performance is not an indicator of future performance of VC funds.
