Funding / Entrepreneur
INVESTING Individual Investor Financial Adviser FUNDING Entrepreneur Real Estate Fern Trading

Championing people and ideas that make a difference

We invest in companies that future generations can be proud of

Our portfolio

Backed in

2022

Status

Current

Founder(s)

Alan Bourne
B2B Softwaresovaassessment.com

About Sova

Assessing potential candidates for recruitment can be messy and complicated. Sova was created to break the status quo and improve the world of assessment.

Sova is a fully customisable digital platform that enables you to make accurate and fair data-driven decisions and create immersive digital candidate experiences. AI is used ethically and intelligently, making sure decisions are based on science and powered by technology. It merges the flexibility of a top-level SaaS platform with the expertise and accuracy of a leading assessment provider, helping businesses to find the right person for every position.

Sova offers a future-focused view of people and potential, for recruitment and development, for every role and at every career stage.

Related articles

Should founders beware of venture debt?
Headcount calculator
The Employee Headcount Calculator – and responsible hiring for start ups 
Our investment in Apheris
Depop logo
Depop logo

Backed in

2018

Status

Exited

Founder(s)

Simon Beckerman & Maria Raga

About depop

Customers are more worried about waste than ever, and brands don’t dictate trends anymore.

Depop offers an alternative option to big retailers, giving customers the chance to curate their wardrobes sustainably.

It’s a mobile space driven by inspiration and sustainability, allowing consumers to explore style and the latest trends in a fashion system that’s kinder to people and the planet.

Depop was founded by co-founder of PIG magazine, Simon – originally as a social network where PIG’s readers could buy items featured in the magazine. Simon re-envisioned the app as a global marketplace after realising it needed a selling function.

With more than 26 million users in over 150 countries, it’s keeping millions of items of clothing in rotation.

The company is on a journey to make fashion more inclusive, more diverse and more sustainable.

Depop is becoming a global conduit of connection. Not just in ecommerce, but in culture, design and creative communities worldwide.

Related articles

Smiley face on yellow background
Consumer happiness and business families
Our investment in HURR
voice messaging mic with sound waves
Why voice messaging should have everybody talking
Vira logo
Orbex logo
Orbex logo

Backed in

2020

Status

Current

Founder(s)

Chris Larmour
Deep techorbex.space

About Orbex

Orbex is finding ways to put tech into orbit more cheaply and more sustainably. The team uses the latest 3D printing techniques to build components quickly and cheaply for their rockets.

The company has developed one of the most advanced, low-carbon, high-performance micro-launch vehicles in the world, Orbex Prime.

It offers a flexible core launch service and a suite of supporting services to make life easier for customers. Its advanced launch vehicle means higher reliability, more flexible mission profile types and a regular, scheduled launch service.

The market for small launch services is large but there was no dedicated micro-launch facility in Europe. The combination of demand, limited supply and Orbex’s market-leading position has enabled them to agree contracts for their first 25 launches, just five years after the company’s formation.

Space these days has become the provision of billionaires but Orbex represents a new breed. Its progress towards achieving sustainable space travel will have positive repercussions over generations.

Related articles

Our investment in Phlux
Data centre wires
Unlocking deep tech’s revolutionary potential
How we think about our decision making process
Big Health logo
Big Health logo

Backed in

2016

Status

Current

Founder(s)

Peter Hames & Colin Espie

About Big Health

Big Health’s mission is to help millions back to good mental health by providing safe and effective non-drug alternatives for the most common mental health conditions. Designed by leading clinical experts and backed by 13 RCTs (randomised controlled trials), Sleepio™ for insomnia and Daylight™ for worry and anxiety are among the world’s most evidenced digital mental health solutions. These programmes seamlessly integrate into primary care, enabling clinically effective self management of mental health. With offices in London and San Francisco, Big Health’s digital therapeutics are used by leading health systems like the NHS and large multinational employers.

Related articles

‘Why you don’t want me on your board’
Our investment in Inflow
Rethinking growth investing
It’s time to rethink growth investing
ManyPets logo
ManyPets logo

Backed in

2016

Status

Current

Founder(s)

Steven Mendel & Guy Farley

About ManyPets

ManyPets provides award-winning pet insurance that has been built around the needs of pet parents. They take a fresh approach within the industry, including policies for existing conditions and access to a video-calling service that connects pet owners with vets, giving them quick access to animal expertise and extra peace of mind. The claims process has been designed to be easier and all doable online, with live updates on claims and a friendly support team on hand.

Related articles

Trend spotter: Natasha’s fintech predictions for 2023
Our investment in Cobee
Our investment in Nosso
Inflow logo
Intigriti logo
Zoopla logo
Zoopla logo

Backed in

2009

Status

Exited

Founder(s)

Alex Chesterman & Simon Kain

About Zoopla

Zoopla is a website and app that helps people make informed decisions about the property market. Changing home can be really exciting, but it can also be confusing and stressful. Zoopla’s industry-leading data and powerful software helps to take some of the stress out of the process, putting market knowledge in the hands of the people who need it.

The site lists millions of properties. Prospective buyers and renters can apply helpful filters to find the home that’s just right for them, while those looking to sell or let a property can discover what their place is worth. Zoopla’s house price estimates give a sense of what the market is doing in each area, giving owners a realistic understanding of the value of their homes, and giving buyers and tenants the information they need to avoid paying over the odds.

Related articles

Smiley face on yellow background
Consumer happiness and business families
Our investment in HURR
voice messaging mic with sound waves
Why voice messaging should have everybody talking
Permutive logo
Permutive logo

Backed in

2017

Status

Current

Founder(s)

Joe Root & Tim Spratt
B2B Softwarepermutive.com

About Permutive

User privacy is resetting the ad industry. GDPR has made handling consumer information complicated and created regulatory risk for countless companies.

Permutive has addressed a gap in the market by safeguarding users and companies’ revenue in turn – so businesses stay out of crisis mode and in control of their fate.

Its privacy-safe infrastructure helps publishers and advertisers reach audiences safely and in the moment, and keep control of their first-party data.

Permutive has ended use of third-party cookies and exposed user IDs for the good of its customers. Its clients have activated 100% of their audience while fully safeguarding them from privacy risks and industry change.

Permutive customers can transform any identifier they work with into privacy-safe formats for matching through to activation – all without cloud limitations. This means maximum storage, accelerated processing and minimised latency for immediate insights and audience targeting.

It pays to understand your audience, but you don’t need to identify everyone in it. Permutive has set out to help its users earn audiences’ trust – protecting the relationships between publishers and their users.

Related articles

Should founders beware of venture debt?
Headcount calculator
The Employee Headcount Calculator – and responsible hiring for start ups 
Our investment in Apheris


Sign up to our newsletter

Get the latest on the people, businesses and ideas that will change the world.

See our privacy notice