Concept Ventures

🚀 JUST RELEASED: "Zero to One: The Pre-Seed Report" 📊 Today, we’re excited to share “Zero to One: The Pre-Seed Report” - revealing a powerful truth - Europe's pre-seed ecosystem is stronger than ever before, with the UK firmly leading this charge. 🔍 Key insights from our research: - European pre-seed funding has surged from $263M in 2018 to $867M in 2022, and settling comfortably at $500m+ a year.  - The UK dominates with 33% of all European pre-seed funding - more than Germany and France combined - Average UK pre-seed rounds have nearly doubled since 2018 - Two-thirds of UK pre-seed rounds now use SAFE instruments, giving founders greater flexibility In a time when negativity often dominates headlines, our data tells a different story - one of unprecedented #European growth and #UK leadership in nurturing tomorrow's unicorns like Wise, Revolut, Monzo, Synthesia, and ElevenLabs, all of which began with modest pre-seed rounds (sub $2.5m). As the UK's largest dedicated pre-seed fund, we're bringing much-needed transparency to this critical but often overlooked stage. Special thanks to the brilliant investors who contributed to this report: Jamesin Seidel (Chapter One), Jasper Masemann (Cherry Ventures), Pietro Invernizzi (firedrop), Sam Endacott (firstminute capital), Oliver Kicks, Lauren Sauerland and the team at SeedLegals for their valuable data insights. 👉 Read the full report here: https://lnkd.in/dV243T3n #PreSeed #VentureCapital #Startups #UKTech #EuropeanTech #FundingReport

Last night, Concept Ventures hosted an epic group of Palantir Alumni and current Palantarians alongside Dawn Capital I loved hosting our portfolio companies in a Panel alongside Victoria W. at ElevenLabs and Will Blyth at Arondite, where we shared insights on navigating early-stage tech, building companies, and the journey beyond Palantir. It was great to feel the energy in the room where ideas and problems people were working on were discussed and debated as well as re-uniting old colleagues and friends. A huge thank you to our speakers, attendees, and Dawn for making it happen. Looking forward to the next one! Watch this space for future events 👀 Shoutout to Zoe (Ziwen) Qin for all the help!!

Concept Ventures Partner, Oliver Kicks, spoke to Sifted recently regarding AI Agents and the investor perspective for this emergent technology - the next iteration of AI or another hype bubble? AI agents are on fire right now, with €481M already raised in 2025. But are we heading for another Web3-style boom and bust? Oliver warns, “a few AI agent plays are starting to ring alarm bells akin to the Web3 and Metaverse mania of recent times.” But he also added, “Founders who possess deep and hard-earned domain insight are unfairly positioned to build winning vertical-specific solutions.” Read the full piece here 🔗: https://lnkd.in/dUpGqaQs Adam Shuaib, PhD (Episode 1 Ventures), Denny G. (Runa Capital), Julia Flaig (JOIN CAPITAL), Adam Said, CFA (Octopus Ventures)

Final week to apply - Concept is hiring! 🚀 We're looking for a Technical Visiting Analyst to join Concept Ventures, the UK's leading pre-seed fund. This is a unique 3-month role with potential to convert full-time, where you'll help build our tech stack and create tools that power our investment and operations. What makes the role special: - Work directly with our investment and operations teams from Day 1 - Build and implement tools that drive our sourcing and value-add strategy - Get hands-on with technical due diligence for exciting early-stage startups - Be part of a team that's backed groundbreaking companies like ElevenLabs, VSim, and Treefera 📍 London (4 days/week in office) ⏰ Applications close Feb 17th, 12pm Perfect for builders who love solving problems and creating efficient solutions. Join us in backing the next generation of groundbreaking founders! #VentureCapital #Startups #TechJobs #London

🚀 From Zero to $3bn+: ElevenLabs raises $180M Series C Almost a year ago, ElevenLabs announced their Series B. Last week, they shared that they’ve raised a $180M Series C at a $3.3bn valuation, proving their position as the global leader in AI voice technology. As first believers in Mati & Piotr at pre-seed in 2022, it’s been incredible to witness their meteoric rise in under three years. Their mission to make information accessible in any voice, language, and sound is reshaping digital interactions at scale. 👏 Read more here: https://lnkd.in/dp7jWyjH #AI #VoiceTech #VentureCapital #ConceptVentures #ElevenLabs

🚀 Exciting Opportunity: Concept Ventures is hiring a Technical Visiting Analyst! Ever wondered what it's like to be the technical mastermind behind a VC fund? Here's your chance! 🛠️ We're hiring a Technical Visiting Analyst to join the team at Concept Ventures, the UK's leading pre-seed fund. This is a unique 3-month role (with potential to convert to full-time), where you'll be working alongside our investment and operations teams, enhance our tech stack, and build tools that power how we identify and support the next generation of groundbreaking founders. What you'll do: - Work directly with our investment and operations teams from Day 1 - Build and implement tools that drive our sourcing and value-add strategy - Get hands-on with technical due diligence for exciting early-stage startups - Be part of a team that's backed groundbreaking companies like ElevenLabs, VSim, and Treefera We're looking for problem solvers who love to build efficient solutions and are passionate about the startup ecosystem. 📍 Location: London (4 days in office, remote Fridays) ⏰ Applications close: February 17th (12pm) 🔗 Apply here: https://lnkd.in/eZUv_SR5 #VentureCapital #Startups #TechJobs #London #Hiring

Excellent to see Concept Ventures portfolio company Gendo featured by Sifted today as one of their '11 companies to have raised twice in 2024'. Also brilliant to see Will Jones and George Proud announce their partnership with Speckle. https://lnkd.in/edqydjpT

We’re excited to share our latest newsletter, brimming with portfolio wins and Concept highlights! 👉 Dive into the Q4 review here: https://lnkd.in/d3SPhSjZ

🌍Making an Impact Beyond Venture 💙 We believe that creating meaningful change goes beyond investing in innovative startups. This year, we're proud to have supported various causes and initiatives close to our hearts, from community upliftment to addressing global challenges. Huge Thanks to the teams that tirelessly drive these causes forward; 👏 ShareTheMeal Macmillan Cancer Support The Salvation Army Action Against Hunger UK One Kind Act Kidney Care UK Caudwell Children Berkshire Community Foundation The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust Womens India Association UK #ARORABALL #ShareToCare Goyal Foundation #YouthAidCouncil #Bluebell Go Dharmic #TheBigIssueFoundation Alzheimer's Society The Care Workers' Charity 🌟Looking forward to making an even greater impact in 2025! Reece Chowdhry Jeff Chowdhry Anrea Munsamy Lauren Sauerland Ariel Rahamim Seyon Indran Oliver Kicks #GivingBack #CommunityImpact #VenturePledge

🎄✨ Merry Christmas from All of Us at Concept Ventures! 🎄✨ Wishing our incredible network and community a joyous holiday season filled with love, laughter, and perhaps a little too much Christmas pudding! 🎁 Reece Chowdhry Ariel Rahamim Anrea Munsamy Jeff Chowdhry Seyon Indran Lauren Sauerland Oliver Kicks