Love Ventures

On April 17th, Alice Knibbs is co-hosting an evening spotlighting the brilliant women building the UK's next generation of consumer AI with our friends at True. vc. ✨ It will be a chance for early-stage female founders and investors to come together, exchange ideas and build relationships with fellow VCs who are equally as excited as we are to invest in the space. If you’re a founder (or know one!) who should be in the room, tag them below. 👇 We can’t wait to meet the talent shaping the future of consumer AI. #ConsumerAI #WomenInAI #FemaleFounders #VentureCapital #EarlyStageStartups #TechForGood

Yesterday marked the final day of the April 2024 - April 2025 Cohort of the Love Ventures EIS Fund, which provided participating investors with a portfolio of nine incredible companies. We welcomed five new companies to the Love Ventures portfolio, while providing follow-on funding to four of the most promising businesses from previous cohorts: Bourn is reinventing the overdraft for B2B corporates and SMEs by bringing trade receivables into the modern day, led by Nick Tracey, Roger Vincent and Paul Gambrell. Fifth Dimension is building Ellie, the AI-powered operating system for document heavy industries, like real estate, revolutionising how professionals interact with their work environment, led by Dr. Kate Jarvis and Johnny Morris. givestar empowers the next generation of philanthropic fundraising and giving. It connects fundraisers and donors with over 170,000 charities, enables payments, and provides a place for friends to inspire their networks, led by Alexander Coleridge and Tom Montague. HomeCooks is a food marketplace that connects food creators to consumers as it continues on its mission to become the Etsy of Food, led by Josh Magidson. Jove Insurance is transforming the fragmented contractor and small business insurance space with its proprietary AI-driven insurance validation tool that integrates seamlessly into HR and ATS systems, led by Lizhen Cai. Mintago is a B2B financial wellness SaaS platform that enables SME businesses and their employees to save money whilst improving employees’ financial health, led by Chieu Cao and Daniel Conti. POCKLA builds high performing content engines for forward thinking consumer brands. Its AI enabled service combines content strategy, ideas and execution for both organic and paid channels, led by Rupert Boddington and Hugo Bibby. SalesDesk is building the all-in-one sales stack to unify a fragmented sales tools ecosystem and reap the benefits of bringing all the interaction data into one platform, led by Jon Folland. TBA: The final member of the cohort will be announced very soon, so stay tuned. Welcome to Love Ventures to all members of the April 2024/2025 Cohort! We can’t wait to see what we build together!

Delighted to share news of our recent investment into POCKLA as they set out on their mission to help brands market like the world's leading content creators. We're super excited to be working alongside a stellar group of investors to support Rupert, Hugo, Briony and the whole POCKLA team as they shake up the marketing and content ecosystem. The way consumers discover products and services has shifted drastically, so if you're a brand looking to cut through the noise and better engage your audience through authentic content, then reach out to Rupert and the POCKLA team to get started. Here's to the next phase of supercharging social-first brands; onwards and upwards. 💙

It's great to see Sifted name one of our portfolio companies Tembo on their Top 100 fastest growing startups in 2025. Congrats team Tembo! Having recently closed their Series B led by Goodwater Capital, this is no mean feat at increasing scale and demonstrates the huge strides Tembo are making in transforming access to home-ownership. At a time when some question the dominance of Fintech, one of Love Ventures' key focus areas, it's good to see it cement its crown as the major vertical in the UK, expanding to 40 companies from 31 last year. Kudos to Richard, Eddie, Geoff, Polly and the whole Tembo team for another milestone on their mission to make homeownership happen! You can read the full report in the comments 👇

☀️ 𝗦𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗕𝘂𝗱𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 Yesterday’s Spring Statement reveals a nuanced yet promising landscape for Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) investors and the UK startup ecosystem. 🏡𝗧𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘀 An additional £2bn in spending to fund the commitment to build 1.5 million homes in the UK is a step in the right direction toward tackling the housing crisis. This is an area we are particularly focused on through our investment in Tembo, who are helping get young people on the housing ladder. 🚨𝗨𝗻𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗞'𝘀 𝗣𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹  A focus on boosting productivity within the UK with a plan to tackle the 18% gap we have to the US. Also welcome was a continued commitment to fostering entrepreneurship within the UK and ensuring that our best companies and talent don’t need to leave these shores to grow a business. 📣𝗘𝗜𝗦 𝗥𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲𝘀 The government has announced a series of roundtable discussions with key stakeholders in April. With the extension of the sunset clause through to 2035 we know that S/EIS is secure, but could we see any of the reliefs being tweaked? Let us know what you thought of the Spring Statement down below. #UKStartups #EIS #SpringStatement #Entrepreneurship #TaxEfficientInvesting

We're excited to be participating alongside 190 VCs in the Europe-wide Female Founder Office Hours on 3rd April 2025, led by Playfair Capital in collaboration with Microsoft for Startups. To date, this initiative has brought together over 2,800 founders for 12,000 one-to-one investor meetings across 12 editions!   These Office Hours are held several times a year, so for any women who have missed out this time but are interested in attending a future event, find out more about the initiative here: https://lnkd.in/eBCVpUFU   #officehours #femalefounders #diversity #inclusion #founders #vc #technology

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗘𝗜𝗦 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴? As the tax year-end approaches, investors are reviewing their tax planning strategies. In today’s uncertain market, the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) stands out as a compelling option - offering both significant tax benefits and access to high-growth early-stage businesses. 🇬🇧 𝗕𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗕𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 🇬🇧 • Momentum is growing around the UK and Europe’s venture ecosystem, positioning it as a strong challenger to the US. The UK is home to some of the world’s brightest minds, but innovation needs capital to thrive. • With the Mansion House reforms set to inject £50bn into UK private equity by 2050, the landscape for early-stage investing has never been more promising. 🐣 𝗘𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆-𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 • EIS offers investors a front-row seat to some of the UK’s most exciting startups.  • By investing at Pre-Seed to Series A, you’re gaining exposure to businesses with the potential for outsized returns - though, of course, early-stage investing comes with risks. ⚖️ 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝘁-𝗜𝗻 𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗸 𝗠𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 • Early-stage investing is inherently risky, and some companies in your portfolio will fail. However, EIS provides two key risk-reducing benefits: ✅ 30% income tax relief on the amount invested ✅ Loss relief if an investment doesn’t work out • This combination helps soften the impact of any underperforming investments while maintaining exposure to high-growth opportunities. 🧮 𝗔 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗧𝗮𝘅 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗼𝗼𝗹 • With Capital Gains Tax (CGT) on the rise, EIS is an attractive option for those looking to manage tax liabilities when selling assets. For example, buy-to-let property owners looking to reduce their exposure to real estate can use EIS to defer CGT by reinvesting gains. • EIS allows investors to defer their CGT bill by investing the gain.  • Take a look at the case study below to see this in action. Want to learn more? Book a call with us here - https://lnkd.in/ev_9zGhD Capital at Risk. Don’t invest unless you’re prepared to lose all the money you invest. This is a high-risk investment, and you are unlikely to be protected if something goes wrong. Take 2 mins to learn more: https://lnkd.in/ePqWQ3cr.

𝐉𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐈𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐖𝐞𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫: 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐕𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐄𝐈𝐒 𝐅𝐮𝐧𝐝 – 27 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 Considering an EIS investment before tax year-end? Join General Partners Adrian Love and Marcus Love on 27 March, when they will provide an overview of our pipeline of investments for the Love Ventures EIS Fund: April 2025 - April 2026, and share insights into the businesses we are backing. This session will help investors understand the sectors we focus on and the potential for growth and innovation within our portfolio. Key Details: 📅 Date: 27 March 2025 ⏰ Time: 17:30 Capital at Risk. Don’t invest unless you’re prepared to lose all the money you invest. This is a high-risk investment, and you are unlikely to be protected if something goes wrong. Take 2 mins to learn more: https://lnkd.in/ePqWQ3cr. Register here: https://lnkd.in/d8bmH_i6 or reach out to Olly Norman for more information.

Venture capital isn’t just failing women—it’s failing itself. 💰 Investors are leaving billions on the table by overlooking female founders, despite delivering 2x the revenue per dollar invested than male-led startups on less capital raised. For every £1 invested in men, 1p goes to female founders—and as mentioned in our post earlier this week, it’s costing the UK an estimated £250bn. This isn’t a women’s issue, it’s an economic imperative. Yet, institutional inertia, unconscious bias and rigid decision-making models continue to shape the VC landscape, and not for the better. Barriers are systemic, but they are fixable: 🔍 Women hold 16% of Investment Committee seats, with 61% of UK investment teams have no women at all. 🧐 Unconscious bias in investment decisions means women founders are more likely to be asked “preventative” questions, while men receive “promotional” ones. 👬 Venture networks remain closed, with 92% of VC deals coming through warm introductions. As outlined in our previous post, the firms that break the mould won’t just lead on inclusion; they’ll lead on returns. Here are some key areas that we at Love Ventures are challenging ourselves on internally to help close the gender funding gap: 🤓 Redesigning investment processes: Standardising pitch evaluations removes bias, ensuring women aren’t asked defensive questions while men are asked about growth potential. AI-driven tools can also help reduce human bias in funding decisions. 🤝 Building wider networks: Expanding access to investment opportunities beyond traditional circles. Targeted outreach and structured networking can connect more female founders with investors. 🌱 Providing earlier-stage capital: Gender bias exists across all stages of VC, but the disparities in capital allocation compound over time, leaving women in greater need of early-stage support, where they face a higher barrier in securing pre-seed and seed funding than male peers. 👫 Increasing female representation in decision-making: More diverse leadership leads to better funding decisions and greater capital flow to female founders. Over the coming months, we’ll be sharing more on how we’re thinking about ways to challenge bias, expand networks and support more female founders—stay tuned. #VentureCapital #DiversityInVC #InvestingInWomen

Female founders could add £250bn to the UK economy if given equal access to capital. Following International Women’s Day this weekend, we’re celebrating the achievements of women entrepreneurs while recognising the work still needed to unlock more venture funding for female-led businesses in the UK. And there’s a lot of work to do; industry data isn’t pretty: 🔹 Currently, women-led businesses contribute £85bn annually to the UK economy. However, they receive just 2% of UK VC funding.  🔹 All-female teams secured just £138m of the £8.5bn invested in UK startups in 2023. 🔹 Only 10% of pitches to VCs come from all-female teams. 🔹 75% of female founders struggle to raise capital, compared to 61% of male founders. 🔹 UK female founders typically raise 15% less in their seed rounds compared to male founders. The VC landscape and investment processes have a lot to answer for in contributing to this disparity. And yet, the pace of change in venture to address the founder gender gap remains slow, despite clear economic opportunity: 💡 Women-led businesses deliver twice the revenue per dollar invested than male-led startups, despite raising less capital. 💡 Companies with 30%+ women on their executive teams are 25% more likely to outperform on profitability. 💡 Mixed-gender founding teams deliver 25% higher valuation increases between funding rounds. For a nation focused on solving its productivity puzzle, closing the gender funding gap in the U.K. isn’t just a fairness issue - it’s an economic necessity. Stay tuned for our upcoming post this week for a deeper dive into existing barriers and what VCs, including us at Love Ventures, must do more of to drive quicker change and close the gender funding gap. #IWD2025 #FemaleFounders #VCFunding #UKProductivity #EconomicGrowth