Schedule a Pitch

How it works

We understand fundraising can be incredibly time-consuming for founders and aim to be respectful of that. Our process enables us to move very quickly and efficiently, allowing us to provide fast decisions to founders.

We look forward to meeting you!

Schedule a Pitch ➝

1. TMP Booking & Willo Responses

Schedule a Ten-Minute Pitch (TMP) with us using the 'Schedule a Pitch' button.

Before we meet, you will be asked to answer three short video questions via Willo (one of our portfolio companies). These videos are reviewed before each TMP and are shared with the entire Investment Team.

N.B. You will receive an email with the Willo details once you have used the 'Scheduled a Pitch' button.

2. TMP held through Zoom

A member of our Investment Team will meet you via a Zoom call, where you will be able to give us your best pitch.

Our Investment Team holds a weekly triage of all new TMPs. We aim respond within five working days with a pass or an invitation to continue the process.

3. Q&A

The next stage is a detailed questionnaire searching for vital and focused written responses to a standardised set of questions.

The responses are triaged as soon as they come in and we aim to respond the day after we have reviewed them.

4. Partner Call

This is an in depth recorded call with a partner and a member of the Investment Team, who will rigorously quiz your founding team to assess the strength of your proposition.

Each Partner Call is recorded such that it can be shared with the rest of the team.

5. Commitment in Principle

This is the final stage, where we communicate that we are willing to invest. This is subject to satisfactory due diligence, the completion of the fund raising round by the target, and legal documentation.

6. Invest!

Once a commitment in principle is made, the Investment Committee convenes to grant final investment approval. Once approved, funds will be wired and are expected to be deposited into your bank account within five working days.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does 1818 invest in?

We invest in UK based, early stage, high growth businesses that are focused on delivering digital technology solutions to end users.

We are committed to investing in underrepresented founders and companies with a strong social purpose.

What funding stages do you invest in?

We invest early: Pre-Seed, Seed, Bridge and Series A investment rounds.

Where does 1818 invest?

We invest in companies incorporated in the UK or the Middle East region (GCC nations - Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, or the United Arab Emirates), as this is where our network is strongest.

Do you invest in primary or secondary opportunities?

We invest in both primary and secondary opportunities, which our investor base find attractive.

What is your guiding investment criteria?

For an investment to be attractive, the target business must have:
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- The potential to achieve 10x return on investment
- An attractive target market
- An understandable and viable route to market
- A competitive market edge
- A commercial model with clear financial benefit to the company
- A clearly articulated proposition which can be scaled
- An appealing user-focused solution
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Typically, investee companies will have an initial valuation of between £1m -£20m.

What do you look for in a founder?

We believe that talented and visionary founders and leaders are significant value drivers of early-stage investment opportunities.
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1818’s strategy is to look for leadership teams that have:
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- Intelligence, high conviction, and new ideas
- Ambition, passion, drive
- An abundant mindset
- Tenacity, resilience, and integrity
- A balance of relevant skills
- Curiosity, openness, and realism

Do you have a focus on specific sectors or themes?

Our primary investment focus is on the FinTech sector. However, we occasionally explore opportunities in other sectors as well.

Where are you based?

We are based in Guernsey in the Channel Islands. Guernsey is a politically and financially stable, self-governing British Crown Dependency situated in the English Channel about 80 miles off the coast of the United Kingdom. It is a leading international financial centre in the sterling zone.
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Our registered office is at: Carinthia House, 9-12 The Grange, St Peter Port, Guernsey, GY12QJ.

Do you lead investment rounds?

We typically avoid taking the lead investor role. Nevertheless, we are happy to introduce you to our partners and network, who might be interested in leading the round.

What do you offer your portfolio companies besides investment?

We provide practical support and resources to the companies we invest in, which include:

‍Mentorship: Our team offers guidance and mentorship to assist in addressing challenges and capitalising on opportunities. We work with our portfolio companies to provide support in areas such as corporate advice, strategic fundraising guidance, marketing and pitch deck creation, brand development, commercial strategy, and more.

‍Directorships: We may take an active role on your board of directors, contributing our expertise and insights to help steer your company toward success.

‍Observer Seats: We may have a presence in important board meetings to closely monitor progress and contribute our insights.

‍Portfolio Synergies: We actively facilitate connections and collaborations among the companies in our portfolio, fostering synergies and opportunities for mutual growth.

1818 Masterclass Sessions: You'll be invited to our monthly masterclasses, ensuring you stay at the forefront of your sector by accessing in-depth industry knowledge, best practices, and the latest trends.

‍Introductions to Other VC’s: We have an extensive network within the venture capital community and can introduce you to potential co-investors and strategic partners to help drive your company's growth.

‍Key Industry Contacts: We can connect you with key players and decision-makers in your specific industry, opening doors to valuable opportunities and collaborations.

What our Founders are saying

Hear from some of our amazing portfolio companies below

"1818 Venture Capital have been a pleasure to work with. They are super supportive and are always happy to provide feedback or bounce around new ideas. The whole team are approachable, friendly and kind human beings who make it a priority to build great relationships with founders. They are truly excited about innovative products, they challenge you when needed and once you are a portfolio company, will tell everyone and anyone about you/your business! They have made many useful introductions and are always connecting us to fellow founders. Just all round good people."

Jade Bates

Co-Founder and CEO, Dexla

"1818 Venture Capital are quite simply a superb firm to work with. Extremely supportive, they provide genuine help for their portfolio companies along the journey, going above and beyond expectations. An extremely personable team to deal with, they strike the right balance between challenge and collaboration. They are selective in their investment choices and have a habit of picking the right companies - I would recommend any founder to take their investment if offered."

James Lynn

Co-Founder and CEO, Currensea

"1818 Venture Capital has been a pleasure to deal with - they're approachable, move quickly (one of the reasons why we decided to go with them as our lead investor), offer fair terms, and have been a supportive investor since. 1818 provide a good balance between healthy questioning and challenge and giving the founding team autonomy and support to run the business. Definitely recommend them."

Tatseng Chiam

Co-Founder and COO, RideTandem

"1818 Venture Capital are honestly one of the best VCs I have ever come across. They are friendly, reasonable and honest people who really care about the Founder. They are supportive in the ways you need them to be and are always looking out for connections they can make that might help your business. They are kind, collaborative and take a different approach to pitching Founders which I found to be far more inclusive than any other VC I've met."

Chantal Epp

Founder and CEO, Clicknclear

"Quite simply without Richard, there would be no Pie Funds. He was business partner, mentor, director, support and everything else you would want from a VC investor. He believed in my vision and gave me the confidence to follow my dream. On top of this he’s actually a really nice person who always keeps his word and will treat you fairly, which is definitely what you want when starting out."

Mike Taylor

Founder and CEO, Pie Funds

"It's been a beautiful partnership. Richard is more than just money to me, he's a close personal friend. I feel that I can share absolutely anything, and everything with Richard, it's a fantastic relationship. The whole 1818 team have been very supportive, and very championing of our business. They push us forward and really help us to grow. Getting investment into your business is tough, getting investors who ACTUALLY give more than money is even tougher."

Mark Costello

Founder and CEO, Taveo

"The 1818 team is not only utterly lovely, they are amazing cheerleaders and collaborators. We only work with people we like and we really like 1818."

Paul Archer

Founder and CEO, Duel

"Working with the team at 1818 has been great. They have been really supportive from the outset and have been helpful at making relevant introductions and connections from their network. They offer good counsel, but without pushing an agenda. It genuinely feels like they are by your side as a founder."

Stuart Lewis

Founder and CEO, Rest Less

"Hugely helpful, kind and a real support. I have been delighted to have their backing. I would recommend them."

Rachael Crook

Founder and CEO, Lifted

"1818 Venture Capital have supported Laka financially and commercially from our earliest days and the strong domain expertise of the team continues to prove invaluable."

Tobias Taupitz

Founder and CEO, Laka

"1818 Venture Capital were courteous, transparent and supportive in our fundraise. We're looking forward to working alongside them as we continue to grow and scale MOONHUB."

Dami Hastrup

Founder and CEO, MOONHUB

"If I'm ever looking for brutally honest feedback on VC's, I reach out to my founder networks (such as Landscape) and have 20 founders offering me feedback within minutes. It's the difference between accepting and rejecting investment offers for thousands of founders. I consistently sing the praises of 1818 Venture Capital for bringing so much value to my business."

Jamie Beaumont

Founder and CEO, Playter

"Working with 1818 has been a great experience. From the outset, they have demonstrated a commitment to not just investing but helping our business grow and prosper. They can be relied upon to do the right thing and have a great network of contacts that help and support our growth."

Richard Jackson

Founder and CEO, WatchMyCompetitor

"It has been an absolute pleasure working with 1818. From the beginning they where very transparent about the process, offered fair terms and where open to negotiation. Since closing the investment they have added value to our company and I would definitely recommend adding them to your cap table if you have the opportunity."

Lenny Leeman

Founder and CEO, Greenspark

Join 40+ startups growing with 1818

How it works

1. TMP Booking & Willo Responses

2. TMP held through Zoom

3. Q&A

4. Partner Call

5. Commitment in Principle

6. Invest!

Frequently Asked Questions

What our Founders are saying

"The 1818 team is not only utterly lovely, they are amazing cheerleaders and collaborators. We only work with people we like and we really like 1818."

"Hugely helpful, kind and a real support. I have been delighted to have their backing. I would recommend them."

"1818 Venture Capital have supported Laka financially and commercially from our earliest days and the strong domain expertise of the team continues to prove invaluable."

"1818 Venture Capital were courteous, transparent and supportive in our fundraise. We're looking forward to working alongside them as we continue to grow and scale MOONHUB."

"Working with 1818 has been a great experience. From the outset, they have demonstrated a commitment to not just investing but helping our business grow and prosper. They can be relied upon to do the right thing and have a great network of contacts that help and support our growth."

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Join 40+ startups growing with 1818

How it works

1. TMP Booking & Willo Responses

2. TMP held through Zoom

3. Q&A

4. Partner Call

5. Commitment in Principle

6. Invest!

Frequently Asked Questions

What our Founders are saying

"The 1818 team is not only utterly lovely, they are amazing cheerleaders and collaborators. We only work with people we like and we really like 1818."

"Hugely helpful, kind and a real support. I have been delighted to have their backing.​ I would recommend them."

"1818 Venture Capital have supported Laka financially and commercially from our earliest days and the strong domain expertise of the team continues to prove invaluable."

"1818 Venture Capital were courteous, transparent and supportive in our fundraise. We're looking forward to working alongside them as we continue to grow and scale MOONHUB."

"Working with 1818 has been a great experience. From the outset, they have demonstrated a commitment to not just investing but helping our business grow and prosper. They can be relied upon to do the right thing and have a great network of contacts that help and support our growth."

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Subscribe to our Newsletter

"Hugely helpful, kind and a real support. I have been delighted to have their backing. I would recommend them."