Techstart Ventures

Techstart Ventures is an early-stage venture capital manager operating from Edinburgh and Belfast. It says on its own site: "Techstart Ventures invests at inception to pre-seed stage. First cheques up to GBP 750k with capacity for follow-on. We are a venture capital fund that invest in teams with unique insights, global ambition & an obsessive approach to iteration." Its approach page states that it backs "Founders pursuing uncapped global opportunities from a base in Scotland or Northern Ireland", that it will lead, co-lead or selectively co-invest, that it typically writes first rounds of up to GBP 1 million and can participate meaningfully in rounds of up to GBP 2 million, and that it regards unique insights as more important than revenue and speed of learning as more important than customer numbers. It states no sector focus of its own, so sectors is left empty. The manager runs public-sector mandates rather than a single blended pool: Invest NI states that it "has appointed Techstart Ventures LLP to manage Techstart III", which comprises "A GBP 48m SME Equity Fund with initial investments up to GBP 1m and up to GBP 4m over a series of funding rounds" and "A GBP 7.2m Proof of Concept Grant Fund provides grants of up to GBP 40k"; separately, Techstart Ventures Equity Finance is described by the Scottish Government's Find Business Support service as equity finance of up to GBP 2 million per business managed on behalf of the Scottish Government under the Scottish Growth Scheme. Techstart Ventures LLP is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and its privacy policy identifies the data controller as "Techstart Ventures LLP (registered number NC001436)".

AUM 64/100 Power Score™ 2014 Founded Belfast, United Kingdom
Pre-Seed Sector-Agnostic
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Key Partners & Leadership

Partner
Partner
LLP Designated Member, Techstart Ventures LLP

Firm Timeline

2014
Invest NI states that Techstart Ventures LLP "has been working with technology entrepreneurs since 2014"; the Techstart NI vehicles, including TECHSTART NI SME EQUITY LIMITED PARTNERSHIP (NL000078), were registered in June 2014.
2017
TECHSTART VENTURES LLP is incorporated in Northern Ireland on 12 May 2017 with company number NC001436; James Robert John Andrews and Henry Richard Ernest Wilson are appointed LLP Designated Members on the same date, and PENTECH VENTURES LLP is recorded as an LLP Member from 30 June 2017.
2018
SCOTTISH GROWTH SCHEME - TECHSTART VENTURES EQUITY FINANCE LP (SL033425) is registered on 7 December 2018, the vehicle behind the Techstart Ventures Equity Finance mandate managed on behalf of the Scottish Government.
2019
Mark Stephen Hogarth is appointed an LLP Designated Member on 1 January 2019; TECHSTART VENTURES II LIMITED PARTNERSHIP (NL000738) is registered on 26 July 2019.
2025
TECHSTART VENTURES III LIMITED PARTNERSHIP (NL000921) is registered on 4 April 2025; Invest NI states that it "has appointed Techstart Ventures LLP to manage Techstart III" and that "Techstart III is now operational", comprising a GBP 48m SME Equity Fund and a GBP 7.2m Proof of Concept Grant Fund.
2026
TECHSTART SCOTLAND HOLDINGS LTD (SC882362) is incorporated in Scotland on 13 March 2026.
2026
The Department for the Economy announces on 2 March 2026 that Optik AI, farmdrive and Foresight received over GBP 1.8m in equity investment through Techstart Ventures, part of Invest NI's Access to Finance programme.