Octopus Ventures is one of the largest venture capital investors in Europe. A big focus of their efforts is around building a more sustainable planet.
For Pre-seed: £100k. For Seed to Series B: Starting at £1 million
Pre-seed, Seed, Series A - Series B
Octopus Ventures is one of the largest and most active venture capital investors in the UK and Europe, headquartered in London as part of the Octopus Group. Founded in 2008, the firm is led by a team of experienced investors, founders, and managers with deep expertise across technology, healthcare, finance, and sustainability. Octopus Ventures partners with innovative startups developing transformative technologies and disruptive business models that tackle major global challenges, including building a sustainable planet, empowering people, and revitalising healthcare. The firm invests across early to growth stages and is certified as a B Corporation, reflecting its commitment to social and environmental responsibility.
Octopus Ventures’ mission is to invest in the people, ideas, and industries that will change the world. The firm is committed to backing founders and businesses that address society’s biggest challenges, with a focus on building a sustainable planet, empowering people, and revitalising healthcare. Octopus Ventures believes that the most successful companies of the future will be those that deliver positive impact for people, communities, and the environment, alongside strong financial returns.
Goals
Octopus Ventures aims to:
Values
Octopus Ventures’ core values are rooted in responsible investment, integrity, and long-term thinking. The firm believes that sustainability and commercial success go hand in hand, and only supports companies whose solutions have the potential to deliver real-world impact by addressing societal and environmental challenges. Internally, Octopus Ventures fosters a culture of openness, fairness, and entrepreneurial thinking, uniting its team around the shared goal of driving meaningful change. The company upholds the highest standards of ethical and responsible conduct throughout its operations, with robust governance and a commitment to ESG integration and diversity.
These principles are reflected in Octopus Ventures’ commitment to supporting not only commercial ventures but also broader community and industry initiatives that advance positive social and environmental outcomes. As a certified B Corporation and signatory to the UN Principles for Responsible Investment, Octopus Ventures integrates ESG considerations into every stage of its investment process, ensuring that purpose and profit are pursued together.
Octopus Ventures was established in London in 2008 as part of the Octopus Group, founded by Simon Rogerson, Chris Hulatt, and Guy Myles. The founders brought together extensive expertise in investment management, finance, and entrepreneurship, united by a vision to back innovative companies that create positive impact and transform industries.
Simon Rogerson, co-founder and Group CEO of Octopus Group, has played a pivotal role in shaping the firm’s strategy and growth. With a background in asset management and a commitment to responsible investing, Simon has overseen Octopus’s expansion into multiple sectors including venture capital, renewable energy, and financial services.
Chris Hulatt, also a co-founder, has been instrumental in building Octopus’s reputation as a leading investor in high growth companies. With a strong background in equity research and a passion for supporting entrepreneurs, Chris has helped steer the firm’s investment philosophy focused on long term value creation.
Guy Myles played a key role in the early development of Octopus Group before leaving in 2014 to establish his own investment firm.. While no longer involved with Octopus Ventures, his contribution helped lay the foundations of the group’s long term vision.
In January 2025, Erin Platts joined Octopus Ventures as CEO, bringing over two decades of leadership experience in finance and technology. Previously CEO of HSBC Innovation Banking UK (formerly Silicon Valley Bank UK), Erin is recognised for her expertise in scaling tech businesses and fostering innovation ecosystems across Europe.
The founding team’s combined vision and leadership have established Octopus Ventures as one of Europe’s most active and influential venture capital firms. Their commitment to supporting entrepreneurs with capital, expertise, and a collaborative culture continues to drive the firm’s mission to back the people, ideas, and industries that will change the world.
Explore the founders’ professional journeys: Simon Rogerson LinkedIn, Chris Hulatt LinkedIn, Guy Myles Linkedin, Erin Platts LinkedIn.
Octopus Ventures invests in early and later-stage companies developing transformative technologies and solutions that address some of the world’s biggest challenges. The firm’s primary objective is to back scalable innovations that deliver measurable social, environmental, and commercial impact, enabling positive change across industries and communities.
Geographic Scope
Octopus Ventures primarily invests in companies based in the UK and Europe, with a growing global outlook. The firm supports regional innovation hubs while targeting opportunities with broad relevance and scalability across international markets.
Sectors of Interest
Octopus Ventures invests across a wide range of sectors, prioritising companies that tackle complex challenges at scale. Key areas include:
To be considered for investment, companies must meet the following criteria:
These criteria ensure that Octopus Ventures backs scalable, impactful companies capable of delivering both commercial success and meaningful benefits for society and the environment.
Octopus Ventures follows a rigorous, multi-stage assessment process designed to identify and support high-potential ventures across sectors such as climate tech, health tech, fintech, deep tech, consumer, and B2B software. The process begins with an initial screening of each opportunity to evaluate alignment with Octopus’s mission to back companies that deliver significant social, environmental, and commercial impact. Key factors assessed include the calibre of the founding team, product or technology maturity, market traction, and unit economics.
Following the initial review, the investment team engages directly with founders to understand their business model, growth strategy, and funding needs. Opportunities that pass this stage undergo comprehensive due diligence, including technical validation, market analysis, financial review, and legal assessment. The investment committee then rigorously evaluates each proposal, often consulting external experts to validate technology and scalability. This thorough and iterative process ensures that Octopus Ventures invests in companies with strong potential for lasting impact and commercial success, supported by the firm’s extensive sector expertise and global network.
This assessment approach is consistent with Octopus Ventures’ commitment to responsible investment, including integration of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) considerations throughout the investment lifecycle. The firm maintains strict exclusion policies, avoiding sectors such as fossil fuels, tobacco, arms, and gambling, and actively supports portfolio companies in embedding best practices in sustainability and governance.
Octopus Ventures has invested in a diverse portfolio of early and growth-stage companies that are transforming industries and addressing major global challenges. Each portfolio company is selected for its potential to deliver significant social, environmental, or commercial impact, with a focus on sectors such as health, fintech, consumer, deep tech, and climate. Some of the most notable portfolio companies include:
Depop
Depop is a global social shopping platform that empowers creative entrepreneurs to build their own brands and sell products in a vibrant online marketplace. Octopus Ventures led Depop’s Series B and supported its international growth, culminating in Depop’s acquisition by Etsy for $1.625 billion. Depop has become a leading platform for Gen Z commerce and sustainable fashion. Visit Depop.
OLIO
OLIO is a food-sharing app that connects neighbours and local businesses to reduce food waste and promote sustainability. Octopus Ventures supported OLIO’s growth, helping the platform reach millions of users and rehome millions of portions of food, making a measurable environmental impact. Visit OLIO.
ManyPets
ManyPets (formerly Bought By Many) is a multi-award-winning insurance-tech company that uses data and technology to deliver innovative pet insurance products and improve customer experience. Octopus Ventures led a key funding round, helping ManyPets scale its offering across the UK and internationally. Visit ManyPets
Discover more successful investments: Octopus Ventures Portfolio.
Octopus Ventures is supported by a combination of private investors, institutional partners, and public market vehicles. It manages a diverse range of investment funds, including the Octopus Titan VCT (the UK’s largest Venture Capital Trust), the Octopus Ventures EIS Service, the Octopus Future Generations VCT, and sector focused strategies such as the £40 million Pre Seed Deep Tech Fund. These vehicles enable both individual and institutional investors to access high growth, high impact ventures across the UK and Europe.
Key sources of capital include funds raised from thousands of private investors through VCT and EIS products, as well as institutional mandates from pension funds, family offices, and wealth managers. The firm’s parent company, Octopus Group, is a certified B Corporation and one of the UK’s largest privately held financial services and energy firms. This broader group structure offers additional scale, stability, and credibility to Octopus Ventures’ investment platform.
The firm’s large and experienced investment team, comprising more than 90 venture professionals, plays a central role in sourcing opportunities, conducting due diligence, and supporting portfolio growth. Octopus Ventures' blended funding model, combined with deep sector expertise, enhances its capacity to invest across areas such as climate tech, health, fintech, B2B software, deep tech, and consumer innovation. While recent challenges have included performance related scrutiny of the Titan VCT, Octopus has paused new fundraising for that fund and initiated a strategic review. Nevertheless, it remains one of Europe’s most active venture capital firms, committed to driving positive impact at scale.
Stages:
Octopus Ventures invests across the full venture capital lifecycle, from pre-seed to Series B, and can follow on into later growth stages. The firm has a dedicated pre-seed team writing initial cheques of around £100,000, while core investments typically focus on seed, Series A, and B rounds. Its flexible capital structure allows for continued support of high-potential businesses as they scale.
Equity:
Investments are typically made on an equity basis, with initial investments ranging from £1 million to £10 million, and larger sums available in follow-on rounds. For investors participating via the EIS Service or VCTs, portfolios are built across 10–15 early-stage, EIS-qualifying companies, offering tax-efficient exposure. Eligible investments benefit from EIS tax relief, enhancing returns for qualifying UK investors.
Funds:
Octopus Ventures manages several specialised funds, including:
Recent Developments:
Octopus Ventures has continued to expand its platform and sector reach, recently launching new funds such as the Pre-Seed Deep Tech Fund and Future Generations VCT. To date, the firm has backed over 480 companies, with more than 65 successful exits and multiple UK unicorns in its portfolio. Recent activity includes leading rounds in cutting-edge healthtech, climate innovation, and deep tech ventures. The team remains one of Europe’s most active venture capital investors, leveraging its scale, expertise, and networks to lead and co-lead funding rounds. Founders benefit from capital, strategic guidance, and access to a wide-reaching network across the UK, Europe, and beyond.
Octopus Ventures is deeply committed to delivering measurable social and environmental impact alongside strong financial returns, embedding responsible investment principles across its portfolio and operations. The firm’s mission is to back companies that put people, community, and the environment first, focusing on sectors such as climate tech, health tech, fintech, and sustainable infrastructure to contribute to a more sustainable and equitable future.
Octopus Ventures measures and reports impact through a rigorous framework aligned with international standards, including the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The firm actively engages portfolio companies on their environmental performance, including greenhouse gas emissions, and supports them with tools and expertise to reduce their carbon footprint. Octopus is a signatory to the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) and an accredited B Corp, reflecting its commitment to responsible business practices and transparency.
The firm maintains a strict exclusion policy, avoiding investments in sectors such as fossil fuels, tobacco, arms, gambling, and deforestation. Octopus also requires portfolio companies to uphold high standards of governance, social responsibility, and environmental stewardship. Through its natural capital strategy and investments in renewable energy, Octopus contributes to accelerating the transition to net zero, with initiatives including tree planting, peatland restoration, and biodiversity enhancement.
Octopus Ventures integrates impact considerations into every stage of the investment process, from due diligence to ongoing portfolio management. The firm’s dedicated Impact and Sustainability team works closely with investment managers and portfolio companies to embed ESG best practices, track progress, and report on outcomes. This holistic approach ensures that Octopus not only delivers financial value but also drives positive change for society and the planet.
Octopus Ventures actively cultivates a dynamic community of founders, investors, and industry experts across the UK, Europe, and beyond. The firm brings together a network of experienced professionals, sector specialists, and business leaders who share a commitment to backing companies that put people, community, and the environment first.
Octopus Ventures hosts regular events, including pitch sessions, mentoring programmes, networking opportunities, and sector-focused discussions. Notably, the Octopus Springboard programme supports deep tech founders with mentorship, customer discovery, and product-market fit, while connecting them with an extensive network of corporates, advisors, and portfolio peers. Portfolio founders benefit from access to more than 400 experienced leaders and operators who offer guidance and support as they scale their businesses. These gatherings and initiatives foster knowledge sharing, peer learning, and direct connections between investors, entrepreneurs, and industry experts.
The firm also offers opportunities for passive investors through its EIS and VCT funds, enabling broader participation in high-growth, impact-driven ventures. The community extends its reach through newsletters, public updates, and active engagement on platforms like LinkedIn, keeping followers informed about portfolio news, investment opportunities, and the latest developments in tech and sustainability.
By bringing together like-minded individuals and fostering an environment of collaboration, mentorship, and support, Octopus Ventures empowers its network and portfolio companies to drive meaningful progress in building a sustainable planet, empowering people, and revitalising healthcare.
Octopus Ventures is led by an experienced team with deep expertise in venture capital, technology, and business development. United by a shared commitment to backing the people, ideas, and industries that will change the world, the team combines backgrounds in investment, science, engineering, and entrepreneurship to provide founders with strategic guidance and access to a broad industry network.
Leadership and Key Team Members:
Octopus Ventures’ team includes more than 90 investment professionals, making it one of the largest venture capital teams in Europe. The team features sector specialists in B2B software, consumer, deep tech, fintech, and health, as well as professionals in operations, marketing, and business development. Collectively, they provide founders with mentoring, business development support, talent recruitment, and market access.
Learn more about the team on the Octopus Ventures team page.
Are you an innovative founder developing climate tech or high-impact solutions in technology, health, fintech, or consumer sectors? Discover how Octopus Ventures can support your journey by visiting: Octopus Ventures Website.
Stay updated with the latest news, events, and opportunities by following Octopus Ventures on LinkedIn: Octopus Ventures LinkedIn.
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