TSP Ventures is a venture capital firm investing in transformative, hard science solutions that address the most pressing environmental and climate challenges.
£250k - £1m
Pre Seed, Seed and Pre-Series A
TSP Ventures is a London-based VC firm, founded in 2019, that backs early-stage hard science startups addressing climate and environmental challenges. They combine capital with hands-on support to help scalable, IP-rich technologies move from lab to market, delivering both strong returns and positive planetary impact.
Mission: To uncover the hidden gems that with capital and support, have the potential to change the world for the better.
Goals: To discover and back world-changing, economically compelling technologies and drive them from the lab bench to commercial reality, focusing on transformative hard science solutions that address critical environmental and climate challenges.
Values:
TSP Ventures was founded in 2019 by Chris Smith and Mike Doswell, driven by their shared passion to support early-stage entrepreneurs developing transformative hard science technologies addressing climate and environmental challenges. They created TSP Ventures with the purpose of backing companies that could improve both human and planetary health while delivering strong commercial returns.
Chris Smith Founder & CEO
Mike Doswell, CFA Founder & CIO
TSP Ventures' investment focus is on early-stage, hard science climate and environmental technologies that address urgent global challenges. They primarily invest in IP-rich companies with the potential to disrupt key sectors by delivering more sustainable, geo-secure, and cost-effective solutions in energy, food, water, materials, metals, and chemicals. Typically, they invest from Seed to Series A stages, targeting technologies at Technology Readiness Levels 4-7. TSP Ventures emphasises backing transformative hardware-producing start-ups that can scale from lab innovation to commercial application, aiming to both generate strong returns and deliver meaningful environmental impact.
TSP Ventures is headquartered in London, England, United Kingdom. Their geographic scope is primarily centered around their London base but as a venture capital firm investing in transformative climate technologies, their investments target companies with global potential. This means while they operate from the UK, their investment reach and impact extend internationally to support scalable hard science solutions addressing climate and environmental challenges worldwide.
Their core verticals include Future Power & Energy, Critical Materials, Carbon Mitigation, Food, Water & Waste, and Insurtech & Adaptation.
TSP Ventures' investment criteria focus on early-stage, UK-based companies working in climate, clean technology, and insurtech sectors. They primarily invest at pre-seed to seed extension stages. Their target companies are IP-rich and technology-driven, aiming to deliver transformative solutions in hard science and environmental impact. TSP Ventures looks for businesses with the potential to disrupt traditional industries by offering sustainable, geo-secure, and cost-effective alternatives across energy, food, water, materials, metals, and chemicals. Investments are typically SEIS and EIS eligible, aligning with companies that have strong scientific foundations and scalable technologies addressing pressing climate challenges.
TSP Ventures looks for strong, capable teams with a clear vision that can navigate the challenges of early-stage deep tech ventures. The solution must address a significant environmental or climate problem, and the product or technology should demonstrate clear market viability and scalability. Additionally, companies need to be at a technology readiness level suitable for early-stage investment, typically showcasing defensible intellectual property, and the potential for significant impact and commercial success. SEIS and EIS eligibility is also relevant, and TSP Ventures emphasises active collaboration and hands-on support to help companies achieve growth and follow-on investment readiness. This assessment framework helps them select startups with the highest potential for transformative impact and return on investment.
Here are a few of TSP Ventures’ spotlight portfolio companies:
HiiROC: HiiROC develops modular plasma-based units that produce low-cost, zero-emission hydrogen alongside valuable carbon black. Their technology is scalable, on-site, and eliminates harmful emissions, offering a cleaner and more flexible alternative for hydrogen production. Visit HiiROC
Descycle: DEScycle is an e-waste recycling company developing Deep Eutectic Solvents (DES), a new class of green chemistry that enables low-carbon, non-toxic, high-recovery metal processing for more sustainable recycling. Visit Descycle
Promethean Particles: Promethean Particles is a specialist in Metal Organic Frameworks (MOFs), a class of advanced materials with huge potential in addressing climate challenges. The company develops and scales innovative MOF solutions for applications including efficient carbon capture, atmospheric water harvesting, and gas storage, supporting the transition to a more sustainable and resource-efficient future. Visit Promethean Particles
Discover more successful investments: TSP Ventures portfolio.
TSP Ventures’ funding sources include their own capital in early stages and capital raised through investor syndicates. They have a history of investing initially with their own funds and then leading syndicates of co-investors, primarily at the seed stage for climate and environmental hard science technology companies. They also raise formal venture capital funds, such as the Pathfinder Fund, to support more transformative companies over a longer term. Their investments are typically SEIS and EIS eligible, appealing to UK investors benefiting from these tax-efficient schemes. Overall, TSP Ventures combines direct investment, syndicates, and structured VC funds as their core funding sources to back impactful climate tech startups.
Investment Stage: TSP Ventures predominantly invests in early-stage companies, specifically at pre-seed and seed rounds, including seed extensions.
Equity: Their investments are typically equity-based. The investments are often SEIS and EIS eligible, making them attractive for UK investors seeking tax-efficient opportunities.
TSP Ventures’ impact is driven by its investments in early-stage, science-led technologies that target systemic environmental challenges across energy, water, waste, and carbon. Their portfolio companies are advancing solutions such as zero-carbon hydrogen production (HiiROC), renewable inspection automation (Perceptual Robotics), and waste-to-value transformations (Envorem and Wastewater Fuels). Collectively, these innovations address key levers of decarbonisation, resource efficiency, and pollution reduction, with measurable outcomes including zero-CO₂ hydrogen, gigawatt-scale renewable infrastructure support, and circular economy breakthroughs. TSP applies a “venture then nurture” model, providing not only capital but also strategic and technical support to help founders cross the commercialisation gap, ensuring that climate-positive technologies can scale into impactful industries.
TSP Ventures offers more than just capital; they provide a supportive community that includes strategic advice, hands-on coaching, and business development assistance tailored for early-stage deep tech and hard science companies. Their close-knit team of experienced investors, entrepreneurs, and scientists actively engage with founders to help navigate challenges such as fundraising, hiring, IP strategy, and route to market planning. Additionally, TSP Ventures fosters strong personal relationships and open communication, making themselves readily available to support rapid technical progress and commercialisation.
TSP Ventures is led by founders Chris Smith (CEO) and Mike Doswell, CFA (CIO), both experienced leaders with strong backgrounds in investment and entrepreneurship focused on sustainability. The team also includes George Dewdney, CFA (Investment Principal) who leads sourcing and due diligence; Matthew Steiner, PhD (Science Partner), specialising in scientific and technical evaluation; Belinda Oakland (Operating Partner), with extensive financial services and early-stage company advisory experience. The firm is further supported by expert advisors including Professors Niall MacDowell and Darren Reynolds, as well as industry specialists like Iman Hill, Chris Holder, Kevin Bespolka, Geoff Smailes, and Peter McCord. This diverse team combines investment expertise, scientific insight, and strategic support to drive the success of breakthrough environmental technologies.
Learn more about the team on the TSP Ventures team page.
1. What is the mission of TSP Ventures?
TSP Ventures’ mission is to uncover and support “hidden gem” companies with transformative potential, providing capital and hands-on support to help them scale solutions that make the world better, particularly in tackling climate and environmental challenges.
2. Which sectors does TSP Ventures invest in?
The core sectors of focus are:
3. At what stage does TSP Ventures typically invest?
TSP Ventures primarily invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed, and Seed-extension stages, targeting innovations at Technology Readiness Levels (TRL 4–7), where scientific proof-of-concept exists, and the challenge is scaling to commercial application.
4. Where is TSP Ventures based, and do they invest globally?
TSP Ventures is headquartered in London, UK. While they prioritise UK-based companies for early-stage investment, their scope is global, they aim to back solutions that can scale internationally and make real-world impact across energy, water, food, and resource systems.
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