How it works
What is pre-seed funding?
Our pre-seed team, led by Kirsten Connell, invests at the earliest possible stage of a business, occasionally even before a product or service has been developed. It’s a pan-European fund and the typical investment amount at this stage is £100k.
If you’re a founder coming to us at this stage, you may think you just have an idea – but if it’s a potentially world-changing one, we want to hear about it. If we like your pitch, we’ll set up a call. We try to move fast and can make our final decision within ten days of that first chat.
Intro call
Send us your pitch – if we think we’re a fit for your business, we’ll set up an intro call. This first chat (around 30 minutes) includes a general introduction to your team, the problem you’re tackling and the solution you’re proposing.
Go to market meeting
At this second meeting (about 45 minutes), you’ll present further details about your go to market strategy. Ideally this is where we’d see a live product demo and it’s a chance for us to meet any co-founders.
Due diligence
We’ll carry out our internal co-investor and partner due diligence. This might involve speaking to one of your early proof of concept (POC) partners/ customers, to give us a third-party view on your startup’s value proposition. We’ll also go through our know your customer (KYC) and anti-money laundering processes with you.
The offer
If we decide we’re the right fit for you, we’ll finalise terms and present our offer. We’ll review and sign legal documents on each side, then wire funds, ready to hit your bank account within ten working days.
Onboarding
Welcome to Octopus Ventures! We’ll invite you to an onboarding session (around 30–45 minutes), where we’ll tell you all about the excellent resources and support available to you as you start your journey with us.
About Seed, Series A and beyond
Seed, Series A and above are the next stages of early funding after pre-seed. The companies we back at these stages are further along in their development than at the pre-seed stage, and our investments typically start at £1 million.
If we like your idea, you should hear back from us within 21 days of submitting your pitch. After our first chat, we aim to make our final decision within four weeks. Note that the steps below can differ slightly at the later investment stages.
Intro call
Send us your pitch – if we think we’re a fit for your business, we’ll set up an intro call. This first chat (around 30 minutes) includes a general introduction to your team, the problem you’re tackling and the solution you’re proposing. It’s also a chance for you to get to know us.
Discovery meeting
We’ll invite you to meet with three to four members of the investment team from your sector in a 60-minute discovery meeting. This is your chance to tell your business story in detail and ask any questions you have about working with us.
Due dilligence
As part of our decision-making process, we’ll carry out our internal co-investor and partner due diligence. This might involve speaking to one of your early proof of concept (POC) partners/ customers, to give us a third-party view on your startup’s value proposition. We’ll also go through our know your customer (KYC) and anti-money laundering processes with you.
Partnership meeting
You’ll meet more members of our investment team at a 90-minute partnership meeting. This is a chance for you to present to us, and for us to discuss why Octopus Ventures could be the right partner for you and your business.
The offer
We’ll hold our Investment Committee within 48 hours of the partnership meeting and make our final decision. If we’re investing in your company, we’ll present you with a termsheet and go through our legal process. If not, we’ll explain why not and provide detailed feedback.
Onboarding
You’ll be introduced to your People + Talent partner who will work with you on your talent strategy, and will make sure you know about all the excellent resources and support available to you as you start your journey with us
Submit your pitch
Ready to tell us why we should invest in you? Send us your pitch.