Midven

What Midven does

Future Planet Capital Regional (formerly Midven) is a specialist regional venture capital firm headquartered in Birmingham, United Kingdom, focused on providing growth capital to early-stage small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across the West Midlands. Founded in 1990 by six Midlands-based entrepreneurs and acquired by Future Planet Capital in April 2021, the firm now operates under the Future Planet Capital Regional brand with a registered office in Manchester. It manages a diversified suite of regional funds collectively representing over £110m in assets under management, including the Midlands Engine Investment Fund (MEIF, up to £2m tickets), the West Midlands Co-Investment Fund (WMCO, up to £1m tickets), Legacy Funds, the GB EIS Fund, the Early Advantage Fund, the Exceed Partnership Fund, and the Rainbow Seed Fund (a deep-tech/science spin-out vehicle backed by nine UK publicly-funded research organisations).

The firm's investment proposition is hands-on rather than purely financial: alongside equity tickets it offers portfolio companies mentoring, introductions to a regional business network, and co-investment support. It is sector agnostic but has disclosed proven expertise in technology and SaaS. The underlying 'technology' is venture capital and fund management infrastructure rather than a software platform. Revenue is generated through two streams: management fees on the funds it administers (MEIF, WMCO, Rainbow Seed Fund and others) and carried interest from successful portfolio company exits — a track record that includes the £40m sale of Cobalt Light Systems to Agilent (2016) and the $109m acquisition of Quethera by Astellas Pharma (2018).

Go-to-market is direct and regional: the firm engages West Midlands founders through its 'Pitch for Investment' process, investment readiness workshops, and regional events such as Venturefest and Pitchfest. The target customer segment is West Midlands-based, revenue-generating, fast-growing SMEs requiring up to £1m in an initial funding round. The firm is authorised and regulated by the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 148549) and is wholly owned by Future Planet Capital, a global venture capital and impact investor.

Name

Midven

Legal name

Future Planet Capital (Ventures) Limited

Website

https://midven.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Future Planet Capital Regional (formerly Midven) is a Birmingham-based specialist venture capital firm providing equity tickets up to £2m and hands-on mentoring to early-stage SMEs across the West Midlands, managing over £110m in regional and deep-tech funds.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Venture Capital and Private Equity

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), All Other Financial Investment Activities (52399)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Early-Stage Venture Capital (Pre-Seed/Seed) (FSANAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Regional / Country-Focused Multi-Manager Platforms (FSANAGAI)

Keywords

• Venture capital
• Early-stage investment
• SME growth capital
• Equity funding
• Seed funding

Headquarters

HQ city

Birmingham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Fund Management Fees: Future Planet Capital Regional manages venture capital funds and earns management fees from administering these funds including the Midlands Engine Investment Fund (MEIF) and West Midlands Co-Investment Fund (WMCO).
2. Carried Interest: Venture capital returns generated through successful portfolio company exits, providing carried interest income to the fund manager.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Midven, operating as Future Planet Capital Regional, is a specialist venture capital firm providing growth equity capital to fast-growing, revenue-generating small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) based in the West Midlands. It manages over £110m across multiple funds, including the Midlands Engine Investment Fund (MEIF) offering up to £2m and the West Midlands Co-Investment Fund (WMCO) offering up to £1m, alongside legacy funds, the Rainbow Seed Fund, the GB EIS Fund, the Early Advantage Fund, and the Exceed Partnership Fund.

Product overview

Future Planet Capital Regional (formerly Midven) operates as a venture capital firm managing multiple regional investment funds. The core offering includes the Midlands Engine Investment Fund (MEIF) providing up to £2m capital, the West Midlands Co-Investment Fund (WMCO) offering up to £1m equity, and various legacy funds. The firm also manages the Rainbow Seed Fund for science-based spin-outs and the GB EIS Fund for tax-efficient investments. All funds are focused on early-stage businesses and SMEs in the West Midlands, with proven expertise in technology and SaaS companies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Midlands Engine Investment Fund (MEIF): Fund providing capital of up to £2m for businesses with high growth potential across the West Midlands.
• West Midlands Co-Investment Fund (WMCO)
• Legacy Funds
• Rainbow Seed Fund

Products and services

• Midlands Engine Investment Fund (MEIF) Managed venture capital fund offering equity growth capital of up to £2 million for West Midlands-based businesses with high growth potential, run by Midven on behalf of regional investors including the British Business Bank.
• West Midlands Co-Investment Fund (WMCO) Managed venture capital fund offering equity of up to £1 million to support innovative businesses in the West Midlands, designed to help expand and grow the region's companies of the future.
• Legacy Funds Earlier Midven-managed venture capital funds that supported growth in the Midlands region since the firm's early beginnings, providing historical equity investment to local SMEs.
• Rainbow Seed Fund Early-stage venture capital fund managed by Midven and dedicated to kick-starting technology companies from great science, focusing on companies based on research from publicly-funded UK laboratories. The fund has leveraged more than £190 million of private investment.
• GB EIS Fund EIS (Enterprise Investment Scheme) fund co-invested alongside the regional Midlands Engine Investment Fund for high-growth opportunities in Greater Birmingham, offering tax-efficient investment structures to investors.
• Early Advantage Fund Early-stage venture capital fund managed by Midven supporting technology and innovation companies, part of the firm's legacy fund portfolio.
• Exceed Partnership Fund Midven-managed partnership fund supporting early-stage businesses, structured as a partnership investment vehicle.

Quantifiable outcome

• Funds under management have more than doubled since management buy-out in 2007

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• The 51% ClubnotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with The 51% Club to support female entrepreneurship in the West Midlands, including a £2 million initiative to fuel female entrepreneurs

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Midlands Engine Investment Fund (British Business Bank): British Business Bank operates the MEIF programme that Midven manages. Directly comparable as a UK regional SME/early-stage capital provider with government backing; broader portfolio across the Midlands.
• Octopus Investments (Octopus Ventures): One of the largest UK venture capital platforms managing billions in AUM with EIS and VCT funds. Comparable as a UK early-stage VC operator, though broader scale and geography than Midven's regional focus.

Direct peers

• Mercia Asset Management: UK-listed regional venture capital and asset manager focused on early-stage SMEs with multiple regional funds. Closely comparable model to Midven—regional fund-of-funds style with government-backed mandates and EIS vehicles.
• LocalGlobe: UK early-stage VC investing in seed and Series A UK tech startups. Comparable as an early-stage VC investor in UK SMEs, though London-centric and focused on software/internet rather than regional industrial diversification.
• Longwall Ventures: Specialist early-stage investor in UK science and engineering companies with ~£70m AUM. Direct peer—Midven co-invests with Longwall (e.g., MIRICO) and both operate science-focused seed/early-stage funds.
• Fuel Ventures: UK early-stage VC investing seed and Series A rounds in UK technology startups. Comparable ticket sizes (£250k–£1m+) and stage focus, though Fuel is London-based and software-focused vs Midven's regional/SME scope.
• Foresight Williams Technology EIS Fund: UK regional EIS fund manager focused on early-stage technology investments with Welsh/Western UK tilt. Comparable as a UK EIS-licensed early-stage fund operator with regional government ties.

Others

• Rainbow Seed Fund (historical): Fund managed by Midven itself, backed by UK publicly-funded research organisations (STFC, BBSRC, Dstl, NERC, BEIS). Comparable as a deep-tech/science-focused early-stage fund but operates as part of Midven's own portfolio.
• Seedrs / Republic: Crowdfunding and retail investment platform for early-stage UK businesses. Tangentially comparable as a UK early-stage capital provider, though a platform rather than a fund manager.

Regional players

• West Midlands Combined Authority: Public-sector body deploying capital into West Midlands economic development. Comparable as a regional capital allocator in the same geography, though not a private VC manager—acts as a counterparty/funder rather than a competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Midven
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/midven

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments130 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Midven