Act Venture Capital
Act Venture Capital is a Dublin-based venture capital firm founded in 1994 that invests €100k–€10m in early-stage technology companies across AI, health, fintech, deep tech, IoT, and energy/climate, having backed around 140 companies across six funds totaling €600m.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1994
- HeadquartersDublin, Ireland
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Act Venture Capital does
Act Venture Capital is an Irish venture capital firm headquartered in Dublin that provides early-stage equity capital to technology companies, deploying €100k–€10m per investment from pre-seed through Series C and beyond. Founded in 1994, the firm has raised approximately €600m across six fund vintages and backed around 140 portfolio companies, with its latest fund, ACT VI, holding a first close of €140m in April 2022. Act operates a generalist model with stated vertical focus on AI/ML & Data, Health, Fintech, Deep Tech, Connectivity & IoT, and Energy & Climate, and runs a multi-stage strategy that combines board participation with ongoing capital and network support across the founder journey.
The firm is led by Managing Partner John Flynn alongside General Partners Debbie Rennick and John O'Sullivan, supported by Principals Conor Mills and Andrew O'Neill, an Associate, and a four-person finance and operations team (10 staff total). The investment team includes two Kauffman Fellows and professionals with prior operating, banking, and corporate-finance backgrounds at EDS/HP, KPMG, Misys, Paddy Power Betfair, Enterprise Ireland, ISIF, and Deloitte. Anchor LPs comprise the European Investment Fund, Enterprise Ireland, ISIF, and AIB, supplemented by founder and family-office capital.
Commercially, Act generates revenue from conventional VC mechanics: management fees on funds under management, capital appreciation, and carried interest from successful exits. The firm has no proprietary technology product and does not publish pricing; its competitive proposition rests on long-duration founder relationships, board participation, and syndication capacity with strategics including Samsung Ventures, Molten Ventures, Charles River Laboratories, and Novartis. Recent disclosed investments include Ubotica (space AI), GridBeyond (grid AI), Deciphex (AI pathology), Lative (AI sales planning), Fresco (smart kitchen), and Bounce Insights (AI market research).
Act Venture Capital firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Act Venture Capital
- Legal name
- Act Venture Capital Ltd
- Website
- https://actventure.capital
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1994
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Act Venture Capital is a Dublin-based venture capital firm founded in 1994 that invests €100k–€10m in early-stage technology companies across AI, health, fintech, deep tech, IoT, and energy/climate, having backed around 140 companies across six funds totaling €600m.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Act Venture Capital industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Venture Capital
- NAICS
- Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Early-Stage Venture Capital (Series A/B) (FSANAAAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Late-Stage Venture Capital (Series C+) (FSANAAAC), Sector-Focused Venture Capital (Vertical Specialists) (FSANAAAD)
Keywords
Where Act Venture Capital is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Dublin
- HQ country
- Ireland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Act Venture Capital business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Venture Capital Returns: Returns generated through capital appreciation, exits via acquisitions and IPOs, management fees on funds under management, and carried interest from successful portfolio company exits.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
Act Venture Capital product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Act Venture Capital is an Irish venture capital firm that invests equity capital in early-stage technology companies from seed through growth stages, typically writing cheques of €100k to €10m within a broader fund allocation range of €500k to €20m. In addition to capital, the firm provides portfolio companies with board participation, strategic guidance, and access to its network of limited partners and co-investors across AI/ML, Health, Fintech, Deep Tech, Connectivity/IoT, and Energy/Climate sectors.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Venture Capital Investment Services
Quantifiable outcome
- 140 companies backed
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Act Venture Capital
Customer profileNamed customers11 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Act Venture Capital technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Act Venture Capital partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Act Venture Capital competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Atlantic Bridge: Dublin-headquartered growth and late-stage technology fund with deep Irish and European roots. Atlantic Bridge is a direct peer to Act as both target Irish tech founders and co-invested alongside Act in Ubotica's $11m round.
- Frontline Ventures: London/Dublin-based early-stage B2B software investor with similar Irish tech founder focus. Direct peer to Act due to overlapping geography, stage focus, and sector orientation around enterprise software and AI.
- Seroba: Dublin-based European life sciences venture capital firm. Comparable peer as fellow Irish institutional-grade VC with similar fund size, co-investing alongside Act in Deciphex's $32.3m Series C.
- Elkstone Partners: Dublin-headquartered investment platform with a dedicated venture capital arm focused on Irish and European tech. Comparable peer due to Irish HQ, founder-stage focus, and similar institutional LP mix.
- Senovo VC: Munich-based early- and growth-stage European B2B SaaS investor. Direct peer as a similarly-sized European VC with comparable cheque range and co-led Lative's $7.5m round alongside Act.
- Greencode Ventures: European early-stage deep tech and climate investor. Comparable peer due to similar stage focus and co-investment in Ubotica's $11m funding round alongside Act.
- Episode 1 Ventures: London-based seed-stage investor in UK and European tech. Direct peer given similar early-stage focus, cheque size range, and pan-European seed investing mandate.
- Notion Capital: London-headquartered European B2B SaaS-focused VC with similar stage range. Comparable peer due to overlapping European enterprise software focus and comparable fund size to ACT VI.
Broad incumbents
- Molten Ventures: London-listed European growth technology investor with significantly larger AUM. Comparable as a fellow multi-stage European tech investor that led Deciphex's Series C with Act participating.
- Earlybird Venture Capital: Berlin-based pan-European early- and growth-stage technology investor with multiple funds and broader sector coverage. Comparable as a fellow European multi-stage VC operating at similar cheque sizes to Act.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Act Venture Capital social profiles
Digital presenceAct Venture Capital financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Act Venture Capital leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
Act Venture Capital funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Act Venture Capital M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments175 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Act Venture Capital
What does Act Venture Capital do?
Act Venture Capital is an Irish venture capital firm that invests equity capital in early-stage technology companies from seed through growth stages, typically writing cheques of €100k to €10m within a broader fund allocation range of €500k to €20m. In addition to capital, the firm provides portfolio companies with board participation, strategic guidance, and access to its network of limited partners and co-investors across AI/ML, Health, Fintech, Deep Tech, Connectivity/IoT, and Energy/Climate sectors.
Is Act Venture Capital a public or private company?
Act Venture Capital is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was Act Venture Capital founded?
Act Venture Capital was founded in 1994. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Act Venture Capital based?
Act Venture Capital is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, in the Europe region.
How does Act Venture Capital make money?
One revenue line is on record: venture Capital Returns.
Who are Act Venture Capital's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Atlantic Bridge, Frontline Ventures, Seroba, Elkstone Partners, Senovo VC, Greencode Ventures, Episode 1 Ventures and Notion Capital. Broad incumbents are Molten Ventures and Earlybird Venture Capital.
Does Act Venture Capital have an API?
No public API is recorded for Act Venture Capital.
What industry is Act Venture Capital in?
Act Venture Capital's product category is Venture Capital. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAAAB, Early-Stage Venture Capital (Series A/B), with a secondary code of FSANAAAC, Late-Stage Venture Capital (Series C+). Its NAICS code is 523940 and its SIC code is 6282.