Worth Capital
Worth Capital is a London-based seed venture capital and angel investment firm founded in 2014 that operates the Start-Up Series Fund to back UK early-stage startups building consumer brands, SaaS, marketplaces and medical-device businesses targeting fragmented or high-growth markets.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Worth Capital does
Worth Capital Limited is a privately-held London-based venture capital and angel investment firm operating the Start-Up Series Fund, which deploys seed capital into UK early-stage startups building consumer brands, SaaS platforms, marketplaces, insurance offerings and medical-device businesses. Founded in 2014 by Matthew Cushen — a 15-year angel investor with prior senior roles at Woolworths and innovation consulting engagements with IKEA, Waitrose, ABInbev and Coca-Cola — alongside Paul, a lifelong entrepreneur who built and ran a marketing agency, the firm runs a structured competition-and-deep-dive investment process under its 'Start-Up Series' registered trade mark. The current portfolio comprises approximately 12 active companies including Air & Grace (women's footwear), Ask Silver (scam-checking), Bedfolk (DTC bedding), Bird (sustainable eyewear), Joli (influencer-hospitality marketplace), Metacarpal (mechanical bionic hand), My First (young-driver insurance), Myza (sleep marketplace), Paranimo (employee mental-wellbeing SaaS), vHelp (charity volunteer reimbursement), Vitrue Health (AI musculoskeletal workplace software) and Waizu (device-management SaaS), with Weekly10 exited in 2023 to E-learning International (now Zensai).
The firm's investment philosophy targets fragmented, underserved or high-growth markets with product, service, experience or commercial-model innovation capable of building 'loved brands', and prioritises founders displaying curiosity, empathy, creativity, resilience and integrity. Capital is typically deployed via SEIS/EIS tax-advantaged structures in syndicates with institutional co-investors — for example, alongside SIS Ventures, Scottish Enterprise, Oxford Technology, the University of Strathclyde and Gabriel Investment Syndicate on Metacarpal's £800,000 seed round in August 2024. The firm does not disclose AUM, fund size or revenue; revenue mechanics resemble those of a traditional small UK seed fund: management fees on limited AUM plus lumpy realised carried interest on exits such as Weekly10.
Reach is UK-domestic only, with deal flow generated through content marketing, a LinkedIn presence and the Start-Up Series competition brand. The firm maintains three London addresses (registered office at 71-75 Shelton Street WC2H 9JQ, operating office at 10 Bloomsbury Way WC1A 2SL, and a correspondence address at 1 Albion Yard N1 9ED), operates without an identified parent or institutional LP base, and competes against other SEIS/EIS-focused UK seed syndicates rather than institutional VCs.
Worth Capital firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Worth Capital
- Legal name
- Worth Capital Limited
- Website
- https://worthcapital.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Worth Capital is a London-based seed venture capital and angel investment firm founded in 2014 that operates the Start-Up Series Fund to back UK early-stage startups building consumer brands, SaaS, marketplaces and medical-device businesses targeting fragmented or high-growth markets.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Worth Capital industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Seed Venture Capital
- NAICS
- All Other Financial Investment Activities (52399)
- SIC
- Security Brokers, Dealers & Flotation Companies (6211)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Early-Stage Venture Capital (Series A/B) (FSANAAAB)
Keywords
Where Worth Capital is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
Worth Capital business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Investment Returns: Worth Capital generates returns through equity investment in early-stage UK startups. Returns are realized through exits when portfolio companies are acquired or achieve liquidity events.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
Worth Capital product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Worth Capital operates the Start-Up Series Fund, a UK-focused seed-stage venture capital vehicle that identifies, funds, and supports early-stage startups in fragmented, underserved, or high-growth markets. The firm invests equity capital in return for stakes in businesses with product, service, experience, or commercial model innovation potential, while providing strategic guidance, mentorship, and operational support beyond pure financial investment.
Product overview
Worth Capital is a UK-based investment firm operating primarily through its Start-Up Series Fund, which identifies, funds, and supports early-stage UK startups. The firm targets businesses in fragmented, underserved, or high-growth markets with innovative products, services, experiences, or commercial models. Worth Capital's portfolio includes 13 active investments spanning consumer brands (Air & Grace, Bedfolk, Bird), SaaS platforms (Ask Silver, Paranimo, vHelp, Vitrue Health, Waizu, Weekly 10), marketplace businesses (Joli, Myza), insurance (My First), and medical devices (Metacarpal). One portfolio company (Weekly 10) has been exited. The portfolio demonstrates focus on businesses addressing underserved markets with differentiated offerings.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Start-Up Series Fund Worth Capital's primary investment vehicle that deploys seed equity capital into UK early-stage startups targeting fragmented, underserved, or high-growth markets with product, service, experience, or commercial model innovation, alongside strategic mentorship and operational support.
Quantifiable outcome
- Weekly10 exited in 2023 to E-learning International (now Zensai)
Companies that use Worth Capital
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Worth Capital technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Worth Capital partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Worth Capital competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Octopus Ventures: One of the largest UK early-stage VCs, operating well-capitalised seed/Series A funds across the UK. A broader incumbent competing for the same UK seed deal flow but with materially larger fund vintages.
Direct peers
- SFC Capital: UK early-stage investor that operates SEIS/EIS-eligible funds backing seed-stage UK startups, the closest direct comparable to Worth Capital's structure, deal size, and tax wrapper model.
- Haatch Ventures: UK SEIS/EIS-focused seed fund investing in early-stage UK startups across consumer, SaaS, and marketplace categories — directly comparable mandate, stage, and tax wrapper.
- Startup Funding Club: UK SEIS/EIS-focused seed investor that runs a structured deal-sourcing platform for early-stage UK founders, mirroring Worth Capital's Start-Up Series competition model.
- Episode 1: UK-based pre-seed and seed VC backing consumer and B2B SaaS startups at similar cheque sizes; overlaps with Worth Capital on UK geography, stage, and sector mix.
- Connect Ventures: London-based early-stage VC investing in seed-stage UK and European consumer/SaaS startups; comparable stage, geography, and consumer-leaning thesis to Worth Capital.
- SyndicateRoom: UK angel and seed investment platform offering SEIS/EIS-eligible access to early-stage startups, comparable in geography, tax wrapper, and seed-stage deal flow to Worth Capital.
- Fuel Ventures: UK seed-stage VC focused on consumer/SaaS startups with structured programmes and syndicates; comparable stage, geography, and consumer tilt to Worth Capital.
- LocalGlobe: London-based seed-stage VC investing in UK and international early-stage startups, overlapping with Worth Capital on stage, geography, and consumer/SaaS deal flow.
- Oxford Capital: UK SEIS/EIS-focused investment manager operating EIS funds for early-stage UK growth companies, closely comparable tax-wrapper, stage, and target-geography model.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat2 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Worth Capital social profiles
Digital presenceWorth Capital financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Worth Capital leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Worth Capital funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Worth Capital M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments91 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Worth Capital
What does Worth Capital do?
Worth Capital operates the Start-Up Series Fund, a UK-focused seed-stage venture capital vehicle that identifies, funds, and supports early-stage startups in fragmented, underserved, or high-growth markets. The firm invests equity capital in return for stakes in businesses with product, service, experience, or commercial model innovation potential, while providing strategic guidance, mentorship, and operational support beyond pure financial investment.
Is Worth Capital a public or private company?
Worth Capital is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Worth Capital founded?
Worth Capital was founded in 2014. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Worth Capital based?
Worth Capital is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Worth Capital make money?
One revenue line is on record: investment Returns.
Who are Worth Capital's main competitors?
Octopus Ventures is listed as a broad incumbent. Direct peers are SFC Capital, Haatch Ventures, Startup Funding Club, Episode 1, Connect Ventures, SyndicateRoom, Fuel Ventures, LocalGlobe and Oxford Capital.
Does Worth Capital have an API?
No public API is recorded for Worth Capital.
What industry is Worth Capital in?
Worth Capital's product category is Seed Venture Capital. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAAAB, Early-Stage Venture Capital (Series A/B). Its NAICS code is 52399 and its SIC code is 6211.