1818 Venture Capital

What 1818 Venture Capital does

1818 Venture Capital is a privately held, Guernsey-domiciled early-stage venture capital firm founded in 2012 by serial entrepreneur Richard Avery-Wright. The firm specializes in pre-seed, seed, bridge, and Series A investments in UK and Middle East (GCC) FinTech and InsurTech companies, deploying tickets of £100k–£1m at initial valuations of £1m–£20m. Its core product is a regulated investment service that pairs capital with strategic guidance, mentorship, board directorships, and access to a network of over 200 private clients and 40+ co-investing global VC firms; supporting technology includes a proprietary deal-management platform intended to shorten decision cycles relative to peer firms.

The firm operates via a structured six-step investment process (pitch booking, 10-minute Zoom pitch, detailed Q&A, partner call, commitment in principle, final approval), reviewing 140+ opportunities monthly and closing 1–2 new investments per month, leading roughly 25% of its deals. Revenue is generated through three streams: management fees charged to Limited Partners (disclosed as 25% below typical VC industry rates), carried interest on successful exits, and co-investment returns from direct equity positions; the firm co-invests its own capital in every deal, creating alignment with LPs. 1818 Venture Capital Limited is incorporated and licensed by the Guernsey Financial Services Commission under the Protection of Investors Law (license since January 2018), and the firm is GDPR-compliant under Guernsey data protection law.

The team's edge derives from operator backgrounds: the founding partner previously co-founded Pie Funds (NZ$2.5bn AUM) and Wealthify (acquired by Aviva in 2020), while the Partner previously served as Chief Digital & Innovation Officer at a major GCC bank. Documented exits include Wealthify (Aviva), Capdesk (Carta), ActiveQuote (Howden Group), MyFutureNow (Legal & General), and Playter (Shawbrook Bank), with 40+ portfolio companies backed since inception. The firm markets primarily through its website, investor portal, referral network, and Financial Times partner content, and serves two customer segments: FinTech/InsurTech founders seeking early capital and operational support, and professional LPs/family offices seeking curated exposure to early-stage FinTech.

Name

1818 Venture Capital

Legal name

1818 Venture Capital Limited

Website

https://1818venturecapital.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

1818 Venture Capital is a Guernsey-licensed early-stage VC firm, founded 2012, investing £100k–£1m tickets in UK and Middle East FinTech and InsurTech companies from pre-seed through Series A, serving founders and Limited Partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Venture Capital / Early-Stage Investment

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 (Series A/B) (FSANAAAB)

Keywords

• Early-stage venture capital
• Fintech investing
• Insurtech investing
• Seed funding
• Venture capital firm

Headquarters

HQ city

St. Peter Port

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Venture Capital Management Fees: Charges management fees to Limited Partners for overseeing their venture capital investments. Fees are stated to be 25% below typical industry standards.
2. Carried Interest: Performance-based fees earned on successful exits and returns to investors, aligning firm interests with LP outcomes.
3. Co-investment Returns: Returns from direct equity investments in portfolio companies alongside co-investors.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

1818 Venture Capital provides early-stage venture capital investment to FinTech and InsurTech companies in the UK and Middle East (GCC). The firm deploys capital alongside strategic guidance, mentorship, board directorships, and access to a network of co-investors and industry leaders, investing at Pre-Seed through Series A stages with ticket sizes of £100k–£1m and initial company valuations typically between £1m–£20m.

Product overview

1818 Venture Capital is a venture capital investment firm offering a single unified investment service rather than a modular product platform. The firm deploys capital and expertise to early-stage FinTech and InsurTech companies across the UK and Middle East (GCC nations), providing funding alongside strategic guidance, mentorship, board directorships, and access to a network of industry leaders and co-investors. The investment offering encompasses the entire investment lifecycle from initial pitch through to exit, with a focus on building companies toward high-quality acquisition, secondary liquidity, or IPO outcomes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 1818 Venture Capital Investment Services

Quantifiable outcome

• 40+ portfolio companies backed since 2012
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators11 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Seedcamp: One of Europe's leading early-stage VCs with first-cheque activity across UK and Europe, frequently co-investing alongside 1818. Directly comparable on stage (Pre-Seed/Seed), geography, and target founder profile.
• Anthemis Group: Specialist early- and growth-stage FinTech venture investor with a global footprint and similar thesis around re-shaping financial services. Listed as a co-investing partner of 1818, making it both a collaborator and a directly comparable competitor for UK/EU FinTech deals.
• Ascension: Early-stage UK VC with impact orientation and overlap in FinTech-adjacent founders; active co-investor with 1818 on Series A deals including Sidekick.
• Fuel Ventures: UK-based early-stage VC active in FinTech-adjacent startups; recently co-invested with 1818 on a UK cybersecurity pre-seed, suggesting direct overlap in deal sourcing.
• Octopus Ventures: One of Europe's most active early- and growth-stage VCs, named as a co-investing partner of 1818. Comparable on stage (Pre-Seed through Series A) and on UK-first FinTech/healthtech/consumer thesis.
• Ada Ventures: European early-stage VC co-investing alongside 1818, with comparable Pre-Seed/Seed cheques and a similar UK-centric fund-raising footprint.
• Foresight Ventures: Listed infrastructure and venture investment company with a UK-anchored early-stage practice that co-invests alongside 1818. Directly comparable on early-stage UK cheque size and FinTech-adjacent investing.
• Pact VC: Early-stage VC with a stated co-investment relationship with 1818 on FinTech and InsurTech rounds, overlapping on stage, sector, and UK-led deal flow.
• Blackfinch Ventures: UK-focused early-stage VC co-investing alongside 1818 on Pre-Seed and Seed rounds, with comparable ticket size and FinTech/InsurTech-relevant founder base.

Regional players

• Waed Ventures: Saudi Arabia-based early-stage VC and corporate venture arm that co-invests with 1818 in Middle East FinTech. Regional peer covering the GCC half of 1818's UK-Middle East corridor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/1818venturecapital

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments47 records

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

Frequently asked questions about 1818 Venture Capital