Blue Lake

What Blue Lake does

Blue Lake (legal entity: Blue Lake Solution Ltd) is a London-based venture capital firm and accelerator founded in 2019 that invests in early-stage B2B startups founded by immigrants in the United Kingdom. The firm is led by co-founders David Gilgur (ex-Bloomberg) and Lyubov Guk (a Ukraine-born former corporate finance professional), and operates four interlocking vehicles: a direct VC fund, the TechBridge cross-border accelerator program, the Oasis community for immigrant founders, and a syndicate portfolio. Its first fund is anchored by a £90 million cornerstone commitment from the British Business Bank (2026-06-26), and the firm most recently launched the UK-Ukraine TechBridge Accelerator 2026 cohort (2026-04-15), establishing a cross-border sourcing corridor with government alignment.

The disclosed portfolio comprises approximately 10-12 companies diversified across HR tech (Inploi, Connectd), data and digital infrastructure (TrustedTwin, Imaginario), logistics (Stackt, GoSolo), no-code platforms (Cogniss), energy (Electric Miles), and proptech (SearchSmartly), among others. Recent direct deployment includes a £1M+ participation in Stackt's round (2025-11-01). The firm employs 11-50 people and is building the Oasis community platform as a proprietary deal-flow and engagement layer for UK-based immigrant founders.

Blue Lake's business model combines traditional venture capital economics — management fees on committed capital and carried interest on fund returns — with revenue from accelerator program delivery, government co-funding, and community/syndicate deal flow. The fund's revenue base is nascent, with management fees tied to the recently anchored £90M BBB commitment only beginning to accrue. The firm's competitive positioning rests on a thesis-aligned sourcing advantage in the UK immigrant-founder segment, a niche underserved by mainstream UK venture capital.

Name

Blue Lake

Legal name

Blue Lake Solution Ltd

Website

https://bluelakevc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Blue Lake is a London-based venture capital firm and accelerator founded in 2019 that invests in early-stage B2B startups founded by immigrants in the UK, operating a direct VC fund, the TechBridge cross-border accelerator, the Oasis founder community, and a syndicate portfolio of approximately 10-12 companies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Venture Capital / Early-Stage Startup Investment

akta.pro primary industry

Technology & Software Growth Equity (FSANACAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Business Services (B2B) Growth Equity (FSANACAD)

Keywords

• Venture capital investment
• Early stage startups
• Startup accelerator programs
• Immigrant founder support
• B2B technology funding

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Fund Management / VC Returns: Blue Lake VC generates returns through equity investments in early-stage startups. As a VC firm, revenue is derived from carried interest and management fees on funds under management.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Blue Lake is a London-based venture capital firm providing early-stage equity investment and ecosystem support to immigrant-founded B2B technology startups in the UK. It positions itself as the first institutional cheque into international founders, complemented by the TechBridge accelerator for Ukrainian startups and the Oasis founder community network offering hands-on help with banking, visas, and incorporation.

Product overview

Blue Lake VC operates as a venture capital firm offering a unified investment and support platform for immigrant founders in the UK. The core offering consists of venture capital funding services, complemented by the TechBridge Accelerator program for Ukrainian startups, the Oasis community network providing ecosystem support, and a portfolio syndicate of early-stage B2B technology investments including uTrigg, GoSolo, Cogniss, Stackt, and others. The firm positions itself as the first institutional investor for exceptional early-stage international founders targeting global markets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Oasis: A community network for international founders, investors, experts, operators, and corporates, providing a London base and hands-on help with banking, visas, and incorporation.

Products and services

• Blue Lake VC Investment Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Over £10 million in new investment and business deals generated for Ukrainian tech companies through TechBridge accelerator
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers9 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

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered flagship.

• UK GovernmentflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 April 2026UK Government, alongside Ukraine's Ministry of Digital Transformation, backs the UK–Ukraine TechBridge Investment Accelerator led by Blue Lake VC. The programme offers 20 high-growth Ukrainian tech startups a pathway to enter the UK market.
• Ukraine Ministry of Digital TransformationflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 April 2026Ukraine's Ministry of Digital Transformation partners with Blue Lake VC to support the TechBridge accelerator, helping Ukrainian startups access UK markets and investors.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Ada Ventures: London-based early-stage VC focused on founders from underrepresented backgrounds. Directly comparable mission (diverse founders), UK geography, and pre-seed/seed stage focus, though Ada Ventures emphasizes socioeconomic background more than immigration status.
• Antler: Global early-stage VC that explicitly recruits and backs diverse, often first-time immigrant founders through cohort-based programs. Most direct competitor in the "first cheque for international founders" niche, with stronger global brand but less UK-specific government backing.
• Entrepreneur First: London-headquartered talent investor that recruits technical and immigrant founders to build companies from scratch. Comparable pre-company stage focus, UK base, and immigrant-founder-friendly thesis; operates via structured cohort programs similar to TechBridge.
• Passion Capital: London-based early-stage VC with a strong B2B tech focus and similar fund size range. Competes for the same UK pre-seed/seed founder pool and shares the community-driven ethos that Blue Lake is building with Oasis.
• Connect Ventures: London-based seed-stage VC investing in European B2B software and tech-enabled startups. Comparable fund size, stage focus, and B2B thesis, though broader geographic remit and not immigrant-founder themed.
• Hambro Perks: UK investment platform that operates both a VC arm and accelerator programs targeting early-stage UK startups. Comparable London base and structured accelerator-plus-investment model, though broader portfolio mandate.

Broad incumbents

• LocalGlobe: Well-established London-based seed-stage VC. Competes for the same UK B2B founder pool but without a thematic immigrant-founder mandate; offers stronger follow-on capacity and brand recognition.
• Seedcamp: One of Europe's leading early-stage VC firms, London-based, with deep seed-stage deal flow. Comparable stage and B2B tech orientation but broader geographic mandate and substantially larger fund sizes.
• Atomico: London-headquartered European tech VC founded by Skype's Niklas Zennström. Overlaps with Blue Lake's B2B tech focus and immigrant-founder pipeline but operates at growth stages with much larger funds, making it more of an exit partner than a direct competitor.
• Techstars: Global accelerator network with structured cohort-based programs analogous to Blue Lake's TechBridge. Comparable accelerator-plus-equity model but vastly larger scale, global brand, and broader sector mandate.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/blue-lake-accelerator
• Facebookfacebook.com/BlueLakeAccelerator

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments11 records

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

Frequently asked questions about Blue Lake