Love Ventures

Founders - it’s time to get on the court 🎾 🌲 After the success of our summer series of VC and investor padel events across London and Berlin, we’ve decided to finish off the year with our biggest event yet…exclusively for founders and a few of our co-investing VC partners. As the end of 2024 fast approaches, we want to celebrate the founders who are building the UK’s next generation of game-changing companies. We’ll have padel, drinks, and a fair few Christmas surprises.🎅 Demand for this event will be high, so secure your spot as a player or a spectator by signing-up early,: https://lu.ma/7lavfpqd 💫 And if you know any founders who you think would enjoy a night on the court, tag them below 👇 A special thanks goes to our headline sponsor First Wealth | Certified B Corp, which exists to deliver, curate, and facilitate the entire financial journey for high net worth individuals, and our promotional sponsors Superscript and Sheridans. #LovePadel

This evening, Love Ventures investor Alice Knibbs will be welcoming a group of female FinTech founders and VCs to Love Ventures HQ for our Women In FinTech evening, in partnership with Valérie Aelbrecht of JV Investment Network and AlbionVC. The British Business Bank reported in 2023, that for every £1 of VC investment, only one penny goes to female-led teams, even though women-founded businesses have been shown to yield higher revenue-per-dollar invested compared to male-led firms. It's important that VCs seek to close this funding gap and create more opportunities for women to access capital. In our latest article, Alice explores some of the challenges female leaders face in FinTech, and what can be done to solve them. Check it out using the link in the comments 🔗

Read our FinTech primer 🔗 The UK is a global FinTech powerhouse, and the current wave of FinTech exits and secondaries is testament to the quality of the UK's founders and operators and an indication that the sector continues to mature. FinTech is a key pillar within the Love Ventures investment thesis, with portfolio companies like Tembo, Banked : and Detected all recently announcing strategic partnerships and successes. 💡 To learn more about why we believe that FinTech is set to continue to be a vital part of the UK's growth economy, check out the article linked in the comments 👇

We’re excited to welcome 𝐁𝐞𝐧 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐡 to the Love Ventures team as our Data-Driven Fellow! ✨ Ben is a PhD candidate in Computer Science at the University of Swansea, specialising in Surveillance, Instance Tracking and Segmentation. He holds a BSc in Mathematics from the University of Dundee, where he researched Vortex Dynamics and Chaotic Systems. Ben has worked across a range of industries, including work experience at two of the Big Four UK consultancy firms. Outside of work Ben enjoys travelling, having explored 15+ countries and is also an avid photographer. As our Data-Driven Fellow, Ben will be applying advanced analytics and cutting-edge data techniques to bring next-level automation and intelligence across the fund’s investment process, from deal screening to investment analysis and more. Welcome on board, Ben! 👋

📽 Meet the Founder: Rider Latham, CEO of Solo by Secret Spa Bridging the gap between Future of Work and ConsumerTech, Solo is the latest brand from the team behind Love Ventures' portfolio company, Secret Spa. Rider recently visited Love Ventures HQ to discuss Solo and how it stands to benefit independent entrepreneurs around the world in the beauty and wellness industry and beyond. Solo provides an all-in-one solution for contractors to build their dream business by providing easy access to payment processing, marketing tools, website builders and more. The team at Solo’s ambition is to become the “Shopify for Services”, and to help them on that mission they’re inviting the Love Ventures community to join their existing customers and invest as part of their equity fundraising campaign. You can learn more about Solo on Crowdcube here: https://lnkd.in/dHkS9wrD Don’t invest unless you’re prepared to lose all the money you invest. This is a high-risk investment, and you are unlikely to be protected if something goes wrong. Take 2 mins to learn more: https://lnkd.in/ePqWQ3cr

Don’t miss our post-Autumn Budget webinar on 1 November 💻 For the last few months, rumours have swirled amongst the financial services and startup ecosystems about what will be announced in the new Chancellor’s first budget on 30 October. Potential rises to capital gains tax, inheritance tax, and employer-contributed national insurance rates are all rumoured, so we’re hosting this webinar for the Love Ventures community to help you understand just what the outcome of the Autumn Statement will mean for investors and startups. We’ll be joined by David Brookes, Tax Partner at BDO, for an exclusive webinar at 12pm on 1 November. David is a tax partner with 30 years’ experience and he is the head of tax for BDO in the South region. David works with high-growth entrepreneurial companies and their owners to help them succeed in their aims to grow, fund, and often sell their businesses. David will appear alongside General Partner Marcus Love and Distribution Director Faye Williams to analyse Rachel Reeve’s plans, discuss how the Government’s proposed changes might impact investors, entrepreneurs, and startups, and answer questions during a live Q&A. Sign-up now to secure your spot: https://lnkd.in/dnMkfEAc

🥁It’s been a big couple of weeks down at givestar HQ… 🥁 Founded by Alexander Coleridge and Tom Montague, givestar is on a mission to make charitable giving more accessible, and over the last few weeks, they’ve taken two huge steps forward with some massive partnership announcements. 🥇 givestar is now the official fundraising platform for Tough Mudder and Spartan in the UK. These iconic obstacle course events have long been synonymous with fundraising and charitable giving. Now, participants can seamlessly use givestar to raise money for the causes they care about, turning every muddy mile into an opportunity for impact. 🏃♂️ givestar has also joined forces with RunThrough, the UK's largest running events company. With over 285,000 participants across 270 events each year, this partnership aims to empower runners to raise over £50 million for charity over the next three years. Incredible achievements from the whole givestar team, who are working hard to ensure that every charitable challenge turns into meaningful donations for high-impact organisations around the world. givestar’s easy-to-use platform takes the hassle out of the process, helping people to focus on what matters - supporting the causes they love. If you haven’t already, check out givestar's website to see how your next marathon, cycle-ride or muddy challenge might be made even more successful: givestar.io.

💫 Last Few Days To Submit An Application 💫 Love Ventures is growing, and we're on the lookout for an exceptional Client Services Associate to join our team. This important role is all about enhancing the support we offer to our investors and intermediaries while improving our internal processes. We're seeking a proactive and ambitious individual eager to deepen their understanding of venture capital operations. This is a rare chance to join Love Ventures during a period of exciting growth and make a real impact. The deadline for applications is Sunday 13 October. Don’t miss out on your chance to join one of the most ambitious VC firms in the UK. Apply here now: https://lnkd.in/eFXe-fFr Know someone who might be a great fit? 👉 Share this opportunity with your network 👉 Tag a potential candidate below! At Love Ventures, we're committed to fostering a more inclusive venture ecosystem. That’s why we’re once again partnering with Applied, a recruitment platform that prioritises diversity and ensures we find the best talent for our team.

As we approach the anticipated budget, we are delighted to be teaming up with AlbionVC and TIME Investments to deliver a Structured CPD event to Financial Advisers and Paraplanners. At this event, our team will dive into key government initiatives, including the Venture Capital Scheme, Enterprise Investment Scheme, and Business Relief, providing valuable insights and guidance. 👉If you would like to secure your place, please contact investors@loveventures.co.uk

🥂30 years of EIS🥂 We recently celebrated this fantastic milestone with the Enterprise Investment Scheme Association (EISA) and their members, discussing and witnessing the success of the scheme to date. This also gave us the opportunity to reflect on the significant impact this structure has had on founders and companies within the UK ecosystem. Did you know that within the report we recently shared (https://lnkd.in/gsDATM78) it has been recognised that the EIS scheme has.... ▪️ Created 386,000 new jobs ▪️ Invested £32 billion across 56,000 companies ▪️ Between 2011 and now 46.5% of UK unicorns were EIS backed This success would not have been possible without the unwavering support of our investors, who have trusted us by committing their own capital to early-stage UK businesses. We are deeply grateful to each of you. If you're interested in exploring opportunities in the next wave of ConsumerTech, FinTech, and Future of Work ventures, please don't hesitate to reach out to 👉 investors@loveventures.co.uk.