Octopus Ventures: London's Multi-Stage Backer, from Idea to IPO

Octopus Ventures is one of Europe's largest and most active venture investors. The London-based firm, part of the Octopus Group, has backed more than 130 teams since 2008, with £1.7 billion under management and over £200 million deployed a year. It invests across seven sectors where its teams hold deep specialist expertise: B2B Software, Bio, Climate, Consumer, Deep Tech, Fintech and Health.

The firm's sweet spot is pre-seed through Series A, though it can invest from the earliest phase of business creation to later stages of growth, with the ability to fund companies right through to IPO. Typical investments run from £1 million for seed to £10 million for Series B. The positioning is founder-first: the site says its teams invest where they can make the greatest positive impact, backing businesses that put people, community and the environment first, and support founders with humility alongside capital.

The portfolio includes some of the best-known names in European venture: Zoopla Property Group, Secret Escapes, Depop, Cazoo, ManyPets, Elvie and Pelago, alongside newer B2B software bets such as Definely, the legal-tech company building intelligent contract solutions. The firm has also run a growth strategy backing its most promising portfolio companies with larger follow-on cheques.

For founders wondering how to approach the firm, Octopus publishes its investment process openly. The general steps are: send the deck, and if there is a fit the firm sets up a call; meet investors at a discovery meeting; host the team at your office so they can spend time with your people; present to the wider team at a partnership meeting; and receive a final decision — with feedback on why if the answer is no. The process is slightly different at pre-seed, but the transparency is consistent.

The firm puts unusual weight on who is doing the investing. Its site says its investors bring first-hand knowledge and experience from their focus sectors — from NHS doctors and deep tech PhDs to beauty entrepreneurs and web3 founders — which it presents as the reason it can find, back and believe in Europe's best founders before the pattern is obvious to everyone else. That sector-specialist structure is reinforced by an in-house People and Talent team that works with portfolio companies on building teams and cultures that thrive, rather than leaving hiring entirely to the founders.