Fintech startup Clove raises £10m pre seed led by Accel with Kindred
This article covers the pre-seed round on 14 October 2025 for Clove, a London-based fintech reimagining accessible financial advice, founded by Christian Owens and Louis Shakinovsky. It raised £10m in a round led by Accel with participation from Kindred.
What does Clove do?
Clove is a financial advice platform that combines human advisers and AI to deliver personalised guidance. It helps people plan savings, investments and decisions with tailored recommendations and adviser support.
Why is Clove useful?
Problem
People face a lack of accessible, affordable financial advice that answers timing, trade-offs and planning questions. The existing advice industry mainly serves wealthier clients, leaving many savers without guidance to invest or plan.
Solution
Clove explains that it combines AI with human advisers to reduce administrative burdens and scale personalised advice. This approach aims to make affordable, personalised advice available to people who currently lack professional support.
How much did Clove raise?
Clove raised £10m ($14m) in a pre-seed round led by Accel, with participation from Kindred alongside existing backers. This makes it the 7th largest funding round in October 2025 (35 recorded). It stands 155th for 2025 (507 total) in the Startupmag database, as of 14 October 2025.
For details on how Startupmag compiles its rankings, view our Methodology.
Who invested in Clove?
The key investors include:
- Accel: A venture capital firm that invests in early and growth-stage technology companies globally, with a focus on software and internet businesses.
- Kindred: A London-based venture firm that invests in early-stage technology startups across consumer and B2B sectors.
- Air Street: A venture capital firm focused on investing in European fintech and financial services startups.
- Angel investors: A group of individual angel investors, many with backgrounds in fintech and consumer technology.
If you're researching potential backers in this space:
- Explore our list of fintech venture capital firms in the UK
- Browse our directory of fintech angel investors in the UK
Who founded Clove?
The founders of Clove are Christian Owens and Louis Shakinovsky.
Where is Clove based?
Clove is based in London, UK.
What sector is Clove in?
Clove operates in the Fintech sector. The sector uses technology to improve financial services. In plain terms, it builds digital tools to help people manage money.
Key trends and challenges in Fintech:
Advice gap and financial inclusion
Many people lack affordable, personalised financial advice. For example, the FCA estimates seven million adults hold £10,000 or more in savings.
AI automation and trust
AI can automate routine work, lowering costs and increasing scale. But errors, bias, and unclear outputs risk damaging consumer trust.
Regulation and data protection
Regulators are tightening rules on data use and AI fairness. Complying increases costs and slows product launches for smaller firms.
For a deeper look at innovation in this space, see the fintech startups in the UK.
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