Most active UK investors: angels, VC firms and corporate venture capital
A monthly ranking based on Startupmag's tracking of active UK angel and venture capital investment.
May 2026’s most active investors ranking reflects where UK capital was actually deployed in April 2026, spanning pre-seed, seed and growth rounds across angel investors, venture capital firms and corporate investment arms.
| Angel Investors | Location | Connect | Investment Focus | Startup Investments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Matt Clifford is the Prime Minister's Adviser on AI Opportunities and co-founder... | ||||
 Alan Morgan is the Chairman and Owner at AdFisco. He is also an angel investor k... | ||||
 Paul Forster is an investor known for his investments in Purple Dot Technologies... | ||||
 Sir Ronald Cohen is widely regarded as one of the founding figures of the UK ang... |  UK | |||
 Timo Boldt is a prominent UK startup founder and active angel investor best know... | UK | HealthtechHealthcare | ||
| All angel investors | All locations | All investor sectors | All funded startups |
*These angel investors have publicly mentioned their interest in angel investing or are members of angel networks. (Last updated: June 2026)
Matt Clifford, Alan Morgan, Timo Boldt, Paul Forster and Sir Ronald Cohen were the most visible angels in April’s dataset. Fintech was the dominant theme, but there was notable backing of greentech and healthtech. Clifford and Cohen stand out as high-profile, public-facing figures — Clifford as a founder and adviser in AI policy and Cohen as a veteran of British venture capital — while Boldt reads as an operator angel with consumer and healthtech credentials. Morgan and Forster skew fintech and B2B software, reinforcing a cluster around payments, treasury and finance automation. Together these patterns suggest UK angels remain active across stages, concentrating expertise and capital in fintech while still supporting climate and health innovators.
| Venture Capital Firms | Investment Focus | Startup Investments | Round Size | Connect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Blackfinch Ventures( ) Blackfinch Group is a dynamic investment group focused on creating a positive im... Gloucester | Third Space LearningArchangel LightworksQuantcore | |||
 Love Ventures( ) Love Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm focused on empowering innov... London | ||||
 Mercia( ) Mercia is a venture capital firm focused on fuelling UK business ambitions throu... Manchester | TechnologyEducationOnline LearningE-Learning+89 | StudentCrowdAlesi SurgicalServe First | ||
 YFM Equity Partners( ) YFM Equity Partners specialises in providing flexible equity solutions to ambiti... London | StudentCrowdSwankyinploi | |||
 Ada Ventures( ) This venture capital firm focuses on three key investment areas: Climate Equity,... London | GizmoQoro | |||
| All VC firms | All investor sectors | All funded startups | All funding rounds |
Blackfinch Ventures, Love Ventures, Mercia, YFM Equity Partners and Ada Ventures were the most active VCs in April, collectively driving activity across deep tech, fintech, edtech, healthtech and ecommerce. Quantum and space plays such as Quantcore and Archangel Lightworks sat alongside fintech infrastructure and payments bets including Ralio and Round. AI-enabled learning and data platforms, exemplified by Gizmo, Third Space Learning and WholeSum, also registered strongly. The month highlighted specialist models too, from regional and fund-of-fund structures via Mercia and Midlands Engine allocations to mission-led seed activity at Ada and alternative investor involvement on strategic deals.
| Corporate Venture Capital Firms | Investment Focus | Startup Investments | Round Size | Connect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 SQM Lithium Ventures( ) SQM Lithium Ventures is the corporate venture arm of SQM, focused on lithium, ba... | TechnologyRisk ManagementData ProtectionCybersecurity+6 | Altilium | No funding stage information available | |
| All VC firms | All investor sectors | All funded startups | All funding rounds |
April 2026’s corporate investment picture was narrow but instructive. SQM Lithium Ventures was the standout CVC, directing capital into energy transition and battery supply-chain opportunities concentrated in two clusters: critical materials and downstream battery processing, and the greentech and mobility infrastructure needed to domesticate supply chains. Banks, insurer-linked arms and venture studios were largely absent from the deal flow, leaving an industrial corporate playbook to dominate corporate participation. Collectively the transactions revealed a clear instinct to protect R&D, secure strategic adjacencies and underwrite deployment at scale.
Frequently asked questions
Startupmag ranks investors based on publicly tracked UK startup investment activity, including angel investments, venture capital rounds and corporate venture funding.
An active investor is an angel investor, venture capital firm or corporate venture capital arm that participated in multiple UK startup funding rounds during the selected period.
No. The rankings focus on investment activity into UK startups, including participation from both UK and international investors.
The ranking includes angel investors, venture capital firms, corporate venture capital investors, seed investors and growth investors active in the UK startup ecosystem.
The Startupmag most active investors ranking is updated monthly using tracked UK startup funding data and investment activity.
Yes. Startupmag provides access to a searchable investor database with investor profiles, sectors, locations and recent startup investments.
Investor activity varies monthly, but sectors such as AI, fintech, healthtech, climate and enterprise software consistently attract strong investment activity across the UK startup ecosystem.
Click here for a full list of 7,589+ startup investors in the UK