VENTURE CAPITAL

Techstart Ventures

Belfast, United Kingdom

First-cheque venture capital fund for founders based in Scotland or Northern Ireland, investing from inception to pre-seed without needing revenue. First cheques of up to £750,000, with follow-on capacity. Manages Invest NI's £48m SME equity fund and Proof of Concept grant fund.

What Techstart Ventures backs

Stages
Idea, Pre-seed
Sectors
Business software, AI and data, Deep tech and hardware, and any other
Where
Northern Ireland, Scotland
How much
Up to £750kFirst cheques up to £750k (it says it typically writes initial cheques in first rounds of up to £1m); Invest NI's fund can invest up to £1m initially and £2.5m across rounds. Scotland applicants use an online form; Northern Ireland applicants email.

Companies it has backed

  • Cloudsmith
  • Enzai
  • Desana
  • Spectinga
  • Neurolabs
  • Continuum Industries
The full list on Techstart Ventures's site

Lately

Took part in Go Swag's $5m round led by Mercia Ventures (27 May 2026); listed by Invest NI as an active Access to Finance fund manager (checked 1 Oct 2026).

Sources

Checked .

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Company Signal lists funders so founders can find them. We are not a broker or a financial adviser: we do not recommend funders, pass pitches on or take any fee from them, and nothing here is an offer of finance. Each entry comes from the funder's own public pages, last checked 1 Oct 2026; amounts, terms and rates change, so check them with the funder before you apply.