created by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs
What makes us different?
Fuel Ventures was founded by Mark Pearson who built his own company and scaled it to a £55m exit. We know how hard building fast growth companies is and we use all our operational expertise and experienced network to help companies grow.
Active Investors
We are active investors, bringing our own experience as entrepreneurs to support the funds' portfolio companies.
Entrepreneurial Management
We can understand and guide entrepreneurs because we have been in their shoes. Our team have experience in founding, working in or exiting startup companies.
Portfolio Perks
We've partnered with some of the top providers of software & infrastructure to give our portfolio founders access some of the best tools, at a discounted cost.
Hear what founders have to say:
"Fuel Ventures is an entrepreneur-led fund that understands the challenges and opportunities of building a successful startup. They have been a great partner to us and have assisted in achieving our growth targets, along with successful introductions to our follow on VC investors. I would recommend any early stage Founder to work with Fuel."
Leo Bradshaw, Peckwater Brands
Christian Owens, Founder of Paddle, on Fuel Ventures
Discover why Christian Owens, founder of Paddle - a UK unicorn valued at over £1 billion - trusts Fuel Ventures to back the next wave of tech innovators in this exclusive testimonial for us.
Fuel Ventures Funds' Portfolio
The Team
Mark Pearson
From an initial investment of only £300, Mark grew MyVoucherCodes into the second biggest voucher code brand in Europe (by revenue and audience) where the network served over 2 million users in eight territories across Europe & South America and the business employed circa 100 staff.
Our track record
2024
Won Best New Product - Growth Investor awards
2024
Won Best Investor Return - Growth Investor awards
2023
Won Best SEIS Manager - Growth Investor awards
2023
Fuel Ventures VCT listed on the London Stock Exchange
2023
Fuel Ventures team highly commended in Industry Advocate Awards (EISA)
2022
Won Best EIS Manager - Growth Investor awards
2022
Capdesk sells to Carta for c.$88m
2021
ContentCal sells to Adobe for c.$110m
2020
Launched Fuel Ventures SEIS Fund
2019
Launched a Follow-On EIS Fund
2015
Launched Fuel Ventures Fund 1
2013
Fuel Ventures launched
Recent News
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Risk summary for non-readily realisable securities which are shares:
Last updated: 15 April 2024 | Estimated reading time: 2 min
What are the key risks?
1. You could lose all the money you invest
If the business you invest in fails, you are likely to lose 100% of the money you invested. Most start-up businesses fail.
2. You are unlikely to be protected if something goes wrong
The business offering this investment is not regulated by the FCA. Protection from the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) only considers claims against failed regulated firms. Learn more about FSCS protection here.
Protection from the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) does not cover poor investment performance. If you have a complaint against an FCA-regulated firm, FOS may be able to consider it. Learn more about FOS protection here.
3. You won’t get your money back quickly
Even if the business you invest in is successful, it may take several years to get your money back. You are unlikely to be able to sell your investment early. The most likely way to get your money back is if the business is bought by another business or lists its shares on an exchange such as the London Stock Exchange. These events are not common. If you are investing in a start-up business, you should not expect to get your money back through dividends. Start-up businesses rarely pay these.
4. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket
Putting all your money into a single business or type of investment, for example, is risky. Spreading your money across different investments makes you less dependent on anyone to do well. A good rule of thumb is not to invest more than 10% of your money in high-risk investments. Read more about it here.
5. The value of your investment can be reduced
The percentage of the business that you own will decrease if the business issues more shares. This could mean that the value of your investment reduces, depending on how much the business grows. Most start-up businesses issue multiple rounds of shares. These new shares could have additional rights that your shares don’t have, such as the right to receive a fixed dividend, which could further reduce your chances of getting a return on your investment. If you are interested in learning more about how to protect yourself, visit the FCA’s website here.
Please find the PDF version here.