We invest venture capital into innovative UK businesses

Regional investments global vision

About us

Venture capital investing across the UK regions

Our purpose

DSW Ventures exists to help fill the funding gap for regional start-ups

Our investments

We invest in rounds of £100,000 up to £3 million from start-up to Series A

Our approach

We are hands-on investors providing extensive support to our portfolio companies

About us

Who we are

DSW Ventures is a start-up and early-stage venture capital firm focusing on high potential businesses based in the UK regions. Like the founder teams we back, we too are a small, agile team, making decisions quickly and commercially. We invest funds on behalf of British Business Investments, family offices and angel investors looking to benefit from investing under SEIS and EIS tax reliefs. Part of DSW Capital plc, our team is Manchester-based and operates across the UK through the group’s regional offices.

What we invest in

UK regional start-ups

Our typical investment is from £100,000 to over £1 million into SEIS/EIS-qualifying businesses, and we are happy to participate in larger rounds. We focus on software, spin-outs and consumer businesses with talented founders, a defensible position and evidence of product-market fit. Take a look at our portfolio to see the companies we’ve invested in.

Our investment approach

Hands on support

Our team has led over 100 investments into UK companies and has a wide range of experience in the corporate finance and technology sectors. We draw upon this experience to take a hands-on approach, helping guide and shape the business both during the investment process and through to exit.