Draper Esprit
Invests in seed, venture and growth-stage companies based in Europe, focusing on companies in electronics, software, internet, medtech and mobile sectors.
Draper Esprit typically invests between $500,000-$20m; the average size of the investment rounds into UK companies in which it has participated since 2011 being £9.15m. During this period, the fund has provided follow-on investments for 12 of the 33 unique UK companies that it has backed. Draper Esprit has contributed to 15 investments into seven unique UK scaleups since 2011 worth a total of £146m.
Founded in 2006, the fund invests throughout Europe, with offices in London, Dublin and Cambridge. It invests in technology-based businesses and those in e-commerce, digital media and online publishing. It focuses on companies in electronics, software, internet, medtech and mobile. The average number of deals per annum, including follow-on rounds, is 20.
21 of the 52 investments made into UK companies by Draper Esprit since 2011 have been outside of London. The firm describes growth investing as its core business and emphasises that as a publicly listed VC fund it is not constrained by the limited partnership model of a time-limited fund, saying: “we have a balance sheet, a longer view, and the staying power to back teams to reach their full potential.”
If you know any national or local scaleup programmes that you want to recommend as a potential case study for the Institute to consider please do get in touch: info@scaleupinstitute.org.uk
