FAQs
Investment
Does Seedcamp allow public investment?
Seedcamp is a private investment fund. Seedcamp never has and never will solicit investment through any public-facing app or platform. If you see any persons imitating Seedcamp please report it immediately to complaints@seedcamp.com
How do you add value to companies?
Everyone these days talks about having a network. At Seedcamp, it’s integral to our DNA. Our volume uniquely places us to have the most impactful and highly engaged founder network in Europe. Whether it’s finding someone at a similar stage to troubleshoot problems or just a couple of steps ahead who can help shortcut learnings, our 1,000-person strong founder network is an unparalleled advantage. From the Seedcamp network alone, our founders have hired senior employees, raised capital, found their first customers, and received expert guidance to help take their business to the next stage.
The other thing we bring to the table is stage expertise. While no company looks the same, we are one of the very few funds with genuine expertise in getting early-stage companies to an impactful Series A. We are 100% committed to supporting early-stage founders to achieve what they need, on their terms and without encroaching on their way of doing things.
With the power of the Seedcamp Nation, we bring the right people to swarm around your needs - whatever they may be.
Does Seedcamp like to lead or invest as part of a syndicate?
For rounds up to £2M, we like to lead your round and will set the terms. We can bring in other investors at this stage if you need additional capital to get off the ground. For rounds above £2M, we look for another investor to lead the round and will naturally follow their terms.
How much does Seedcamp traditionally invest?
Our first cheque is usually between £300-500K.
What is your investment process and how long does it take?
We've broken down all the stages of our pre-seed investment process here so you can see exactly how it works. From initial submission, we'll aim to get back to you within a week if we are interested in taking you through to the next round of our investment process.
Does Seedcamp invest alongside other VCs and Angels?
Seedcamp has the best network and access to Angels and VCs in Europe and we are backed ourselves by tier 1 corporates, VCs, angels, our founders, and funds of funds. In rounds we lead, we can help bring in other investors to anchor your round and in larger rounds, we invest as part of a syndicate alongside other leading angels and seed investors.
When is the right time to approach Seedcamp for investment?
We are first-cheque investors into the majority of our companies. These companies have ranged from prototype to pre-launch to launch and even post revenue. We appreciate different businesses are at different stages when they learn about us. But from the point you have an idea through to when you have early revenue, we are happy to learn more about what you do and consider you for investment.
If you think you are at a point in the business at which Seedcamp’s platform of support can help you step up your plans, then it’s likely the time we should speak! This is really our sweet spot for providing rocket fuel for startups on their journey ahead. If you have already raised more than a couple million pounds, we’re probably not the best fit.
Do you have standard legal documents that you like to use?
For rounds we lead, we like to use documents based largely on the standard Seedsummit terms that we helped coordinate with the help of many other investors in the ecosystem. Please take a look at our current standard pre-seed ASA (link below). We're comfortable using either a convertible or equity structure and work with the founders we invest in to figure out what's best at the time we invest. For larger rounds which we can’t lead, the terms of the round and legals are generally driven by the lead investor.
Links:
What is the main thing Seedcamp looks for when investing in a company?
Successful companies, in our experience, come in many different shapes and sizes, but have a few attributes in common at the early stage. These include: the quality of the founding team, how well they’ve considered their customer, the market size of their opportunity and their customers’ challenges, how this represents itself in the product they’ve created, and lastly how much funding is required to really demonstrate product market fit. The better articulated the above points are, the more comfort we feel in whether we can deliver value to the founding team.
Does Seedcamp only invest in certain areas/sectors?
We are sector agnostic in our approach and focus on backing world-class founders. While we don’t favour particular verticals, we are software-first investors. The nature of our fund makes it difficult for us to invest in capital-intensive businesses requiring physical products and hardware.
Will Seedcamp agree to sign an NDA?
It is typical for investors to not sign NDAs. There are plenty of resources on the web on why this is the case (see below). As we want to make sure we can expedite your fundraise from us, we don’t sign NDAs.
feld.com/archives/2006/02/why-most-vcs-dont-sign-ndas.html
forbes.com/sites/wilschroter/2013/08/22/why-investors-dont-sign-ndas/
feld.com/archives/2006/02/why-most-vcs-dont-sign-ndas.html
forbes.com/sites/wilschroter/2013/08/22/why-investors-dont-sign-ndas/
Do you invest in companies outside of Europe?
We believe fast-growing companies can be born anywhere in the world. However, we tend to focus on investing in European companies, or companies with a distinctively European angle. This is firstly because these are the market opportunities we understand the most; and secondly because these are the teams who we are best placed to support in terms of value-add. We are currently experimenting with a few selective investments in Africa.
Does Seedcamp insist on always taking board seats?
The best way for us to be able to help you is to have access to the same level of information and conversations as your other investors. In that spirit, we do not take board seats but we do selectively take up board observer roles. Typically we would maintain this role until at least the next round of funding, at or around Series A.
Does Seedcamp follow-on?
Yes. We do follow on in the subsequent rounds of existing portfolio companies and love supporting our most exciting portfolio companies in their next stage of growth.
Does Seedcamp have a public app?
Seedcamp does not have any public facing apps. The only official Seedcamp channels that are currently maintained and regularly updated as of 2022 are the following: Website, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Soundcloud
Jobs
I’m interested in working for one of your startups? How can I get in touch?
Check out our jobs page Seedcamp.com/Jobs