Alliott Cole

At Octopus Ventures we are generalists venture capitalists preferring to back exceptional entrepreneurial teams rather than specific sectors. We look for businesses which can create, transform or dominate an industry. We are focused on the UK and can invest up to £5m. We have £150m to invest in the next three years.

Although we come from different professional, industry, and scientific backgrounds, we share a real passion for business. We are committed to our companies. We view our management teams both as partners and customers. We bring considerable experience and expertise to our companies along with no small amount of ambition, energy, resolve and creativity.

We also understand just how difficult it is to create and grow a business. It’s not just about having a great idea and a capable team: having a network of contacts and real world experience to draw upon counts for as much. That’s why we have been building both an informal and a formal network for over a decade. The latter, the Octopus Investor Group, now numbers in excess of 100 businessmen, leaders of commerce, and entrepreneurs. This group coinvests with Octopus and is a unique and invaluable resource for our companies to draw upon. This blend of knowledge and skill has allowed us to help more than 60 UK companies thrive in recent years.