We play fair by founders
Giving you an unfair advantage, to take you from where you are to where you want to be
Giving you an unfair advantage, to take you from where you are to where you want to be
92% of our portfolio recommend working with us
About
78% of our companies have successfully raised a Series A
Portfolio
Because we know it takes more than funding for a startup to survive and thrive; the right support goes beyond writing cheques
Approach
It’s a step towards the tomorrow we all want to live in
Content
Collaboration is Queen: Our female founder network has collectively raised £600m
FFOH
Our growing angel community is open to active angel investors in Europe
Angels
It’s never too early for an initial conversation
Pitch us
Our team is a mix of angel investors, operators, founders, engineers, lawyers, bankers, accountants, professional poker players, salespeople, product managers, biochemists and marketeers who share a deep passion for startups.
Andrew Sheffield
Principal
Anouska Moss
Executive Assistant
Chris Smith
Managing Partner
Clare Zhang
Associate
Deanne Saunders
Receptionist & Office Manager
Felix Neubeck
Analyst
Henrik Wetter Sanchez
General Partner
Lucia Polverino
Analyst
Matt Gill
Chief Financial Officer
Federico Pirzio-Biroli
Founding Partner & Chairman
Simon Blakey
Chair of the Investment Committee
(Roll over stars for more info)
Build bridges, join forces.
We're stronger together and more than the sum of our parts. Our diverse backgrounds, experiences and abilities enable us to see things differently and collaborate with founders, investors and industry players
Be your whole self.
The more voices at the table, the more interesting the conversation. We welcome diverse thought, different ideas and divergent viewpoints.
Don't be a d*ck.
We're humans first, foremost and we invest in humans. We don't view startups as an asset class, we bring care and consideration to all of our interactions; with founders, investors… anyone.
Ask, always.
We're an open bunch with a ‘better out than in' philosophy. We follow our curiosity to build understanding. Because the better we understand, the more we can help.
Own your zone of genius
Everyone brings something different. We empower each other to understand and build on our strengths and make a real impact where it really counts.
Federico Pirzo-Biroli (aka Fede) is one of the early pioneers of the London tech ecosystem.
Following time spent working at startups, charities and NGOs post-graduation, Fede started his angel career in 2011 across the road at White Bear Yard. Taking a desk as an angel in residence, he developed a passion for investing in and working with startups. He backed 22 companies over the next 2 years across a broad range of sectors and technologies.
Spotting a gap in the market for a firm that combines the best aspects of angel investing with the scale and resources of a fund, Fede founded Playfair in 2013 and brought a team of partners and investors on board. He also acquired Warner Yard, which over the past decade was home to many startups, investors and incubators, and remains our HQ to this day.
Today, our team has grown to 11 people, who all share a genuine devotion to the startup world and are focused on delivering the best possible outcomes for all the founders we work with.
Listen to a podcast about Fede shaking up London's VC Industry here.
We've seen a lot of change in the decade since Playfair was founded and continuously refine our approach to deliver optimal support and outcomes for our founders.
Our 78% Series A graduation rate is ~3x industry average. And Fund 3 has the firepower to 'have your back' through the ups and downs of building venture backed startups. We consistently do a minimum of pro rata in follow-on rounds, have led several Seed+ rounds and will support you through Series A.
We are consistently ranked amongst the best firms in Europe by the people that matter most to us: founders. In Founders Choice anonymous polling we were voted 3rd best VC fund in Europe and we have consistently maintained a 4.5* rating on anonymous review site Landscape.
Our fund performance puts us in the top quartile vs US and European benchmarks.
We'd encourage you to speak to any of our founders to ask them about their experience working with us.
