Onstage, the London-based organisation behind Europe’s largest independent demo day, has unveiled its first venture fund after closing an initial £10M (€11.3M).
The fund will focus on backing early-stage European founders, with Founding Partner Joel Hambly leading the investment strategy. Over the next three years, the team plans to make around 80 targeted investments, positioning the VC compay as a YC-style catalyst for talent—without operating an accelerator program.
Strategic Partners Join To Shape Europe’s Next VC Powerhouse
Peter Simon, President of Simon Sports in the US, joins the fund as Partner and investor, highlighting the ambition to build a world-class launchpad for Europe’s highest-potential founders. Simon says Onstage has already become a core part of the continent’s startup ecosystem and presents a rare opportunity to create Europe’s next major venture platform.
The LP base includes prominent European founders and investors such as Alex Chesterman, alongside general partners from Concept Ventures, Creator Ventures, Chapter One, and Episode 1. To strengthen ecosystem alignment, Emma Phillips (LocalGlobe), Laura McGinnis (Balderton), and Jamesin Seidel (Chapter One) join the investment committee as external advisors.
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A Rapidly Growing Platform For Europe’s Startup Ecosystem
Founded in 2020 by Hector Mason (Episode 1) and Taos Edmondson (dmg ventures), Onstage has grown into one of Europe’s most influential venture platforms. Under the leadership of co-founder Issie James, its flagship demo day now attracts participation from over 2,000 startups and more than 330 VC funds including Sequoia, a16z, Balderton, and LocalGlobe.
Startups showcased at Onstage events have raised over £500M collectively. Alumni such as Scan.com (£60M) and Lawhive (£44M) rank among Europe’s fastest-scaling companies. Onstage also hosts one of Europe’s largest GP–LP gatherings, with 350 GP applicants for its latest event—reinforcing its role as a critical connector within the venture ecosystem.
Strengthening Europe’s Early-Stage Investment Infrastructure
The fund launch follows support from The Fund Incubator, Blears, and Bunch Capital. Hambly emphasises that establishing a dedicated investment vehicle strengthens Onstage’s value for founders and deepens its ties with the continent’s leading venture firms. The goal: help Europe’s next generation of entrepreneurs compete—and win—on a global stage.
About Onstage
Onstage is a European venture platform connecting founders, investors, operators, customers, and partners to accelerate growth. By bridging general partners (GPs) with limited partners (LPs) and hosting the continent’s largest standalone demo day, the VC firm drives deal flow, collaboration, and momentum across the European startup ecosystem.
