/Companies

1991 Ventures

Acceleratoralso invests · investor profile

London, GB · 3 known investors

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1991 is a venture capital seed fund and accelerator backing early-stage startup founders from Central and Eastern Europe and Ukraine. It invests up to £400,000 in startups across sectors including security, defense, AI infrastructure, fintech, logistics, energy, and healthcare, and runs equity-free investment readiness programs.

Also known as 1991 · 1991 Accelerator · 1991 Ventures & 1991 Accelerator

Founders & leadership

DGDenis Gursky
Denis GurskyPartner, 1991 Ventures; Head of Board, 1991 AcceleratorDenis Gursky co-founded SocialBoost in 2012 and the 1991 Accelerator in 2016, and previously served as open data advisor to Ukraine's Prime Minister and digital advisor to the Deputy Head of the National Security and Defence Council. He has also worked as innovation advisor for Europe and Eurasia at Internews Network, sat on the board of the Ukrainian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association, and completed the Sloan programme at London Business School.
VG
Viktor GurskyiPartner, 1991 Ventures; CEO, 1991 Accelerator

Investors · 3

Company profile

researched Aug 2026

1991 operates as two connected entities: 1991 Ventures, a venture capital seed fund, and 1991 Accelerator, an equity-free acceleration program. The fund is described as a £15M seed vehicle that invests up to £400,000 in early-stage startups from Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and Ukraine, focusing on industries it characterises as strategic for rebuilding Europe's technology sector: security, defense, AI infrastructure, fintech, logistics, energy and healthcare.

1991 Accelerator builds on roughly a decade of work accelerating Ukrainian startups and prepares early-stage founders for international expansion and fundraising through equity-free investment readiness programs. The organisation also acts as fund operator of the Google for Startups Ukraine Support Fund, through which $10M was allocated to 98 startups.

Business model

1991 combines a venture capital seed fund that takes equity stakes in early-stage companies with accelerator programs that are run on an equity-free basis, including programs delivered as a fund operator for third-party capital such as the Google for Startups Ukraine Support Fund.

Traction

The organisation reports supporting 315+ startups since 2016, alumni startups collectively raising over $50 million since 2022, seven companies in the 1991 Ventures investment portfolio, and $10M allocated to 98 startups in its role as fund operator of the Google for Startups Ukraine Support Fund.

Latest developments

Published items include a discussion of investing in Ukrainian defence tech featuring Brave1 and 1991 Ventures on the UK-Ukraine capital corridor, YC World becoming due diligence partner of 1991 Accelerator, and the selection of 15 startups for the Bridge to Scale equity-free investment readiness program run with the EBRD.

▸Full profile — market position, go-to-market, geography, history

Market position

Positioned as a seed-stage investor and accelerator specialised in Ukrainian and wider CEE founders, drawing on a decade of accelerating Ukrainian startups and its role as operator of the Google for Startups Ukraine Support Fund.

Go-to-market

Founders are reached through accelerator cohorts and equity-free investment readiness programs run with institutional partners, with selected programs such as Bridge to Scale delivered alongside the EBRD, and due diligence support provided in partnership with YC World.

Early-stage startup founders based in Central and Eastern Europe and Ukraine, including teams in security, defense, AI infrastructure, fintech, logistics, energy and healthcare seeking growth capital, investment readiness support and access to international investors.

Geography

Team members are based in London (both 1991 Ventures partners) and Kyiv (accelerator project, communications and marketing staff). Investment and program activity targets Central and Eastern Europe and Ukraine, with a stated focus on preparing founders for global expansion.

History

The organisation reports supporting startups since 2016 and states that its accelerator is built on a decade of accelerating Ukrainian startups; alumni fundraising totals are tracked from 2022 onward. It now runs both 1991 Ventures, the seed fund, and 1991 Accelerator, led by partners Denis Gursky (Partner, 1991 Ventures; Head of Board, 1991 Accelerator) and Viktor Gurskyi (Partner, 1991 Ventures; CEO, 1991 Accelerator).

Compiled by commissioned research from 1 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.

Key figures

latest reported
Capital allocated as operator of Google for Startups Ukraine Support FundJan 2025$10M
Capital raised by alumni startupsJan 2025$50M
Fund sizeJan 202515,000,000 GBP
Maximum check sizeJan 2025400,000 GBP
Portfolio companiesJan 20257 companies
Startups funded via Google for Startups Ukraine Support FundJan 202598 startups
Startups supported since 2016Jan 2025315 startups
Team members listedJan 20256 people

Company-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.

Timeline · 3

launches, deals, and filings
Jan 2025
Brave1 and 1991 Ventures discuss the UK-Ukraine capital corridor and Ukrainian defence tech investment

News item on investing in Ukrainian defence tech featuring Brave1 and 1991 Ventures in the context of the UK-Ukraine capital corridor.

source ↗

Jan 2025
YC World becomes due diligence partner of 1991 Accelerator

YC World was announced as due diligence partner of the 1991 Accelerator.

source ↗

Jan 2025
15 startups selected for Bridge to Scale program with EBRD

1991 Accelerator and the EBRD selected 15 startups for Bridge to Scale, an equity-free investment readiness acceleration program.

source ↗

Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.

Companies House · registry record

View on Companies House ↗
Registered name
1991 VENTURES LLP
Company number
OC446032
Status
Active
Company type
Limited liability partnership
Incorporated
28 Feb 2023
Registered office
608 Siena House 11 Bollinder Place, London, EC1V 2AS
Accounts
last made up to 31 Mar 2026 · next due 31 Dec 2027
Confirmation statement
last made up to 27 Feb 2026 · next due 13 Mar 2027

Current officers · 5

  • Denys Gurskyy — llp designated member, appointed 28 Feb 2023
  • Viktor Hurskyi — llp designated member, appointed 28 Feb 2023
  • Robert Edward William Cranborne — llp member, appointed 28 Feb 2023
  • Venrex Investment Management Llp — corporate llp member, appointed 28 Feb 2023
  • Venrex X General Partner Limited — corporate llp member, appointed 28 Feb 2023

Source: Companies House public register · retrieved 25 Oct 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In the news

▸Research sources · 1

primary sources listed

1 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.

Frequently asked questions

What does 1991 Ventures do?
1991 is a £15M seed venture fund and accelerator backing early-stage founders from Central and Eastern Europe and Ukraine.
Who are 1991 Ventures's investors?
1991 Ventures's investors include AEI Group, Samos Investments, Venrex.
Where is 1991 Ventures headquartered?
1991 Ventures is headquartered in London, GB.