Founders Factory
also invests · investor profile3 known investors
Venture studio and accelerator that co-founds, funds and supports early-stage startups alongside corporate partners.
Also known as FF · Founders Factory Ltd
Founders & leadership
Investors · 3
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Company profile
researched Aug 2026Founders Factory is a venture builder and early-stage investor that combines a venture studio with sector-focused accelerator programmes and venture funds. Through the studio it co-founds new companies with entrepreneurs from inception, providing pre-seed capital and a dedicated team covering product and design, engineering, growth, data science, talent, fundraising, strategic partnerships, and PR. Through its accelerator programmes it invests at pre-seed and seed stage and supports founders in reaching product-market fit and raising follow-on capital.
The firm states it has backed 500+ startups, employs a team of 60+ operators, and operates across five continents. Its stated focus sectors include fintech, health, industrials and deep tech, with additional programme themes in climate, mining technology and nature tech. Portfolio companies listed on its site include Storyblok, Perlego, Peptone, Dronamics, Scan.com, Tembo, Xapien, Fundamental VR, Synthesized, Iris AI, Byway, Endolith, Terra AI, Hades Mining, Valarian and Circeus, alongside exited companies Monolith (acquired by CoreWeave in 2025), Fluidstack, Landvault (acquired by Infinite Reality in 2024), Flourish (acquired by Canva in 2022), Feedr (acquired by Compass Group in 2020) and Honest Health (acquired by Hims & Hers in 2021).
A defining element of the model is its coalition of corporate partners, which co-invest and provide portfolio companies with distribution, market intelligence, commercial partnerships and follow-on capital. Studio partners named on its site include Aviva (London, fintech), Vonovia (Berlin, proptech), Mediobanca (Milan, fintech), Pico (Singapore, media and live events) and Fastweb (Milan, media and telecoms).
Founding story
Founders Factory was founded by serial entrepreneurs Brent Hoberman, Henry Lane Fox and George Northcott. Hoberman serves as Executive Chairman, Lane Fox as Chief Executive Officer, and Northcott as Vice President.
Business model
Founders Factory builds and funds startups in partnership with entrepreneurs and large corporates. It takes positions in companies it co-founds through its venture studio and in companies it backs at idea, pre-seed and seed stage through accelerator programmes and venture funds. Corporate partners underwrite and participate in sector-specific programmes, gaining access to startups while providing capital, distribution and market intelligence.
The business is structured around equity investment in the startups it builds and backs, alongside sector-focused accelerator programmes and venture funds run with corporate and institutional partners.
Traction
The company reports backing 500+ startups. Its portfolio companies have collectively raised over $1 billion in follow-on funding, including Shop Circle's $120M Series A (2023), Storyblok's $80M Series C (2024), Perlego's $50M Series B (2022), Peptone's $40M Series A (2022), Dronamics' $40M pre-Series A (2023), Landvault's $25M Series B (2021), FundamentalVR's $20M Series B (2022), Previse's Series B (2022), Tembo's $17.3M Series B (2024), Cosmose's $15M Series A (2020), Scan.com's $12M Series A (2023) and Xapien's $10M Series A (2024). Portfolio exits include Landvault (acquired by Infinite Reality at a stated $450M valuation in 2024), Monolith (CoreWeave, 2025), Flourish (Canva, 2022), Honest Health (Hims & Hers, 2021) and Feedr (Compass Group, 2020).
Latest developments
Recent activity includes a $1.75M joint venture with MSWA to fund and scale technologies for neurological care; a UK Web3 accelerator announced with Coinbase, Fabric Ventures and Animoca Brands; the Future Industries Partnership, a three-year philanthropic climate tech programme launched in Singapore with HSBC and Third Derivative to decarbonise heavy industries in Asia and the Middle East; an Innovate UK Biomedical Catalyst Accelerator supporting up to 10 early-stage startups; and a Hitachi Construction Machinery mining challenge, jointly implemented with Founders Factory, with a pitch event planned for 16 April 2026 in Brisbane, Australia.
▸Full profile — market position, go-to-market, geography, history
Market position
Founders Factory describes itself as a UK-headquartered venture studio and accelerator operating at the centre of Europe's tech ecosystem, with 500+ startups backed, 60+ operators and presence on five continents. It works with large corporates including Aviva, Rio Tinto, HSBC, Hitachi Construction Machinery, Northwestern Medicine, Vonovia, Mediobanca, Pico and Fastweb.
The firm positions its access to industry-leading corporate partners as its principal advantage, combining pre-seed and seed capital with co-founder-level operational support from an in-house team of builders and operators rather than capital alone.
Go-to-market
Startups are sourced through open applications to sector-branded accelerator programmes run with corporate partners (for example the Aviva Fintech Accelerator in London, the Rio Tinto Mining Tech Accelerator and WA Government Nature Tech Accelerator in Perth, the MSWA MS & Neurological Care Accelerator, the Blue Action Accelerator, the Northwestern Medicine Healthcare Accelerator in London and Chicago, and the HSBC Industrial Innovator Programme in Singapore), and through the venture studio, which recruits founders to run companies it is building. The firm also publishes content and a newsletter and maintains a founder, investor and corporate-innovator community.
Early-stage founders and prospective founders — serial founders and startup operators, scientists, inventors and academics, industry leaders and seasoned executives, and first-time entrepreneurs — as well as large corporates seeking startup innovation partnerships.
Geography
Headquartered in London, with locations in New York, Berlin, Milan, Singapore, British Columbia, Perth and Grand Bahama. Programmes span London, Chicago, Perth, Singapore and Southeast Asia, and the company describes operations across five continents and investing across four continents.
History
Founded by Brent Hoberman, Henry Lane Fox and George Northcott, Founders Factory has grown from a London base into a multi-region venture builder and investor with offices across Europe, North America, Asia, the Caribbean and Australia, adding corporate-backed studio and accelerator programmes with partners such as Aviva, Vonovia, Mediobanca, Pico, Fastweb, Rio Tinto, HSBC, Northwestern Medicine and MSWA.
Compiled by commissioned research from 8 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Timeline · 5
launches, deals, and filingsHitachi Construction Machinery began soliciting ideas for a mining challenge to be jointly implemented with Founders Factory, with a pitch event to be hosted on 16 April 2026 in Brisbane, Australia; one company will be selected per theme for collaboration.
HSBC launched a three-year philanthropic climate tech programme in Singapore with Third Derivative and Founders Factory, aimed at deploying climate technologies to decarbonise heavy industries such as iron, steel, cement and chemicals across Asia and the Middle East.
MSWA announced a $1.75M joint venture with Founders Factory to fund and scale technologies for people living with neurological conditions, linked to the MSWA MS & Neurological Care Accelerator.
$1.8M source ↗
Coinbase, Fabric Ventures, Animoca Brands and Founders Factory announced a UK Web3 accelerator providing business growth training and AI and Web3 go-to-market expertise to blockchain-based businesses in the UK.
An accelerator supporting up to 10 early-stage startups working on remote monitoring and related areas.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
In the news
▸Research sources · 8
primary sources listed
- Founders Factoryfoundersfactory.com · web
8 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Founders Factory do?
- Venture studio and accelerator that co-founds, funds and supports early-stage startups alongside corporate partners.
- Who founded Founders Factory?
- Founders Factory was founded by George Northcott.
- Who are Founders Factory's investors?
- Founders Factory's investors include firstminute capital, GMG Ventures, Mercuri.vc.