What stage does Black Seed invest at?

Black Seed invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed stages.

What is Black Seed's typical check size?

Black Seed typically writes checks of $125K – $500K.

What sectors does Black Seed focus on?

Black Seed focuses on Impact & Social Good, Sector Agnostic.

Where is Black Seed located?

Black Seed is headquartered in London, GB.

Black Seed

Venture capital

London · Pre-Seed–Seed · 6 people tracked

Also known as Black Seed VC

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Find your way into Black Seed

684 people in our graph share verified history with the Black Seed team — schools, employers, funds. One of them is your warm intro.

Jasper Smithunlockedknows Michael · together at Langham Hall (overlapped)

×3knows the team · via Langham Hall

×5knows the team · via Newton Venture Program 2024

×3knows the team · via Newton Venture Program 2022

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Investment thesis

Black Seed addresses the historical underfunding of Black British founders, who have received a tiny fraction of UK venture funding. Acting as both a fund and a community, it invests early-stage capital in British tech and tech-enabled businesses with global aspirations, requiring at least one co-founder to identify as Black. It prioritizes entrepreneurs pioneering innovative solutions to significant contemporary challenges, providing capital, connections, and holistic support that blends technology, culture, empathy and innovation to build a more diverse and inclusive entrepreneurial landscape.

Invests inImpact & Social GoodSector AgnosticGlobal London United Kingdom

Source: firm website, verified Aug 3, 2026.

Stage

Pre-Seed–Seed

Check

$125K – $500K

London, GB

Instruments

Equity · Grants

Founded

2022

Tracked investments

Team · 6 people

from the firm's website & public directories

Karl· Managing Partner· United Kingdomin

Karl Lokko is the founder and managing partner of Black Seed, a community-based organization supporting Black founders based in Brixton with global reach. He serves as a trustee at The High Performance Foundation and works as an advocate for inclusive investment. His background includes experience as a public speaker and community organizer focused on connecting diverse populations.

JB· Investment Partner· Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India

JB is a General Partner at Shift Left Ventures, a pre-seed B2B fund focused on idea-stage startups, and is affiliated with Zemoso Labs, a design, AI, and engineering studio that works with startups, enterprises, and corporate incubators. Over 22 years, JB has worked as an investor, entrepreneur, and chief executive, including a role as Principal at a $120 million private equity fund and as an early engineer at Zoho. JB's ventures include a startup acquired by SAP AG (YASU), a startup that closed (ICUMI), and Zemoso Labs, which has worked with more than 50 startups and several Fortune 500 companies.

Yvonne Nagawa· Partner· Londonin

Yvonne Nagawa is a Founding Partner and Chief Operating Officer at Black Seed Ventures, a venture capital fund and tech community based in Brixton focused on supporting Black founders and inclusive innovation in the UK. Her work covers fund building, fundraising, strategic partnerships, and operational growth. She also serves as a Non-Executive Director.

Leonie· Investment Associate

Michael· Fund Controller· London, England, United Kingdomin

Michael is a qualified ACCA member serving as Fund and Financial Controller at Black Seed, with background experience in private equity and venture capital. He volunteers and mentors with organizations including Rise365 and Made Up Collective.

Vauban Technologies Limited· Promoter

Investments · 1 tracked

founders shown can be your intro path

Other

Tracked investments with no reachable website or further public details — typically companies that wound down, renamed, or were absorbed.

GRYD Energy

Frequently asked questions

What stage does Black Seed invest at?: Black Seed invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed stages.
What is Black Seed's typical check size?: Black Seed typically writes checks of $125K – $500K.
What sectors does Black Seed focus on?: Black Seed focuses on Impact & Social Good, Sector Agnostic.
Where is Black Seed located?: Black Seed is headquartered in London, GB.

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