DSW Ventures
Venture capitalManchester · Pre-Seed–Series A · 13 people tracked
Investment thesis
DSW Ventures invests across all sectors with a preference for technology, knowledge and intellectual-property-intensive companies that have defensible positions, the ability to scale rapidly, and management teams capable of handling significant growth. Its investments span pre-revenue companies through to scale-ups raising £3m or more at early Series A, and all portfolio companies develop proprietary technology addressing large, growing and emerging markets. The firm leverages a network of over one hundred angel investors, entrepreneurs, investors and advisory professionals to add value to its holdings and help founders scale their businesses more efficiently.
Source: firm website, verified Aug 2, 2026.
Team · 13 people
from the firm's websitePreviously led the North-West Fund for Digital and Creative.
A software engineer who moved into tech investing and corporate finance advisory.
A growth-focused operator and investor with a successful £100m health tech exit.
A life sciences operator and former CFO who transitioned into early-stage investing.
An award-winning scientist focused on backing venture-led solutions to global challenges.
Director of PHD Industrial Holdings Ltd and a strategic adviser to the DSW Ventures partners.
Works on origination and new business while pursuing a Master's in Physics at the University of Manchester.
Strategic head of the DSW Group and a senior member of its Investment Committee.
Former CEO of Quay Pharma and an experienced life science practitioner. Member of the DSW Ventures Investment Committee.
Former CEO of the Co-operative Group, now an investor and non-executive director. Member of the DSW Ventures Investment Committee.
A Chemistry and Life Sciences PhD who moved into venture capital.
Angel investor and former chairman of Nasstar plc and Broadstone Engage. Member of the DSW Ventures Investment Committee.
Former Deloitte Director and head of Corporate Development for the DSW Group.
Investments · 19 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathBirmingham/Warwick spin-out developing 4Degra, a resorbable biomaterial for 3D-printed implants and surgical devices.
Women's outdoorwear business known for innovative outdoor skinny trousers combining function, comfort and feminine design.
Aston University spinout with iDPC, a tuneable blending process simplifying formulation of active pharmaceutical ingredients.
Software that reduces the size of user web-data cache for sysadmins, cutting the web-data footprint and lowering cloud infrastructure data costs.
Ulster University spinout developing novel therapeutics for metabolic diseases including diabetes and obesity.
Data intelligence company building AI-powered software for master data management and product data enrichment.
University of Dundee spin-out developing active biologic drugs for chronic inflammatory and autoimmune disorders.
Leicestershire DIY SEO platform helping small businesses improve Google visibility cost-effectively.
Newcastle company commercialising a benchtop instrument for detecting and quantifying DNA and RNA at the single-molecule level.
Developing a treatment using nano-sized 'messengers' from engineered human stem cells to curb inflammation and regenerate damaged tissue.
Newcastle-based service consolidating household utility bills into a single monthly payment for consumers, landlords and letting agents.
Events marketplace connecting consumers and corporates with a UK network of event and party suppliers.
Manchester-based white-label customer rewards SaaS platform for building branded rewards and partnership programmes.
AI-powered training and race-day performance platform for hybrid (Hyrox) competition.
Manchester-built hosted e-commerce SaaS platform enabling small businesses to create online shops without deep technical skills.
Ulster University spinout developing targeted technology to treat hypoxic tumours, initially pancreatic cancer.
Manchester-based subscription market research and insights platform focused on the kids, parents and under-30s market.
No-code social commerce mobile app builder for e-commerce brands.
Cranfield University spinout developing ChopMesh software to automate meshing in engineering simulation workflows.
Frequently asked questions
- What stage does DSW Ventures invest at?
- DSW Ventures invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A stages.
- What is DSW Ventures's typical check size?
- DSW Ventures typically writes checks of $100K – $1M.
- What sectors does DSW Ventures focus on?
- DSW Ventures focuses on Sector Agnostic.
- Where is DSW Ventures located?
- DSW Ventures is headquartered in Manchester, GB.
- Does DSW Ventures lead rounds?
- Yes, DSW Ventures leads investment rounds.
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