How many investments has Exceptional Ventures made?

Exceptional Ventures has 35 tracked investments, 1 of which have exited, including 3 dated in the last 24 months.

What stage does Exceptional Ventures invest at?

Exceptional Ventures invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A stages.

Where is Exceptional Ventures located?

Exceptional Ventures is headquartered in London, GB.

Does Exceptional Ventures lead rounds?

Exceptional Ventures typically participates in rounds rather than leading them.

Who does Exceptional Ventures co-invest with?

Exceptional Ventures most often shares deals with Moonstone Venture Capital, Balderton Capital, Entrepreneur First, among 39 tracked co-investors.

Exceptional Ventures

Venture capital

London · Pre-Seed–Series A · 16 people tracked

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Find your way into Exceptional Ventures

3,177 people in our graph share verified history with the Exceptional Ventures team — schools, employers, funds. One of them is your warm intro.

Gabriella Gigliounlockedknows Matt Cooper · together at Sadlers Wells (overlapped)

knows the team · via Citi

×2knows the team · via Cisco

knows the team · via Princeton University

knows the team · via Volume

×2knows the team · via University of Leeds

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Investment thesis

Exceptional Ventures is a specialist early-stage VC firm backing founders transforming human longevity, health, and happiness — a mission it frames as maximising human 'Joyspan'. The firm invests across three verticals: Wellness, Risk Assessment & Early Detection, and Smarter Treatment & Care Delivery. Founded by entrepreneurs and operators, EV emphasizes scientifically proven innovations and aims to be more than capital by actively partnering with founders. Its portfolio spans the UK, Europe, the US, and beyond.

Invests inBiotech Digital Health Fintech FoodTech Healthtech IoT Longevity Medical Devices Wellness & Fitness Europe Germany Global London North America United Kingdom United States

Source: firm website, verified Aug 7, 2026.

Stage

Pre-Seed–Series A

London, MA, GB

Leads rounds

Follows

Instruments

Equity

Founded

2022

Last 12 months

2 investments

AUM

$25M

Tracked investments

Acquisitions

Team · 16 people

from the firm's website & curated & public directories

Matt Cooper· Co-Founder & Executive Chairman· Londonin

Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of Exceptional Ventures and an experienced CEO, chairman, and angel investor. Co-founded and chaired Tandem Bank and helped found CapitalOne Bank in the US and Europe. Graduated from Princeton in Chemistry in 1988.

m•••@exceptional.venturesreveal

Paolo Pio· Co-Founder & General Partner· United Kingdomin 𝕏

Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Exceptional Ventures. Previously Managing Director for Europe at Joyance Partners, where he led 25 investments; earlier a software engineer and product manager at Cisco. Holds an MS Engineering from Turin and an Executive MBA from London Business School.

p•••@exceptional.venturesreveal

Federico Raoul Cucchi· Partner· Londonin 𝕏

Federico Raoul Cucchi serves as Vice President of Commercial Strategy and Analytics for EMEA, Oceania, and the South Pacific at Monster Energy, where he leads commercial strategy, insights, and corporate reporting functions. He has held prior roles in corporate strategy, business development, and commercial go-to-market planning across the beverage, beauty, and fashion sectors. Cucchi also advises and invests in startups and has launched, managed, or co-founded three companies.

Simone Cimminelli· Venture Partner· United Kingdomin

Venture Partner and prolific angel investor with roughly 30 investments from pre-seed to Series A. Chairman of his family office and board member of K.F.T.C. Graduated in business administration from ESCP Europe. Originally from Turin.

Valerie Bures· Venture Partner· Berlinin

Valerie Bures is a computer scientist and entrepreneur who joined XAnge as a partner in 2022. She co-founded the women's fitness chain Mrs.Sporty with Steffi Graf, later founded Pixformance Sports GmbH in 2011 to provide digital training stations for physiotherapists, and in 2020 launched the fitness mirror company VAHA.

Alex Söderman· CFO & Compliance Officer· Londonin

Finance Director responsible for accounting, reporting, treasury, and forecasting, with over a decade of experience in fast-growing startups. Also serves as Investment Director for Zebulon Capital and provides fractional FD services.

Doug Kerr· Science Advisor· Boston/Cambridgein

Science Advisor and Chief Medical Officer at Generation Bio, a gene therapy company he co-founded. Holds an MD and PhD, was a professor at Johns Hopkins, and led development of the SMA therapy Spinraza.

Federica Pio· Scout· Italyin

Scout supporting the firm's presence in Italy through founder, investor, and partner introductions and EV events. Product Manager at Cisco and board member of Oasi Giovani Onlus. Holds a BSc in Economics from the University of Turin.

Frederica Dick-Read· Executive Assistant· United Kingdomin

Executive Assistant managing office operations and supporting leadership. Previously a consultant and personal assistant at Osborne & Denée. Holds an MA in History of Art from the University of Edinburgh.

Jason Foster· Scout· Douglas, Douglas, Isle of Manin

Scout with over two decades as a healthcare and life sciences operator. Currently CEO of Ori Biotech and Managing Director at Health Equity Consulting. Holds an MBA from Columbia Business School.

Joan Miquel Marcos Salleras· Visiting Analyst· Londonin

Visiting Analyst who previously worked at Nina Capital and Croton Capital screening HealthTech startups, and gained operating experience at Microneedle Solutions. Holds a BSc in Biotechnology from the University of Leeds. Originally from Barcelona, now based in London.

Mark Schilling· Head of Capital Formation· USin

Head of Capital Formation shaping the firm's US LP strategy. Previously Head of Strategic Relationships at Marylebone Partners with over twenty years across capital markets and institutional fundraising. Holds a BA in Finance from the University at Buffalo.

Mithi Thaya· Pharma Advisor· London, England, United Kingdomin

Pharma Advisor and investor/board member of three biotech companies, focusing on clinical strategy and regulatory positioning. Former private equity investor and co-founder of Harper & Hart Dairy. Holds an MPhil in Bioscience from the University of Cambridge.

Stefano Gurciullo· DeepTech & AI Advisor· London, England, United Kingdomin

DeepTech & AI Advisor and Managing Partner at Tau Capital, backing deep science and technology entrepreneurs. Previously Venture Partner at XAnge and Joyance and Partner at Redstone. Holds a PhD in complex systems science from UCL.

Alex Laterza· Advisor· United Kingdomin 𝕏

Alex Laterza is an AI and data sales leader currently serving as Accounts Director for Digital Natives at Databricks, with prior experience at Salesforce and AWS. He has built technical expertise in NLP, semantic ontologies, and enterprise data architecture while leading sales teams across cloud infrastructure and analytics platforms, including securing multi-year strategic deals for Fortune 500 accounts. Laterza holds an MSc in Development Economics from UCL and a BA in Philosophy, Politics & Economics from Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele, and serves as an advisor and investor with Exceptional Ventures.

Raj Singh· Investor· United Kingdomin

Raj Singh is co-founder of Tappable and serves as a non-executive director and advisor. He brings over 20 years of board-level experience across startups, SMEs, and corporate environments, with particular focus on fintech and consumer finance. Singh has expertise in product development, sales, and commercial operations, along with senior management experience in regulated financial services sectors.

Founder mafia

2 people who came through Exceptional Ventures went on to found or lead other companies.

Jason FosterScoutFounded Chalkline Sports Valerie BuresVenture PartnerFounded Vaha

What they invest in

from 21 of 35 portfolio companies

Digital Health ×9Healthtech ×9Consumer ×7Biotech ×6FoodTech ×5Climate Tech ×3Direct to Consumer ×3Wellness & Fitness ×3

HQs:United Kingdom×8France×2Italy×2United States×2Switzerland×1

Who they back

founder profiles across 11 portfolio companies

45%

solo founders

5 of 11 mapped founding teams

Founding team size:solo founder×52 founders×53 founders×1

Investments · 35 tracked

founders shown can be your intro path

By year:2026 · 1 2025 · 2 2024 · 1 2022 · 2 2021 · 17 dated

Gladysgladys.care inOct 2025✓ verified

Gladys operates an online platform that connects families directly with local carers and helpers for at-home elderly and social care, cutting out agency overheads to lower costs for families and increase carer pay.

B2B MarketplacesDigital HealthHealthtechMarketplacesBristol, GB

George Robinson(CEO)inAlex(Chief Operating Officer)

Co-investorsEmbryo Ventures Ufi VocTech Trust Antler Houghton Street Ventures Cornerstone VC

Amateraamatera.bio in

Amatera develops crop genetics using cell culture, high-throughput automation, and machine learning to accelerate breeding of perennial crops such as coffee, grapevine, and bananas.

AgTechAI & Machine LearningBiotechFoodTechParis, FR

Omar Dekkiche(CEO)inLucie Kriegshauser(CTO)in

Co-investorsAgFunder Entrepreneur First Joyance Partners Oyster Bay Venture Capital PINC

Bioandme.Cobioandme.co.uk in 𝕏

Bio&Me is a gut-health food brand offering high-fibre and fermented products such as kefir and gut-friendly foods, along with recipes and educational content about the microbiome.

ConsumerFoodTechWellness & Fitness

Dr Megan Rossi(Founder)

BonusXbonusx.it in

BonusX is a digital platform that helps Italian users identify and claim government benefits, tax deductions, and incentives, as well as manage associated administrative procedures.

GovTechSaaSItaly, IT

Co-investorsGiant Ventures Global Llp Growth Capital Sella Direct Ventures

Bonvivant Foodbonvivant-food.com in

Lyon precision-fermentation company (now operating as Verley) that programs yeast to produce animal-free dairy proteins, especially functional whey such as beta-lactoglobulin, for food manufacturers.

Lyon, FR

Hélène Briand(Co-Founder & Chief Innovation and Commercial Officer)in Stéphane MacMillan(Co-Founder & CEO)in

Co-investorsPICUS CAPITAL

Carolcarol.health inacquired by OptumHealth

Carol is a subscription-based private digital medicine service offering virtual primary care through a mobile app, with a dedicated team of doctors available at all hours.

ConsumerDigital HealthHealthtech

Co-investorsLemhi Ventures Lumen Ventures Macquarie Capital OIF Ventures

circecircebioscience.com

Circe develops a biotechnology platform that uses advanced gas transformation to produce carbon-negative molecules at scale for manufacturing.

Advanced ManufacturingBiotechCleantechClimate TechBoston, US

Shannon Nangle(Founder)in

Co-investorsBee Partners Elementum Ventures Juniper Silicon Valley Undeterred Capital

Clerkenwellclerkenwellhealth.com in

Clerkenwell Health operates specialized clinical trial sites focused on neuropsychiatric and CNS conditions, including psychedelic-assisted therapy research and trials for depression, anxiety, dementia, and neurodegenerative disorders.

BiotechDigital HealthHealthtechMedical DevicesMental HealthLondon, GB

Dr Simon G.D. Ruffell(Principal Investigator & Sub-Investigator)Dr Paul Morrison(Principal Investigator)Dr Henry Fisher(CSO)Tom McDonald(CEO)Sam Lewis(CFO)George McBride(CCO)

Co-investorsLIONHEART VENTURES Moonstone Venture Capital

Evaro's websiteevaro.com in

Evaro provides a white-label healthcare platform that lets consumer brands and healthcare companies add prescription treatment services, handling clinical consultations, prescription fulfilment, aftercare, and regulatory compliance.

Digital HealthHealthtechSaaSNorwich, GB

Dr Thuria Wenbar(CEO & Co-founder)Dr Oskar Wenbar(COO & Co-Founder)

Co-investorsAlbionVC Cornerstone VC LifeX Ventures Simplyhealth Ventures

fivepointfivefivepointfive.com in

FivePointFive is a functional breathwork app for athletes, offering science-based breathwork programs to improve endurance, recovery, sleep, and mental focus, with progress tracked through wearables.

Digital HealthSports TechWellness & Fitness

Adam Ludwin(Founder)in

Frame 93realkombucha.co.uk

REAL produces slow-fermented sparkling tea made from tea leaves and live cultures, carbonated like champagne.

ConsumerDirect to ConsumerFoodTechBuckinghamshire, GB

David

Frame 94baron.bar in

GLYCANAGE Biological age testingglycanage.com in

GlycanAge offers glycan-based biological age testing and insights to help individuals understand their health and aging rate through advanced diagnostics.

BiotechDeep TechDigital HealthHealthtechLongevity

Gordan Lauc(CSO, Co-Founder)in Nikolina Lauc(CEO, Co-Founder)inFilip Lauc(CTO, Co-Founder)in

Co-investorsImpetus Capital South Central Ventures Velocity Digital Vesna Advisors LAUNCHub Ventures

Here We Flohereweflo.co

Flo sells organic cotton tampons, including non-applicator and applicator packs, offered directly to consumers with a subscription option featuring pause, edit, and reorder reminders.

ConsumerDirect to ConsumerFemTech

Tara Chandra(Founder)in

Co-investorsAdeline Moonstone Venture Capital

mangotry-mango.com

Win Spirit Casino is an offshore online gambling platform offering 3,000+ pokies, live-dealer tables, and crash games from over 50 studios, playable via native Android/iOS apps or browser.

ConsumerGaming

Net Purposenetpurpose.com

London-based data platform providing factual social and environmental performance data on listed companies for sustainable investors.

Co-investorsETF Partners MTECH CAPITAL Revent Illuminate Financial

Pacifico Biolabspacificobiolabs.com in

Pacifico Biolabs produces mycelium-based meat alternatives (branded Viando), starting with a chicken alternative made from fermented fungi, for food manufacturers and food service chains.

BiotechClimate TechFoodTech

Co-investorsFoodLabs Simon Capital Stray Dog Capital

Planetaryplanetarygroup.ch

Planetary develops biomanufacturing facilities to enable sustainable, bio-based production at industrial scale.

Advanced ManufacturingBiotechClimate TechFoodTechZurich, CH

Prof. Dr. Ian Marison(Co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer)David Brandes(Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer)in

Co-investorsBlue Horizon Corporation Bootstrap Europe GGF Green Generation Fund

PreActivpreactiv.co.uk in 𝕏

PreActiv offers a digital prehabilitation platform designed to help patients prepare for surgery, such as hip replacements, in order to reduce complications and shorten hospital stays.

Digital HealthHealthtech

Co-investorsAngel Academe Oxford Investment Opportunity Network (OION)

Puntopuntohealth.com in

Punto Health builds digital tools for cognitive care, connecting patients, carers, and clinicians to provide continuous, personalised support and coordinated care.

AI & Machine LearningDigital HealthHealthtech

Anna Muñoz-Farré(Co-founder & CEO)inJack Eckersley(Co-founder & CTO)in

Co-investorsDraycott Heartfelt Capital Plus Partners Shilling VC

ReportAIdreportaid.ai inPre-Seed · May 2025 · $2M

Co-investorsItalian Founders Fund

Rest Lessrestless.co.uk in 𝕏

Rest Less is a membership platform designed for over 50s, offering personalized recommendations and resources across travel, employment, dating, financial guidance, and lifestyle content.

B2B MarketplacesConsumerMarketplaces

Co-investors1818 Venture Capital Global Brain Moneta VC QED Investors MTECH CAPITAL Viola FinTech

SAVAsava.health in 𝕏

Sava develops a wearable biosensor that continuously monitors multiple biomarkers (glucose, lactate, ketones, sodium, histamine, urea, alcohol, cortisol) in real-time, delivering health data to a mobile app for preventative health monitoring and chronic disease management.

HardwareHealthtechMedical Devices

Renato Circi(Founder)in Rafaël Michali(Founder)in

Co-investorsBalderton Capital Italian Founders Fund Exor Ventures Norrsken VC

TalkLifetalklife.comOct 2022 · $1M

TalkLife operates a global peer-support community app where members share and support each other through emotional highs and lows.

Digital HealthMental HealthSocial

Unfabledunfabled.co in 𝕏Seed · Feb 2024 · $1.6M

Unfabled offers menstrual and hormonal wellness products and personalized care for individuals across different life stages, including solutions for fertility, post-partum, menopause, PCOS, and endometriosis.

ConsumerDirect to ConsumerFemTechHealthtechWellness & Fitness

Hannah

Co-investorsR/GA Ventures Morgan Stanley

Other

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

Berry HealthBig Picture BioCirce BiosciencesClerkenwell HealthcolorGetjuniper.CoIcon + SignetJoincuriopatchs_healthRoga

Exits · 1

1 acquisitions

Carolacq. by OptumHealth

Portfolio news

latest coverage across their companies

London-based Big Picture Bio emerges from stealth with €2.55 million to develop AI-designed cancer drug combinations

Big Picture Bio · eu-startups.com · Sep 18, 2026

The Great Gladys Knight Finally Stepping Back from Her Extraordinary 75 Year Career: "Thanks for making a little girl's dream come true" - Showbiz411

Gladys · showbiz411.com · Aug 28, 2026

Trysignalbase

PreActiv · trysignalbase.com · Jul 18, 2026

Illinois State House Representative Carol Ammons indicted for scheme to receive kickbacks, misusing campaign funds - ABC7 Chicago

Carol · abc7chicago.com · Jul 8, 2026

Pacifico Biolabs Raises €7 Million Series A To Scale Mycelium Protein Production

Pacifico Biolabs · pulse2.com · May 31, 2026

Planetary Raises $24.1M | Signalbase

Planetary · trysignalbase.com · Apr 25, 2026

Punto Raises €2M to Automate Business Bureaucracy

Punto · inforcapital.com · Apr 20, 2026

Amatera banks €6M to turbo‑charge AI‑powered crop breeding

Amatera · agnavigator.com · Mar 12, 2026

Principals & officers · per Companies House

what is this? ⓘ

Matthew Jonathan Cooper

LLP designated member · since 2022

Ownership & control

Matthew Jonathan Cooper — 25–50% of voting rights, right to share surplus assets 25 to 50 percent limited liability partnership

Paolo Pio — 50–75% of voting rights, right to share surplus assets 50 to 75 percent limited liability partnership, right to appoint and remove members limited liability partnership

Frequently asked questions

How many investments has Exceptional Ventures made?: Exceptional Ventures has 35 tracked investments, 1 of which have exited, including 3 dated in the last 24 months.
What stage does Exceptional Ventures invest at?: Exceptional Ventures invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A stages.
What sectors does Exceptional Ventures focus on?: Exceptional Ventures focuses on Biotech, Digital Health, Fintech, FoodTech, Healthtech, IoT, Longevity, Medical Devices, Wellness & Fitness.
Where is Exceptional Ventures located?: Exceptional Ventures is headquartered in London, GB.
Does Exceptional Ventures lead rounds?: Exceptional Ventures typically participates in rounds rather than leading them.
Who does Exceptional Ventures co-invest with?: Exceptional Ventures most often shares deals with Moonstone Venture Capital, Balderton Capital, Entrepreneur First, among 39 tracked co-investors.

Media · Podcasts & interviews

featuring the team

Exceptional Ventures’ Matt Cooper & Paolo Pio on Fixing HealthTech’s Hype Problem

The European VC · Paolo Pio

Images

Co-investors · 14

Moonstone Venture Capital

Moonstone invests in startups working to drive systemic change and build a more sustainable future by addressing challenges at their core, supporting up to 60 companies with a founder-friendly approach and active partnership model.

Both backed · 2

Here We FloClerkenwell

Entrepreneur First

Entrepreneur First (EF) is a talent investor that helps individuals build and launch startups, providing support such as US visa guidance, office space, fundraising preparation, and investor introductions culminating in a San Francisco Demo Day.

Both backed · 1

Amatera

$1M – $7M

Sequoia Capital

Sequoia Capital is a venture capital firm that partners with founders to build technology companies.

$4.4M – $214M

Atomico

Atomico is an international venture capital firm that invests in growth-stage technology companies across multiple geographies. The firm focuses on scaling disruptive technology businesses globally.

Stellar Capital

Stellar Capital invests in founders building software, internet, and technology companies.

Causal

Causal is a financial planning and analysis platform that enables finance teams to move beyond traditional spreadsheet-based planning by integrating data from multiple sources and providing dynamic forecasting, budgeting, and scenario planning capabilities.

OMERS Ventures

OMERS Ventures is a venture capital firm that invests in founders globally, with investment teams based in New York, Palo Alto, and Toronto.

$5M – $25M

305 Ventures

305 Ventures is a founder-run venture capital firm that invests in pre-seed and seed stage (0 to 1) companies globally.

Strawberry Creek Ventures

Strawberry Creek Ventures is a private venture investing community for UC Berkeley alumni, part of Alumni Ventures, offering a diversified annual fund and deal-by-deal syndications that co-invest alongside leading VC firms.

Musha Ventures

Musha Ventures is a seed-stage venture firm investing globally across more than 18 countries.

$25K – $500K

Beyond Capital

Beyond is a venture firm that incentivizes limited partners and operators to contribute talent and expertise alongside capital, enabling portfolio companies to receive targeted value-add support from a distributed network of skilled individuals.

Fox Corporation

Fox Corporation is a media company that produces and distributes news, sports, and entertainment content through brands including FOX News Media, FOX Sports, Tubi Media Group, FOX Entertainment, and FOX Television Stations. Rather than a dedicated investment firm, it is an operating media business that also makes strategic investments and acquisitions.

▶2 more co-investors

P101 Ventures Unconventional Ventures

Firms observed investing alongside Exceptional Ventures, from public investor directories. Shared companies are the overlap with Exceptional Ventures's recorded portfolio.

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