FIGR Ventures, a new UK-based family office fund, has announced their official launch to invest in early-stage, mission-driven startups that are reshaping the consumer sector.
Backed by a private family office and co-founded by Fiona Humphries and Ellie Craig, FIGR focuses on supporting businesses that deliver measurable positive environmental or social impact.
Fiona Humphries, FIGR’s Managing Director, will lead on strategy, operations, driving the due diligence process and making final investment decisions. As FIGR’s Portfolio Director, Ellie Craig will be responsible for identifying and assessing investment opportunities, and acts as the main point of contact for all prospective and portfolio
The fund will typically invest between €241k and €361k at the pre-seed and seed stages, targeting companies that align with its three categories of ‘changemakers’:
- Switchers: Providing alternatives to environmentally or socially harmful consumer goods. FIGR will seek out companies creating high-quality, guilt-free products people actually want to use, from sustainable skincare and cleaning products to ethical jewellery and food.
- Enablers: Developing the tools consumers and businesses need to make more sustainable and ethical choices. The
fund will back founders developing technologies, materials and processes making it easier for all of us to do better, from AI-enabled sustainable shopping to eco-friendly packaging. - Solvers: Creating groundbreaking solutions to unsolved problems affecting consumers’ lives. FIGR will invest in businesses tackling real problems for real people, which could include education, healthcare, femtech and more.
FIGR plans to make five to six investments each year, intentionally keeping the portfolio size small to allow its lean team to provide hands-on support to founders.
According to FIGR, it is their team’s extensive experience in consumer sectors, small business growth, and impact-driven initiatives that sets them apart. Speaking about their vision, Fiona Humphries stated: “We started FIGR because we believe the best way to drive positive environmental and social change is to combine charitable grants with investments into high-potential, impactful businesses. We’ll be looking at all prospective investments through the lens of their impact, and thinking about their potential to scale sustainably and profitably. We’re hoping to find amazing early-stage businesses and grow them from startups into market leaders.”
Ellie Craig, Portfolio Director, added: “We’re really excited to partner with ambitious founders and provide tailored support to help them to grow their businesses. At the early stages we’re focusing on, the founders are the most important part of our investment decisions. We’re backing brilliant people and empowering them to build great businesses.”
FIGR Ventures’ advisory team includes Nic Humphries, Senior Partner at Hg; Richard Chapple, Co-Founder of The Growth Foundation; and Richard Johnson, Impact Advisor at Volans, among others.
Read the orginal article: https://www.eu-startups.com/2024/12/figr-ventures-launches-to-back-mission-driven-founders-and-startups-shaping-the-consumer-sector/
