Onstage, the London-based organiser of standalone demo days, has launched its first venture fund – Onstage Fund I – with an initial close of €11.3 million (£10 million) and a mission to bolster pre-Seed and Seed founders.
The fund will be led by founding partner Joel Hambly, who also announced his new role at the helm of the initiative.
“A fund is the clear next step for Onstage and will enjoy a symbiotic relationship with our demo days. It further strengthens our proposition for founders and deepens our relationship with the top VCs in Europe. We can’t wait to support Europe’s next wave of founders, who are ready to compete and win on a global stage,” says Joel Hambly, Founding Partner at Onstage.
In 2025, Europe has seen a rise in similar early-stage funding vehicles and ecosystem-building initiatives, with activity spanning multiple regions.
Italy’s Step Venture launched a €30 million fund to support early-stage domestic startups with international ambitions, while Denmark’s Delphinus Venture Capital entered the market with an €80 million vehicle focused on research-driven companies from pre-Seed to scale-up. In the UK, EarthScale secured €5.8 million to deliver a 12-month programme supporting ClimateTech ventures progressing from prototype to investment readiness.
Together, these initiatives represent approximately €115.8 million in new capital or support committed to the early-stage ecosystem.
The launch of Onstage Fund I fits within this wider European movement to expand resources for pre-Seed and Seed founders, with the UK-based fund complementing similar efforts across Italy, Denmark, and domestic programme-led support.
“This is only the beginning, and I’m incredibly excited for the next chapter. We’ve seen countless previous applicants like scan.com, Lawhive, and Medly become some of Europe’s fastest-growing startups,” adds Hambly.
Onstage’s journey started in 2020 as a response to one of the most challenging aspects of early-stage entrepreneurship – fundraising. The organisation was co-founded by Hector Mason, a GP at Episode 1, and Taos Edmondson, previously with dmg ventures.
The company’s flagship demo day has drawn in more than 2,000 applicants and collaborated with over 330 VC firms from Europe and the US, including names like Sequoia, a16z, Balderton and LocalGlobe.
Finalists have collectively raised over €567 million (£500 million) in follow-on funding. Startups such as Scan.com, which secured €68 million (£60 million), and Lawhive, with €€49 million (£44 million), have become key case studies in the programme’s influence.
Now, with Onstage Fund I, the organisation is not only offering founders a stage to pitch but also capital to scale.
Fund I will target around 80 investments over the next three years, with a focus on backing startups at the earliest stages and building a network that connects founders and investors across borders.
The fund already counts several notable investors and figures from the startup scene among its limited partners. These include Peter Simon, President of US-based Simon Sports, who also joins as a Partner, along with prominent European founders like Alex Chesterman, and GPs from Concept Ventures, Creator Ventures, Chapter One, and Episode 1.
To further embed itself within the broader European VC fabric, Onstage is also welcoming three external members to its investment committee: Emma Phillips (LocalGlobe), Laura McGinnis (Balderton), and Jamesin Seidel (Chapter One).
“Onstage has built a unique platform, which is already integral to the European ecosystem. There’s a huge opportunity to build the next-generation YC in Europe, with a compelling proposition for world-class founders and co-investors. I’m excited to support these founders’ global aspirations,” says Peter Simon, Partner and investor at Onstage.
Read the orginal article: https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/11/after-facilitating-e567-million-in-follow-on-funding-britains-onstage-introduces-debut-e11-3-million-fund/
