Onstage launches new early-stage venture fund

Onstage, an organiser of standalone demo events in Europe, announced the launch of its first venture fund, with an initial close of £10 million. The fund is intended to support European founders at the pre-seed and seed stages and will be led by founding partner Joel Hambly.

Founded in 2020 by
Episode 1 GP Hector Mason and dmg ventures Partner Taos Edmondson, and led
operationally by co-founder Issie James, Onstage’s flagship demo day has
attracted more than 2,000 startups and worked with over 330 venture funds from
Europe and the US, including Sequoia, a16z, Balderton and LocalGlobe.

Demo day finalists
have collectively raised more than £500 million from venture capital firms,
with companies such as Scan.com (£60 million) and Lawhive (£44 million) among
those securing significant follow-on funding.

Separately, Onstage
has established a large GP–LP gathering, with its most recent event attracting
350 GP applicants, reflecting its role within the European venture ecosystem.

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,

said Joel Hambly.

Fund I includes
Peter Simon, President of US investment firm Simon Sports, who joins Onstage as
a Partner and investor. Other LPs include a number of European founders and
investors, such as Alex Chesterman, as well as GPs from Concept Ventures,
Creator Ventures, Chapter One and Episode 1.

To strengthen links
with the European VC landscape, Emma Phillips (LocalGlobe), Laura McGinnis
(Balderton) and Jamesin Seidel (Chapter One) will join as external members of
Onstage’s investment committee, working with the Onstage team on sourcing and
selection. The Fund Incubator, Blears and Bunch Capital have supported the
establishment of the fund.

Onstage
plans to make around 80 investments over the next three years, with a focus on
early-stage backing and network building. It will use its platform to connect
founders and investors across Europe.