B8 Venture Partners
Venture capital firm investing equity in Forest's £40m Series B.
Last refreshed: 1 May 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
What European mobility companies is B8 Venture Partners backing?
Timeline for B8 Venture Partners
Invested equity in Forest £40m Series B
UK Startups and Innovation: Forest closes £40m for London e-bike push- What does B8 Venture Partners invest in?
- B8 Venture Partners is a European growth equity fund investing in mobility, sustainability and technology ventures at Series A and B. It takes a concentrated portfolio approach with active board involvement, backing companies that have established initial market traction and need capital to scale operations or expand geographically.Source: event
- Why did B8 Venture Partners invest in Forest's Series B?
- B8 backed Forest's £40m Series B in April 2026 as part of its mobility thesis. Forest's 1.5 million London users and 18-borough network represent the kind of traction-at-scale B8 targets before deploying growth equity.
- Did B8 Venture Partners lead the Forest e-bike funding round?
- Yes. B8 Venture Partners led the equity component of Forest's £40m Series B in April 2026 alongside Fen Ventures and Güil Mobility Ventures. The round also included £10m of asset-backed debt from Fintex Capital. Forest operates 1.5 million users across 18 London boroughs.Source: event
- Where is B8 Venture Partners based?
- B8 Venture Partners is a European fund with a focus on mobility and sustainability. It co-invests with other European growth-stage funds and operates with a network of advisers who support portfolio companies on commercial and regulatory development across European markets.
- What stage does B8 Venture Partners typically invest at?
- B8 Venture Partners invests at Series A and B in companies that have demonstrated initial market traction. It takes board seats and is actively involved in portfolio companies, which distinguishes it from earlier-stage participant-only investors.
Background
B8 Venture Partners is a European growth equity fund with a focus on mobility, sustainability and technology ventures. The fund backs companies at Series A and B that have established initial market traction and need capital to scale operations, expand geographically, or build out product infrastructure. It takes a concentrated portfolio approach, investing in fewer companies at higher conviction with active board involvement.
B8's investment in mobility aligns it with the broader transition away from car-centric urban transport: it focuses on operators, platforms and enabling infrastructure rather than purely hardware. The fund co-invests with other European growth-stage investors and has a network of operating advisers who support portfolio companies on commercial and regulatory development.
B8 Venture Partners led the equity component of Forest's £40m Series B in April 2026 alongside Fen Ventures and Güil Mobility Ventures. The round also included £10m of asset-backed debt from Fintex Capital and a minority equity stake from hardware supplier OKAI. The structure is typical of capital-intensive fleet businesses, where debt collateralised against physical assets reduces equity dilution while providing fleet-expansion capital.