Blackfinch Ventures
UK regional venture capital firm; co-invested in Third Space Learning's £4.4m round.
Last refreshed: 1 May 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
How does Blackfinch Ventures support startups outside London's VC cluster?
Timeline for Blackfinch Ventures
Mentioned in: Third Space Learning raises £4.4m for Skye
UK Startups and Innovation- What does Blackfinch Ventures invest in?
- Blackfinch Ventures invests in early-stage UK technology companies across England and Wales through EIS, SEIS and managed funds. Its sectors include medtech, fintech, clean tech and edtech.Source: Blackfinch public record
- Where is Blackfinch Ventures based?
- Blackfinch Ventures is based in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, and focuses on high-growth companies outside London across England and Wales.Source: Blackfinch public record
- How does Blackfinch work with the British Business Bank?
- Blackfinch regularly co-invests alongside British Business Bank regional funds. In Third Space Learning's April 2026 round, Blackfinch participated alongside Maven Capital Partners deploying the BBB South West fund.
Background
Blackfinch Ventures is a UK venture capital manager based in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, with a focus on high-growth, early-stage companies across England and Wales. The firm operates EIS (Enterprise Investment Scheme) and SEIS (Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme) funds that allow individual investors to back UK startups with income tax relief, as well as managed funds that invest on behalf of institutional and family office capital. Its investment approach covers a range of technology and tech-enabled sectors, including medtech, fintech, clean tech and edtech.
Blackfinch is part of the regional VC tier in the UK: funds that operate outside the principal London cluster and actively seek investment opportunities in the Midlands, South West, Wales and other regions historically under-served by commercial VC. It often co-invests alongside British Business Bank regional funds, as its mandate to deploy EIS capital into qualifying early-stage UK companies overlaps with the BBB's regional crowding-in function.
Blackfinch Ventures participated in Third Space Learning's £4.4m round in April 2026 alongside Maven Capital Partners (BBB South West), Foresight Group and Nesta. The round is an example of the regional-VC co-investment stack: BBB regional capital anchors the round and private regional investors including Blackfinch fill the balance. The firm's involvement reflects continued UK VC deployment in the edtech sector despite the broader VCT market contraction following the April 2026 income tax relief cut.