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Molten Ventures
OrganisationGB

Molten Ventures

London-listed European venture firm (formerly Draper Esprit); co-led IMU Biosciences' £40m Series A.

Listed on the London Stock Exchange as Molten Ventures, this pan-European venture firm co-led IMU Biosciences' oversubscribed £40m Series A in June 2026, backing a blood-diagnostics platform.

Last refreshed: 22 July 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic

Timeline for Molten Ventures

#7 2 Jun

co-led the IMU Biosciences £40m Series A

UK Startups and Innovation: IMU raises £40m to read blood
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Background

Investors buy exposure to Molten Ventures on the London Stock Exchange, where the fund has traded under that name since a 2022 rebrand cut its remaining ties to the US Draper network; before then it operated as Draper Esprit. Rather than winding down after a fixed term, it runs as an evergreen structure, recycling proceeds from exits into new positions so it can back a company from its earliest funding round through to the run-up to an IPO. PrimaryBid and Thought Machine sit among its holdings.

June 2026 brought its most recent notable deal: alongside IQ Capital, and with the British Business Bank also putting in money, Molten co-led an oversubscribed £40m Series A for IMU Biosciences, whose platform reads clinical signals from blood samples with more precision than standard assays, aimed at oncology and metabolic-disease diagnosis.

Being listed rather than a private partnership gives ordinary shareholders, not just institutional limited partners, a route into European private-technology investing, with net asset value published every quarter. That structure has taken on more weight lately as grant funding for UK life-sciences research tightens, leaving vehicles like Molten to fill more of the gap.

Common Questions
What is Molten Ventures and was it always called that?
Molten Ventures is a London Stock Exchange-listed European venture capital firm. It was formerly known as Draper Esprit and rebranded in 2022 to establish an independent identity.Source: event
Which life-sciences company did Molten Ventures back in 2026?
Molten Ventures co-led the oversubscribed £40m Series A for IMU Biosciences in June 2026, alongside IQ Capital and the British Business Bank.Source: event
How is Molten Ventures different from a standard venture capital fund?
Molten Ventures is listed on the London Stock Exchange and operates as an evergreen fund, continuously reinvesting realisations without a fixed fund life, giving investors liquid exposure to private European technology companies.Source: Molten Ventures
Source Material