Background

Plural is a London-based venture capital firm founded in 2021 by Sten Tamkivi (Skype, Teleport), Khaled Helioui (Bigpoint, Quidco), Carina Namih (Inductosense, Entrepreneur First), Ian Hogarth (Songkick; formerly AI Safety chair at DSIT's Frontier AI Taskforce) and Taavet Hinrikus (TransferWise, now Wise). The partnership is explicitly founder-centric and pan-European, with portfolio companies in the UK, Estonia, Germany, and the Netherlands. Plural typically invests at Series A and B in founder-led B2B software and infrastructure companies, with ticket sizes of €10m–€30m.

On 28 May 2026, Plural led Orbital Industries' $50m Series B, with Nvidia's NVentures participating and AWS signing a multi-year product partnership. Orbital, founded by ex-DeepMind researcher Jonathan Godwin, builds PFAS-free dielectric cooling fluid and modular data centres deployable in six months, using a proprietary atomic-simulation engine ten times faster than its nearest alternative. One week earlier, Plural led CircuitHub's $28m Series A on 20 May 2026, backing the on-demand circuit-board manufacturing platform. Plural also co-invested in Rivan's £25m raise (April 2026), building Europe's largest synthetic natural gas facility.

Ian Hogarth's presence as a Plural partner adds a policy dimension to the firm. Hogarth chaired DSIT's Frontier AI Taskforce in 2023–24, giving Plural unusual visibility into UK AI regulation and procurement pipelines. The Orbital deal, with no UK-domiciled fund co-leading, places Plural in an unusual structural position: the one European fund at the table on a deal where the growth-stage upside accrues primarily to US investors.

Common Questions

Who founded Plural VC and what do they invest in?

Plural was founded in 2021 by Sten Tamkivi (Skype), Taavet Hinrikus (Wise), Ian Hogarth (Songkick), Carina Namih and Khaled Helioui. It invests in European founder-led B2B software and infrastructure companies at Series A and B, typically writing €10m-€30m cheques.Source: Plural

What is Plural's investment thesis?

Plural backs founders who have previously built and exited or scaled companies and who are now building transformational technology businesses across Europe. The firm is pan-European with a particular emphasis on UK, Nordic and German companies.Source: Plural

Who is Ian Hogarth and what is his connection to UK AI policy?

Ian Hogarth is a Plural partner and co-founder of music platform Songkick. He chaired DSIT's Frontier AI Taskforce in 2023-24, giving Plural unusual visibility into UK AI safety regulation and government AI procurement pipelines.Source: Plural / DSIT

What companies has Plural VC invested in?

Plural's recent investments include leading Orbital Industries' $50m Series B (28 May 2026), CircuitHub's $28m Series A (20 May 2026), and co-investing in Rivan's £25m synthetic gas plant raise (April 2026).Source: event

Who are the partners at Plural VC?

Plural was founded by Sten Tamkivi (Skype), Khaled Helioui (Bigpoint), Carina Namih (Entrepreneur First), Ian Hogarth (former DSIT AI Taskforce chair), and Taavet Hinrikus (Wise/TransferWise).

Did Plural lead the Orbital Industries Series B?

Yes. Plural led Orbital Industries' $50m Series B on 28 May 2026, with Nvidia's NVentures co-investing and AWS signing a multi-year partnership. Orbital builds PFAS-free data-centre cooling using atomic simulation technology.Source: Orbital Industries announcement, May 2026

How the World Sees Them

UK government

Ian Hogarth's SAIU-adjacent profile makes Plural the VC with the clearest view of UK AI policy pipelines; no other European Series A/B firm has that proximity.

European founders

Plural's Orbital lead proves a European fund can anchor growth-stage deeptech rounds, though the cap table shows the equity upside still skews to US co-investors at this size.

UK hardware sector

Plural's two May 2026 leads — Orbital (cooling/data-centres) and CircuitHub (PCB manufacturing) — make it the most active European funder of UK hardware-software convergence.