Plural
European founders' VC firm led by Taavet Hinrikus and Ian Hogarth; led CircuitHub's $28m Series A.
Last refreshed: 21 May 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Why is the firm co-founded by Wise's Taavet Hinrikus betting on circuit-board manufacturing?
Timeline for Plural
Led CircuitHub $28m funding round
UK Startups and Innovation: CircuitHub raises $28m led by PluralCo-invested in Rivan's £25m fundraise
UK Startups and Innovation: Rivan raises £25m for Europe's biggest SNG plant- 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
Background
Plural led CircuitHub's $28m Series A on 20 May 2026, backing the on-demand circuit-board manufacturing platform . Plural focuses on European founders building transformational technology companies, with a particular emphasis on founders who have previously built and exited or scaled companies and who are now backing the next generation. CircuitHub represents Plural's thesis applied to hardware-software convergence: a platform that digitises PCB manufacturing logistics alongside physical fabrication capability.
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.
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. His dual role as a VC partner and former government AI advisor positions Plural at the intersection of UK commercial and public-sector AI ecosystems. The CircuitHub investment, in hardware manufacturing infrastructure, is consistent with the UK Government's emerging supply-chain sovereignty thesis but is a commercial rather than strategic decision.