Ada Ventures

This VC firm invests in overlooked founders and markets, focusing on empowering underrepresented voices and promoting diversity in tech.

ActiveVenture Capital

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Updated: Jan 22, 2026 ·

About

Ada Ventures is a venture capital fund, backed by entrepreneurs and a group of global, mission-aligned investors. The fund invests in overlooked founders and overlooked markets. Ada Ventures is named after Ada Lovelace, the pioneering computer programmer, and mathematician, who was never recognized during the time she lived for what shecontributed to the advancement of technology and science.

Financial History

Total Raised

N/A

Valuation

N/A

Investments Made

Date	Company	Round	Lead Investor(s)	Co-Investor(s)
Sep 1, 2025	Aria Protocol Labs	$15.0M Seed	—	Accel, C2 Investment, Hashed, OODA Ventures, Paladin Capital Group, Bradley Horowitz, Charlie Songhurst, Christian Faes, Ivan Mazour, Mandeep Singh
Sep 1, 2025	Boldr	$3.0M Seed	—	Levels Invest, Alfredo Jollon
Jun 1, 2025	Circumvent	$6.0M Seed	—	Accel, C2 Investment, Hashed, OODA Ventures, Paladin Capital Group, Bradley Horowitz, Charlie Songhurst, Christian Faes, Ivan Mazour, Mandeep Singh
Jun 1, 2025	Valla	$3.0M Seed	—	Techstart Ventures, Calum Forsyth
Mar 1, 2025	Firenze	$3.0M Seed	—	Andreessen Horowitz, Atomico, Creator Fund, Double Prime LLP, Mouro Capital, Russell Smith
Feb 1, 2025	Jigsawstack	$1.0M Seed	—	Andreessen Horowitz, Atomico, Creator Fund, Double Prime LLP, Russell Smith
Dec 1, 2024	Aquaint	$260K Seed	—	SFC Capital
Dec 1, 2024	Robotiz3d	$260K Seed	—	Amadeus Capital Partners
Dec 1, 2024	Firenze	$940K Seed	—	Andreessen Horowitz, Atomico, Creator Fund, Double Prime LLP, Entrepreneur First, Eurazeo, Exceptional Ventures, Unconventional Ventures, Russell Smith
Dec 1, 2024	North AI	$260K Seed	—	—
Oct 1, 2024	Q-CTRL	$59.0M CTRL - Series B	—	Acorn Capital, Alumni Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, Austin Walne, Battery Ventures, BBG Ventures, DCVC (Data Collective), Jenny Fielding, Hanaco Ventures, Hummingbird Ventures, Lockheed Martin Ventures, M34 Capital, Main Sequence Ventures, Aaron Jacobson, Patron, REMUS Capital, Salesforce Ventures, Sand Hill Angels, SOSV, Touch Capital, Aaron Peterman, Johannes Schildt, Steph Korey
Sep 1, 2024	PastPay	$13.0M Series A	—	Andreessen Horowitz, Atomico, Creator Fund, Double Prime LLP, Russell Smith
Aug 1, 2024	NXRT	$5.0M Series A	—	Mangrove Capital Partners
Aug 1, 2024	PHINXT Robotics	$3.0M Seed	—	David Namdar, Haatch, Robot Ventures
Jun 1, 2024	Arya	$8.0M Seed	—	Alumni Ventures, BBG Ventures, Craft Ventures, Jenny Fielding, Fabric Ventures, Hanaco Ventures, ICON, Kearny Jackson, Patron, Play Ventures, R-Squared Ventures, Tamar Technology Ventures, Touch Capital, Abe Burns, Anton Gauffin, Eric Seufert, Jas Purewal, Neil Parikh, Oren Dobronsky, Rupert Loman, Steph Korey, Ziv Elul
May 1, 2024	Unify	$8.0M Seed	—	8VC, Adverb Ventures, Aglae Ventures, Alt Capital, AME Cloud Ventures, AngelList Syndicator, Jana Messerschmidt, Ben Taft's Genius Ventures, C2 Investment, Concept Ventures, Craft Ventures, Earl Grey Capital, Earlybird Venture Capital, Episode 1 Ventures, First Round Capital, Fuel Capital, Haatch, HV Capital, Hyper, Innovation Endeavors, KRM Interests LLC, LDV Capital, Lerer Hippeau, LGF, Matrix, Northzone, O'Shaughnessy Ventures, Placeholder, Playfair Capital, Redpoint Ventures, Sapphire Ventures, Sarona Ventures, Seedcamp, sequel, Seven Seven Six, Soma Capital, Striking Markets, The Hit Forge, Volt Capital, Weekend Fund, Y Combinator, Balaji Srinivasan, Ben Davenport, Ben Porterfield, Casey Neistat, Daniel Kan, Dan Siroker, Desigan Chinniah, DROdio - Daniel R. Odio, Florian Huber, Guillaume Luccisano, Johan Lorenzen, Kulveer Taggar, Marcus Exall, Mathilde Collin, Max Mullen, Mik Attisani, Musaab Hakami, Omid Ashtari, Paul Yacoubian, Pete Koomen, Sahil Lavingia, Sahin Boydas, Sarah Drinkwater, Scott Belsky, Varsha Rao
May 1, 2024	Incredible	$1.0M Seed	—	Andreessen Horowitz, Angel Invest, Atomico, Broadhaven Capital Partners, Creator Fund, Double Prime LLP, DST Global, Jenny Fielding, Scott Hartley, Felix Capital, Kindred Capital VC, LAUNCHub Ventures, North Island Ventures, Outrun Ventures, Passion Capital, Piton Capital, Primo Ventures, Seedcamp, Speedinvest, Stride VC, Valar Ventures, Akhil Paul, Amit Gudka, Felix Jahn, James Meekings, Johnny Boufarhat, Jonathan Lenson, Julius Köhler, Luca Ascani, Mandeep Singh, Marc McCabe, Russell Smith, Stan Massueras, Tim Sadler
May 1, 2024	Punto Health	$700K Seed	—	—
Apr 1, 2024	Diagon	$5.0M Seed	—	Anthemis Group, Dig Ventures, Ribbit Capital, Social Capital, Bhavin Turakhia, Malcolm Ferguson, Will Brooks, Will Martin
Feb 1, 2024	Saleor Commerce	$8.0M Seed	—	Cherry Ventures, Concept Ventures, Flexcap, Haatch, HV Capital, Molten Ventures, O'Shaughnessy Ventures, Owl Ventures, Redalpine Venture Partners, sequel, SNR, Soma Capital, Striking Markets, Desigan Chinniah, Johan Lorenzen, Mandeep Singh, Marcus Exall, Matt Brezina, Mik Attisani, Musaab Hakami, Omid Ashtari, Sarah Drinkwater, Guillermo Rauch
Jan 1, 2024	Evaro	$2.0M Seed	—	CapitalT, Cornerstone VC
Jan 1, 2024	Tiller	$430K Seed	—	Concept Ventures, Haatch, HV Capital, O'Shaughnessy Ventures, sequel, Soma Capital, Striking Markets, Desigan Chinniah, Johan Lorenzen, Mandeep Singh, Marcus Exall, Mik Attisani, Musaab Hakami, Omid Ashtari, Sarah Drinkwater
Dec 1, 2023	Odin	$3.0M Seed	—	2xN, Accel, Albion VC, C2 Investment, Concept Ventures, Cornerstone VC, Earlybird Venture Capital, Firstminute Capital, Haatch, Hashed, HV Capital, Menlo Ventures, Moonfire Ventures, Ann Bordetsky, OODA Ventures, O'Shaughnessy Ventures, Paladin Capital Group, Pareto Holdings, Passion Capital, Presight Capital, Seedcamp, sequel, Sequoia Capital, Soma Capital, Stride VC, Striking Markets, United Ventures, Valar Ventures, Y Combinator, Alexander Zhuravlev, Alex Zhuravlev, Avi Meir, Bradley Horowitz, Charlie Songhurst, Christian Faes, Desigan Chinniah, Eden Chen, Evelyn Bourke, Ivan Mazour, Johan Lorenzen, Lucas Cranach, Mandeep Singh, Marcus Exall, Mario Götze, Mik Attisani, Musaab Hakami, Oleg Tscheltzoff, Oliver Jung, Omid Ashtari, Phillip Chambers, Sarah Drinkwater, Steve Martocci, Victor Jacobsson, Will Martin
Nov 1, 2023	Hybr	$4.0M Seed	—	Andrew Rear, Evelyn Bourke
Nov 1, 2023	Boldr	$1.0M Seed	—	Levels Invest, Alfredo Jollon

Financial History

Total Raised

N/A

Valuation

N/A

Leadership Team

Key people at Ada Ventures.

Nicole Krystal Crentsil

Anjel Noorbakhsh Ashman

Jessica (Whittingham) Jackson

Leadership Team

Key people at Ada Ventures.

Nicole Krystal Crentsil

Anjel Noorbakhsh Ashman

Jessica (Whittingham) Jackson

Deep Dive

High-Level Overview

Ada Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm dedicated to investing in overlooked founders and markets, with a strong focus on empowering underrepresented voices and promoting diversity in tech. Their mission is to make venture capital accessible to the best entrepreneurial talent in the UK and Northern Europe, aiming to build the most diverse pipeline and portfolio in Europe. Ada Ventures invests typically between £250,000 and £1 million in pre-seed rounds, focusing on founders with breakthrough ideas that address significant societal challenges such as climate, healthcare, ageing, and economic empowerment. Their investment philosophy centers on "Inclusive Alpha," the belief that a more diverse deal flow leads to exceptional financial returns while creating positive social impact[1][3][6].

Origin Story

Ada Ventures was co-founded in 2018 by Francesca Warner and Matt Penneycard, who bring over 20 years of combined venture capital experience. They officially launched their first fund in late 2019. Warner’s background includes co-founding Diversity VC, an initiative addressing diversity gaps in venture capital, which informed Ada’s inclusive investment approach. The firm evolved from recognizing the structural narrowness of traditional VC, which often overlooks diverse founders and markets. Ada Ventures has since grown to manage over £120 million across two funds, supported by prominent investors such as the British Business Bank, Atomico, and Backstage Capital’s Arlan Hamilton[1][4][7].

Core Differentiators

Unique Investment Model: Ada Ventures uses a scout network to source deals from underrepresented communities, enabling access to hidden entrepreneurial talent without quotas or mandates.
Network Strength: Backed by leading global VC firms and institutions, Ada leverages a broad, diverse network to support founders.
Track Record: The firm has invested in over 40 companies, including fast-growing startups like Huboo and Bubble, demonstrating success in identifying impactful ventures early.
Operating Support: Ada provides practical support beyond capital, emphasizing founder empowerment and ethical investor-founder relationships, guided by a strict code of conduct focused on inclusivity and respect[1][2][5].

Role in the Broader Tech Landscape

Ada Ventures rides the growing trend toward inclusive and impact-driven investing, addressing systemic biases in venture capital that have historically marginalized diverse founders. The timing is critical as the tech ecosystem increasingly values diversity, equity, and social impact alongside financial returns. Market forces such as rising awareness of social justice, climate urgency, and demographic shifts favor Ada’s focus areas. By pioneering an inclusive investment process and demonstrating that diversity correlates with superior returns, Ada Ventures influences the broader ecosystem to rethink how venture capital can be more equitable and effective[1][3][4].

Quick Take & Future Outlook

Looking ahead, Ada Ventures is positioned to expand its influence by continuing to deploy capital into overlooked founders and sectors with high societal impact. Trends such as climate tech, health innovation for ageing populations, and economic empowerment will shape their portfolio and strategy. Their approach may catalyze broader industry shifts toward inclusive alpha investing, potentially setting new standards for diversity and impact in venture capital. Ada’s ongoing challenge will be to scale their model while maintaining deep founder support and impact measurement, reinforcing their role as a catalyst for systemic change in the VC landscape[1][3].

Sources

High-Level Overview

Origin Story

Core Differentiators

Unique Investment Model: Ada Ventures uses a scout network to source deals from underrepresented communities, enabling access to hidden entrepreneurial talent without quotas or mandates.
Network Strength: Backed by leading global VC firms and institutions, Ada leverages a broad, diverse network to support founders.
Track Record: The firm has invested in over 40 companies, including fast-growing startups like Huboo and Bubble, demonstrating success in identifying impactful ventures early.
Operating Support: Ada provides practical support beyond capital, emphasizing founder empowerment and ethical investor-founder relationships, guided by a strict code of conduct focused on inclusivity and respect[1][2][5].