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Key people at Hiiro.
Hiiro was founded in 2024 by Adil Wali (Founder & CEO).
Hiiro is a London, United Kingdom-based mobile iOS application that provides AI-powered personalized training plans, progress tracking, and wearable integration for goal-oriented runners preparing for marathons. The platform, which aims to guide users from beginners to completing 42.2km races, offers adaptive coaching, global race discovery, and social features. Operating on a B2C SaaS model with B2B2C channels, Hiiro has secured $240k in pre-seed funding and employs a team of 20 individuals across AI, iOS development, and partnerships. The company collaborates with over 20 enterprise partners, reaching an audience exceeding 8 million users. Early investors include Aleksandra Chivildeeva, Sergey Sh, and top managers from firms such as Goldman Sachs, Copper, and Concordium. Hiiro was founded in 2024 by Sergey Sh and Pavel Yu.
Hiiro was founded in 2024 by Adil Wali (Founder & CEO).
Hiro Capital is a London and Luxembourg-based venture capital firm founded in 2019, specializing in early- to growth-stage investments in gaming, esports, digital sports, and emerging technologies like AI, spatial computing, robotics, and the metaverse.[1][2][5] Its mission centers on backing founder-led innovators to drive a "superabundant future of humanity," with an optimistic, Europe-centric philosophy that leverages technology for human evolution across AI, autonomy, cloud compute, simulation, sports tech, and next-gen defense/space economies.[2] The firm has raised over $450M across funds, including $110M for Hiro Capital I (2019) and $340M for Hiro Capital II (2022), completing 40 investments with 4 portfolio exits, primarily from seed to Series C stages with ticket sizes of £1M–£5M.[1][3][5]
Hiro's investment philosophy emphasizes strategic support alongside capital, targeting UK, US, and European innovators in deep tech applications like cloud, AR/VR, wearables, and creative AI platforms.[1][3] It plays a pivotal role in the startup ecosystem by bridging gaming/esports with broader tech trends, fostering Europe's leadership in high-growth sectors through its network of industry veterans.[2][4]
Hiro Capital was founded in 2019 by a trio of gaming and tech luminaries: Luke Alvarez (29 years in technology, 20 in digital games, Founding Managing Partner), Ian Livingstone (30+ years, co-founder of Games Workshop and Eidos, Co-founding Partner), and Cherry Freeman (10+ years, founder of LoveCrafts, previously at Computacenter, Co-founding Partner).[5] Headquartered in London with a Luxembourg presence, the firm emerged from the founders' deep industry roots to capitalize on the booming intersection of gaming, esports, and digital technologies.[1][3][4]
The idea crystallized amid the explosive growth of interactive entertainment, with Hiro raising its debut $110M fund in October 2019, followed by the oversubscribed $340M Hiro Capital II in February 2022.[1][5] Early traction included rapid deal flow in game studios, esports orgs, and sports tech, evolving from a gaming/esports focus to a broader thematic mandate encompassing AI, spatial computing, and autonomy as these sectors converged post-pandemic.[2][6]
Hiro Capital stands out in the VC landscape through:
Hiro Capital rides the wave of converging tech megatrends—AI-driven creativity, spatial computing/metaverse, and digital augmentation—fueling a $3B+ gaming/esports market rebounding from 2023 lows.[1][2] Timing is ideal amid Europe's push for tech sovereignty, with market forces like cloud compute advances, VR/AR wearables, and sports tech digitization creating tailwinds for its portfolio.[3][4]
The firm influences the ecosystem by funding innovators that blur gaming with real-world applications (e.g., simulation for autonomy, AI for esports), positioning Europe as a counterweight to US/Asia dominance and accelerating startups toward scale-ups.[2][5]
Hiro Capital is primed for expansion, with its $340M Fund II fueling bets on AI/robotics and space/defense as these sectors explode through 2030.[1][2] Trends like generative AI in games, autonomous systems, and longevity tech will shape its trajectory, potentially driving more exits amid a maturing esports market.[1]
As a bridge-builder for European founders, Hiro's influence could evolve into a category-defining player, amplifying the "superabundant future" it champions—starting from its gaming roots to redefine humanity's tech frontier.[2]
Key people at Hiiro.
