Impact X Capital is a venture capital firm which looks to invest in underrepresented entrepreneurs from across Europe. Impact X Capital was started by Eric Collins. Its initial founding members include Ursula Burns, Ric Lewis and Lenny Henry.
 | |
| Company type | Private Ownership, Limited partnership |
|---|---|
| Industry | Venture capital |
| Founded | 2018 |
| Founder | Eric D. Collins |
| Headquarters | London, United Kingdom |
Key people | Ursula Burns Lenny Henry Ric Lewis |
| Products | Investments |
| Total assets | £100 million |
| Website | www |
History
editImpact X Capital was started in 2018 by Eric Collins.[1] Its initial founding members include Ursula Burns, Ric Lewis and Lenny Henry.[2][3] The venture capital (VC) fund was inspired by the lack of investment in companies led by people from underrepresented communities, with a particular focus on people of colour and women.[4][5] At the time they were founded, less than 4% of VC funding went to teams led by women, and less than 1% to people of colour.[3][6] As of December 2019, Impact X was raising a fund of over £100 million to invest in minority-led businesses.[7][8]
Team
editThe chief executive officer is Eric Collins,[9] a tech entrepreneur and investor who previously served on Barack Obama's Small Business Administration's Council on Underserved Communities.[10][11] Principal investor, Yvonne Bajela, was selected as one of Forbes 30 Under 30 in 2020.[12] In April 2020, Paula Groves, founding partner, was selected as one of Europe's most influential women in venture capital.[13][14] Principal investor and chief technology officer, Ezechi Britton was awarded ITA's venture capitalist of the year in 2019.[3][15][16]
Major investments
editOne of the first Impact X Capital investments was Predina, a smart navigation software which looks to prevent road traffic accidents.[2] Predina was founded by Bola Adegbulu and Meha Nelson, and makes use of artificial intelligence to predict the safest routes for any car journey.[6]
References
edit- ^ "Eric Collins - CEO, Impact X Capital Partners; & Host 'The Money Maker,' Channel 4 - New Thinking podcast". New Thinking. 2021-05-04. Archived from the original on 2022-09-30. Retrieved 2022-05-17.
- ^ a b Makortoff, Kalyeena (2019-11-16). "'We want to find gems': the black venture capitalists invested in change". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 2020-05-30.
- ^ a b c "£100 million for UK black businesses". Voice Online. 2019-12-30. Retrieved 2020-05-30.
- ^ "Meet Ric Lewis: The fun-loving property tycoon". Evening Standard. 2020-03-20. Retrieved 2020-05-30.
- ^ Mararike, Shingi. "Why are there so few black millionaires on the Rich List 2020?". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2020-06-05.
- ^ a b "Black VC investor 'Impact X' – why people of colour and women founders in Europe are ripe for funding". www.iamnewgeneration.co.uk. 9 April 2020. Retrieved 2020-05-30.
- ^ "London VC Fund Impact X Has 100 Million Pounds to Jump Start Minority-Led Businesses". www.bloomberg.com. 18 December 2019. Retrieved 2020-05-30.
- ^ "Episode 62: From raising over £200m to becoming a VC and trying to solve the "pipeline" problem with Ezechi Britton Principal at Impact X Capital and Co-founder of Neyber by Startup HandMeDowns • A podcast on Anchor". Anchor. Retrieved 2020-05-30.
- ^ Hurley, James. "Access to finance is a diversity issue". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2020-06-05.
- ^ "Eric Collins". Retrieved 2020-05-30.
- ^ Anwar, Shiraz (2020-02-03). "Eric D. Collins". Retrieved 2020-05-30.
- ^ "Yvonne Bajela". Impact. Retrieved 2020-05-30.
- ^ Tucker, Charlotte (2020-04-08). "TOP 50: Europe's most influential women in the startup and venture capital space". EU-Startups. Retrieved 2020-05-30.
- ^ "Impact X Team". Impact. Retrieved 2020-05-30.
- ^ "Episode 62: From raising over £200m to becoming a VC and trying to solve the "pipeline" problem with Ezechi Britton Principal at Impact X Capital and Co-founder of Neyber by Startup HandMeDowns • A podcast on Anchor". Anchor. Retrieved 2020-05-30.
- ^ "ITA Awards 2019 Winners". Inclusive Tech Alliance. Retrieved 5 June 2020.