Unconventional Ventures Launches $30.5M Fund To Support Diverse Founders
Danish investment firm, Unconventional Ventures (UV), recently announced the launch of their new fund of €30 million (approx. $30.5 million) to support underrepresented founders across Europe.
The fund was launched by UV to get more money into the pockets of “unconventional founders,” will work to address the lack of diversity in Europe’s start-up ecosystem.
Nora Bavey, Tea Messel, and Bradley Leimer co-founded UV in 2017 with the aim of shaking up Europe’s VC space for good. The team, which has formed an extensive pool of diverse investors and advisors, will work with upcoming businesses that mainly focus on creating solutions for climate, health, education, and inclusive fintech.
The new investment fund will diversify and improve the current investment scene, mainly providing opportunities for women, POC, immigrants, and LGBTQ+ founders to build further impact. UV is committed to accelerating the work of diverse businesses and aims to unlock the potential of tech companies founded by various teams. The platform has already attracted a lot of attention from key players in the Nordic investment landscape.
“It’s always been our conviction that the combination of diversity and sustainability constitutes the most substantial investment opportunity – in the Nordics and globally,” said co-founder and CEO of Unconventional Ventures.
“With this new fund, we will have the financial force to back many fantastic founders we have met over the years, building companies creating a better future for all of us.”
After publishing its annual report on the Nordic investment landscape’s funding gap, UV launched its first digital European accelerator program to provide opportunities for underrepresented founders.
“As a first-time fund, we are particularly proud of the diverse group of investors backing the fund, varying from institutional investors to recognized international VC funds and progressive Family offices being frontrunners in impact investment to successful entrepreneurs,” said Nora Bavey, co-founder, and GP at UV.
UV’s fund will be one of Europe’s first investment programs to focus on backing diverse founding teams and creating a positive environmental and social impact.
