# Founders Factory

Founders Factory is a Private Equity based in London, United Kingdom.

## Overview

- **Organization type:** Private Equity
- **Headquarters:** London, United Kingdom
- **Region:** Europe
- **Address:** London, United Kingdom
- **Founded:** 2015
- **Assets under management:** Undisclosed
- **Website:** foundersfactory.com
- **LinkedIn:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/foundersfactory

## Regulatory record

- **Reports private funds:** No

## About

Founders Factory operates as a venture studio and startup accelerator. It builds and funds startups with entrepreneurs and companies. The organization provides capital, dedicated support, and access to a coalition of corporate partners. It operates across 5 continents and has backed over 450 startups.

## Sectors

- FinTech
- Digital Health
- Industrial Tech
- Deep Tech
- ClimateTech
- Enterprise Software
- Mining Tech
- EdTech
- AI/ML
- Media & Entertainment

## Offices

- Chicago
- Perth
- Singapore

## People

- Henry Lane Fox — Chief Executive Officer, Founder
- Brent Hoberman — Executive Chairman, Founder
- Claire Morris — Chief Studio Officer
- Damian Routley — Chief Operating Officer
- David Hickson — Chief Strategic Development Officer
- Olivia Brooks — Head of Investments

## Questions

### How does Founders Factory source deal flow differently from a traditional venture capital firm?

Deal flow is tied to a coalition of corporate partners — Aviva, Rio Tinto, HSBC, Northwestern Medicine, and MSWA among them — that co-design thematic accelerators and provide distribution, market intelligence, and follow-on capital. That structure surfaces startups validated by a commercial counterparty before institutional capital sees them. The firm also operates a Venture Studio that co-founds companies in-house using its own operator team.

### What investment stages does Founders Factory target?

The firm covers the earliest phases — idea, pre-seed, and seed. Its Venture Studio co-founds businesses at formation; the Accelerator programs invest at pre-seed and seed. Selective follow-on exposure can extend through Series B and C rounds, exemplified by Storyblok's $80 million Series C in 2024 and Shop Circle's $120 million Series A, but the primary footprint remains pre-institutional.

### Who runs investment decisions at Founders Factory?

Henry Lane Fox, Chief Executive Officer and co-founder, and Brent Hoberman, Executive Chairman and co-founder, set strategic direction. Olivia Brooks serves as Head of Investments, while dedicated Sector Directors — Olly Betts for Fintech, Tamryn Barker for Mining & Nature, and Levi Young for broader sector coverage — lead sourcing and portfolio support within their respective corporate-partner programs.

### Which sectors does Founders Factory explicitly avoid?

No explicit exclusions are published. The portfolio concentrates on Fintech, Health, Industrials, and Deep Tech, with heavy corporate-driven exposure to mining tech, climate, and neurological care. Generalist consumer internet and pure-play enterprise SaaS without a corporate-partner alignment appear sparse.

### Does Founders Factory participate in fund commitments or only direct deals?

The disclosed model is entirely direct — either as a co-founder in the Venture Studio or as a direct pre-seed and seed investor through the Accelerator. There is no public evidence of Founders Factory making blind-pool fund commitments to external venture capital managers.

### How are the corporate partnerships structured and how does capital flow into startups?

Each accelerator is built around a single corporate partner's mandate — for example, Rio Tinto funds mining-tech startups in Perth, Aviva backs Fintech in London and globally, and HSBC runs an industrial-innovator program in Southeast Asia. The corporate partner contributes program funding and often provides a bridge to commercial contracts, while Founders Factory deploys operational support and co-investment capital. The exact economics vary per program and are not publicly disclosed.

## Related profiles

- [Founders Equity](https://altss.com/profile/founders-equity)
- [Founders First](https://altss.com/profile/founders-first)

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Last updated: 2026-07-11T16:23:54.000Z

Canonical page: https://altss.com/profile/founders-factory

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