Updated:
Inman & Bowman
James Inman co-founded Rightmove, then built Inman & Bowman to concentrate family capital into UK PropTech startups.
Inman & Bowman
Inman & Bowman formed in 2015 after James Inman departed Rightmove, the FTSE 100 online property portal he helped create. He pooled a portion of his exit proceeds with co-principal Alex Bowman to build a single-family office vehicle that invests predominantly their own capital. The firm operates from London and does not seek outside money. The investment strategy centers on early-stage PropTech and real-estate-adjacent software businesses in the United Kingdom. Inman & Bowman write seed and Series A checks, often as a first institutional investor, leveraging Inman's operational credibility at Rightmove as a sourcing moat. The portfolio stays deliberately narrow — concentrated in companies digitizing residential agency workflows, property data analytics, and tenant experience platforms. Geographic focus remains overwhelmingly UK, with opportunistic exposure in European proptech. The office does not publicly report assets under management. Based on known exit proceeds and observed check sizes, total deployment likely falls in the £50 million to £100 million range. The team operates lean, with Inman and Bowman as the sole named investment decision-makers and no intermediate investment committee. They have not launched parallel funds, SPV syndicates, or philanthropic foundations. The structural differentiator is concentrated operator-to-angel continuity. Rather than build a multi-asset family office, Inman & Bowman intentionally replicate the narrow thesis of a high-net-worth angel syndicate but with permanent family capital. The firm accepts no external LPs, reports to no advisory board, and maintains a single-sector mandate — a deliberate contrast to the diversified multi-generation offices that dominate London's family-capital landscape.
General information
Firm type
Single Family Office
Year founded
2015
AUM
£50M – £100M (Altss estimate)
Location
Region
Europe
Country
United Kingdom
City
London
Corporate office
London, United Kingdom
Principals
James Inman
Principal
Alex Bowman
Principal
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Where does the wealth behind Inman & Bowman originate?
The primary wealth source is James Inman's stake in Rightmove, the UK's largest online property portal. Inman was a co-founder in 2000 and remained with the company through its 2006 IPO and subsequent growth into a FTSE 100 constituent. He sold down his position over time and allocated a portion of the proceeds to form the family office. Alex Bowman's contribution source has not been publicly detailed.
Does Inman & Bowman take outside capital or function as a multi-family office?
No. The vehicle is structured exclusively around the principals' own capital and does not accept external limited partners. It operates as a single family office, not a multi-family office or a regulated fund manager, and has not registered any pooled investment vehicles. The principals have stated no intention to open the structure to third-party money.
What investment stages and check sizes does Inman & Bowman target?
The firm concentrates on seed and Series A rounds within UK-based PropTech and property-software companies. Observed check sizes are consistent with early-stage angel-to-institutional lead ranges, typically acting as a first or second institutional investor. They do not participate in growth equity, buyout, or real asset direct property acquisitions as part of the family office mandate.
How does Inman & Bowman source its deal flow?
Deal flow derives heavily from James Inman's two decades in the UK online property market, including his Rightmove network, relationships with estate agency groups, and visibility into digitization pain points across the residential transaction chain. This operator network provides proprietary access to founders building at the problem layer — a structural advantage over generalist family offices without real estate technology operating experience.
Does the firm have a succession plan or next-generation involvement?
No public successor has been named. The firm remains closely held by the two founding principals, and no second-generation family members have been identified in investment roles or governance. Given the concentrated, founder-led structure, succession risk is a relevant consideration for any long-duration counterparty evaluating the firm as a potential co-investor.
Why does the firm focus almost entirely on UK PropTech rather than diversifying geographically or by sector?
The sector concentration is a function of founder expertise rather than arbitrary restriction. James Inman spent his operating career inside the UK property ecosystem and understands its regulatory, agency, and data dynamics deeply. The principals have chosen to double down on that edge rather than dilute it across unfamiliar geographies or sectors — a deliberate bet that specialist domain knowledge compensates for lack of diversification.
Does Inman & Bowman participate in club deals or co-invest alongside other family offices?
The firm has not publicly disclosed participation in formal family office co-investment clubs or syndicates. While they may invest alongside other angels or early-stage funds in portfolio rounds, there is no evidence they belong to structured co-investment networks such as Tiger 21, R360, or similar UK equivalents.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
Need institutional-grade insight on family offices?
Altss delivers:
Prefer a guided tour?
We’ll walk you through: