# Nesta Trust

Nesta Trust is an Endowment / Foundation based in London, United Kingdom.

## Overview

- **Organization type:** Endowment / Foundation
- **Headquarters:** London, United Kingdom
- **Region:** Europe
- **Address:** 58 Victoria Embankment, London EC4Y 0DS, United Kingdom
- **Founded:** 1998
- **Assets under management:** Undisclosed
- **Website:** www.nesta.org.uk
- **LinkedIn:** https://uk.linkedin.com/company/nesta

## Regulatory record

- **Reports private funds:** No

## About

Nesta Trust was established in 1998 as the endowment supporting Nesta, the UK's innovation agency for social good. The trust acts as the sole trustee structure for the foundation, which focuses on climate, health, and education initiatives. Ed Richards chairs the board of trustees while Ravi Gurumurthy leads the operating entity. The trust allocates across private equity, public equities, and real assets. Private equity exposure stands at 16.92 percent. It deploys through Nesta Impact Investments into seed and start-up rounds and maintains a secondaries capability. Confirmed holdings include BibliU, Naked Energy, Skin Analytics, Habitual, WeWALK, CellCentric, Mixergy, Aira and Q doctor in the United Kingdom. Additional positions exist in Featurespace, Skimlinks, and Applied, which have reached exit. Geographic focus remains the United Kingdom with limited exposure elsewhere. The endowment supports an operating team that includes Challenge Works and the Behavioural Insights Team, the latter acquired as a wholly owned subsidiary in December 2021. The trust maintains membership in the British Private Equity and Venture Capital Association as a limited partner. It retains Momentum Global Investment Management as investment advisor and BDO LLP as auditor. January 2024: participated as speaker at the mallowstreet Defined Contribution Congress in London. The trust operates through a hybrid mandate that combines endowment stewardship with mission-aligned venture vehicles. Nesta Mission Studio takes direct ownership positions in selected companies such as Carno and Ogma. This architecture allows the endowment to fund both grant programs and equity investments without commingling structures.

## Sectors

- Venture (General)
- Early Stage
- ClimateTech
- EdTech
- HealthTech

## People

- Ravi Gurumurthy — Chief Executive Officer
- Ed Richards — Chair of the Board of Trustees

## Questions

### Who runs investment decisions at Nesta Trust?

Ravi Gurumurthy serves as chief executive of Nesta and oversees the trust's investment posture. Ed Richards chairs the board of trustees. External advisor Momentum Global Investment Management supports portfolio construction.

### How does Nesta Trust source proprietary deal flow?

Deal flow arrives through Nesta Impact Investments and Nesta Mission Studio. The vehicles target UK early-stage companies aligned with the foundation's climate, health, and education priorities.

### Does Nesta Trust participate in fund commitments or only direct deals?

The trust holds both fund commitments and direct positions. It maintains exposure to pooled funds for global equities and invests directly via its impact vehicles into named UK startups.

### What investment stages does Nesta Trust typically target?

The trust focuses on early stage seed and start-up rounds. It also maintains a secondaries capability within the private equity allocation.

### What is Nesta Trust's known posture on co-investments alongside external GPs?

The trust invests through its own impact vehicles rather than alongside external managers in most documented positions. Holdings are recorded under Nesta Impact Investments or Nesta Mission Studio.

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- [Smith and Howard Wealth Management](https://altss.com/profile/smith-and-howard-wealth-management)
- [Connecticut College](https://altss.com/profile/connecticut-college)

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Last updated: 2026-06-03T20:00:00.000Z

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