# Players Fund

Players Fund is a Venture Capital based in London, United Kingdom.

## Overview

- **Organization type:** Venture Capital
- **Headquarters:** London, United Kingdom
- **Region:** Europe
- **Address:** London, United Kingdom
- **Assets under management:** Undisclosed
- **Website:** playersfund.vc
- **LinkedIn:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/playerscapitalfund

## Regulatory record

- **Reports private funds:** No

## About

The Players Fund is the UK’s first athlete-led Venture Capital firm, founded by athletes, for athletes. It invests small cheques into top percentile early-stage founders from Pre-Seed to Series A and co-invests with market-leading VC funds. It focuses across B2B software, marketplaces, SaaS, healthtech, fintech, AI and media, and does not invest in early-stage sports technology businesses. It aims to harness elite athletes’ access to private deals and add value through its network.

## Sectors

- FinTech
- Enterprise Software
- AI/ML
- Media & Entertainment
- Digital Health
- B2B Marketplaces

## People

- Ruari Bell — Co Founder & Managing Partner
- Fergus Bell — Co Founder & Managing Partner
- George Burrough — Co Founder
- Phil Green — GP & IC Member
- Kelvin Au — IC Member

## Questions

### Who runs investment decisions at The Players Fund?

Co-founders Ruari Bell and Fergus Bell serve as Managing Partners. The investment committee includes Phil Green, former CFO of Amazon EMEA and Deliveroo, and Kelvin Au, formerly a Principal at Draper Esprit and head of investments at Founders Factory. This blends athlete-network access with institutional fund-management experience.

### How does The Players Fund source proprietary deal flow?

The firm sources primarily through the personal networks of its 850-strong athlete community, co-investing alongside market-leading VCs who bring the deals. It also operates dedicated corporate venture programmes with clubs like Juventus and Como 1907, creating structured pipelines tied to sports-rights holders.

### Does The Players Fund lead rounds or just participate?

The firm explicitly states it is not a lead investor. It co-invests alongside established VCs, writing cheques of £50,000 to £300,000 into Seed and Series A rounds. The strategy is to follow tier-one investors and add value through athlete-driven commercial support.

### What investment stages does The Players Fund typically target?

Pre-Seed to Series A, with a stated focus on Seed and Series A rounds. The portfolio includes pre-seed bets like Unravel (which later closed a $7M Series A) as well as later-stage co-investments into companies like Prosper.

### Which sectors does The Players Fund explicitly avoid?

The firm states it does not invest in early-stage sports technology businesses. This is a deliberate positioning: rather than backing sports-tech startups, it leverages athlete influence to support generalist tech companies across fintech, enterprise software, AI, and digital health.

## Related profiles

- [Platte River Equity](https://altss.com/profile/platte-river-equity)
- [Playfair Capital](https://altss.com/profile/playfair-capital)

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Last updated: 2026-08-11T15:07:49.000Z

Canonical page: https://altss.com/profile/players-fund

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