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Bridging the gap between UK University Innovation and Global Capital.
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Proximo Ventures is an investment vehicle operating across three UK innovation hubs— University of Oxford, University of Cambridge and Imperial College London. We connect high-potential startups founded by students, researchers, professors, and alumni with global capital through our VC network and Angel Syndicate.
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Contact us at:
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University spinouts represent 30% of British unicorns (1). Most of these come from the Golden Triangle (University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, London: Imperial College London). E.g. Cambridge startups demonstrate exceptional capital efficiency, generating $16.9 in value for every $1 of venture capital invested compared to the UK baseline of $5.4.(2).
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Europe's leading institution for producing spinouts ranking as the world's #3 deep tech hub, after Boston and the Bay Area, which accounts for 18% of the UK’s tech value(2), with 24 unicorns originating from its ecosystem(3).
Arm, acquired by SoftBank for $32B in 2016 and listed on NASDAQ in 2023 at $54B(4). CMR Surgical valued at $3B(5). Wayve, founded in 2017, now valued at $5.87B(6).
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300+ research-based companies, who’ve raised £6B so far. More than half were founded in the last decade(7), contributing £3.4B annually to the economy(8). Oxford Nanopore, valued at £3.4B after its 2021 IPO on the LSE(9), and GoCardless valued at $2.1B(10).
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Achieved 8 significant exits to date(11), with 29 spinouts generated from Imperial research in 2023 alone(12). Improbable valued at $3B(13).
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Innovations from the UK’s Golden Triangle often overstay in academic circles, delaying market entry. We identify these innovations first, connecting them to our global venture capital partners and writing their earliest cheques via our SPVs.
****What sets Proximo Ventures apart is our unique approach as a deep-tech-centric community. We are an angel syndicate, where a significant portion of our members are experienced deep-tech operators and founders. At our core, we believe in offering more than just financial capital; we provide comprehensive support to our startups. This ensures that deep-tech innovations from the Golden Triangle not only access global capital but also benefit from extensive networks and expertise.
Recruitment of Student Investors
Our investors are carefully selected from top MBA students and technical postgraduates with expertise in startups, investments, and deep technical knowledge. Each university hub (Cambridge, Oxford and Imperial) will have 4–6 active student investors at a time.
Proximity to Founders
We select our investors for their proximity to founders, enabling early engagement and insights that go beyond their venture.
Ownership of the Investment Process
Students are granted genuine investment rights; leading deals. This model has been validated in the U.S. by the MBA Fund.
Performance-Linked Financial Incentives
The deal-leading student receives a notable portion of the carry, while the team earns a small baseline carry that activates after a one-year cliff.
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The MBA Fund, now on its third fund, operates at Stanford, UPenn, and Harvard, leveraging student investors for deal sourcing and capital deployment. Its first $2.5M fund produced two unicorns (DataFleets and Jeeves), and three near-unicorns ($500M+)(14).
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Student investors manage deal sourcing, perform due diligence, and present startups to the Investment Committee (IC), which evaluates and selects startups for further engagement. The IC comprises student investors alongside two rotational seats for sector-specific deal experts: