Investor profile
Molten Ventures
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Molten Ventures (formerly Draper Esprit) has spent over twenty years backing the founders and innovators driving Europe's technology transformation. The firm invests more than capital — bringing experience, energy, and partnership to help visionary companies scale faster and go further. Its mission is to 'make more possible for the people building the future.' Molten focuses on high-growth, disruptive UK and European technology firms, concentrating on four core sectors: SaaS & Enterprise Software, Deeptech, Healthtech, and Consumer Software. As a publicly listed vehicle on the London Stock Exchange (FTSE 250), Molten can invest from Series A through pre-IPO, with a typical first check at Series A or B, and maintains a Fund of Funds programme (80+ seed funds) to capture early-stage ecosystem insights and deal flow.
Notable quotes
“We've continued to enhance our innovative platform to capture the exceptional investment opportunities available in backing high growth, disruptive, UK and European technology firms. The underlying performance of our portfolio companies remain strong, with valuations continuing to stabilise as the macroeconomic environment shows signs of improvement.”
“AI is a fundamental component of technological progress and innovation — its transformative potential spans various sectors, from healthcare to fintech, and we must consider the ethical considerations, regulation, and societal impacts of AI deployment.”
“Deciphex is tackling one of healthcare's most pressing issues. By supporting pathologists with AI tools that enhance efficiency without sacrificing accuracy, Deciphex offers a much-needed solution to the diagnostic burden facing pathologists around the world.”
Team
Ben Wilkinson
Chief Executive Officer
Franco Danesi
Senior Partner
Inga Deakin
Partner
Luke Smith
Head of Early Investing
Nicola McClafferty
Partner
Nikhil Punwaney
Investment Manager
Recent investments
| Company | Round | Size | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Isar Aerospace | Series D | $292m | 2026-06 |
| Qureight | Series B | $20m | 2025 |
| Deciphex | Series C | $34m | 2024 |
| PocDoc | Seed | $13m | 2024-11 |
| Revolut | Series E | — | 2021 |
| Thought Machine | Series C | $200m | 2021-11 |
| ICEYE | Series D | — | 2022 |
| Trustpilot | IPO | — | 2021 |
| Graphcore | Series E | — | 2021 |
| CoachHub | Series C | $200m | 2022-06 |
Frequent co-investors
| VC firm | Deals together |
|---|---|
| IQ Capital | 5 |
| Earlybird Venture Capital | 4 |
| Speedinvest | 4 |
| HV Capital | 3 |
| Atomico | 3 |
| MMC Ventures | 3 |
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