Active adtech investors backing London startups in 2026

4 June 2026·10 min read

UK adtech funding hit £426m in 2025 and Q1 2026 already saw £187.7m. These 15 London investors are actively backing advertising technology companies in 2026.

London hosts 71 of the UK's top 100 adtech companies. Permutive raised $75M from SoftBank here.

SuperAwesome and Ogury both scaled in the city. The capital, agencies, and publishers sit close together.

Creative AI, CTV, and retail media are where the checks go in 2026. Investors call these the three growth areas worth funding. Generic adtech without a data moat or measurable lift is not getting funded.

Q1 2026 adtech rounds dropped 76% year-over-year on deal count. Fewer bets, bigger checks. You need a clear performance story to close in this market.

Set up an Ellty data room with your revenue and lift data first. Adtech investors read the numbers before they take a call.

StageCheck sizeSector focusWebsite
Hoxton VenturesSeed to Series A$500K-$5MAdtech, AI, digital mediahoxtonventures.com
Octopus VenturesSeed to Series B£1M-£10MAdtech, deep tech, B2Boctopusventures.com
Balderton CapitalSeries A to growth$1M-$20MSaaS, adtech, consumerbalderton.com
LocalGlobePre-seed to seed$500K-$5MUK tech, adtech, consumerlocalglobe.vc
EQT VenturesSeries A to Series B$5M-$30MAdtech, data, marketplaceseqtventures.com
Mayfair Equity PartnersGrowth$20M-$100M+Adtech, media, softwaremayfairequity.com
Mercia VenturesSeed to Series A£500K-£5MAdtech, software, deep techmercia.co.uk
SFC CapitalPre-seed to seed£100K-£1MAdtech, SaaS, early stagesfccapital.com
Index VenturesSeries A to growth$5M-$50M+Adtech, martech, SaaSindexventures.com
NorthzoneSeed to Series B$2M-$25MAdtech, media, consumernorthzone.com
Notion CapitalSeed to Series A$1M-$10MB2B SaaS, martech, adtechnotion.vc
Connect VenturesPre-seed to seed£500K-£4MProduct-led adtech, SaaSconnectventures.co
Felix CapitalSeries A to growth$5M-$30MBrand, commerce media, consumerfelixcap.com
Molten VenturesSeries A to growth£5M-£30MAdtech, deep tech, SaaSmoltenventures.com
Fuel VenturesPre-seed to Series A£250K-£5MAdtech, marketplaces, SaaSfuel.ventures

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What is a London adtech investor?

A London adtech investor backs companies building advertising technology. That spans DSPs, SSPs, measurement, identity, and creative tools.

They range from adtech-aware generalists to specialists who know the programmatic stack.

London's pull is its density. Global agency holding companies, major publishers, and the brands that buy media all operate here. An adtech founder can land a reference customer and a pilot in the same week.

Most want to see net revenue retention, a data advantage, and a product that survives cookie loss. Compare London AI investors if AI is your core, not the ad stack.

£426m
UK adtech funding in 2025
UK adtech funding surged to £426.1m in 2025 after a quieter 2024
£187.7m
UK adtech raised in Q1 2026
Q1 2026 already saw £187.7m raised in UK adtech fundraisings
71
Top-100 UK adtech firms in London
London holds 71 of the UK top 100 adtech firms, the highest of any sector
$75M
Permutive Series C led by SoftBank
London publisher data platform Permutive raised a $75M Series C from SoftBank
Creative AI, CTV, and retail media are the three growth areas in advertising right now. Seed and Series A rounds in these are closing in six to ten weeks.
Adtech investor summary, 2026

15 London adtech investors

1. Hoxton Ventures

Hoxton Ventures is a London seed and Series A fund backing technical founders in advertising and media. They co-invested in SuperAwesome's £13M round alongside Microsoft's M12. Their portfolio includes Darktrace and Deliveroo, with cumulative value above $7B.

  • Recent Deals: SuperAwesome £13M round with M12 (2020); seed and Series A adtech mandate; $7B+ cumulative portfolio value; technical founder focus; Europe and Ireland deal flow
  • LinkedIn: Hoxton Ventures LinkedIn
  • Sector Focus: Adtech, AI, digital media, software
  • Stage Focus: Seed to Series A
  • Location: London, UK
  • Website: hoxtonventures.com

2. Octopus Ventures

Octopus Ventures was an early backer of Permutive, the London data platform that raised $75M from SoftBank. They deploy £200M+ a year across deep tech, B2B software, and adtech. Their thesis favors data-driven advertising infrastructure over media arbitrage plays.

  • Recent Deals: Permutive Series C participant; 18 investments in 2025; 6 in early 2026; £1M-£10M checks; deep tech and adtech mandate
  • LinkedIn: Octopus Ventures LinkedIn
  • Sector Focus: Adtech, deep tech, B2B software, fintech
  • Stage Focus: Seed to Series B
  • Location: London, UK
  • Website: octopusventures.com

3. Balderton Capital

Balderton Capital is Europe's most active Series A investor with $1.3B in current funds. They back adtech and martech companies with network effects and strong retention. They made 14 investments in 2026, including Grand Games' $70M Series B in May.

Use Ellty to share your retention cohorts and campaign data before approaching Balderton. They gate on net revenue retention before scheduling a partner meeting.

  • Recent Deals: Grand Games $70M Series B (May 2026); 14 investments in 2026; 22 in 2025; $1M-$20M checks; European-founded tech focus
  • LinkedIn: Balderton Capital LinkedIn
  • Sector Focus: SaaS, adtech, consumer, fintech
  • Stage Focus: Series A to growth
  • Location: London, UK
  • Website: balderton.com

4. LocalGlobe

LocalGlobe, now Phoenix Court, is London's most active seed fund. They back founders at pre-seed and seed before market validation, with 25 investments in 2025. Their network is one of the fastest paths to later-stage adtech investors in the UK.

  • Recent Deals: 25 investments in 2025; 2 in early 2026; $500K-$5M checks; UK and European seed mandate; adtech and consumer track record
  • LinkedIn: LocalGlobe LinkedIn
  • Sector Focus: UK tech, adtech, consumer, fintech
  • Stage Focus: Pre-seed to seed
  • Location: London, UK
  • Website: localglobe.vc

5. EQT Ventures

EQT Ventures was an early Permutive backer and continues to deploy across data and adtech in Europe. They write Series A and B checks with a strong data-science diligence process. Their model leans on an in-house data platform to source and evaluate deals.

Set up an Ellty data room with your pipeline and product metrics. EQT runs quantitative diligence before the first investment conversation.

  • Recent Deals: Permutive Series C participant; Series A to B adtech mandate; $5M-$30M checks; data-driven sourcing model; European deal flow
  • LinkedIn: EQT Ventures LinkedIn
  • Sector Focus: Adtech, data infrastructure, marketplaces
  • Stage Focus: Series A to Series B
  • Location: London and Stockholm
  • Website: eqtventures.com

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6. Mayfair Equity Partners

Mayfair Equity Partners is a London growth fund that backed SuperAwesome before its Epic Games acquisition. They write larger checks for adtech and media companies with proven revenue. They look for category leaders ready to scale internationally.

  • Recent Deals: SuperAwesome growth backer pre-Epic acquisition; $20M-$100M+ checks; adtech and media mandate; growth-stage focus; international scaling thesis
  • LinkedIn: Mayfair Equity Partners LinkedIn
  • Sector Focus: Adtech, media, consumer software
  • Stage Focus: Growth
  • Location: London, UK
  • Website: mayfairequity.com

7. Mercia Ventures

Mercia Ventures funded Adludio's £4M round for US expansion. They back UK adtech founders from seed to Series A with their Connected Capital model. Their regional reach surfaces deals other London funds miss.

  • Recent Deals: Adludio £4M round for US expansion; seed to Series A adtech mandate; £500K-£5M checks; Connected Capital model; UK regional deal flow
  • LinkedIn: Mercia Ventures LinkedIn
  • Sector Focus: Adtech, software, deep tech
  • Stage Focus: Seed to Series A
  • Location: London and UK regions
  • Website: mercia.co.uk

8. SFC Capital

SFC Capital led Paapi's £420K pre-seed round in June 2025. Paapi is a next-generation ad measurement platform. SFC is one of the UK's most active seed investors with an SEIS and EIS fund structure.

Read pitch deck tracking to see what investors check next. Share your deck via Ellty so you know who actually opened it.

  • Recent Deals: Paapi £420K pre-seed lead (Jun 2025); £100K-£1M checks; SEIS and EIS structure; high-volume seed mandate; UK adtech and SaaS focus
  • LinkedIn: SFC Capital LinkedIn
  • Sector Focus: Adtech, SaaS, early-stage tech
  • Stage Focus: Pre-seed to seed
  • Location: London, UK
  • Website: sfccapital.com

9. Index Ventures

Index Ventures backs adtech and martech from Series A through growth across the US and Europe. They increased deal activity through 2025 and 2026 after a slower 2023. They favor product-led companies with enterprise distribution.

  • Recent Deals: Increased 2025-2026 deal pace; adtech and martech mandate; $5M-$50M+ checks; product-led growth thesis; US and European deal flow
  • LinkedIn: Index Ventures LinkedIn
  • Sector Focus: Adtech, martech, SaaS, enterprise
  • Stage Focus: Series A to growth
  • Location: London and San Francisco
  • Website: indexventures.com

10. Northzone

Northzone is a London and Stockholm fund with a long media and adtech track record from its Spotify days. They back seed to Series B companies in media, consumer, and advertising infrastructure. Their media network helps portfolio companies land publisher and brand deals.

  • Recent Deals: Media and adtech mandate; $2M-$25M checks; seed to Series B focus; publisher network access; European and US deal flow
  • LinkedIn: Northzone LinkedIn
  • Sector Focus: Adtech, media, consumer, marketplaces
  • Stage Focus: Seed to Series B
  • Location: London and Stockholm
  • Website: northzone.com

11. Notion Capital

Notion Capital is a London B2B SaaS specialist that backs martech and adtech infrastructure. They write seed to Series A checks for companies selling into marketing and revenue teams. Their operator network helps founders refine go-to-market before scaling.

Use Ellty to share your sales pipeline data with Notion. They review go-to-market traction before committing to a Series A.

  • Recent Deals: B2B SaaS and martech mandate; $1M-$10M checks; seed to Series A focus; operator-led support model; UK and European deal flow
  • LinkedIn: Notion Capital LinkedIn
  • Sector Focus: B2B SaaS, martech, adtech
  • Stage Focus: Seed to Series A
  • Location: London, UK
  • Website: notion.vc

12. Connect Ventures

Connect Ventures is a London pre-seed and seed fund focused on product-led companies. They back adtech and SaaS founders who win on product, not sales spend. They run a concentrated portfolio with hands-on early support.

  • Recent Deals: Product-led adtech and SaaS mandate; £500K-£4M checks; pre-seed to seed focus; concentrated portfolio model; UK and European deal flow
  • LinkedIn: Connect Ventures LinkedIn
  • Sector Focus: Product-led adtech, SaaS, consumer
  • Stage Focus: Pre-seed to seed
  • Location: London, UK
  • Website: connectventures.co

13. Felix Capital

Felix Capital invests at the intersection of brand, commerce, and technology. They back commerce media and consumer adtech companies from Series A through growth. Their brand focus suits founders building retail media and shopper marketing tools.

  • Recent Deals: Commerce media and consumer adtech mandate; $5M-$30M checks; Series A to growth focus; brand and lifestyle thesis; European and US deal flow
  • LinkedIn: Felix Capital LinkedIn
  • Sector Focus: Brand, commerce media, consumer adtech
  • Stage Focus: Series A to growth
  • Location: London, UK
  • Website: felixcap.com

14. Molten Ventures

Molten Ventures is a London-listed growth investor backing adtech and deep tech across Europe. They write Series A and growth checks and can follow on through later rounds from their balance sheet. They favor companies with defensible data and clear margins.

Read due diligence basics to understand what growth investors check before a term sheet. Share your data securely via Ellty during the process.

  • Recent Deals: Adtech and deep tech mandate; £5M-£30M checks; Series A to growth focus; balance-sheet follow-on capacity; European deal flow
  • LinkedIn: Molten Ventures LinkedIn
  • Sector Focus: Adtech, deep tech, SaaS
  • Stage Focus: Series A to growth
  • Location: London, UK
  • Website: moltenventures.com

15. Fuel Ventures

Fuel Ventures is a London early-stage fund backing adtech, marketplace, and SaaS founders. They run a high-volume model and move fast on product-market-fit signals. They suit founders who want a quick decision at the earliest stages.

  • Recent Deals: Adtech and marketplace mandate; £250K-£5M checks; pre-seed to Series A focus; high-volume early-stage model; UK deal flow
  • LinkedIn: Fuel Ventures LinkedIn
  • Sector Focus: Adtech, marketplaces, SaaS
  • Stage Focus: Pre-seed to Series A
  • Location: London, UK
  • Website: fuel.ventures

How creative AI changes adtech funding

Adtech investors in London are no longer funding another DSP or another SSP. The 2026 money goes to creative AI that generates and tests ad variations, and to tools that prove lift.

Rounds in creative AI close in six to ten weeks because the buyer demand is obvious. Brands want to make more ad creative for less. Show your generation speed and your performance data side by side.

Use Ellty to share your model outputs and campaign results securely. London adtech investors check the lift data before the demo.

See London AI investors if your core is the model, not the ad workflow.

How to read a fund's adtech portfolio

Open the fund's portfolio page and find their last five adtech deals. If the most recent is from 2022, they have moved on from the category. Recent deals tell you they are still deploying here.

Check whether their adtech bets survived cookie deprecation. A portfolio full of cookie-dependent companies signals an investor who missed the shift. Funds backing first-party data plays are the ones thinking ahead.

Read investor relations basics to understand how funds report to their own LPs. That shapes which metrics they will ask you for.

What investors expect after cookie loss

Third-party cookies are gone as a reliable signal. London adtech investors expect your product to work on first-party data, contextual signals, or clean rooms. If your targeting needs cookies, that is a hard conversation.

Show your data sources and why they hold up without cookies. Permutive raised on exactly this thesis. Investors want a durable signal, not a workaround that breaks at the next privacy change.

Bring your identity strategy to the first meeting. Read granular permissions to control who sees your data during a raise.

How to pitch a London adtech investor

Four steps to close an adtech round in London in 2026. Each maps to what these investors actually check.

  1. 1.
    Lead with measurable lift, not features
    Open with campaign performance data. Investors read outcomes before slides.
  2. 2.
    Prove your signal survives cookie loss
    Show first-party or contextual data. Cookie-dependent targeting won't fund.
  3. 3.
    Match your stage to the right fund
    Pre-seed goes to SFC or Fuel. Growth goes to Mayfair or Molten.
  4. 4.
    Name your publisher or brand customers
    A named agency or publisher reference beats any product demo.

How Ellty helps you land a London adtech investor

You know the investors. Now prepare your materials. Adtech investors review revenue and lift data before any first call.

  1. 1.
    Put your metrics in one data room
    Upload your revenue, retention, and lift data. Share one link, not attachments.
    Upload file in data room
  2. 2.
    Control access to campaign data
    Require email before investors view results. Block downloads of sensitive data.
    Set permissions data room
  3. 3.
    Track which investors review your deck
    See who opens your lift slide. Follow up based on what they read.
    Analytics data room
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Common questions about London adtech investors

Do London adtech investors still fund cookie-based products?
Rarely now. They want first-party or contextual data that survives privacy changes.
What metrics do adtech investors want at seed?
Early revenue and measurable campaign lift. Named pilots with brands or publishers help.
Which adtech areas raise fastest in 2026?
Creative AI, CTV, and retail media. These close in six to ten weeks right now.
Should I approach specialists or generalist London funds?
Both at once. Specialists know the stack; generalists write larger, faster checks.
When should I set up a data room for an adtech raise?
Before any outreach. Send a structured data room link before the pitch deck.
How do I verify an adtech fund is still deploying?
Check their last five deals. No adtech deals since 2022 means they moved on.

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