12 sports tech investors backing London startups in 2026

Global sports tech funding and M&A passed $12.5B through 2025. These 12 London investors are actively backing sports technology founders in 2026.

London sits at the center of European sports tech. The clubs, leagues, and broadcasters that buy this software are all here.

Performance data, fan engagement, and connected fitness are where the money goes in 2026. Investors want products clubs and athletes already pay for.

Sports tech rounds are competitive and the bar is high. A pilot with a real team beats any deck full of projections.

Set up an Ellty data room with your contracts and usage data first. Sports tech investors check traction before they take a call.

What is a London sports tech investor?

A London sports tech investor backs companies building technology for sport. That covers performance data, fan engagement, connected fitness, and betting.

Some are sport-dedicated funds. Others are generalists with a partner who knows the space.

London's edge is its buyers. Premier League clubs, governing bodies, and global broadcasters all sit within reach of a founder here.

Most want paying teams or athletes, real retention, and a clear wedge. Compare London consumer investors for direct-to-fan plays.

12 London sports tech investors

1. Hiro Capital

Hiro Capital is a London fund investing in sports tech, games, and AI from a €300M fund. They backed PlayerData, a team sports tracking platform, with a $2.3M round. They also invested in connected fitness leader Zwift alongside its $1.22B in total funding.

• Recent Deals: PlayerData $2.3M round lead; Zwift portfolio name; €300M second fund; sports tech and games mandate; UK, Europe, and US deal flow
• LinkedIn: Hiro Capital LinkedIn
• Sector Focus: Sports tech, games, AI, connected fitness
• Stage Focus: Seed to Series B
• Location: London, UK
• Website: hiro.capital

2. 24Haymarket

24Haymarket is a London and Edinburgh growth fund that backs UK sports tech among many sectors. They take a board seat in each company and lean on their investor network for follow-on capital. They suit founders who want hands-on governance support.

Use Ellty to share board materials with 24Haymarket cleanly. They want governance discipline from the first investment.

• Recent Deals: UK sports tech mandate; board seat per investment; £500K-£5M checks; investor-network follow-on model; seed to growth focus
• LinkedIn: 24Haymarket LinkedIn
• Sector Focus: Sports tech, software, media, fintech
• Stage Focus: Seed to growth
• Location: London and Edinburgh
• Website: 24haymarket.com

3. Octopus Ventures

Octopus Ventures deploys £200M+ a year and backs sports tech inside its health and consumer teams. They look for connected fitness and athlete-performance companies with real retention. Their operator network helps founders reach club and brand buyers.

• Recent Deals: 18 investments in 2025; 6 in early 2026; £1M-£10M checks; health and consumer sports tech mandate; UK and European deal flow
• LinkedIn: Octopus Ventures LinkedIn
• Sector Focus: Sports tech, health, consumer, deep tech
• Stage Focus: Seed to Series B
• Location: London, UK
• Website: octopusventures.com

4. Seedcamp

Seedcamp is London's leading pre-seed and seed fund, writing £350K to £1M first checks. They back sports tech founders before market validation across their 492-company portfolio. Their network is a fast path to later-stage sports tech investors.

Set up an Ellty data room with your product and early usage data. Seedcamp reviews pre-launch traction before writing a first check.

• Recent Deals: £350K-£1M checks; 492 portfolio companies; pre-seed and seed mandate; global founder focus; sports tech and consumer track record
• LinkedIn: Seedcamp LinkedIn
• Sector Focus: Sports tech, SaaS, consumer, fintech
• Stage Focus: Pre-seed to seed
• Location: London, UK
• Website: seedcamp.com

5. LocalGlobe

LocalGlobe, now Phoenix Court, is London's most active seed fund. They back sports tech and consumer founders from pre-seed through to follow-on rounds. They made 25 investments in 2025 with a strong UK focus.

• Recent Deals: 25 investments in 2025; 2 in early 2026; $500K-$10M checks; UK and European mandate; sports tech and consumer track record
• LinkedIn: LocalGlobe LinkedIn
• Sector Focus: Sports tech, consumer, mobility, climate
• Stage Focus: Pre-seed to Series C
• Location: London, UK
• Website: localglobe.vc

6. Atomico

Atomico is a London fund founded by Niklas Zennstrom that backs technology companies from Series A onward. Their consumer and deep tech teams cover sports tech with large checks. They suit sports tech companies ready to scale across Europe.

• Recent Deals: Series A and onward mandate; $5M-$50M+ checks; consumer and deep tech sports focus; European scaling thesis; global deal flow
• LinkedIn: Atomico LinkedIn
• Sector Focus: Sports tech, consumer, deep tech, SaaS
• Stage Focus: Series A to growth
• Location: London, UK
• Website: atomico.com

7. Passion Capital

Passion Capital is a London seed fund known for first checks into ambitious founders. They back sports tech and consumer companies at pre-seed and seed. They move fast and write conviction checks before the crowd arrives.

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

• Recent Deals: Pre-seed and seed mandate; £200K-£2M checks; first-check conviction model; sports tech and consumer focus; UK deal flow
• LinkedIn: Passion Capital LinkedIn
• Sector Focus: Sports tech, consumer, software
• Stage Focus: Pre-seed to seed
• Location: London, UK
• Website: passioncapital.com

8. Eos Venture Partners

Eos Venture Partners is a London fund focused on risk, data, and insurance technology. They back sports tech where it overlaps with athlete risk, injury data, and insurance. They suit founders building data products for clubs and insurers.

• Recent Deals: Sports risk and data mandate; $1M-$10M checks; seed to Series A focus; insurtech and sports data overlap; UK and global deal flow
• LinkedIn: Eos Venture Partners LinkedIn
• Sector Focus: Sports risk, data, insurtech
• Stage Focus: Seed to Series A
• Location: London, UK
• Website: eosventurepartners.com

9. Molten Ventures

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

Read due diligence basics to understand what growth investors check first. Share data securely via Ellty during the process.

• Recent Deals: Sports tech 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: Sports tech, deep tech, SaaS
• Stage Focus: Series A to growth
• Location: London, UK
• Website: moltenventures.com

10. Fuel Ventures

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

11. Active Partners

Active Partners is a London fund backing fitness, wellness, and active-lifestyle brands. They invest where consumer sport meets technology and retail. They suit connected fitness and wellness founders with real revenue.

Use Ellty to share your revenue cohorts and retention curves. Active Partners reviews unit economics before any term sheet.

• Recent Deals: Fitness and wellness mandate; £3M-£20M checks; Series A to growth focus; consumer sport and tech overlap; UK and European deal flow
• LinkedIn: Active Partners LinkedIn
• Sector Focus: Fitness, wellness, consumer sport
• Stage Focus: Series A to growth
• Location: London, UK
• Website: activepartners.com

12. Hambro Perks

Hambro Perks is a London fund and venture builder that backs sports tech and consumer software. They invest from seed to Series A and can support company building hands-on. They suit early founders who want operational help alongside capital.

• Recent Deals: Seed to Series A mandate; £500K-£8M checks; venture-builder support model; sports tech and consumer focus; UK and global deal flow
• LinkedIn: Hambro Perks LinkedIn
• Sector Focus: Sports tech, consumer, software
• Stage Focus: Seed to Series A
• Location: London, UK
• Website: hambroperks.com

How sports tech investors judge traction

Sports tech investors in London do not fund prototypes. They fund products that a real club, league, or athlete already pays for in 2026.

A named team on a paid contract beats a thousand free trial users. Show your retention with that team and whether usage grew over a season.

Use Ellty to share your signed contracts and usage data securely. Sports tech investors check real traction before the demo.

Where to find active sports tech VCs

Start with the funds that have backed sports tech in the last two years. A fund with no sports deals since 2022 has likely moved on from the category.

Sports tech accelerators and league innovation programs are another path. Clubs and governing bodies run these and often co-invest with the VCs on this list.

Read investor relations basics to understand how these funds report to LPs. That shapes the metrics they will ask you to share.

How to get a warm intro through clubs

Cold outreach to sports tech VCs has a low hit rate. A warm intro from a club, league, or portfolio founder converts far better.

Pick a club already using a tool the fund backed. Ask the operator there for a short call and, if you can help them, an intro to the investor.

Read granular permissions to control who sees your contract data during a raise. Keep club relationships protected while you fundraise.