Our Origin Story: Why We Created Social Tech Ventures

Born from 15 years of supporting purpose-led founders, Social Tech Ventures was created to close the funding gap and back tech that builds a fairer, more inclusive future.

After more than 15 years at the heart of the UK’s impact tech ecosystem, we’ve supported hundreds of ambitious founders through our foundation, Social Tech Trust, and we’ve witnessed firsthand what happens when visionary ideas are met with the right support. But we’ve also seen what’s missing. Time and again, we watched promising ventures struggle to secure funding at the moment they needed it most. Despite strong traction, social purpose, and technical ambition, these founders were too often overlooked by traditional capital. We realised something had to change. 

So we created Social Tech Ventures: a fund purpose-built to align capital with mission, and to back founders building a fairer, more inclusive future through technology. 

From grantmaker to investor 

Over the past decade, our Trust has run more than 15 accelerator programmes and supported over 450 ventures. From AI for Good to GoodTech, we’ve worked alongside founders using technology to transform everything from health and education to climate action and civic participation. 

Our model evolved over time, but our purpose remained the same: to support tech that serves people and communities. Eventually, the gap between programme support and long-term funding became too wide to ignore. These companies needed early-stage capital that was as flexible and impact-driven as they were. 

Launching STV was the natural next step. 

“Having a flexible investment is hugely advantageous for Good Boost, as it places us in a position to have the greatest benefit of investment, with the greatest flexibility to deliver ROI that works alongside our income and impact.” - Ben Wilkins, CEO, Good Boost

Built for purpose 

Social Tech Ventures is an investment fund with a different DNA. It is informed by practice, grounded in relationships, and designed to unlock growth that delivers social value. 

Our approach centres on three core principles that define how we invest, who we back, and the kind of future we want to help build. 

1 - Listening to founders 

We start with trust. We recognise that founders are the experts in their own missions. We work with their ambitions, not against them, and offer flexible investment paths to support the way they want to grow. This means providing capital options that accommodate various business models, revenue strategies, and long-term objectives. We meet founders where they are, not where conventional venture capital expects them to be. 

2 - Advancing equity 

We back companies that prioritise inclusion from day one. Whether through product design, team composition, or community impact, our portfolio is made up of ventures that see equity as a core driver of success. Our investment process is also designed to reach and support underrepresented founders, challenging the systemic barriers that too often shape who gets funded. 

3 - Creating connections 

We’ve spent over a decade building an ecosystem around social tech. That includes partnerships with accelerators, universities, government agencies, and impact investors. When we invest, we bring that network with us. We help our portfolio ventures build relationships, access new markets, and grow their visibility in ways that go far beyond capital. 

A fairer future, powered by tech  

We invest in UK-based ventures tackling major challenges in health, climate, and financial resilience. These sectors offer huge opportunities for impact, but they also demand a different kind of investment thinking. 

Our approach is flexible, outcome-focused, and built for alignment. We don’t look for outliers. We look for integrity, ambition, and the potential to deliver both social and commercial value at scale. 

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Social Tech Ventures is new, but it stands on solid ground. We’re proud of the work our foundation, Social Tech Trust, has done to shape the UK’s social tech landscape, and we’re excited about what comes next.