Project Ventures Launches £5M Debut Fund to Back Deeptech and AI

The big picture: Project Ventures, an independent early-stage venture capital firm rooted in the Imperial College London ecosystem, has launched its debut £5 million fund to invest in pre-seed and seed-stage startups working across deeptech and AI.

What it will back:

• Stage & Check Size: The fund will invest between £100,000 and £300,000 in each pre-seed and seed-stage portfolio company.
• Sector Focus: It targets founders applying science, engineering, and AI to develop intelligent systems connecting the digital and physical worlds, with interests in robotics, healthcare, climate, energy, and advanced manufacturing.
• Geography & Activity: Focused on the Imperial College London startup ecosystem, the fund has already completed three investments.

Who is behind it:

The fund is led by founder and managing partner Shahryar Barati, a three-time Imperial College London alumnus. More than 80% of the fund’s limited partners are Imperial alumni, making it the first independent, alumni-powered VC fund dedicated to the university’s startup ecosystem. Project Ventures has already backed home energy platform Tewke, AI-powered metal 3D printing quality assurance company NexusAM, and neurotech startup Neubond.

The catch: Project Ventures’ highly specialized, alumni-powered model offers a unique advantage within the competitive deeptech and AI landscape, leveraging Imperial College London’s strong scientific and engineering talent pool. However, its tight geographical and institutional focus could limit deal flow compared to broader funds, even as it aims to extend its model to other university ecosystems in the future.

Key Facts

• Firm: Project Ventures
• Fund: debut fund
• Target size: £5M
• Stage: pre-seed and seed-stage
• Focus: deeptech, AI, robotics, healthcare, climate, energy, advanced manufacturing
• Geography: London, UK
• Cheque size: £100,000 to £300,000
• Partner: Shahryar Barati
• Announced: 2026-09-21