- The UK Innovation & Science Seed Fund (UKI2S) has appointed Tony Raven as Chair of its Board and Consultation Committee – as the Fund continues to back the next generation of UK science-driven startups.
At a time when sovereign capability, deep tech and research commercialisation are firmly on the national agenda, UKI2S sits at a critical inflection point between lab and market. And Tony knows that territory well.
An experienced entrepreneur and early-stage investor, Tony has spent decades working with founders turning breakthrough science into scalable companies. His appointment reinforces UKI2S’s role as one of the UK’s most distinctive early-stage investors – backing high impact ideas many others won’t, and doing so with patient, evergreen capital.
With £116 million under management, the government-backed UKI2S is one of the largest pre-seed funds in the country. But what sets it apart isn’t just size – it’s appetite.
The Fund exists to take on high-risk, high-impact opportunities emerging from the UK’s publicly funded research base. Technologies that might be too early, too complex or too unconventional for traditional venture capital – but which have the potential to define entire industries.
“The future prosperity of the UK will continue to be built on its world-leading research and the exciting high-risk, high-reward opportunities that UKI2S has been established to bring through to market. For me, the excitement of the role is being part of ensuring those opportunities emerge and prosper.” He continued: “Keeping an open mind and being sector- and technology-agnostic about where new opportunities might emerge in the coming years – and that we may be talking about in 2036 – will be important if the UK is to stay at the leading edge in fast-changing technological economies.”
Tony succeeds Andrew Mackintosh, under whose tenure the Fund continued to grow substantially, including the UK Space Agency joining as a Limited Partner.
“Tony’s experience as both a founder and investor gives him a unique understanding of what it takes to build companies from breakthrough science. We are delighted to welcome him to this important role.”
Looking ahead, Tony has a simple message for founders: “Dare to dream with ambition. We live in changing and challenging times – but times of change are also times of opportunity.”
In a funding landscape where early-stage capital can be hard to access, UKI2S is a critical bridge – reconfiguring early risk, crowding in private investment, and helping ensure that the UK doesn’t just invent the future, but builds it.
The UKI2S Board is a partnership board between the Special Partners in the Fund and the General Partner, Future Planet Capital.
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