Mercia Ventures
Venture Capital and Private Equity Principals
Enduring relationships with ambitious teams
About us
We are one of the UK's most active venture capital investors From early-stage to scaleup investment, our investment team operates from a shared set of beliefs, partnering with entrepreneurs for the long term. We offer venture capital investment of up to £10million and support our portfolio companies at every stage of their growth. We've seen what it takes to build great companies and we work closely with founders to achieve this goal together. Contact us to find out more
- Website
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https://www.merciaventures.co.uk/
External link for Mercia Ventures
- Industry
- Venture Capital and Private Equity Principals
- Company size
- 51-200 employees
- Headquarters
- Henley in Arden
- Founded
- 2010
- Specialties
- venture capital, investment, start-ups, scale ups, venture capital UK, business investment, tech investment, tech start-ups, tech scale ups, life sciences investment, SaaS investment, entrepreneurs, and venture capitalists
Updates
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Brilliant to see Charlotte Staerck and The Handbag Clinic Ltd recognised in rooms like this 👏 From being told not to call herself CEO… to building a £6m business, this is exactly the kind of founder journey that deserves the spotlight. The North East continues to produce some incredible businesses and female founders and it’s great to see that being recognised on a national stage. We’re proud to back Charlotte and her team and even more excited to be welcoming them to our next Rise & Thrive event to share more of that journey with other founders.
When your country comes calling, you don’t say ‘no’. Yesterday, I went striding up to the famous 10 Downing Street with a fire in my belly and a steely determination in my eye. I spent even less time at No 10 than Liz Truss but after posing for a photo outside the iconic black door I headed to No. 11 for an official reception hosted by the Chancellor, Rt Hon Rachel Reeves. She was welcoming a delegation of more than 50 North East female founders and leaders to celebrate entrepreneurship & growth. An event like this had never been held before, and it was the brainchild of the irrepressible Sophie Milliken MBE. There aren’t many people who could bring together the likes of Dragons’ Den star Sara Davies MBE, Steph McGovern, Kim McGuinness, and some of the UK’s most influential connectors and investors in the same room as the North East’s leading female founders — but she can. It was amazing. I was one of only 3 men in a room of more than 50 women, and it gave me a snapshot of what it must be like for women attending events made up almost exclusively of men. I met some incredible female founders, including Charlotte Staerck of The Handbag Clinic Ltd, who shared a conversation she had with someone in corporate finance when she launched her business in 2015. “I was told not to call myself the CEO because it would hinder us, and that I needed a man to front the business,” she said. To date, Handbag Clinic has repaired over 100k handbags and now has a turnover of £6m & a staff of 35. Abigail Reid is the founder of thriving haircare brand Merwave and is incredible. She was joined by Dr Rachael Coates MBA and Deena Harji, who run robotic surgical training startup RoboHive. The guest also included Sam Smith, Alexandra Depledge, MBE, Joanna Jensen & Shalini Khemka CBE. Reeves spoke with a passion and confidence that doesn’t always come across on TV. Once again, huge kudos to Sophie and the NE female founders for an unforgettable evening. Carley Armstrong; Maxine Fox; Nikki Masterman 🧠💡 Tamma Carel; Dr Jennifer Cottam; Joanna Feeley; Kelly M. W.; Beth Crosier; Claire Rutherford; Charlotte Windebank; Nicola Vallely; Shkun Chadda; Nicola Wood; Michelle Jones; Sarah Thackray; Maureen Brown; Kate Hargreaves; Georgina L.; Danae Abadom; Jacqui Chapman; Hannah Zora Strong; Claire Goodliff Goodiff; Julie Cuthbertson; Rita Collins; Irene Graham OBE; & Prameet 'Polly' Dhaliwal More names in comments
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Don't miss out our "Messy Middle" fireside chat. From first cheque to exit: What it really takes. 📍 Venue: Campfield, Lower Byrom St, Manchester M3 4FP 📅 Date: Thursday 16 April 2026 🕔 Time: 5:30pm – 7:30pm We’re bringing together a room of founders, operators and investors who know the real work starts after the capital arrives - the messy middle where judgment calls, resilience and execution determine whether a company scales, stalls or exits. You’re invited to an evening designed for candour, not theatre. RSVP here https://lnkd.in/e34MuGeU
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Mercia Ventures reposted this
I’ll be speaking at Brave New World this Friday, 27 March - hosted in Google's London HQ. The UK's defence, space, and aerospace sectors are undergoing a seismic shift. Defence investment is no longer just a policy challenge - it’s a resposibilty for British innovators and the private capital ecosystem. I’m joining top dual-use founders, investors, and strategic leaders to speak about Investment trends in Defence and Frontier technologies. A thank you to organisers / sponsors Walmer Group, Browne Jacobson, shipshape.vc, and Barclays Eagle Labs. If you're interested in attending, register here - https://luma.com/s1q85evz’
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Big moment for the Netacea team. They’ve always been focused on solving a complex problem and understanding and managing automated traffic. This is a great example of that evolving with the pace of AI. The idea of a “trust layer” for the agentic economy feels like a shift we’re going to hear a lot more about. Great to see the team pushing this forward 👏
The web is changing – fast. Today, we’re excited to introduce to you, Netacea’s Trust Layer. Same problem we’ve always solved. But built for the agentic economy. Our new Trust Layer helps enterprises: ✅ Understand who and what is interacting with their services ✅ Govern automated traffic with confidence ✅ Enable automation whilst stopping malicious activity By enhancing our proven approach to traffic classification, the Trust Layer gives enterprises the visibility and control they need to reduce fraud, prevent abuse and make smarter decisions in real time. As we enter the agentic era, trust becomes the foundation. Read our announcement here: https://lnkd.in/ew4J5Grm 📍Intrigued? We’ll be at RSAC Conference in San Francisco from 23-26 March. Join us there to find out more. #Cybersecurity #AI #Automation #FraudPrevention #AgenticEconomy #BotManagement #Enterprise #Ecommerce #TrustLayer #RSAConference
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Huge congratulations to the team at Forge Genetics on being recognised in the Sifted 100 👏 Placing 25th is an incredible achievement and a real reflection of the work going on behind the scenes. Excited to see what’s next as they continue to push the boundaries in strain development and biotech innovation.
We are proud to share that in recognition of Forge Genetics as one of the fastest growing startups, we have been named in the Sifted 100 leaderboard for 2026! Forge placed at #25, and we are thrilled that our incredible team has been recognised amongst the brightest and best startups in the UK and Ireland. Here at Forge we offer strain development (using our proprietary genetic tool), specialised fermentation and analytics services. We give companies and academics the option to outsource R&D, without IP and licensing complications, freeing up time and resources to focus on advancing their science. Talk to us to see how we can help with your projects! www.forgegenetics.com #SiftedLeaderboards #Sifted100
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✨ Rise & Thrive - We’re coming to the North East! ✨ 📅 Wednesday 29 April 2026 | 12pm – 3pm 📍 Tiger Hornsby, Newcastle upon Tyne Our next Rise & Thrive event for female founders and business professionals is heading to Newcastle upon Tyne! After incredible conversations and connections at our previous events, we’re bringing the same energy, empowerment and real, honest support to a brand-new city. This event is all about: ✨ Authentic, informal conversations ✨ Empowering women at every stage of their career ✨ A supportive space to share challenges, ideas and wins Whether you're an entrepreneur, a leader, a creative or navigating your next step, Rise & Thrive is a place where you’ll be welcomed, encouraged and inspired. If you’re in the North East – or know someone who is - we’d love to see you there. Let’s continue building a community where we lift each other higher. RSVP here: https://lnkd.in/eYKXbVcN
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Not every conversation needs to end in investment. Some ideas just need to be tested, debated or shared in a save space. Open Door is our way of keeping a door open to anyone who want to explore ideas, challenges or next steps without committing to anything more than a conversation. It’s informal, confidential and deliberately simple - because starting and growing a business is complicated enough already. If you’re at a point where talking things through would help, Open Door runs every other Friday. We’ve added the link below for anyone who’d find it useful.
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The Forward Look - What does scaling a disruptive infrastructure solution look like? UBI is preparing to expand into new sectors and geographies, taking its modular, net zero buildings to a wider market. With a strong Board, experienced leadership and a network that opens doors, they are positioned to grow from UK success to international momentum. Read the full article to explore what’s next for UBI - https://lnkd.in/eeVWSSkk
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🌬️ Backing innovation powering the future of offshore wind When Andrew Jenkins founded Kinewell during his PhD at Newcastle University, his ambition was clear, to make offshore wind projects faster to develop and more cost-effective through smarter design. Today, the Wallsend-based company is helping renewable energy developers around the world do exactly that. Kinewell’s software combines AI, advanced algorithms and supercomputing to analyse millions of design possibilities for offshore wind farms in minutes, helping optimise cabling, turbine and transmission layouts. The result can be significant cost savings and shorter development timelines, helping accelerate the rollout of renewable energy. Trusted by global energy companies including Equinor, SSE Renewables, Parkwind and Eurus Energy Europe BV, the team is now entering an exciting new phase of growth. A £750,000 investment will support further technology development, unlock additional funding and enable Kinewell to create new jobs in the North East. Exciting to see Andrew and the team continuing to scale their impact in the offshore wind sector. Read their story here: https://lnkd.in/eqi-syht #BackingTheBold #Innovation The North East Combined Authority | #NEAF
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