Impact X Capital is a venture capital firm which looks to invest in underrepresented entrepreneurs from across Europe. Impact X Capital was started by Eric Collins. Its initial founding members include Ursula Burns, Ric Lewis and Lenny Henry.

Impact X Capital
Company typePrivate Ownership, Limited partnership
IndustryVenture capital
Founded2018; 6 years ago (2018)
FounderEric D. Collins
HeadquartersLondon,
United Kingdom
Key people
Ursula Burns
Lenny Henry
Ric Lewis
ProductsInvestments
Total assets£100 million
Websitewww.impactxcapital.com

History

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Impact X Capital was started in 2018 by Eric Collins.[1] Its initial founding members include Ursula Burns, Ric Lewis and Lenny Henry.[2][3] The venture capital (VC) fund was inspired by the lack of investment in companies led by people from underrepresented communities, with a particular focus on people of colour and women.[4][5] At the time they were founded, less than 4% of VC funding went to teams led by women, and less than 1% to people of colour.[3][6] As of December 2019, Impact X was raising a fund of over £100 million to invest in minority-led businesses.[7][8]

Team

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The chief executive officer is Eric Collins,[9] a tech entrepreneur and investor who previously served on Barack Obama's Small Business Administration's Council on Underserved Communities.[10][11] Principal investor, Yvonne Bajela, was selected as one of Forbes 30 Under 30 in 2020.[12] In April 2020, Paula Groves, founding partner, was selected as one of Europe's most influential women in venture capital.[13][14] Principal investor and chief technology officer, Ezechi Britton was awarded ITA's venture capitalist of the year in 2019.[3][15][16]

Major investments

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One of the first Impact X Capital investments was Predina, a smart navigation software which looks to prevent road traffic accidents.[2] Predina was founded by Bola Adegbulu and Meha Nelson, and makes use of artificial intelligence to predict the safest routes for any car journey.[6]

References

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  1. ^ "Eric Collins - CEO, Impact X Capital Partners; & Host 'The Money Maker,' Channel 4 - New Thinking podcast". New Thinking. 2021-05-04. Archived from the original on 2022-09-30. Retrieved 2022-05-17.
  2. ^ a b Makortoff, Kalyeena (2019-11-16). "'We want to find gems': the black venture capitalists invested in change". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 2020-05-30.
  3. ^ a b c "£100 million for UK black businesses". Voice Online. 2019-12-30. Retrieved 2020-05-30.
  4. ^ "Meet Ric Lewis: The fun-loving property tycoon". Evening Standard. 2020-03-20. Retrieved 2020-05-30.
  5. ^ Mararike, Shingi. "Why are there so few black millionaires on the Rich List 2020?". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2020-06-05.
  6. ^ a b "Black VC investor 'Impact X' – why people of colour and women founders in Europe are ripe for funding". www.iamnewgeneration.co.uk. 9 April 2020. Retrieved 2020-05-30.
  7. ^ "London VC Fund Impact X Has 100 Million Pounds to Jump Start Minority-Led Businesses". www.bloomberg.com. 18 December 2019. Retrieved 2020-05-30.
  8. ^ "Episode 62: From raising over £200m to becoming a VC and trying to solve the "pipeline" problem with Ezechi Britton Principal at Impact X Capital and Co-founder of Neyber by Startup HandMeDowns • A podcast on Anchor". Anchor. Retrieved 2020-05-30.
  9. ^ Hurley, James. "Access to finance is a diversity issue". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2020-06-05.
  10. ^ "Eric Collins". Retrieved 2020-05-30.
  11. ^ Anwar, Shiraz (2020-02-03). "Eric D. Collins". Retrieved 2020-05-30.
  12. ^ "Yvonne Bajela". Impact. Retrieved 2020-05-30.
  13. ^ Tucker, Charlotte (2020-04-08). "TOP 50: Europe's most influential women in the startup and venture capital space". EU-Startups. Retrieved 2020-05-30.
  14. ^ "Impact X Team". Impact. Retrieved 2020-05-30.
  15. ^ "Episode 62: From raising over £200m to becoming a VC and trying to solve the "pipeline" problem with Ezechi Britton Principal at Impact X Capital and Co-founder of Neyber by Startup HandMeDowns • A podcast on Anchor". Anchor. Retrieved 2020-05-30.
  16. ^ "ITA Awards 2019 Winners". Inclusive Tech Alliance. Retrieved 5 June 2020.