Arāya Ventures funding news – London-based Arāya Ventures Secures $10.9 Million in Super Angel Fund

Founder and managing partner Rupa Popat, who is now retired from the business world, closed the inaugural Arāya Ventures fund with the intention of investing $25 million using a novel community-powered strategy. On the cap table, she wants the fund to be the "most value-add investor." Several venture capital funds, like Danish VC Nine Realms and Swiss-based redalpine, raised capital during the recession.

Over the next four years, the community-driven Arāya Super Angel fund will invest in up to 60 pre-seed and seed-stage entrepreneurs in the fields of health tech, fintech, commerce, and work. The fund plans to invest between $200k and $550k in pre-seed and seed money. Additionally, founders will have access to a great deal of value-added from Rupa, the Arāya Ventures group, investors from the Super Angel Fund, and Arāya's vast angel and proprietary scout network.

Read also - BrowserStack Acquisition News – BrowserStack Acquires Bird Eats Bug, Launches Bug Capture to Accelerate Its Test Platform Vision

A versatile hybrid structure that accepts both EIS and non-EIS investments is advantageous to the fund. In order to maximize performance and increase diversity, the cash will be deployed over a four-year period, with 10 to 15 investments made annually. Of that amount, 25% will be reserved for repeat founders who have previously developed a business.

Over 80 fund investors power the fund, including current and former business owners like Rachel Pendered, the founder of Media Zoo, and Dr. Raoul-Gabriel Urma, the founder and chairman of Cambridge Spark. Other investors include angel and venture capitalists like Niraj Pabari of Giano Capital, based in Switzerland, and Daljit Sandhu, the former COO and co-founder of Precede Capital Partners. Other investors include operators, financial professionals from the Royal Bank of Canada, Plurimi, and Blackrock, C-suite executives, and family offices from a range of industries.

To assist the entrepreneurs, a few investors will also be present. Their network and experience in Data & AI, Go-to-market strategy, Fundraising, Growth, US expansion, and other areas will be beneficial.

Arāya Ventures Academy for Angels (AVA Angels), which will graduate 250 angel investors by the end of 2024 and over 1,000 by the end of 2025, will also be beneficial to them. This is a component of the fund's exclusive scout network and will present co-investment opportunities into fund-backed deals to angel investors.

Rupa Popat said: “This is Arāya Ventures’ first fund and I’m incredibly proud of what we’re able to offer both investors and founders. As a former founder turned investor, I’ve been on both sides of the table and I know that for most early-stage founders, whilst capital is important, it’s also about the additional value and support that investors can provide. Our approach is incredibly bespoke and personalised and with this unique structure, we’re optimising not only for performance but plugging a gap to offer real support to early-stage founders and giving them value beyond the cheque.”

About Arāya Ventures

Arāya Ventures, Encouraging Entrepreneurs to Succeed, The ways in which they receive healthcare, live intentionally, work efficiently, shop experientially, and accumulate wealth are changing quickly. They fund entrepreneurs who are changing the world and reimagining this future.