DSW Ventures

Applications to the new LYVA Labs Incubator programme are now open. To submit your application please follow the link to the EOI form. We look forward to receiving your application! Please share within your networks to any other entrepreneurs who may be interested in this opportunity. https://lnkd.in/e4XHw7zS Aimee Cawley | Ruth Hartnoll | Kyle Hatchard | Russell McGrath | Andy Round | Peter Leather FRSA | Jayne Dunn | Hannah Wade | Philippa Glover | Delyth Lloyd Edwards | David Walters | Katie Nicholson | Peter Smith | James Morris | Doug Quinn | Mateusz Portka | Ike C. | Pedro Jurado | Richard Battle | Thomas Farquhar | Johnny M. | Simon Roberts | George Wright Growth Platform | Knowledge Quarter Liverpool (KQ Liverpool) | Sci-Tech Daresbury | Deepbridge Capital | Sedulo | STFC | DLA Piper | Matchstick Creative - Cert B Corp | Marks & Clerk | Guardian People Management | Liverpool John Moores University | University of Liverpool | DSW Ventures | Oxford Technology Management | CPI Enterprises Limited | LCR Angel Network #incubator #investment #innovation #lcr 

💰 𝗙𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁-𝗨𝗽 𝗦𝗰𝗲𝗻𝗲 Keith Benson, Partner at DSW Ventures, examines the opportunities and challenges ahead for startups; accessing funding, finding experienced venture capitalists and executives, embracing solid fundamentals from the start and how businesses can remain resilient in crowded markets. Check out a sneak peek below 👇 Our annual Technology Hiring Report is packed with exclusive insights from VCs, PEs, and leaders across the UK technology scene, providing you with deep market insights and the latest industry trends in the tech landscape. A must-read for anyone interested in the future of tech recruitment, innovation, and funding. 📥 Download for FREE today for the full report: https://lnkd.in/ehYAU_je

Edinburgh, with its highly educated workforce and thriving financial sector, has become a hotbed for startups. Here, we explore 10 VC firms that could be the perfect partners to fund your next venture in this vibrant economy. 💸 Learn how venture capital works and meet 10 VC firms eager to be part of Edinburgh's next big success story. Par Equity, Archangel Investors Limited, Old College Capital, Seed Haus, SIS Ventures, Pentech Ventures, Circularity Capital, Amati Global Investors, DSW Ventures, Maven Capital Partners 👏 #edinburgh #entrepreneurship #venturecapital #startup #startups #businessgrowth Read more 👇  https://lnkd.in/gKG_PzDS

📣 FEMALE FOUNDERS - RECORD MONTH ALERT 📣   We at DSW Ventures have just received a record volume of decks from female founders in May. Time to celebrate? Maybe not when we dig a little deeper…   This was still only 18% of the 225+ applicants we receive per month – that has averaged 11% since January 2022 (counting female-only founders). 7% of applications in May were mixed-gender, which means that 75% were from male-only teams – in our best ever month for gender diversity! We tend to see most female founders at pitch events, but a big chunk of our applicants approach us direct. So what do we think is causing the friction to stop female founders applying for VC investment directly?   I’ve spent time discussing this with Lifted Ventures recently and we know that female-founded businesses generate twice as much revenue per £ invested and are quicker to exit – so women can, and do, successfully lead start-ups. We know that female founders exist in the regions and we want to invest in their businesses! This graphic shows the proportion of female founded companies we receive each month – which doesn’t show an improving picture. We want this to get better!   At DSW Ventures, we would love to speak to more female founders, so if anyone in my network would like to introduce us to female founders looking for investment – especially from the under-invested UK regions – then please share or get in contact. We also know that there’s lots of great organisations in the ecosystem supporting female-led businesses through accelerators, pitch events and networking events – please also get in touch.   #femalefounders #vc #investment

An Exciting Milestone for Hike and the World of SEO! After last month’s successful soft launch of the Onsite Optimizer to our customers, we’re stepping up our game with a fresh approach to SEO: Seriously Easy Optimization. Our new Onsite Optimizer tool is a game-changer. It’s not just rewriting the rules—it’s cutting task time by more than 50%, making it easier than ever for anyone to master SEO like a pro! The real magic behind this milestone is the tireless dedication of our incredible team, who poured their hearts and minds into creating and rolling out this game-changing technology. Their unwavering commitment to innovation is the heart of Hike, driving us forward in our mission to redefine what's possible in the SEO landscape. One of the things we’re most proud of about the Optimizer is that we built it all in-house, from scratch. Even with no similar products on the market to learn from or reverse engineer, our development and design team (Kieran Headley Daniel Breakwell Ross Cooper Craig Bryant) excelled themselves. We also want to share our gratitude for our amazing customer support team (Georgia Thompson Alice Rayner Rose Joie Javier Eve Crawford Matt Perry Dan Masters Daniel Charles Sophie Franklin Harin Maisuria), who ensured the seamless rollout of The Onsite Optimizer to our valued customers. Their dedication, motivation, and incredible work ethic allowed us to deliver the service excellence our customers have come to expect, even with a brand-new feature. And on that note, a huge thank you to our 10,000+ customers all around the world for believing in us and trusting Hike to guide you on your SEO journey. Your feedback, support, and trust fuel our passion for innovation and push us to continually raise the bar. Finally (before this turns into a full Oscar acceptance speech), a huge thank you to our company board and investors (Jim Hodgkins Deborah Jones FCA Keith Benson Sarah Barber DSW Ventures Jenson Funding Partners - Certified B Corp Tristan Watson Richard Beattie). Your ongoing support and encouragement help us create an environment where innovation thrives, allowing us to boldly experiment and push the boundaries of what's possible in the ever-evolving SEO universe. So, as we celebrate this monumental achievement, we invite you to try the Onsite Optimizer and start enjoying Seriously Easy Optimization! #SEO #Innovation #HikeSEO #ThankYou

We're super excited to share that we've been ranked 12th in the GP Bullhound 100 Fastest Growing Northern Tech Companies 🙌 Congrats to everyone in the top 100 👏 A massive thank you to the wonderful One Utility Bill team, we couldn't have done it without you all. ✨