Directory

NIHR

GovernmentOtherGrantmakerBritish

The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) is the UK government's principal funder of clinical, public health, social care and translational research, funded by the Department of Health and Social Care. Established in 2006, it funds and enables world-class health and care research across England through a network of biomedical research centres, applied research collaborations and clinical research facilities.

NPL

Ecosystem Bodies, Catapults & InstitutionsOtherAcademiaBritish

The National Physical Laboratory (NPL) is the UK's National Metrology Institute, responsible for maintaining national primary measurement standards and providing measurement science, calibration, testing and consultancy services to industry and government. Founded in 1900, it operates across acoustics, biosciences, communications, engineering, quantum research and many other scientific domains.

Nasdaq Ventures

CorporateFinanceAIForeign

Corporate venture capital arm of Nasdaq, investing in fintech, blockchain, AI, and data analytics startups globally from seed to late stage.

Nationwide

CorporateFinanceProptechVCBritish

Nationwide Building Society is the world's largest building society and a British mutual financial institution providing retail banking services including mortgages, savings, current accounts, and insurance. Through its venture arm NBS Ventures, Nationwide invests in fintech, data, cyber-security, regtech, and proptech startups at seed to Series A stage to support its strategic roadmap and benefit its members. The organisation is owned by its members rather than shareholders.

Nesta

Ecosystem Bodies, Catapults & InstitutionsOtherGrantmakerBritish

Nesta is a UK research and innovation foundation and registered charity that designs, tests, and scales solutions to major societal challenges. Originally launched in 1998 as a government body funded by a National Lottery endowment, it became an independent charity in 2012 and works across areas including early childhood development, public health, and climate action. It combines applied research, policy development, venture building, and impact investment to drive systemic change.

Northzone

VCSaaSAIBritish

Northzone is a multi-stage venture capital fund founded in Oslo in 1996 that backs category-defining technology companies from seed through to growth. The firm has raised over $2.8 billion across ten funds and has offices in London, Stockholm, Berlin, Amsterdam and New York, with a portfolio of more than 250 companies including Spotify and Klarna. Its investment focus spans AI, fintech, healthcare, enterprise software and infrastructure.

ODI

Ecosystem Bodies, Catapults & InstitutionsOtherAIBritish

The Open Data Institute (ODI) is an independent, non-profit organisation co-founded in 2012 to champion open data and build a trustworthy data ecosystem. It works with governments, businesses and civil society worldwide through research, consultancy, training and policy advocacy to ensure data benefits everyone.

OMERS

PEOtherVCForeign

OMERS (Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System) is one of Canada's largest defined benefit pension plans, founded in 1962, with approximately C$145 billion in net assets. It invests globally across private equity, infrastructure, real estate, and venture capital through dedicated platforms including OMERS Private Equity, OMERS Ventures, OMERS Infrastructure, and Oxford Properties. The fund serves over half a million active, deferred, and retired Ontario municipal employees.

OMERS Private Equity

PEOtherForeign

OMERS Private Equity is the private equity arm of the OMERS pension plan, with over 30 years of experience investing in mid-market companies globally. It targets businesses with enterprise values of approximately $200 million to $1.5 billion, focusing primarily on buyout transactions across healthcare, technology, professional services, and consumer sectors. The firm invests directly and through co-investments, operating from offices in Toronto, New York, and London.

OakNorth Bank

ScaleupFinanceBritish

Digital SME lender and bank using proprietary data analytics to provide bespoke loans to mid-sized businesses across the UK.

Oakley Capital

PESaaSConsumerBritish

Oakley Capital is a London-based private equity firm founded in 2002 that invests in mid-market companies across Europe, with a focus on the technology, consumer, education, and business services sectors. The firm manages over €1.5 billion in assets under management and has more than 160 professionals across offices in London, Munich, Milan, Madrid, and Luxembourg.

Oaktree

PEOtherForeign

Oaktree Capital Management is a global alternative investment management firm founded in 1995 and headquartered in Los Angeles. The firm specialises in credit, equity, and real estate strategies with a value-oriented, risk-controlled approach, managing approximately $224 billion in assets. It has over 1,500 employees and offices in 24 cities worldwide, and is majority-owned by Brookfield Asset Management.

Octopus Energy Group

CorporateClimateBritish

Renewable energy supplier and clean-technology group operating in multiple countries, with its proprietary Kraken energy-management platform, EV leasing, heat pumps, and a substantial renewables generation portfolio. One of the UK's largest energy suppliers by customer numbers.

Octopus Group

CorporateFinanceSaaSVCBritish

Octopus Group is a UK-based holding company founded in 2000 that operates across financial services, energy, and education. Its subsidiaries include Octopus Investments (fund management and tax-efficient investment products), Octopus Ventures (venture capital), Octopus Energy, and Octopus Money, collectively employing over 8,500 people and serving millions of customers worldwide.

Octopus Ventures

VCFinanceAIBritish

Octopus Ventures is a London-based venture capital firm and subsidiary of Octopus Group, founded in 2007, and one of the largest and most active VC investors in the UK and Europe. The firm has backed over 180 companies across health, fintech, deep tech, climate, B2B software, and consumer sectors, investing from pre-seed through Series A and beyond, and is a certified B Corporation.

Ofcom

GovernmentOtherBritish

Ofcom is the UK's communications regulator, responsible for television, radio, telecoms, and postal services, as well as online safety regulation under the Online Safety Act 2023. It was established by the Communications Act 2003 and is a statutory corporation accountable to Parliament. Ofcom operates across multiple UK offices including London, Edinburgh, Cardiff, and Belfast.

Orrick

Professional ServicesOtherForeign

Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP is a global law firm tracing its roots to 1863 in San Francisco, with a focus on technology and innovation, energy and infrastructure, finance, and life sciences. The firm serves leading companies and investors across more than 25 offices worldwide, including a London office.

Osborne Clarke

Professional ServicesOtherBritish

Osborne Clarke is an international law firm with origins in Bristol in 1748, now headquartered in London with over 26 offices across Europe, Asia, and North America. The firm serves clients in sectors including technology, media and telecoms, energy, life sciences, financial services, and the built environment, with more than 1,600 lawyers across its global network.

Oxford University Innovation

AcademiaAIOtherIncubator / AcceleratorBritish

Oxford University Innovation (OUI) is the technology transfer and commercialisation office of the University of Oxford, responsible for protecting intellectual property, licensing technologies, and supporting the formation and scaling of spinout companies from Oxford research. Founded in 1987 as Oxford University Research and Development Ltd (later Isis Innovation), it has created over 350 companies and has been named Technology Transfer Office of the Year at the GUV Awards.

PAI Partners

PEOtherForeign

PAI Partners is a French private equity firm with origins tracing back to Paribas Affaires Industrielles. The firm manages approximately €25 billion in dedicated buyout funds and invests in market-leading companies across Business Services, Food & Consumer, Industrial Goods & Services, and Healthcare. PAI operates across seven offices worldwide including Paris, London, Madrid, Milan, Munich, Luxembourg, Stockholm, and New York, having completed over 65 LBO transactions representing more than €48 billion in transaction value.

Palantir UK

CorporateDefenceAIForeign

UK operations of Palantir Technologies, providing data integration, AI analytics, and decision-support platforms (Foundry, AIP, Gotham) to UK government, defence, and commercial clients including the NHS and MoD.

Permira

PESaaSAIBritish

Permira is a global private equity and credit investment firm founded in 1985 (as Schroder Ventures) with over €89 billion in total committed capital across funds. The firm invests in technology, consumer, healthcare, and services sectors, operating from 16 offices across Europe, North America, and Asia with a team of over 500 professionals.

Phoenix Court

VCOtherBritish

Phoenix Court is a London-based multi-stage investment group founded by Saul and Robin Klein, and is the home of the LocalGlobe, Latitude, Solar and Basecamp funds.

Physiological Society

Ecosystem Bodies, Catapults & InstitutionsOtherBritish

The Physiological Society is a UK-based international learned society for physiologists, founded in 1876, and is the largest network of physiologists in Europe. It supports the scientific community through world-class meetings, research grants, international travel funding, and publishing leading journals in physiology. Membership spans over 3,500 scientists from more than 60 countries.