Participated · Seed · May 2025

Hormona builds rapid, clinical-grade at-home hormone tests that analyse urine samples and return results in about 15 minutes, aiming to provide an alternative to blood tests that cost an average of £174. The company pairs its rapid tests with AI-powered clinical decision support tools to give GPs data-rich results for more accurate and timely diagnoses. Hormona was founded by Karolina Löfqvist (CEO) and Jasmine Tagesson (COO), with Dr. Anna Targonskaya leading clinical development and validation. The startup positions its technology to shorten lengthy diagnostic delays many women face—research cited by the company notes waits of up to five years and an estimated £3.38 billion in lost productivity annually. Hormona says the solution could expand beyond perimenopause and menopause into broader women’s health diagnostics. With the new funding, the company plans to expand clinical testing, advance its AI capabilities, and begin early partnerships with UK healthcare providers. Hormona is a women’s health company that uses AI and at‑home testing to provide personalised hormone tracking, expert-backed guidance, and lifestyle and supplement recommendations. The company says it has developed the first fully quantitative hormone tests covering the full clinical range with over 90% accuracy versus traditional venous blood sampling and plans to launch these tests more broadly. Hormona’s app has been downloaded in 190+ countries, is growing ~30% month-over-month, and retains 80% of users after 12 months. The product offering includes a free app and a premium Hormona+ tier with tailored cycle predictions, health programmes, cycle-specific tips, symptom-reduction plans, supplements, and partner email updates. Hormona works with endocrinologists, gynaecologists, and nutritionists to deliver science-backed insights and was co‑founded by Karolina Löfqvist (CEO) and Jasmine Tagesson (COO) in 2020. The company has a team of 12 and has raised €10.2 million to date; the recent €7.8 million Seed round is intended to fuel expansion and help launch its hormone tests. Hormona offers a free app that combines AI-driven symptom tracking, cycle-specific lifestyle guidance, telehealth appointments, symptom-reduction plans, supplements and medication to address hormonal conditions such as PMDD, irregular cycles and perimenopause. The company plans to launch a lateral-flow urine at-home test that measures FSH, progesterone and estrogen, returns lab-grade results within 15 minutes, and quantifies readings via a machine-learning prediction model. Hormona intends to sell tests in kits of four for £39 per month alongside its app services. Since its 2023 app launch the London-based startup has been downloaded in 180+ countries, accrued tens of thousands of active users within its first 12 months, collected over 1.5 million anonymous health data points and published three academic papers. Hormona has also deployed employee wellness schemes with companies in the UK and Sweden and is in discussions with health insurers while presenting its work at forums such as the Spaceflight Human Optimization & Performance Summit. Hormona is a London-based digital health startup focused on hormonal health. Founded in 2020 by Karolina Löfqvist and Jasmine Tagesson, the company is developing a proprietary at-home urine test that measures three hormones in less than 15 minutes. Details on which hormones are measured have not been disclosed and the test is still under development. Hormona raised £1.2M in pre-seed funding and plans to use the proceeds for R&D and to grow the team ahead of a planned Europe launch this fall and a U.S. launch in early 2023. The startup's stated mission is to empower women to track and understand hormonal changes and improve health across life stages. Hormona is part of Techstars Los Angeles and previously won the Slush 100 pitch competition.

Participated · Equity · Mar 2023

Foodji operates fully automated food vending machines and offers a "flexible employee catering" concept for startups, mid-size companies and corporations. The company took over HelloFreshGo locations in Munich, Stuttgart and Frankfurt in summer 2022. Founded in 2016 by Nicolas Luig, Oliver Friedmann, Moritz Munte, Felix Munte and Daniel von Canal, Foodji positions itself as a convenience catering solution for workplaces. In recent years it received backing from FoodLabs and super-angel Christian Gaiser. The company has now secured a new $23 million investment to support its business. Future plans, as stated, focus on expanding its flexible staff catering concept.

Participated · Equity · Jan 2023

Edgard & Cooper is a Kortrijk, Belgium–based producer of high-quality dog and cat food that combines nutritious fresh ingredients with environmentally friendly packaging. Founded in 2016 by Koen Bostoen, Louis Chalabi and Jürgen Degrande, the company has launched a 100% plant-based dog food range (autumn 2021) and a 'junk-free' premium cat food range (autumn 2022). It has developed a 'Zero Paw Print 2025' plan, which includes making the company CO2 neutral by 2025. The business competes in the pan-European pet food category and focuses on product innovation and sustainable packaging. The company intends to use new capital to accelerate product innovation and continue growing across Europe. Edgard & Cooper is a Belgian pet-food company that produces dog and cat food using meat incorporated within 48 hours and without chemical preservatives. Its packaging is made of biodegradable material. Products are available in Belgium and in 13 additional European geographies. The company was co-founded by Koen Bostoen, Louis Chalabi and Jürgen Degrande. FinSMEs reported that Edgard & Cooper raised $22m from The Craftory to support growth. The investment is intended to give the company the opportunity to grow further.

Participated · Series B · Jan 2022

Cialfo is a Singapore-based edtech platform that streamlines the college application process with school research tools, counselor-student communication features and a Direct Apply option that lets international students apply to many programs with one form. It operates on a B2B subscription model, selling to schools whose counselors invite students and grant parent/guardian access. The company was founded in 2017 by Rohan Pasari, Stanley Chia and William Hund and grew out of the founders' prior education consultancy. Cialfo employs more than 170 people across Singapore, India, the United States and China and is partnered with about 1,000 universities worldwide, including Imperial College London, the University of Chicago and IE University. The company has raised $55 million to date, including a $15 million Series A in February 2021, and recently closed a $40 million Series B. Cialfo plans to use the new funding to grow its global user base, add features and explore potential acquisitions.

Participated · Equity · Nov 2021

Lyre’s is a premium non-alcoholic spirits company founded in Australia in 2019 that produces alcohol-free spirit alternatives. The brand has won awards at spirits competitions in London, San Diego, and San Francisco. It recently completed a nearly £18 million ($34 million) funding round to bolster its supply chain and global inventory. The company plans to use the proceeds to boost production and inventory stocks to meet growing demand for non-alcoholic drinks. The raise coincided with the appointment of Paul Gloster as CEO as Lyre’s expands its leadership structure. Over the last four years the company has topped up funding with $16 million and $9 million and was valued at $500 million in 2021. Lyre’s also donates 100% of sales from its Pink London Spirit gin alternative to the McGrath Foundation. Lyre’s produces a portfolio of 14 premium non-alcoholic spirits and a recently launched range of ready-to-drink non-alcoholic cocktails designed to replicate popular alcoholic spirits and cocktails. The range claims to be capable of crafting 90% of the world’s best-selling cocktails and is positioned as a true-to-taste swap for alcoholic ingredients. The company sells in more than 60 countries across retail, on-trade, direct-to-consumer and travel channels, and has production in the UK, Germany, Australia and the US. Lyre’s has established an R&D division in partnership with beverage technology firm Döhler to develop a new product pipeline. The business is on course to be annualising £50 million in revenues by December of this year and has manufactured over one million bottles to date. Future plans highlighted include expanding marketing, significantly growing headcount, and co-investing with manufacturing partners to scale production capacity. Lyre’s produces a portfolio of 13 non‑alcoholic spirits formulated to replicate classic spirit flavors, and is positioned as the most awarded brand in the non‑alcoholic spirits category. Since launching in July 2019 the company has expanded into over 30 markets worldwide, selling both on‑ and off‑premise and via direct‑to‑consumer channels. Lyre’s focused on DTC during the pandemic and achieved more than 400% monthly recurring revenue growth since January 2020. The company plans continued portfolio growth, product innovation (including a Ready‑To‑Drink range), and accelerated market expansion. Management says manufacturing in multiple global locations, compliance for new markets, and expanded recruitment are priorities to evolve from a start‑up to a multinational beverage company. The brand emphasizes matching alcohol spirit flavors and styles to offer sober alternatives across demographics.