Backing the creative economy, Edge Investments announces first close of £100 million fund

With a target of £100 million, London’s Edge Investments has announced the first close of their second fund at £85 million. The firm specifically targets early-stage startups operating in edtech, virtual/augmented reality (AR / VR), adtech, content creation and distribution, with ticket sizes ranging between £1 million and £5 million.

Estimated to be worth over £2.2 trillion globally, and comprising 11% of the total UK economy, the creative economy is one of the world’s fastest-growing sectors. And so attractive is the sector that Edge has seen a £50 million cornerstone investment from The British Business Bank.

Additional investors in the ‘Create the Future’ fund include Tim Steiner, Founder of Ocado, JD Sports owner Pentland Group, O2 Brixton Academy and Shepard's Bush Emptire boss Simon Moran, “Paw Patrol” and “Bob the Builder” creator Keith Chapman, Bush frontman Gavin Rossdale, former Airbnb Head of Creative James Goode, Google/YouTube International Head of Kids, Family & Education Greg Dray, Snap France co-founder Emmanuel Durand, former BILD Editor-in-Chief Tanit Koch, eLearning specialist Andrew Brode, and ITV chairman Sir Peter Bazalgette.

On the new fund Edge founder David Glick comments, “Creativity, art, education and culture, enrich and improve the quality of all our lives through their consumption and enjoyment, and through the technological advancements they inspire. If you don’t have social mobility, you don’t have civilisation. The creative economy is a great jobs engine, it rewards talent, grit, and determination as much as academic brilliance. Edge’s role is important in providing a bridge between the creative economy - which suffers from a lack of access to finance - and private capital markets, in making a positive contribution to the overall wellbeing of society and in empowering social mobility.”