Arāya Ventures secures £18.2M to invest in Seed and Pre-Seed 60 startups

Arāya Ventures has completed a second close of the Arāya Super Angel Fund at £18.2 million and received £5 million commitment from British Business Investments, a subsidiary of the British Business Bank, co-investing alongside the Arāya Super Angel Fund. 

Arāya has already invested in 9 companies, over half of which are AI startups. Most recent investments include Capably, Research Grid, and Cold AI.

Founder and Managing Partner Rupa Popat brings over two decades of experience as an exited entrepreneur and investment banker. 

British Business Investments made its £5 million commitment through its Regional Angels Programme, which helps reduce regional imbalances in access to early-stage equity finance for smaller businesses across the UK, to be invested alongside the fund. 

The fund’s investors include fund of funds Saarthi Capital, former Credit Suisse CEO Phil Cutts and former Browns CEO Holli Rogers, Rachel Pendered and Dr Raoul-Gabriel Urma, Niraj Pabari of Giano Capital and former COO of Precede Capital Partners Daljit Sandhu and family offices from the UK and the Middle East.

Rupa Popat shared:

“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.

And my goal is for us to be operationally impactful to founders with access to our deep and extensive networks.”

Adam Kelly, Managing Director, British Business Investments, said: 

‘’The Super Angel Fund is a great example of leveraging angel expertise in a formal committed structure which works well for investee companies. 

The Regional Angels Programme plays an important role in reducing imbalances in access to early-stage equity finance for UK smaller businesses.”

Lead image: Arāya Ventures Founder and Managing Partner Rupa Popat. Photo: uncredited.