Crowdcube Limited is an equity crowdfunding platform based in Exeter, United Kingdom, with an additional office in London. Founded in 2009, the company allows entrepreneurs of start-ups and growing businesses to raise funds from a diverse network of investors, including friends, family, and the general public. Through Crowdcube, individuals can invest in small companies in exchange for equity or an annual return, thereby democratizing access to investment opportunities that were once primarily available to corporate investors. Since pioneering equity crowdfunding in 2011, Crowdcube has facilitated over £300 million in investments from more than 390,000 investors, supporting over 520 successful fundraising campaigns. Notable businesses that have utilized the platform include Monzo, River Cottage, and the Eden Project, among others.

Founded in 2015, FJ Labs is a New York-based venture capital firm focusing on stage-agnostic investments in marketplaces and consumer-facing startups. Their investment range varies from $50,000 to $5,000,000, typically at seed or series A stages.

Founded in 1995, SOSV is a global venture capital firm headquartered in New Jersey. It focuses on seed-to-growth stage investments in deep tech innovations, primarily in bio-tech/life sciences and hardware/robotics sectors, with a commitment to human and planetary health.

Branded Hospitality is a New York-based platform that drives growth and transformation in the food service and hospitality industries through three integrated lines: venture investments, solutions, and media. With more than 25 years of industry experience, it connects emerging brands, cutting-edge technologies, and capital to accelerate success. Its venture investments back innovative technologies and scalable concepts reshaping hospitality, providing capital and strategic guidance to entrepreneurs and startups. In its solutions business, Branded Hospitality develops tailored programs with corporate partners to improve operational efficiency, broaden brand visibility, and open new markets, including influencer marketing, digital storytelling, and B2B partnerships. As a media company, it creates and distributes content through channels such as its award-winning podcast The Hospitality Hangout, reaching decision-makers and industry leaders to foster dialogue and share insights. The firm emphasizes practical support and strategic guidance to portfolio companies and partners to drive growth and industry-wide change.

Founded in Singapore in 2017, Antler is an early-stage venture capital firm that invests globally. It focuses on backing exceptional founders from day one, offering a global community network of co-founders, talent, advisors, expansion support, and capital across various sectors such as technology, healthcare, finance, consumer goods, and more.

Founded in 1999, Enhanced Capital Partners is a New York-based investment firm managing over $400 million. It specializes in equity and debt investments for small to mid-sized companies across various sectors, with a focus on healthcare technology systems and TMT industries.

Accel is a venture capital firm founded in 1983 and based in Palo Alto, California, with additional offices in San Francisco, London, and Bangalore. It focuses on early and growth-stage technology startups, investing across software, cloud, data analytics, mobile technology, consumer services, fintech, security, healthcare, and information technologies. Accel seeks to partner with entrepreneurs to build world-class companies that define new categories and drive growth. Its portfolio includes notable technology companies such as Atlassian, Dropbox, Slack, Spotify, Etsy, Cloudera, DJI, Braintree, and Lookout Security, among others.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) leads initiatives in food, agriculture, natural resources, and rural development. It aims to expand markets for agricultural products globally, foster alternative markets domestically, improve rural infrastructure, enhance food safety, promote nutrition education, and manage public lands collaboratively.

Bossa Invest is a venture capital firm based in Sao Paulo, Brazil, founded in 2011, that manages investment portfolios and provides asset management services to clients across sectors, with a focus on software as a service companies, and analyzes market trends to inform its investment decisions while operating in finance, technology, and real estate.

Tiger Global Management is a New York based investment firm that manages public and private market strategies to pursue technology-driven growth opportunities worldwide. Founded in 2001 by Charles (Chase) Coleman, the firm invests in leading global companies across various industries, with a particular emphasis on technology-enabled growth. In public markets it employs long/short and growth strategies, while in private markets it targets opportunities from early to late stage. The firm operates globally, including the United States, China, India, Latin America, and Eastern Europe, and works with portfolio companies across their lifecycle to drive long-term value.

SoftBank Robotics Europe, formerly Aldebaran Robotics, designs and manufactures humanoid robots for education, research, health, distribution, tourism, business applications, and home use. The company serves customers worldwide and focuses on interactive robotics that assist professionals and individuals. Founded in 2005, it is based in Paris, France, with additional offices in France, Japan, the United States, and China, and operates as a subsidiary of SoftBank Group.

Kohlberg Kravis Roberts is a global investment firm that manages multiple alternative asset classes, including private equity, energy, infrastructure, real estate and credit, with strategic partners that manage hedge funds. Founded in 1976, the firm is headquartered in New York and operates a broad international presence with offices in major financial centers around the world. KKR pursues a patient, disciplined investment approach, emphasizes high-quality talent, and aims to deliver attractive returns while creating growth and value for its investment partners.

Bridgepoint is a European private equity and asset management firm headquartered in London. It maintains bases across eight European markets and runs international operations from New York and Shanghai. The company concentrates on growth-oriented investments across private equity, infrastructure, and private credit, offering tailored strategies such as middle-market buyouts, small-cap growth capital, and private credit to support growth by companies in sectors including healthcare, technology, advanced industrials, and consumer services. In addition to equity investments, Bridgepoint provides loans and manages credit opportunities through syndicated debt offerings, reflecting a multi-asset approach to financing growth. The firm focuses on middle-market opportunities, partnering with management teams to drive value creation across Western Europe.

Restaurant Brands International is a global quick-service restaurant company that owns and operates three major brands—Tim Hortons, Burger King, and Popeyes. Through owned and franchised locations, it operates thousands of restaurants across more than 100 countries and U.S. territories. The business derives revenue from retail sales at company-owned restaurants, royalty and lease income from franchised locations, and supply chain operations associated with its brands. Formed in 2014 following an acquisition by 3G Capital, RBI emphasizes scale, brand overlap, and cross-brand best practices to support growth.

Cleveland Avenue is a venture capital firm based in Chicago, founded in 2015. The firm makes investments across seed, early, later, and growth stages, with a focus on food and beverage companies, lifestyle consumer brands, AgTech, and technology businesses. It provides capital and strategic support to startups seeking to scale product offerings, expand into new markets, and build operational capabilities. As an investment adviser, Cleveland Avenue combines financial backing with hands-on guidance to help portfolio companies achieve long-term growth.

Google for Startups is an initiative supporting global startups. It offers access to Google's products, connections, and best practices through a network of partners in over 135 countries. The program aims to help determined startups succeed.

Founded in 2014, Goodwater Capital is a venture capital firm based in Burlingame, California. It invests in early-stage consumer technology companies, empowering exceptional entrepreneurs to solve pressing problems and create global impact.

DoorDash is an on-demand delivery platform that connects merchants, consumers, and delivery personnel through a marketplace app. The company enables merchants to reach customers, manage delivery, analytics, merchandising, payment processing, and customer support, and also offers a white-label logistics service called DoorDash Drive. Founded in 2013 and headquartered in San Francisco, DoorDash operates in the United States and internationally, and expanded into Europe and Asia through the acquisition of Wolt in 2022. While initially focused on restaurant delivery, the platform also serves grocery, retail, and pet-supply segments, creating a last-mile delivery infrastructure and ongoing experimentation with innovative delivery methods, including drone concepts. The service aims to help local businesses grow by facilitating online ordering, marketing, and delivery execution, connecting customers with both local and national brands.

Celtic House Asia Partners is a venture capital firm founded in 2019 and headquartered in Toronto, Canada, that backs early-stage startups in North America, with a focus on consumer marketplaces and digital health.

Source Code Capital, established in 2014, is a prominent venture capital firm based in China, specializing in the Technology, Media, and Telecommunications (TMT) sectors. With approximately $1.5 billion USD and RMB 3.5 billion under management, the company invests in both early-stage startups and growth-stage companies, focusing on three key areas: Internet+, AI+, and Global+. Their portfolio spans across various sectors, including media and entertainment, consumer services, enterprise, finance, retail, transportation, housing, education, and healthcare. Since its inception, Source Code Capital has successfully partnered with nearly 150 leading Chinese technology founders, such as Bytedance and Meituan. The firm offers a comprehensive range of post-investment services, mentorship, resources, and global perspectives to support its portfolio companies and their founders.

Roark Capital Group is an Atlanta-based private equity firm founded in 2001 by Neal K. Aronson. The firm focuses on mid-market investments, with emphasis on franchised and multi-unit business models in the retail, restaurant and consumer services sectors, and also targets related consumer services and health, wellness and beauty opportunities. Roark seeks to partner with management and business owners, including family-owned enterprises, through ownership transfers, buyouts, recapitalizations and divestitures. The firm has a track record of acquiring companies from their founders or families and aims to add strategic and operational value as a trusted financial partner. Based in Atlanta, Roark pursues opportunities primarily in North America and maintains a focus on building durable, growth-oriented platforms within its target sectors.

Kitchen Fund is a New York‑based private equity firm founded in 2016 that focuses on early‑stage and growth investments in the restaurant and food‑service sector. The firm seeks capital for emerging restaurant brands, restaurant technology, and related lifestyle companies, aiming to support businesses that reshape how people eat.

American Express Ventures is the corporate venture capital arm of American Express, focused on investing in startups to expand American Express's capabilities in consumer commerce and B2B services. The firm is stage agnostic after seed and seeks opportunities both domestically and internationally. It targets areas including consumer commerce with emphasis on mobile, consumer payments, marketplaces, lending, loyalty and digital marketing products; business-to-business services such as business payments, process automation, lending and small business services; and core capabilities such as servicing, customer acquisition, fraud detection, security, data analytics and underwriting. It invests in fintech and related sectors to enhance American Express's core platform. It is based in Palo Alto with an additional office in New York.

Enlightened Hospitality Investments is the strategic investment platform of Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group (USHG), focused on accelerating growth for values-aligned companies in the hospitality and technology sectors. Based in New York, it leverages USHG’s operations and network to identify and pursue growth opportunities in both internal and external ventures, aligning initiatives with the group’s standards and technology-enabled strategies.

FasterCapital is an online incubator, accelerator, and venture builder based in Dubai that supports startups and small businesses worldwide. It provides equity-based services, including technical development and business development, and assists ventures seeking funding from angels and venture capitalists. Founded in 2010, FasterCapital engages in a broad range of technology-driven sectors such as fintech, edtech, health tech, e-commerce, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and related fields.

Sequoia Capital Israel is a venture capital firm that backs startups and growth companies across seed to late-stage rounds, with a focus on Israel. It invests across sectors including fintech, financial services, internet, mobile, technology, and healthcare, spanning banking, payments, advertising, ecommerce, data, security, software, and related enabling tech. Typical commitments range from 100,000 to 1 million in seed, 1 to 10 million in early venture, and 10 to 100 million in growth rounds. The firm is based in Tel Aviv and operates as part of Sequoia Capital's global network.

US Foods Holding is a U.S. foodservice distributor that markets and distributes fresh, frozen, and dry foods and non-food products to foodservice customers across the United States. It serves independent and multi-unit restaurants, regional and national chains, hospitals and nursing homes, hotels and motels, country clubs, government and military facilities, colleges and universities, and retail locations. The company offers e-commerce, technology, and a suite of business solutions to help operators plan menus, attract diners, and optimize operations. It is headquartered in Rosemont, Illinois.

Goldman Sachs is a global financial services firm that provides investment banking, securities, and investment management services to corporations, governments, financial institutions, and high-net-worth individuals. It advises on mergers and acquisitions, restructurings, and other corporate actions; underwrites public offerings and debt; and helps clients raise capital through various markets. The firm engages in market making and client execution across fixed income, currencies, commodities, and equities, and offers securities services including financing and lending to institutional clients. Its asset management and wealth advisory businesses manage assets and provide investment solutions for a broad client base, including institutions and individuals. Headquartered in New York, the company serves clients worldwide and operates across multiple business lines to support capital formation, risk management, and investment activities.

L Catterton is a global private equity firm focused on consumer brands, formed from the merger of Catterton Partners and L Catterton, with operations across North America, Europe, and Asia. The firm provides capital and hands-on strategic and operational support to growth-oriented consumer companies, pursuing growth capital, mid to late venture and middle-market buyouts, including transactions backed by bank financing. It targets a wide range of consumer sectors, including food and beverage, retail and restaurants, consumer products and services, beauty and wellness, personal care, fashion and accessories, home and family equipment, and selective retailing such as e-commerce and luxury goods. L Catterton invests across regions and often takes majority or minority stakes, leveraging its global platform to help portfolio companies scale. The firm is described as a leading Pan-European and Pan-Asian consumer-focused private equity platform within a global firm, using cross-regional expertise to drive growth and value creation.

MassChallenge is a global startup accelerator supporting early-stage entrepreneurs across various industries. Founded in 2009, it provides mentorship, resources, and networking opportunities through its programs worldwide.

Curefoods is a prominent cloud kitchen chain in India, operating over 200 kitchens and managing multiple food brands. It offers diverse cuisines through EatFit, Yumlane, Aligarh House Biryani, MasalaBox, Paratha Box, and other acquired or collaborated brands. Curefoods aims to provide customers with varied food options while ensuring quality and sustainability.

Alumni Ventures Group is a venture capital firm based in Manchester, New Hampshire, with offices across North America. It provides access to venture investing for individual accredited investors, particularly alumni networks, by offering diversified portfolios of venture opportunities and allowing members to invest alongside fellow alumni in ventures led by peers. The firm backs early-stage and later-stage opportunities across technology, consumer, healthcare, financial services, and other sectors, with a sector- and geography-agnostic approach. It typically invests between $10,000 and $3 million per deal and emphasizes the involvement of alumni connections and an institutional lead investor in opportunities. Alumni Ventures also offers focused funds to broaden participation, enabling accredited investors to access venture portfolios diversified by type, sector, stage, and geography. The model aims to democratize access to venture capital while maintaining rigorous selection standards through alumni networks.

HV Capital is a Munich-based venture capital firm supporting founders in developing internet companies. Established in 2000, it has invested in over 200 companies including Zalando and Delivery Hero, with fund sizes ranging from €500,000 to €50 million.

Lightspeed Venture Partners is a global venture capital firm that backs startups across enterprise software, consumer technologies, fintech, healthtech, and cleantech from seed through growth stages. Founded in 2000 and headquartered in Menlo Park, California, it maintains offices in Beijing, Shanghai, New Delhi, and Herzliya to engage markets in the United States, Asia, and Israel. The firm focuses on technology-enabled businesses and has supported companies across software, mobile, data, e-commerce, and services, spanning early-stage to expansion rounds. It offers strategic guidance, network access, and capital, and has historically included debt financing as part of its investment approach. With a multi-region footprint and a broad multi-stage mandate, Lightspeed seeks to partner with entrepreneurs to scale innovative companies globally.

Founded in 1966, Sodexo is a global leader in Quality of Life services, operating in over 80 countries with nearly 420,000 employees. They specialize in On-site Services (food services, facilities management), Benefits & Rewards Services, and Personal & Home Services, serving clients across industries such as schools, universities, hospitals, senior living communities, and venues.

Fat Brands is a multi-brand franchising company that strategically develops, markets, and acquires restaurant concepts worldwide. They operate as a franchisor, earning revenue through franchise fees and royalties. Their brands include Round Table Pizza, Fatburger, Johnny Rockets, Twin Peaks, Elevation Burger, and others.

Bain Capital is a Boston-based multi-asset alternative investment firm that sources, funds, and manages investments across private equity, venture capital, credit, and public equity. Founded in 1984, it operates globally with specialized units focused on growth and buyout investments, life sciences, and impact-oriented opportunities. The firm backs companies across sectors including healthcare and life sciences, technology, software and data services, financial services, consumer, manufacturing, and industrials, spanning from early-stage ventures to growth equity and large-scale acquisitions. It emphasizes value creation through strategic support and partnerships, leveraging deep operating experience and a global network. Its life sciences arm targets pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, and diagnostic companies; the Double Impact unit pursues market-rate returns alongside measurable social and environmental benefits; Bain Capital Ventures backs technology-enabled businesses from seed to growth across enterprise software, infrastructure, and services. The firm maintains offices in Boston and major markets worldwide, aiming to deliver competitive returns while supporting innovation and economic development.

LAUNCH is a California-based organization that supports entrepreneurs and fosters innovation within the technology sector. Established in 2010, it encompasses multiple initiatives, including the LAUNCH Fund, which focuses on early-stage investments in technology-related companies. Additionally, LAUNCH operates an incubator designed to nurture startup development. Its flagship event, the LAUNCH Festival, attracts over 12,000 participants, including venture capitalists, angel investors, founders, and industry professionals, serving as a premier platform for startups to showcase their innovations. The organization also produces the podcast "This Week in Startups," which discusses trends and insights in the startup ecosystem. Through its various endeavors, LAUNCH aims to empower founders and promote the growth of emerging companies.

Founded in 1946, Fidelity is a leading privately-owned investment manager offering a wide range of services including IRAs, retirement planning, wealth management, and securities execution. It serves individual investors, businesses, financial advisors, and institutions worldwide, managing equity, fixed-income, and balanced mutual funds through global public markets.

Established in 2018 and headquartered in Lehi, Utah, Savory Fund is a growth-focused investment firm specializing in the food and beverage industry. They prioritize investing in people first, supporting emerging restaurant brands with operational expertise and resources to facilitate expansion and achieve long-term success.

Stonegate Pub Company is a pub and bar operator based in Solihull, United Kingdom, managing over 690 establishments across various formats. The company offers a diverse range of venues, including traditional and branded pubs, clubs, and late-night venues, as well as country inns and leased or tenanted properties. This extensive portfolio allows Stonegate to cater to a wide array of clientele, providing spaces for different celebrations while promoting traditional British culture.

Right Side Capital Management is a San Francisco-based venture capital firm that focuses on early-stage, pre-seed technology startups in underserved segments of the ecosystem. It invests in a high-volume, capital-efficient portfolio, typically funding rounds of 50,000 to 500,000 and making roughly 75 to 100 investments per year. The firm targets opportunities across the United States and internationally, including Canada, Israel, Australia, New Zealand, and Western Europe, prioritizing companies with scalable products and prudent capital use outside major metro hubs. Since its inception, it has built a broad portfolio across many states. It commits to a fast decision process, often delivering a yes or no within two weeks to help founders establish momentum.

Food-X is a leading food innovation accelerator based in New York, recognized for its role in supporting food entrepreneurs in rapidly bringing their products and services to market. Established in 2014, Food-X partners with early-stage companies across the food supply chain, including sectors such as food technology, health, and consumer packaged goods. The accelerator focuses its investments primarily in the United States, providing funding of up to $50,000 per team for a 7 to 10 percent equity stake. Food-X typically supports 10 to 12 companies in each three-and-a-half-month program, leveraging its affiliation with SOSV, a global venture capital fund with extensive experience in various industries. Its commitment to fostering innovation in food-related ventures has earned it recognition as one of the most innovative companies in the sector.

Founded in 1999, Coatue is a privately owned investment firm based in New York City. It specializes in global public equity investments with a focus on technology, media, and telecommunications sectors, employing a long/short strategy.

Insight Partners is a global software investor that partners with growth-stage technology and software companies. The firm focuses on growth-stage software, internet, and data services, with emphasis on fintech, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and machine learning, DevOps, and healthcare. Based in New York City with offices in London, Tel Aviv, and Palo Alto, Insight Partners has backed more than 750 companies worldwide and has more than 55 portfolio companies that have achieved an IPO. As of 2022, the firm reports over $75 billion in assets under management. It seeks to fund and work closely with visionary executives, providing practical, hands-on software expertise to support growth from initial investment through to IPO.

Strong Ventures is a venture capital firm based in Los Angeles, California, pursuing seed-stage investments across the United States and South Korea. Beyond funding, it offers hands-on guidance, mentorship, and access to an extensive network to help entrepreneurs from Korean, Asian, and global backgrounds build and scale ventures capable of competing in global markets. The firm engages with a broad range of sectors, including software as a service, e-commerce, fintech, health tech, mobility, content, and other technology-enabled industries, emphasizing practical execution, strategic development, and ecosystem value.

LetsVenture is an online funding platform that enables startups to raise seed and angel capital by creating investment-ready profiles and connecting with accredited investors. The platform functions as a private marketplace where entrepreneurs can showcase products, receive business-plan reviews, and access mentors. It supports startups through the funding process with a commitment-to-closure package that handles closing terms, including term sheets and shareholders agreements, as well as due diligence. Founded in 2013 and based in Bengaluru, India, LetsVenture focuses on early-stage technology ventures and has built an expanding network of investors and mentors to facilitate capital raising.

Founded in 1985, Blackstone is a global investment firm that manages capital on behalf of pension funds and large institutions across alternative asset classes. It offers services to institutional investors, including pension plans and pooled investment vehicles, through its various subsidiaries such as Blackstone Alternative Asset Management.

Kensington Capital Ventures, established in 2008 and based in Boston, is a single-family office that serves as the investment arm of Kensington Capital Holdings. The firm opportunistically invests across various sectors and stages, from early to later stage and special opportunities, in both private and public companies. It primarily focuses on consumer, technology, and healthcare industries, with a global investment scope including emerging economies. Kensington's investment activities span across managed private equity, public equity, and hedge funds, as well as direct investments into operating companies. Additionally, the firm has a philanthropic mission focused on children & families, education, economic empowerment, and health & well-being.

WOW Aceleradora de Startups, founded in 2013 and based in Porto Alegre, Brazil, is an independent startup accelerator that facilitates connections between startups and investors. The organization offers an accelerated program that integrates capital, mentoring, training, and networking opportunities. With a network of 300 angel investors, WOW provides essential resources and support to emerging businesses, fostering their growth and development in a dynamic entrepreneurial environment.