YYX Capital invests in next generation Consumer Internet, eCommerce and FinTech companies.
YYX was founded by a team of highly successful digital entrepreneurs and executives in 2018. The firm is built on the Partners' shared belief that deep domain knowledge and proven operating expertise at scale, combined with expansive talent and funding networks are essential to support early stage businesses from seed to success.
Taking calculated risks are intrinsic to a startups growth and by applying our proven playbooks - we formulate strategies to execute alongside teams as they scale.
Taking a pragmatic approach and only investing in businesses that YYX and it's network can add material value to.
YYX Capital fuses private equity and venture models. We look to deliver impact to our investments, bringing with us deep operational experience to scale our companies globally. The most significant value we add is in branding and marketing. Both online and offline, our team have created and elevated some of the largest and best recognised global brands of the last century.
We look for teams who have relentless drive and who can clearly articulate their value. A combination of business acumen, energy, industry expertise, courage and honesty are intrinsic to our beliefs and ultimately the people we choose to work with. We respect founders who are continuously learning and are informed with how markets and technologies change to suit their needs. While they lead the way, we are positioned to guide and steward them as they embark on building successful businesses of the future.
We back them with patient capital; we’re not a VC fund with set cycles. We pair the benefits of technology with conventional businesses to combine tech multiples with reliable revenues.
Our team have created and elevated some of the largest and best recognised global brands of the last century.
As well as our extensive personal networks, YYX is also the principle backer of the Creator Fund. Creator Fund is a highly valuable sourcing channel for YYX, giving us proprietary access to the finest talent & promising startups across Europe.
CF implements a unique model which backs the strongest community of student entrepreneurs, consisting of founders across Undergraduate, MBA, Master’s, and PhD programs.
The firms extensive network and leverage across the FinTech sector, allowed Monese to accelerate growth from day one. Further to their tight knit support, I found it hugely beneficial to have a committed growth investor, that has backed the business from inception and contributed a substantial sum in every subsequent funding round up to our $60m Series B.
Sourcing talent has been YYX's biggest value add to SuperAwesome, tapping into their talent network has led to a series of key hires across our product and engineering team. I am hugely appreciative of their stewardship and brand-building ability. YYX have also been a key provider of trusted investment, including our Seed round.
Utilising YYX's expertise building direct to consumer businesses was integral to Waldo's early traction. Not only did this allow us to realise the early wins, it has opened up new markets where the team have a demonstrable playbook for expansion that would otherwise have taken considerable time and trial/error to execute.
Our focus is Seed and occasionally Series A, if a company displays standout unit economics. We have the financial backing to follow our portfolio companies all the way up the value chain - maximising returns on outliers and helping to create long-term, sustainable growth.
Our Team
Mahabis is a premium lifestyle brand built around its iconic slipper design. The company has sold over 1m pairs of slippers in over 100 countries. YYX acquired Mahabis in January 2019.
Carbon Theory is an FMCG skincare brand, that sells their charcoal and tea tree infused products, online and in-store across Europe & US.
Waldo is on a mission to deliver high quality daily contact lenses without the hassle or price tag
Straight Teeth Direct™ is a direct to consumer teledentistry platform that connects users to online dentists globally enabling at home cosmetic teeth straightening with invisible aligners
Mattress e-commerce startup mastering the ‘simplicity of sleep’, perfect for all customers, uniquely harmonising science with experience.
An award-winning technology that enables the kids’ Internet. Used by hundreds of brands and content owners, SuperAwesome products provide safe digital engagement with almost half a billion kids every month.
Monese is a globally connected online banking platform, supporting a growing number of consumers and businesses with current accounts.
NearSt is a retail technology company building the world’s source of real-time local inventory. Their technology, NearLive, connects to any shop inventory system and turns raw stock into quality live inventory data, ready for the web.
YYX Capital have teamed up with industry leading online experts in the pet industry, to launch their hotly anticipated D2C offering
Chairman
Michael Jackson has a law degree from Cambridge University and qualified as a chartered accountant before spending five years in marketing for various US multinational technology companies.
From 1983 until 2006, Michael served as a director and chairman of FTSE 100 company, The Sage Group plc, and was also the chairman of PartyGaming plc, another FTSE 100 company. Michael still serves as a Director of a number of public companies.
Michael founded VCT focused Elderstreet Investments Limited in 1990 and merged it with Draper Esprit PLC, the publicly listed pan European VC firm in 2017.
Managing Partner
Prior to entering venture investing, James was the Founder of a dynamic hedging Foreign Exchange business, focused on the optimisation of share classes in fund management companies, that company now trades in excess of $120 Billion USD of foreign exchange per month.
He then has spent the past 8 years advising and funding technology companies from startup to exit - including SuperAwesome, AirSorted, Monese, Waldo and many more.
James is also the founder of Simba Sleep, the leading direct to consumer sleep business. Under James’ leadership, as Founder / CEO, Simba grew from zero revenue in February 2016 to $100m+ revenue run rate by March 2018, making it one of the fastest growing consumer businesses on the planet. Simba was rated the number two in the 2018 Startups 100 table and a member of Tech Nations Future Fifty program.
Managing Partner
Julian started his career at Close Brothers in 1999 managing a UK investment portfolio and building risk, quantitative and valuation models. He subsequently joined Polar Capital in 2002 to co-manage the Polar Capital UK Market Neutral Fund.
In 2004 he launched the Polar Capital Paragon (Global) Fund, which was one of the best performing hedge funds in the world for the 5 years through 2008. After leaving Polar Capital in 2009, Julian founded Ridley Park Capital and launched the Ridley Park Capital Paragon Fund in April 2010, which was one of the largest European Fund launches since 2008.
In December 2012, Julian decided to return external capital and in January 2013 he founded Cluny Hill Capital in order to manage his personal & family assets. Julian is a CFA charterholder and has a certificate of Company Direction.
Partner - Brand and Marketing
Charlotte spent four years as Group Marketing Director at Zoopla. She was part of the core ‘leadership’ team who brought Zoopla to the stock market in their $1.6 billion IPO of June 2014.
Prior to joining Zoopla, Charlotte headed up Match.com’s UK business as its Managing Director. She started her career at Mars before joining BSkyB as Marketing Controller. In 2001, she moved to O2 as Brand Director before joining Travelocity as it’s UK Marketing Director.
She is one of less than a handful of UK marketeers to have helped transform a consumer facing tech brand from relative obscurity to a ‘unicorn’ stock market listing. Charlotte has also advised Transferwise, eHarmony, Uber, Funding Circle, Treatwell, Lyst, Home Away, Readly and many more.
Partner - Brand and Marketing
John was a founding partner of Saatchi & Saatchi in 1970. John was subsequently a founder of Bartle Bogle Hegarty (BBH) in 1982, which now has 7 offices worldwide, including in London, New York and Shanghai.
John has been central to advertising for over 6 decades, working with brands such as Levi’s, Audi and many others. John has received numerous awards including a D&AD President’s award for outstanding achievement, and received a knighthood in 2007.
John has written 2 books; ‘Hegarty on advertising- turning intelligence into magic’ and ‘Hegarty on creativity- there are no rules.’ In addition, John has also been an active venture investors for over a decade, as well as many other successes. John stewarded Camden Brewery as Chairman from startup to their exit to AB Inbev.
Partner - Finance
Deepak studied Mechanical Engineering at the Delhi College of Engineering, General Management at (IIMA) Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad and is currently undertaking a Masters of Public Administration at London School of Economics.
He was a member of the founding management team at Cleartrip, which has scaled to become the largest travel portal in Western Asia. He brings a wealth of value to YYX portfolio companies, having built out the group's operations, finance and compliance divisions' worldwide.
He then subsequently led Ola as it's first CFO where he managed financial operations and stewarded the business to become one of the world's most valuable e-commerce organisations and Uber's biggest competitor in India.
Deepak's companies have taken funding from SoftBank, Sailing Capital, Tencent Holdings and Temasek Holdings.
Partner
Giles is one of the world’s leading and most respected international marketing & sports business practitioners, with over 25 years of experience in the industry specialising in Investment, Partnership Marketing & Sponsorship strategy.
He pioneered HSBC's global sponsorship strategy and portfolio - with over 175 sponsored events across 25 markets, to create one of the world's most successful and multi award winning global sponsorship programs. Having also worked with a host of blue-chip companies including; Vodafone, Adidas, The Famous Grouse, E.On and many more.
His interests include English & European History, playing the piano in pubs, skiing wherever possible and tennis. He is a well-below average golfer but an excellent caddy for his son.
Partner
Ollie started his career with an AIM listed analytics firm where he advised leading Fortune 500 & FTSE firms including Anglo American and Metro Bank to deliver savings to their bottom line.
Ollie is very passionate about products, mobile technology and direct-to-consumer models. Focusing primarily on deal flow, screening investment, initial due diligence and investor relations.
As Principal of the Creator Fund, he serves as a bridge between the funds' pre-seed cohort, navigating the complexities of early stage through to their seed and growth rounds, which are often lead by YYX.
He's a creative thinker with a sound business understanding, who's driven by a practical approach to helping portfolio companies succeed. Ollie also happens to be our Pilot-In-Residence.
Associate
Chris is a Founding Partner at Creator Fund and an Investment Associate at YYX Capital. He is investing in ambitious founders build new consumer internet & e-commerce businesses and outstanding startup's emerging from top universities across Europe.
Chris has operator experience having worked in mobile development & financial technology and has an academic background in information systems & economics.
Chris has international experience having worked in the US, UK & across Western Europe and has strong analytical skills, excelling in both research and strategy. Chris recently received a Master's degree from The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).
Associate
Ivana joined YYX in 2018 and works closely with our portfolio companies in defining business strategy and global expansion. Ivana also assists the team with deal origination, investment screening and due diligence on target companies.
Prior to YYX, Ivana worked at Credit Suisse London as a Business Controller in the Global Macro Products desks covering EMEA and US markets. She also co-founded a skincare distribution company in Malaysia after starting her career as a Finance Analyst.
Ivana is a CFA Charterholder and holds a MBA from INSEAD, BSc in Economics from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). Born in Kuching, Malaysia, she is fluent in English, Mandarin, Cantonese and Malay.
Venture Partner
Darren is a digital marketing executive with over 20 year’s experience in building global brands and driving transformational growth.
He brings a unique combination of global corporate prowess from leading roles at Apple as Head of iTunes Europe and L’Oreal as Marketing Director, tied with a track record in helping build some of the world’s most promising tech startups - including Babylon Health as CMO and Elvie as President. Darren also serves as an entrepreneur in residence at SeedCamp.
Darren is committed to assisting YYX portfolio companies by instilling good practice as they consolidate and scale their marketing efforts.
Venture Partner
Mat spent 5 years as Global CMO of Just Eat plc. He was part of the core leadership team who brought Just Eat to the London stock market in a $2.4bn in 2014. Mat joined Just Eat in 2009 and set about establishing the company as the leading brand in takeaway around the world, resulting in one of Europe's biggest tech IPOs for a decade.
In 2012, Mat led the global launch of Just Eat's brand campaign to ban home cooking, 'Don't Cook, JUST EAT'. In his tenure as CMO, Mat built a team of experts covering retail, brand and digital marketing. Mat worked previously at The Financial Times, toptable.com and gameplay.com.
Mat is one of the handful of marketers to have taken a consumer startup from series A through to ‘unicorn’ stock status. Since the IPO Mat has worked with 500 Startups, Seedcamp, Growth Invest mentoring dozen’s of start-ups around Europe.
Venture Partner
Nicholas is a two-time founder and Thiel Fellow. He studied Chinese at Oxford University and at 19, founded 'Teaching by the Top' - a highly profitable EdTech marketplace platform which provides an educational gateway to the West for Chinese students.
At 20, whilst still at Oxford, Nicholas co-founded Headstart - a next generation recruiting platform designed to help organisations use Machine Learning insights to recruit in a data-driven, inclusive and socially responsible way. Since graduating Y Combinator, Headstart has grown to service a number of global enterprises including Vodafone, Accenture, Travelex, BP and Smiths, with offices in both the UK and the US.
In February this year, Nicholas was the youngest person to be listed in the 'Social Entrepreneurs' category of the Forbes 30 Under 30 list, and is now investing in B2B and Bio-Tech companies.
Venture Partner
David has been founder, or founding member, of five technology businesses that have raised close to £100m in venture/investment capital, and are in aggregate valued at close to £1bn. Previous to that he was an early employee at lastminute.com, where he held director level role, and played a pivotal role in its $1bn exit to Sabre Travelocity.
As part of the founding team, David is presently Director of Strategic Development at Founders Factory a global venture accelerator/incubator that has raised ~$60m from corporate investors including L’Oreal, Aviva, Guardian, EasyJet, Holtzbrinck and CSC. His role is to help both the Factory & its portfolio with their strategic growth options (including capital raising) and has mentored close to 100 high growth technology companies - a number which will double over the next three years.
YYX hosted the inaugural YYX Capital & Creator Fund Christmas event last week
If the national headlines are to be believed, the death of the high street is imminent.
Google to help high-street search start-up find all of UK
Old heads join forces for young businesses
Funding Circle, a P2P SME lending platform, steps towards an IPO
Simba board appoints retail veteran
European banking app Monese scores $60M Series B led by Kinnevik
Contact Lens Startup Waldo Looks Stateside After Raising $5 Million
