Launched to back the very best early-stage companies founded by RCA graduates and staff, the Fund offers investors access to a diverse pipeline of design-led, multi-sector investments addressing scalable markets that are open for innovation, while also benefiting from tax reliefs under the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS) and Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS). This Fund is part of the College’s long-term strategy of ensuring that the best talent from the RCA can realise innovative commercial ideas and transform the world in a positive way.

The RCA is consistently ranked among the top 10 universities in the UK for the number of spin-outs created and the number of equity deals secured by its spin-outs. This Fund builds on the success of the RCA’s incubator, InnovationRCA, in supporting companies founded by RCA graduates. InnovationRCA has backed over 90 design-led ventures, which have gone on to raise more than £150 million from other investors. Around 40% of InnovationRCA’s portfolio consists of impact-for-profit companies, 60% are patent based, and in the past five years, 51% have been women-led.

Following its first close, the Fund has invested in 10 companies, driving innovation across multiple sectors including MedTech and CleanTech. The companies include:

BlueNose – a London-based startup developing AI-driven aerodynamic retrofits on cargo ships to reduce air-drag, designed to significantly reduce fuel consumption, lower emissions, and ensure regulatory compliance without disrupting operations. BlueNose was a winner of the Terra Carta Design Lab 2024, a global competition to design high-impact solutions to the climate and biodiversity crisis.

Ponda – a Bristol-based biomaterials company developing technologies to transform wetland plants grown in regenerated peatlands into next generation textiles for the fashion industry. Their first product BioPuff is an innovative, plant-based insulation material launched with brands such as Stella McCartney, Parley for the Oceans, Yoox, and Melina Bucher.

Revive Innovations + – a MedTech spin-out poised to transform emergency medicine and defence medical response with its patented, miniaturised auto-injector platform. The company’s mission is to eliminate critical barriers in emergency drug administration – whether on city streets or the battlefield – ensuring that life-saving medications are readily available.

The Fund’s portfolio also includes Carbon Cell, Flomark, PulpaTronics, Reporti Pro, Digital Heat, CTEye, and Trueview Medical, and will be fully deployed within the next 12 months. InnovationRCA will support the companies the Fund invests in, helping transform today’s innovations into tomorrow’s solutions.

President and Vice-Chancellor of the Royal College of Art, Professor Christoph Lindner, said: “This important milestone in the life of this fund is a testament to the strength of the talent pipeline emerging from the Royal College of Art.” 

Fund Manager and Partner at Infinity Asset Management LLP, Sarah Butler, said: “We are absolutely delighted to have reached our final close target despite the challenging fundraising environment. The Fund has a fantastic pipeline with some truly compelling investment opportunities that we are really excited about”.

Dr Nadia Danhash, Director, InnovationRCA, said “We are thrilled to welcome our investors into the Fund. Their participation recognises the UK as a strong source of investable and compelling design-led companies. We expect this to be the first of a series of funds that will maximise the potential of UK createch and build an even stronger UK Creative Industries sector.”

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