Project Ventures Launches €5.8 Million Fund to Back DeepTech and AI Startups Linked to Imperial College London

London-based Project Ventures has launched a €5.8 million (£5 million) debut fund to back pre-Seed and Seed-stage startups operating at the intersection of DeepTech and AI. The fund focuses on companies emerging from or connected to the Imperial College London ecosystem, with initial investments ranging from €116,000 to €349,000. Three investments have already been completed in Tewke, NexusAM and Neubond.

Founded in 2023, Project Ventures invests in technologies that combine frontier science, engineering and artificial intelligence to bridge the digital and physical worlds. Its focus includes areas such as energy and climate, advanced manufacturing, robotics and healthcare, particularly where proprietary technology and scientific research can create defensible businesses.

The firm is led by Shahryar Barati, Founder and Managing Partner and a three-time Imperial College London alumnus. Barati has experience across startup operations, venture investing and financial institutions, and has previously been involved in investments in more than 50 early-stage companies.

Project Ventures follows an alumni-powered model, with more than 80% of its limited partners coming from the Imperial alumni community. The approach is designed to give founders access not only to early-stage capital but also to a network of technical experts, operators, investors and potential commercial partners connected to Imperial.

Its existing portfolio highlights the fund's DeepTech and AI focus. Tewke is developing an intelligent home operating system designed to optimise energy use and support decentralised energy infrastructure. NexusAM uses real-time AI-powered quality assurance to identify defects during metal 3D printing, while Neubond is developing a wearable NeuroTech platform for personalised, closed-loop stroke rehabilitation.

The fund's launch comes as AI is increasingly being applied to traditionally hardware-heavy areas of DeepTech. Project Ventures says AI can accelerate development cycles involving design, simulation and validation, while Imperial's strengths across science, engineering and medicine provide a broad pipeline of research-led companies.

Project Ventures plans to close its debut fund by summer 2027 while continuing to build its pipeline of Imperial-linked startups. Over the longer term, the firm says it could extend its alumni-powered investment model to other leading technical university ecosystems across Europe.