Independent rating of Playfair Capital VC fund
Overall rating:
4.6
(40)
About Playfair Capital VC fund
Website:
Founded:
2013
Number of funds:
2
Number of investments:
81
Number of exits:
6
Headquarters:
Organization type:
Micro VC, Venture Capital
How Playfair Capital VC fund invests
Rounds:
Average ticket size:
1.83M USD
Biggest investment:
4.51M USD
Would lead round:
Yes
Would coinvest:
Yes
Countries where invested:
Sectors of interest:
Artificial Intelligence, Software, Machine Learning, Information Technology, Health Care, mHealth, Shipping, Restaurants, Recruiting, Public Safety, Natural Language Processing, Medical, Marine Transportation, Management Information Systems, Life Science, Internet, Intelligent Systems, Insurance, InsurTech, Industrial, Image Recognition, Human Resources, Hospitality, Food and Beverage, Food Processing, Food Delivery, Employment, Computer Vision, Analytics, Air Transportation, Aerospace
Founders' reviews of Playfair Capital VC fund
Older than a year by portfolio founder
Round: Seed
The Best After a Few Times Around the Block
Playfair have been the most value adding investor I've worked with (having raised 6 rounds across 2 startups so far). The two things that stand out the most for me are:
1. Willingness to get in the trenches and hustle for us. They don't just make connections and intros, but came in, screened CVs, interviewed and hustled for us.
2. It's always felt like we're on the same team. Of course, interests are never perfectly aligned, but once Playfair invested, it felt like they joined the team and committed 100%. Any issues that we faced, we felt like we were in it together.
If I were raising preseed or seed again, they would be the first fund I would call.
Older than a year by non-portfolio founder
Round: Pre-Seed
Unlock more reviews by creating a free account
Electifying, Principled Underneath
Really great advice as to how to move from idea phase into pre-seed phase. Very personable team members who genuinely have a passion for venture capital. Also great to see a VC fund leading the way in terms of diversity discussions through their social media portals.
Older than a year by non-portfolio founder
Round: Seed
Unlock more reviews by creating a free account
Blessed With Their Time
I've had a fantastic experience dealing with Playfair. Joe has given up lots of time during his evenings and weekends to provide feedback and guidance as I prepare for my first institutional fundraise. Playfair have a reputation of being a founder-focused VC and for good reason, I would recommend them unreservedly.
Older than a year by non-portfolio founder
Round: Seed
Unlock more reviews by creating a free account
Comments on Chris
I got in touch with Chris through a hot intro. He was super responsive. We had several email communications and one virtual meeting. Eventually our business didn’t appear as a fit for Playfair but Chris offered me honest and thorough feedback and advice, which are all truly helpful. Highly recommended!
Older than a year by non-portfolio founder
Round: Seed
Unlock more reviews by creating a free account
Done Good
Chris and his team done above and beyond in helping me through the fundraising process. I felt they are a true partner in the process and really care and want to assist
Older than a year by portfolio founder
Round: Pre-Seed
Unlock more reviews by creating a free account
Opportunities Abundant
Great vc’s who bring more than just money to the table.
Get them on your cap table ASAP.
Older than a year by non-portfolio founder
Round: Pre-Seed
Unlock more reviews by creating a free account
Chris is Generous
While we weren't in active fundraising discussions, Chris Smith shared some very helpful impartial fundraising advice which was very much appreciated
Older than a year by non-portfolio founder
Round: Pre-Seed
Unlock more reviews by creating a free account
priceless advice
Been seeking advice on fundraising from Chris for over a year now. Always been very candid and generous with his time. Really appreciate his ongoing counsel!
Older than a year by portfolio founder
Round: Seed
Unlock more reviews by creating a free account
Encourging and Comforting
We've had the best time since dealing with Playfair. What I live the most about working with Henrik and the team is the honesty and transparency. I always feel super comfortable sharing our struggles and wins and they are fantastic at giving feedback and calculated suggestions
Older than a year by non-portfolio founder
Round: Pre-Seed
Unlock more reviews by creating a free account
All love out of their camp
I met the team initially after a pitch event. They were very quick to reach out and the conversations felt open and supportive. Even though they passed at the time, I'd definitely partner together in the future.
Older than a year by portfolio founder
Round: Seed
Unlock more reviews by creating a free account
They Know What They're Doing
Great , nothing but a value add and keen to learn the space
Older than a year by non-portfolio founder
Round: Pre-Seed
Unlock more reviews by creating a free account
Back to Back
Had the pleasure of meeting Chris through Female Founder Office Hours, which was such an impactful experience! Our session was immensely helpful in our pre-seed funding strategy as was a follow-up session with my co-founder.
Older than a year by portfolio founder
Round: Seed
Unlock more reviews by creating a free account
Joes Moving It Forward
Joe Thornton was our point of contact from the beginning, became director of the board, and continues to be an invaluable member and incredibly strong believer in us as founders and our venture.
Older than a year by non-portfolio founder
Round: Pre-Seed
Unlock more reviews by creating a free account
Pushing Us Along
Despite not considering us beyond seeing our pitch deck, I was very happy that Playfair gave some extensive feedback on our deck and about why they had declined the opportunity. This is very valuable for us and greatly appreciated.
Older than a year by non-portfolio founder
Round: Pre-Seed
Unlock more reviews by creating a free account
Signaling the way
I've interacted with Playfair briefly, they were clear on the "why" they passed on us yet they tried to help us through other means.
Older than a year by non-portfolio founder
Round: Pre-Seed
Unlock more reviews by creating a free account
Suffer no illusions
Got the vibe that they aren't really into diverse founding teams.
Older than a year by portfolio founder
Round: Seed
Unlock more reviews by creating a free account
Smashing
Excellent to deal with couldn't recommend them enough!
Older than a year by non-portfolio founder
Round: Seed
Unlock more reviews by creating a free account
Indecent Lack
We submitted our pitch deck they did not have the decency to send a response.
Older than a year by non-portfolio founder
Round: Seed
Unlock more reviews by creating a free account
Million Dollar Advice and Continutes to Give
Chris Smith was assigned to me as a mentor by Oxford University. He took the time to understand our business and was kind and supportive in every session. His insights really transformed the way we presented ourselves which definitely had a positive impact on our raise which we closed for more than double the amount we were seeking and in record time (8 weeks). 12 months after the arrangement he still responds to emails and is helpful and engaged. I’m very grateful to Chris and wouldnt hesitate to recommend Playfair because of this.
Older than a year by portfolio founder
Round: Pre-Seed
Unlock more reviews by creating a free account
Woah ho ho, it's magic
A really down to earth team of intelligent people. They have been invaluable to us as first time founders and have added value that we could have only dreamt of.
Older than a year by portfolio founder
Round: Seed
Unlock more reviews by creating a free account
Playfair Haven't Always
I raised from Playfair back in 2014 and understand it's changed a lot since then but they were wildly unsupportive when we struggled to get PMF and even held board meetings behind founders backs and tried to drive a wedge between the co-founders. Avoid!
Older than a year by non-portfolio founder
Round: Seed
Unlock more reviews by creating a free account
Setting Us Up For Growth
We are about to raise our next round of funding and Playfair have been immensely helpful in providing feedback and connecting us with their network. Would highly recommend.
Older than a year by non-portfolio founder
Round: Seed
Unlock more reviews by creating a free account
Hope You Don't Get the Questions
After the first meeting, they sent long list of follow-up questions, which we took the time to answer in detail. Ghosted.
Older than a year by non-portfolio founder
Round: Seed
Unlock more reviews by creating a free account
Limited Perspective but They Look the Part
My experience with Playfair was limited to 2 initial meetings, so I can't really estimate their value for other founders. I can say that our initial process was professional, helpful and fast. In my specific case, I felt that a more in-depth market and competitive analysis could help to evaluate our investment opportunity better.
Older than a year by non-portfolio founder
Round: Seed
Unlock more reviews by creating a free account
Heaps
Henrik was extremely kind to walk through our idea stage deck with us and give plenty of constructive feedback.
Older than a year by non-portfolio founder
Round: Seed
Unlock more reviews by creating a free account
Thankful for helping us along
They did above and beyond to assist my start-up as much as they could, connecting me with the right partners and helping us to progress in our fundraising journey
Older than a year by portfolio founder
Round: Pre-Seed
Unlock more reviews by creating a free account
Deeper Than Money
Honest, Open and Provide much more than money !!
Older than a year by portfolio founder
Round: Pre-Seed
Unlock more reviews by creating a free account
Good Ones
Very professional - founder centric in terms of appreciating speed and stress of raising capital. Product focused at an early stage which is great. Extremely supportive and always there to help when called upon.
Older than a year by portfolio founder
Round: Pre-Seed
Unlock more reviews by creating a free account
Enlightenment, as clear as day
When Playfair Capital invest, they aren't just investing financially. They give you their time, their experience, and (most importantly) their honest opinion. Somehow they manage to do all of this without micro-managing you.
Older than a year by portfolio founder
Round: Seed
Unlock more reviews by creating a free account
Quick to Lend an Ear
Very approachable and supportive founder friendly fund
Older than a year by portfolio founder
Round: Seed
Unlock more reviews by creating a free account
Jumped In and Proved Their Worth
They came in after our round was full. Super swift DD process. Great bunch of people, very efficient. Got us into TechCrunch with funding news which generated a lot of extra interest.
Older than a year by non-portfolio founder
Round: Pre-Seed
Unlock more reviews by creating a free account
More complicated than winning and losing
Received a no - had a good experience
Older than a year by portfolio founder
Round: Seed
Unlock more reviews by creating a free account
Hard to Beat
Playfair are approachable, knowledgeable and generally an absolute pleasure to work with. They have been available and on hand to support us, whilst trusting us to lead our company without micro-managing. I would highly recommend the team to any fellow founders. They have demonstrated really commendable commitment to supporting female founders and diversity in general.
Older than a year by portfolio founder
Round: Seed
Unlock more reviews by creating a free account
Kept us Out of the Weeds
Playfair has been great in allowing the founders to shape the direction of Heka, offering insight and checking our focus is correct. Without them, we would have gone down a lot more rabbit holes!
Older than a year by portfolio founder
Round: Seed
Unlock more reviews by creating a free account
Smashing Expectations
Friendly and accommodating of the challenges in the real world providing support and guidance beyond expectation.
Older than a year by non-portfolio founder
Round: Seed
Unlock more reviews by creating a free account
Trusting the Process
The team are really friendly and welcoming, and they make their processes very clear.
Older than a year by portfolio founder
Round: Seed
Unlock more reviews by creating a free account
Loving the Community Element
Playfair Capital, has been a great investor and I think as a small fund they are really doing an amazing job going above and beyond. I like that they do regular founder events and dinners, its a great idea and really fun to meet everybody else.
Older than a year by portfolio founder
Round: Seed
Unlock more reviews by creating a free account
Heck Yeah
Playfair came into the round when it was already filled and their DD was super smooth and non-invasive. They were also able to get us featured on TechCrunch for the funding press release, which was a lot of added value. They don't have a board seat at the moment. They're generally hands off, are there when we need them and are a bunch of nice people with a good network. I really like them.
Older than a year by non-portfolio founder
Round: Seed
Unlock more reviews by creating a free account
Seem a Little Stuck Up
The majority of VCs require a pitch deck / headline stats. PF require you to fill out a long form first. While this saves them screening time, it makes the founder put in extra time. Common from non-founder lead funds that put their time ahead of the founder. This would be fine if they responded with short, relevant feedback...to replace a little bit of this saved time. I wouldn't except feedback from a VC where I just sent a pitch deck - but if I take an hour or so to apply its more of a courtesy. If you get a no, it's just a cold email no with zero feedback.
Older than a year by portfolio founder
Round: Seed
Unlock more reviews by creating a free account
Meeting the bar that they set
They are positioning themselves as very open and honest with respect to the founders and I think that they really live that thesis on a daily basis. They're very approachable (we raised from a called message), very sympathetic and stick to a given word - great package!