A new investment fund looking to back early-stage tech startups has been launched by a star-studded team including Daniel Kaluuya, Jack Whitehall, Maya Jama, Roman Kemp and Tom Grennan.
The Artists Collective has today emerged from stealth having already backed 20 tech firms including co-investments with Andreessen Horowitz, Accel and Seedcamp.
The fund was first founded by Fergus and Ruari Bell, the duo behind the athlete-led Players Fund, with backers including Ben Stokes and Serge Gnabry.
The Artists Collective is targeting firms from seed to Series A across a broad range of sectors including AI, cybersecurity, fintech, health tech and media. It offers startups cheques from £50,000 to £300,000 with a focus on the UK and Europe.
“Artists want a trusted home to invest together, learn together and support founders where it actually counts,” said Ruari Bell.
“We aim to do the work quietly and let the results speak for themselves. We’re bringing The Players Fund’s approach to artists – pairing capital with targeted support that drives tangible results. TAC sits inside The Players Fund’s ecosystem and invest alongside our athlete network.”
His brother and co-founder Fergus added: “We proved with athletes that capital plus access can outperform cheque size.
“Bringing artists into the same orbit compounds that effect. The support looks like warm introductions that move revenue, help with key hires, and network access timed to a founder’s plan, not the news cycle.
“When distribution or partnerships matter most, we bring sport and entertainment into the same room. The first cheque earns the right to help. After that, we turn access into outcomes.”
