UKTV Ventures

UKTV Ventures is the London-based media-for-equity investment fund operated by the British broadcaster UKTV, home to popular channels such as Dave, W and Gold, and now part of BBC Studios. Rather than deploying cash, the fund offers premium advertising airtime across UKTV's channel network in exchange for minority equity stakes in high-growth, predominantly direct-to-consumer UK start-ups and scale-ups, an 'airtime-for-equity' model designed to help young brands access the television advertising market and scale rapidly into household names. The fund has roughly £8 million of premium advertising to invest annually and additionally provides equity-free support to cover the creative production costs of advertising campaigns, which startups would otherwise fund themselves. Launched in 2018, initially as UKTV's Innovation Fund, it is led by Sheena Amin, who began her career as a venture capitalist at growth-equity firm Summit Partners and held senior media and telecoms roles including business development at Virgin Media and commercial partnerships at Dixons Carphone. Its first investment was in Hopster, the award-winning preschool learning and entertainment streaming platform, and the fund has since made around 11 investments, including a seven-figure deal with an online funeral-planning service in March 2024 and a stake in over-50s lifestyle platform Rest Less in January 2025. The fund focuses on consumer-facing businesses spanning media, streaming, e-commerce, apps and lifestyle brands seeking national reach. By trading premium TV airtime for equity, UKTV Ventures gives UK consumer brands a route to mass-market awareness while building a portfolio of high-growth companies.