# Initiator VC

> Initiator VC is a London-based venture platform founded in 2021 that supports student and recent-graduate founders through accelerator programmes, mentorship, startup resources and investor introductions. Its programmes have advertised investment of up to £100,000; eligibility, duration and terms vary by cohort.

- **Founded:** 2021
- **Headquarters:** London, United Kingdom
- **Founders:** Eliott Hoffenberg (Co-founder; original leadership, departed in 2024), Simon Rouxel (Co-founder; also publicly referred to as Simon Rouxel-Haouzi)
- **Products:** Student-founder accelerator, Student Shark Tank / AI accelerator, Founder matching and community, Investor demo days
- **Notable:** 2023 UK cohort: seven startups selected from more than 400 applications, according to Hoffenberg., By April 2024 Hoffenberg reported 800+ mentoring hours, 100+ events and about 50 founding teams matched., January 2025 update reported investment offers for three of five winter-cohort startups and one unnamed startup closing a $300,000 round.

## Products & services

- **Student-founder accelerator** — Historical cohorts offered structured product-building support, mentoring and investor introductions; a 2023 UK cohort ran for 12 weeks.
- **Student Shark Tank / AI accelerator** — 2025 call advertised four weeks of acceleration, AI compute and data resources, mentorship and conditional investment up to £100,000. At least one founder should be a student or a graduate within two years; the post also allowed flexibility for young founders.
- **Founder matching and community** — Introductions between potential co-founders, events and a mentor network.
- **Investor demo days** — Cohort pitches to investors, including a virtual showcase jointly hosted with Baby VC.

## Achievements

- 2023 UK cohort: seven startups selected from more than 400 applications, according to Hoffenberg.
- By April 2024 Hoffenberg reported 800+ mentoring hours, 100+ events and about 50 founding teams matched.
- January 2025 update reported investment offers for three of five winter-cohort startups and one unnamed startup closing a $300,000 round.
- Listed as a GitHub for Startups ecosystem partner.

## Latest updates

- **2025-02** — Student Shark Tank call advertised up to £100,000 investment for selected AI startups; deadline was 5 March 2025.
- **2025-03** — Announced cloud and engineering specialist Artem Kobrin as an accelerator mentor.
- **2026-03** — Companies House records a confirmation statement dated 25 March 2026 for INITIATOR VC CIC.

## Links

- Website: https://www.initiator.vc/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/initiatorvc/
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/Initiator.vc

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/initiator-vc
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-08