Octopus Ventures
Octopus Ventures is one of the UK and Europe's largest generalist venture capital firms, managing around GBP 1.8bn. It backs companies from first cheque to IPO across software, health, fintech, deep tech and climate. Water is a small, deep-tech-led slice: as of 2026 it has backed 2 water companies across 3 deals, both tackling PFAS forever chemicals.
Compiled by Antoine Walter, (don't) Waste Water, from official filings and direct intelligence in Leviathan.
The take
Octopus Ventures is the venture arm of London's Octopus Group, and one of the most prolific generalist investors in Europe: it has backed more than 200 companies and writes cheques from the first round all the way to IPO. Founded in 2008, it sorts itself into sector pods, software, fintech, health, bio, deep tech and climate, rather than betting the firm on a single thesis.
Octopus Ventures does not run a water fund, and water is not one of its headline themes. The water it does back sits inside its deep tech and climate practice, under the banner of building a sustainable planet, and the pattern there is unusually tight: both of its water companies go after PFAS, the forever chemicals now turning up in drinking water around the world.
Octopus Ventures' clearest water bet is Puraffinity, a London company whose bio-based adsorbent media selectively grabs PFAS out of industrial and drinking water; Octopus Ventures backed it in 2023, with deep tech investor Owen Metters driving the deal. The firm has also backed MyCelx Technologies, whose patented media strip oil, hydrocarbons and PFAS from water. Across those bets that is 2 water companies and 3 deals, enough for (don't) Waste Water to rate Octopus Ventures' water commitment Committed.
For a founder building in water, Octopus Ventures is worth reading correctly: a deep-pocketed generalist with a materials-science nose for contaminant removal, not a dedicated water fund. Its water cheques have gone to hard-tech companies cleaning up what older treatment cannot, so the door is widest for founders solving a chemistry problem the incumbents have walked away from.
Water Commitment Score
Compiled from official filings, third-party records, and direct intelligence from investors and founders, in Leviathan · recomputed monthly · as of Jun 2026.
How they invest
Portfolio · 2 water companies
Invests alongside
Highlighted = profiled on (don't) Waste Water.
Frequently asked
- What does Octopus Ventures invest in?
- Octopus Ventures is a generalist venture capital firm that backs companies across software, fintech, health, bio, deep tech and climate, from the first cheque through to IPO. It has funded more than 200 businesses. Water is a small part of that book, handled inside its deep tech and climate team rather than as a standalone thesis.
- Does Octopus Ventures invest in water?
- Octopus Ventures does invest in water, but selectively. As of 2026 it has backed 2 water companies across 3 deals, both focused on removing PFAS forever chemicals: Puraffinity, whose adsorbent media binds PFAS, and MyCelx Technologies, whose filters strip oil and hydrocarbons. (don't) Waste Water rates its water commitment Committed.
- Who runs water investing at Octopus Ventures?
- Octopus Ventures is part of Octopus Group and led by CEO Erin Platts. Its water bets sit within the deep tech and climate team, where Investment Manager Owen Metters, a chemistry PhD, drove the firm's flagship water deal in Puraffinity. Colleagues Mat Munro and Venture Partner Richard Anson round out that deep tech group.
- Where is Octopus Ventures based?
- Octopus Ventures is based in London, United Kingdom, at 33 Holborn, and has operated since 2008 as the venture arm of Octopus Group. It is one of the largest and most active venture capital investors in the UK and Europe, backing companies across the UK and the wider European market.
- Is Octopus Ventures the same as Octopus Energy?
- No. Octopus Ventures is the venture capital arm of Octopus Group, investing in early-stage technology companies. Octopus Energy and Octopus Energy Generation are separate energy businesses under the broader Octopus brand. They share a parent group and a name, but Octopus Ventures is the investor that backs water and deep tech startups.