Latest fund size
$1.6M
Announced
September 22, 2026
Global HQ
United Kingdom
Members only
Check size
$130K-$400K
Members only
Stage focus
Pre-Seed, Seed
Members only
Regions of investment
Europe
Members only
Project Ventures is a London-based venture capital firm founded in 2026 by Shahryar Barati, a three-time Imperial College London alumnus with a background in startup operations, venture investing and institutional asset management. It is the first independent, alumni-powered venture capital fund dedicated to Imperial College London's startup ecosystem.
Shahryar Barati, Founder and General Partner
shahryar.barati@medtechsuperconnector.com
Willie Van Staden, Director
willie@project-ventures.com
Members only
Names, roles, emails and LinkedIn profiles for the team, plus the fund's website.
Project Ventures invests at the intersection of deep tech and AI, backing founders building at the frontier of science, engineering and AI where digital and physical technologies converge.
The firm prioritizes defensible technologies built on scientific breakthroughs or proprietary intellectual property, with focus areas spanning robotics, healthcare, climate, energy and advanced manufacturing.
Project Ventures invests at the pre-seed and seed stages, drawing primarily on companies connected to Imperial College London's research and startup ecosystem.
Members only
What the fund looks for in founders and which sectors it backs.
Project Ventures has reached a first close of $1.6 million toward an overall target of $6.7 million, with a final close planned for summer 2027.
More than 80% of the fund's limited partners are Imperial College London alumni.
Members only
Fund size, LPs and track record.
Leadership
Shahryar Barati is Founder and General Partner of Project Ventures.
He is a three-time Imperial College London alumnus with a background spanning startup operations, venture investing and institutional asset management.
Investment Strategy
Project Ventures writes checks of $130,000 to $400,000 into pre-seed and seed-stage companies, drawing on its network within the Imperial College London research and startup community.
Notable Investments
Members only
Leadership, investment strategy, notable investments and exits.
