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HV

Hearst Ventures

Corporate

Hearst Ventures is the global venture capital division of Hearst and one of the most active corporate venture funds.

Portfolio

5

companies


Portfolio companies

s

sees.ai

sees.ai builds autonomous aerial solutions for critical national infrastructure.

Plum Guide

Plum Guide

Plum Guide curates a selective collection of holiday homes by vetting properties for quality and design.

H

Huboo

Huboo provides software-driven eCommerce fulfilment services for online retailers.

Vyne

Vyne

Vyne builds a challenger payment platform for merchants using open banking.

The Plum Guide

The Plum Guide

The Plum Guide curates and verifies top-tier holiday rentals for discerning travellers.


Team

MI

Megumi Ikeda

Managing Director

SP

Shaneel Parekh

Principal


Recent investments

Seed
£3.7M

The funding round was co-led by Sustainable Future Ventures, Hearst Ventures and Elbow Beach to accelerate autonomous drone operations.

"sees.ai sits at the intersection of two defining megatrends of our time – the application of AI to unlock new levels of efficiency, and the global transition to clean energy. Their autonomous inspection technology has the potential to transform how critical infrastructure is managed, delivering safer, faster and more scalable insights. SFV is excited to back this outstanding team as they scale their solution, which is both commercially compelling and vital to the net zero transition."
— Conan Lauterpacht, Founding Partner
Series B
£16.1M

The investment was led by Beringea with participation from Talis Capital, Hearst Ventures, and Latitude.

"With British consumers spending more in 2022 than in previous years, there is no room for error and so we strive to set that global standard for quality in the travel sector that has previously been lacking. We are catering to discerning global travellers who simply expect the best; they want unique properties in exciting destinations for a homestay in comfort and style and this investment will allow us to scale up to meet that demand."
— Doron Meyassed, Founder and CEO
Series B
£60.0M

The Series B round was led by Mubadala Capital and will support the platform's continental European expansion.

"Scores of new and existing retail businesses now see their future in e-commerce, but while anyone can set up an online store-front and start selling within hours, the infrastructure powering e-commerce is alarmingly outdated, inefficient, inflexible and expensive."
— Martin Bysh, CEO
Seed
£11.3M

Hearst Ventures led the seed round for the account-to-account payment specialist.

"The global financial ecosystem is moving rapidly away from traditional payments systems and towards open banking and real-time payments. Vyne sits at the bleeding edge of this revolution, by improving the payment experience for all stakeholders. The team’s commercial success is testament to their expertise and commitment to innovation, and we’re delighted to be supporting their continued growth."
— Megumi Ikeda, Managing Director
Series A
£14.0M

The Series A round was led by Stride with participation from Hearst Ventures and existing backers.

"Not only has the global pandemic provided the catalyst for a mass shift into multi-channel commerce over the next five years, but there is a real D2C revolution happening. Thousands of young D2C businesses are bypassing conventional retail channels to engage directly with consumers."
— Martin Bysh, CEO
Series B
£14.0M

The funding round was led by Talis Capital to support a rollout across twelve new cities.

"Most rental platforms are trying to get as many people as possible to use their site. We are clearly targeting a highly discerning group of affluent professionals that live in global megacities, love to travel and value great design, quality and locations,"
— Doron Meyassed, Founder and CEO