Chris Adelsbach
About Chris Adelsbach
Chris Adelsbach is a London-based entrepreneur and investor. He earned a BBA from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business in 1995. He then completed GE's Financial Management Program in 1997 and moved to the United Kingdom to join GE Money, where he held several leadership roles.
He left GE Money in 2006 to co-found Marlin Financial Group, a specialty finance business. Public profiles say it became one of the UK's fastest-growing privately held companies. Marlin exited to a NASDAQ-listed company in 2014. He then moved from operating to investing, reportedly pledging to reinvest half of his personal proceeds in startups.
He later helped found and led a European fintech accelerator run with Techstars and Barclays, and he is a Techstars Venture Partner. He is the founder and Managing Partner of Outrun Ventures, which Crunchbase describes as his family office. His LinkedIn name carries an OBE.
Adelsbach's angel record is mostly in fintech and is much larger than the 28 investments on the Crunchbase record Lounge links to. That record also shows 0 lead investments, 0 exits and 0 companies founded. A separate Crunchbase profile for him lists 175 investments, and PitchBook lists 211 investments and 48 exits. Counts differ by source, so treat them as approximate.
In a January 2022 post he wrote that he made 65 direct angel investments in 2021 and 190 to date. He also said four of his angel investments were valued as unicorns, he had six exits that year, and his portfolio companies employed over 3,500 people.
He has been an early backer of Railsr, Monese, Smart Pension, Kuda Bank, Atom Bank, Sharegain and Marshmallow. Recognition includes UK Business Angels Association Angel Investor of the Year (2018/19), Sifted's most active fintech angel in Europe, and a place on Business Insider's 2022 Seed50 list. In 2023 he won Investor of the Year at the Great British Entrepreneur Awards.
Crunchbase shows 12 AI investments since 2023. The AI companies it lists are Bourn, Capsa AI, Tetra AI, Applied Computing, Low Observable Technology, Blobr, Arondite, Cloud Capital, Kohort, Emblematic, Drift.ai and Alfa AI.
Crunchbase's activity feed shows several of these rounds. Applied Computing raised a pre-seed in February 2024. Arondite raised a £1.75M pre-seed in July 2024. Capsa AI announced a £1.7M seed round led by Outward VC in September 2024, and Adelsbach was named among its angels. Cloud Capital raised a $2.3M pre-seed in January 2025. Alfa AI raised a $625,000 pre-seed in February 2025. Bourn raised a £1.5M seed in February 2025. These figures are total round sizes, not his cheques.
His AI backing often overlaps with his regtech and decision-analytics interests. He has named Capsa.ai, described as an AI operating system for private equity, and the trade compliance platform iCustoms.ai among his investments. He has also posted about Venari Security, a portfolio company that sells encrypted traffic analysis.
Outrun Ventures says it invests in early-stage fintech, insurtech, regtech, legaltech and proptech companies in the UK and Europe. Most of Adelsbach's recorded rounds are pre-seed and seed, and he has also joined some Series A rounds. Examples are Asset Reality in January 2024 and Crezco.
Startupmag lists his current sectors as fintech, healthtech, AI and HRtech. His AI deals are mostly UK-based startups, many in London. They sit in financial services, compliance, defence and enterprise software.
He is described as a hands-on investor who offers introductions to VCs, angels, decision makers and banks. He has not published a standard cheque size, and no public figure is given here.
- Capsa AI: AI operating system for private equity due diligence and workflows, founded in 2023. He took part in its £1.7M seed round, announced in 2024.
- Arondite: Pre-seed round of £1.75M, recorded by Crunchbase in July 2024, with Concept Ventures as a co-investor.
- Cloud Capital: Pre-seed round of $2.3M, recorded in January 2025, alongside Connect Ventures.
- Alfa AI: London AI recruitment startup. Crunchbase records a $625,000 pre-seed in February 2025.
- Bourn: Seed round of £1.5M, recorded in February 2025.
- Applied Computing: Pre-seed round recorded in February 2024; the amount was not disclosed.
- Venari Security: Encrypted traffic analysis platform that he has described as a portfolio company.
- Marshmallow: UK insurtech and one of his early backings, which he has called a UK unicorn.
- Railsr, Monese, Smart Pension, Kuda Bank, Atom Bank, Sharegain: Fintech companies he has named as early investments.
- michiganross.umich.edu/about/profile/chris-adelsbach
- crunchbase.com/person/chris-adelsbach
- crunchbase.com/person/chris-adelsbach/person_overview_investor/timelin
- crunchbase.com/organization/outrun-ventures
- pitchbook.com/profiles/investor/121755-43
- startupmag.co.uk/investors/chris-adelsbach
- vestbee.com/insights/articles/capsa-ai-raises-1-7-m
- chrisadelsbach.medium.com/tiny-actions-compounded-over-time-can-create
AI portfolio
Investing activity
Chris Adelsbach has made 28 investments according to Crunchbase. 12 of those investments since 2023 were in AI companies, including Bourn, Capsa AI, Tetra AI, Applied Computing and Low Observable Technology.
Deals
Frequently asked questions about Chris Adelsbach
Does Chris Adelsbach invest in AI startups?
Yes. Crunchbase shows 12 AI investments since 2023, including Capsa AI, Arondite, Cloud Capital, Alfa AI and Bourn. Fintech is still the largest part of his overall portfolio.
What stage does Chris Adelsbach invest in?
Most of his recorded deals are pre-seed and seed, mainly in the UK and Europe. He has also joined some Series A rounds.
What is Chris Adelsbach's cheque size?
He has not published a cheque size, and the sources reviewed do not give one. Round sizes in his deals vary widely.
What does Chris Adelsbach look for in founders?
No formal criteria are published. He describes himself as an investor in fintech founders and says he backs mission-driven early-stage teams. Outrun lists fintech, insurtech, regtech, legaltech and proptech as its focus.
Where is Chris Adelsbach based and what firm is he with?
He is based in London. He is founder and Managing Partner of Outrun Ventures, his family office, and a Techstars Venture Partner.
How can founders contact Chris Adelsbach?
He is on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/chrisadelsbach. Outrun Ventures also has a website at outrunventures.com.
Is Chris Adelsbach an angel investor?
Yes. Chris Adelsbach invests personally as an angel. Crunchbase counts 28 investments.
What AI companies has Chris Adelsbach invested in?
Chris Adelsbach's AI investments include Bourn, Capsa AI, Tetra AI, Applied Computing, Low Observable Technology, Blobr, Arondite and Cloud Capital.
Where is Chris Adelsbach based?
Chris Adelsbach is based in London, United Kingdom.
How can founders reach Chris Adelsbach?
Founders on Lounge can see Chris Adelsbach's contact details in AI Investor Contacts (paid plans), check for a warm introduction through members who worked with them under Warm Paths, and add Chris Adelsbach to their Investor Pipeline to track the conversation.