Stan Boland
About Stan Boland
Stan Boland is based in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom. He studied Natural Sciences (Physics) at the University of Cambridge from 1978 to 1981. Early in his career he worked at Rolls-Royce Aerospace and ICL, then joined Acorn Computers in 1997. Crunchbase lists him as CFO and then CEO of Acorn, and as a director of Arm Holdings in 1998 and 1999.
He has co-founded and led three venture-backed technology companies. Element 14 was spun out of Acorn and sold to Broadcom in 2000 for a reported $640 million. Icera made low-power cellular modem chips and was acquired by NVIDIA in 2011. Five AI (also written FiveAI) was founded in 2015 to build self-driving software. It raised a $35 million Series A in 2017 and a $41 million Series B in 2020, and Bosch announced its acquisition in April 2022. Between those companies he was CEO of the IoT company Neul from 2013 to 2014. He also chaired NMI, the UK trade body for electronic systems companies, from 2014 to 2016.
A TechWorks biography says he has raised $330 million of equity venture capital since 1999 and that the resulting companies sold for about $1.3 billion. He stepped down as Five AI CEO in 2023. Crunchbase lists him as a board member of Fractile (since July 2024) and Deeptech Labs (since January 2025). Crunchbase also counts 4 companies founded.
Crunchbase counts 8 investments in 8 portfolio companies, with 0 lead investments and 0 exits. Other databases count differently, because angel rounds are often undisclosed. PitchBook lists 10 investments and 2 exits, and Tracxn lists 5 companies. Treat all of these counts as approximate.
His earlier angel investments include TickX (an events ticketing platform, January 2017) and WaveOptics (September 2019). WaveOptics was acquired in May 2021, according to PitchBook. More recent database entries point to Cogna, Fractile, Exciting Instruments, Wordware, Tattvam AI, Callosum and Stateful Robotics. He is described as a member of Cambridge Angels. Co-investors named in these sources include Hermann Hauser, Amadeus Capital Partners, Oxford Science Enterprises, Seedcamp and Northern Gritstone.
Cogna is an AI software platform that integrates data across business functions so domain experts can build bespoke tools with AI, with a focus on sectors such as civil engineering and manufacturing. Stan was one of several angels in that round.
Tracxn and CB Insights list further recent entries. Wordware had a seed round in November 2024. Tattvam AI had a seed round in February 2026 that Tracxn lists with Seedcamp as a co-investor. Callosum had a seed round on 26 February 2026 that CB Insights lists at $10.25 million. Stateful Robotics had a pre-seed round, which CB Insights dates to March 2026. PitchBook lists Stan as an advisor to Stateful Robotics. These come from aggregator databases, so founders should check details with the companies or with Stan directly.
Stan describes himself as a deep technology entrepreneur who is now an angel investor. StartupMag lists AI, healthtech and software as his current sectors. Tracxn shows his portfolio centred on semiconductors and high tech, in the United Kingdom and the United States. His rounds are mostly pre-seed and seed, with some later-stage exceptions such as WaveOptics.
In interviews with Amadeus Capital Partners he has said that hard problems can lead to durable companies, and that a strategic pivot should follow disciplined customer discovery. He has also argued that UK founders should build companies that scale and stay in the UK rather than selling early. He is a board member at Deeptech Labs, which Tracxn describes as a UK venture firm that mainly invests at seed.
His check size and any stated investment criteria are not public, so none are listed here.
- Cogna: AI software platform for data integration and bespoke operational tools, in civil engineering and manufacturing. Stan invested alongside other angels; the year is not stated in the sources.
- Fractile: Stan has been a board member since July 2024, according to Crunchbase.
- Exciting Instruments: seed round announced in November 2024, led by Northern Gritstone.
- Wordware: seed round in November 2024, listed by Tracxn.
- Tattvam AI: seed round in February 2026, listed by Tracxn.
- Callosum: seed round in February 2026, listed by CB Insights.
- Stateful Robotics: pre-seed round listed by CB Insights (2026). PitchBook lists Stan as an advisor.
- TickX: events ticketing platform, early-stage investment in January 2017.
- WaveOptics: invested in September 2019. The company was acquired in May 2021.
- crunchbase.com/person/stan-boland
- pitchbook.com/profiles/investor/149898-52
- tracxn.com/d/people/stan-boland/__9UxaLybFx_s8KD4Wv99fRorOPXETPH9kXoBi
- cbinsights.com/investor/stan-boland
- cbinsights.com/company/stateful-robotics/financials
- startupmag.co.uk/investors/stan-boland
- amadeuscapital.com/stan-boland-built-sold-broadcom-nvidia-bosch
- amadeuscapital.com/in-focus-building-hard-tech-and-smart-pivots
Investing activity
Stan Boland has made 8 investments according to Crunchbase across 8 portfolio companies, and has founded 4 companies.
Deals
Frequently asked questions about Stan Boland
Who is Stan Boland?
Stan Boland is a UK technology entrepreneur and angel investor. He co-founded and led Element 14 (sold to Broadcom), Icera (sold to NVIDIA) and Five AI (sold to Bosch). He is a Cambridge physics graduate.
What does Stan Boland invest in?
His portfolio is mostly early-stage deep tech, covering AI, semiconductors and software. StartupMag also lists healthtech. Tracxn shows investments in the UK and the US.
What is Stan Boland's check size?
Stan has not published a check size, and the sources used here do not give one. Ask him directly rather than relying on database estimates.
How many investments has Stan Boland made?
Crunchbase lists 8 investments in 8 portfolio companies, with no lead investments and no exits. PitchBook, Tracxn and CB Insights give different counts, because many angel rounds are not disclosed.
Does Stan Boland lead rounds?
Crunchbase shows 0 lead investments. His entries in the sources are as an angel alongside venture funds or other angels.
What is Stan Boland's connection to Deeptech Labs?
Crunchbase lists him as a board member of Deeptech Labs since January 2025. A LinkedIn announcement from the firm describes him as a longstanding supporter.
Is Stan Boland an angel investor?
Yes. Stan Boland invests personally as an angel. Crunchbase counts 8 investments.
Where is Stan Boland based?
Stan Boland is based in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom.
How can founders reach Stan Boland?
Founders on Lounge can see Stan Boland'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 Stan Boland to their Investor Pipeline to track the conversation.