Make an application to Venture Studio from Crisis.
We’re seeking to invest in startups that are helping to prevent or end homelessness through their innovative products and services, enabling us to make significant improvements in tackling the drivers of homelessness over the long term.
Closing date for this round of applications is 17 April 2025. We review applications on a rolling basis, so we encourage ventures to apply as soon as they are ready.
Please read our investment criteria. If you meet the criteria, start your application. If you are unsure about your fit, you can contact the team at venture.studio@crisis.org.uk
The form takes an estimated 15-30 minutes to complete.
What we invest in
Legal
- Companies limited by shares operating and registered in the UK.
Impact
You can describe what you do and how it helps advance one or more of our fund ambitions.
Your venture must directly contribute to increasing access to social and affordable housing by addressing one or more of the following areas:
- Enabling the supply of affordable housing: Innovations in construction to make housing faster, cheaper, or more scalable. Tools that streamline property development. Business models that increase the number of homes available for social and affordable housing.
- Improving access to social housing: Marketplaces or platforms that help match people to social housing more effectively, financial products that unlock homeownership or rental pathways for low-income individuals such as those in receipt of benefits.
- Supporting tenancy stability and financial security: Solutions that help tenants maintain stable housing, risk reduction products that make tenancies more secure for vulnerable renters.
- Direct impact on Crisis Members: Demonstrable impact on people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. If operating in broader housing markets, they must provide a clear case for their impact on social housing and affordability. We do not invest in solutions that focus on managing homelessness rather than ending it; products or services that are paternalistic in their approach and perpetuate poor framing of homelessness or business models that do not have social impact at their core.
- You are willing to introduce a mission lock to your articles of association: A mission lock is a legal mechanism designed to protect and safeguard the social or environmental mission of an organisation, regardless of changes in ownership or shareholder structure.
- Examples of impact achieved from some of the companies in our portfolio.
Business Model
- You have a financial model with evidence of valid projections to reach financial sustainability and positive unit economics.
Growth Stage
- You have a working product and are generating revenue or have successfully piloted your solution indicating market demand. You are pre–series A in your funding strategy.
Team
- Your founding team is aligned to our mission and committed to ending homelessness.
- Diverse and Inclusive Leadership: We actively encourage applications from ventures led by underrepresented founders, including those with lived experience of homelessness or housing insecurity. We prioritise teams that integrate lived experience insights into their solutions and demonstrate a strong commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in both leadership and impact.
How we invest
- We consider every opportunity on its own. We prioritise standard equity investments and have utilised Convertible Loan Notes and Simple Agreements for Future Equity to accommodate diverse financing needs.
- We invest cash alongside a fee for programme support.
- Our growth programme is designed with ventures to meet your growth needs in a way that leverages Crisis’ brand and networks. We bring in expert delivery partners to help advance your business and impact objectives.
Apply now
What to expect from us
Step 1: Application & Discovery Call
- We review all applications. If your venture aligns with our mission, we may have an initial call to meet the founding team and align expectations.
- We might expect you to share documentation about the venture business model and projections.
- We might follow with additional calls and information requests for a deeper dive into the business, the assumptions that underpin financial models and the potential to help end homelessness.
- We’ll review your application carefully and let you know if you progress to the next stage. If not, we’ll share feedback to help you on your journey.
- You’ll speak with Kevin Fay, the Venture Programme Manager and/or Phelelani Mhlungu, the Venture Investment & Impact Analyst.
Click their image to book a call. Or contact them at venture.studio@crisis.org.uk
Step 2: Deep Dive & Due Diligence
- We shortlist a selection of applicants to run a due diligence process that culminates in a presentation to our Investment Committee made up of expert advisors.
- If you are unsuccessful in making it to the shortlist we will share our decision, alongside feedback on your application and recommend next steps.
- If successful, we will support you to prepare a strong investment case, including validating your impact with our lived experience panel and internal housing experts.
Step 3: Investment Committee (IC) and Growth Programme
- You’ll present your venture to our IC. If approved, we proceed with final due diligence, senior leadership review, and trustee approval.
- At this stage, we also design a tailored growth programme that leverages Crisis’ 50 years of homelessness experience and our delivery partners to meet your growth needs.
- We focus on strengthening your presence in the social housing space as well as developing your ability to capture and report social impact.
- You’ll gain access to our network of likeminded founders and partners and share collaboration opportunities.
Step 4: Closing
- Once approved, we finalise legal agreements, integrate mission protections, and close the investment.
- We officially welcome you to our portfolio, announce the partnership, and start working together to drive impact.
