After more than a decade helping ambitious entrepreneurs turn their ideas into successful businesses, venture capitalist Yvonne Bajela is making a major bet on herself. The experienced investor has launched her own venture capital firm, Evertrue Capital, which has successfully closed an oversubscribed first fund worth $17 million.
The milestone marks a new chapter in Bajela’s career and gives her the independence to pursue investment opportunities according to her own vision. Having previously backed companies that grew into major players in their industries, she is now looking to identify the next generation of successful founders across the United Kingdom and Europe.
Her move comes at a particularly interesting time for the technology industry. Artificial intelligence is lowering the barriers to launching new businesses, Britain’s startup ecosystem is attracting international attention, and investors are searching for promising early-stage companies capable of becoming global leaders.
With $17 million secured and seven investments already completed, Bajela is positioning Evertrue Capital to become an important new participant in Europe’s venture capital landscape.
Yvonne Bajela Secures $17 Million for Evertrue Capital
Bajela announced that Evertrue Capital had officially closed its first fund at $17 million, exceeding its original fundraising target of approximately $13 million.
The firm will concentrate on early-stage investments across the UK and Europe, supporting entrepreneurs with promising ideas and the potential to build internationally competitive businesses.
Evertrue has already invested in seven companies and plans to back at least 20 businesses over the next three years.
According to Bajela, the average investment will be approximately £350,000, giving the fund an opportunity to establish relationships with founders while their businesses are still developing.
The decision to launch an independent investment firm followed more than ten years working in venture capital. Most recently, Bajela was associated with LocalGlobe and Impact X Capital Partners, where she invested in businesses that went on to achieve significant success.
Her previous investments include Wise, the financial technology company; Marshmallow, the insurance business; and Moove, the mobility and robotaxi company.
These experiences gave her valuable insight into identifying promising entrepreneurs, evaluating emerging markets and recognising businesses with the potential to scale.
Explaining her motivation, Bajela said that after spending years supporting founders who committed everything to their ideas, she felt ready to make a significant bet of her own.
Launching Evertrue gives her the freedom to make investment decisions independently and develop a firm that reflects her personal philosophy.
How the AI Boom Inspired Her Decision to Launch a Fund
The rapid development of artificial intelligence was one of the major factors that convinced Bajela that the time was right to establish Evertrue Capital.
She believes AI is fundamentally changing the economics of entrepreneurship by making it easier and less expensive to develop products, test business ideas and launch new companies.
In the past, building a technology business often required substantial financial resources, large teams and considerable technical infrastructure.
Today, artificial intelligence tools are allowing smaller teams and individual entrepreneurs to accomplish tasks that previously demanded much larger organisations.
This development has expanded the pool of potential startup founders while creating new opportunities for early-stage investors.
However, Bajela believes that although building a company has become more accessible, creating a business that can survive, grow and maintain a competitive advantage remains exceptionally difficult.
That distinction is central to her investment philosophy.
She is not simply interested in companies benefiting from the latest technology trends. Instead, she wants to identify entrepreneurs who understand genuine market problems and possess the ability to build lasting businesses.
For Evertrue, the AI revolution represents an opportunity to discover talented founders earlier and support them before their companies become established market leaders.
Britain’s Startup Ecosystem Is Creating New Investment Opportunities
Evertrue Capital is entering the market as Britain’s technology sector continues to attract attention from international investors.
London has become an increasingly important destination for artificial intelligence companies, with King’s Cross recognised as one of the world’s leading AI hubs.
Several successful technology businesses have also demonstrated the potential of British startups to compete on a global scale.
Companies such as Revolut, Synthesia and ElevenLabs have helped strengthen the UK’s reputation as a destination for ambitious technology entrepreneurs. Bezos-backed CuspAI is another example of the innovative businesses emerging from the country’s startup ecosystem.
For Bajela, the growing strength of the British technology sector creates opportunities to invest in promising companies before they achieve widespread recognition.
She believes that future global technology leaders will emerge from a much wider range of backgrounds and starting points than traditional investment models might suggest.
This creates an opportunity for investors willing to look beyond established startup networks and identify exceptional talent wherever it exists.
Evertrue’s strategy reflects that outlook, with a focus on discovering businesses that have the potential to become internationally significant.
Raising Money Was Not Easy for This First-Time Fund Manager
Despite successfully raising $17 million, Bajela acknowledged that securing commitments for a new venture capital fund was a demanding process.
Emerging fund managers often face significant obstacles when trying to attract institutional investors, particularly in markets where capital is concentrated among established investment firms with long track records.
In the United States, the fundraising environment has increasingly been described as a barbell market, where investment capital flows disproportionately towards the largest firms and managers with proven histories of success.
The situation in the UK appears somewhat more encouraging.
PitchBook data covering the period through the end of September showed that emerging fund managers in the region had raised $7.4 billion, already exceeding the $6.2 billion raised throughout 2025.
Nevertheless, Bajela said the fundraising experience involved considerable challenges.
Some of the most disappointing moments came after months of discussions with prospective investors, only for those conversations to end without financial commitments.
She explained that prolonged fundraising processes without clear decisions can be particularly costly because time is one of the most valuable resources available to entrepreneurs and emerging fund managers.
Despite these difficulties, Evertrue eventually secured the backing of five institutional investors.
British Business Bank Backs Evertrue Capital
Among Evertrue’s institutional supporters are the British Business Bank and Basecamp, a fund-of-funds operated by Phoenix Court, the investment firm that is also home to LocalGlobe.
The fund also participated in the British Business Bank’s £400 million Investor Pathways capital initiative.
As part of the programme, £90 million was allocated to 10 first-time fund managers, helping emerging investment firms establish themselves and gain access to institutional capital.
The support represents an important milestone for Evertrue, particularly given the challenges that new fund managers face when trying to establish credibility with institutional investors.
Interestingly, Bajela initially planned to raise approximately $13 million. However, stronger-than-expected investor interest allowed the fund to exceed that target.
Rather than continuing to accept commitments and substantially increasing the fund’s size, she chose to turn away additional investors.
Her decision was based on the belief that the size of a venture capital fund should reflect its investment strategy rather than simply how much capital it can attract.
She wants Evertrue to have enough money to establish meaningful positions in companies she strongly believes in without feeling pressured to invest additional capital simply because it is available.
This disciplined approach reflects her emphasis on investment quality over headline fundraising figures.
An International Investor Network With Global Ambitions
Although Evertrue primarily targets startups in the UK and Europe, its investor network extends well beyond the region.
Approximately 80% of its limited partners, or LPs, are based in the United Kingdom. The remainder are spread across Europe, Asia and the United States.
Bajela said this international investor base reflects the professional relationships she has developed through more than a decade of investing across different markets.
It also supports Evertrue’s broader ambition to back businesses capable of expanding internationally.
The US market is particularly important for many British startups, with founders frequently viewing American expansion as a major opportunity for growth.
More than half of Evertrue’s existing portfolio companies already have operations in the United States.
This international orientation could prove valuable as the businesses seek new customers, commercial partnerships and investment opportunities outside their home markets.
AI and Fintech Will Be at the Centre of Evertrue’s Investment Strategy
Artificial intelligence and financial technology will form the core of Evertrue Capital’s investment focus.
However, Bajela says her interest extends beyond the industries in which companies operate.
She is particularly attracted to founders who possess a distinctive understanding of a problem, demonstrate exceptional execution capabilities and have the ambition to build something significantly larger than their original product.
In other words, she wants to invest in people who can identify opportunities others might overlook and transform those insights into valuable businesses.
She also considers the personal experiences of entrepreneurs, including the challenges they have faced and how those experiences have influenced their thinking.
For Bajela, a founder’s background can provide important insights into their ability to understand customers, navigate difficult circumstances and approach problems from unconventional perspectives.
This approach reflects her belief that exceptional entrepreneurial talent is not limited to particular educational institutions, professional networks or geographic locations.
From Goldman Sachs to Japan: The Experience Behind Bajela’s Investment Philosophy
Bajela brings an international professional background to her new venture capital firm.
She began her career as an analyst at Goldman Sachs before moving into investment management.
Her professional journey also took her to Japan, where she worked as a senior investment manager at Mitsui.
These experiences exposed her to different financial markets, business environments and investment cultures.
Combined with her years at LocalGlobe and Impact X Capital Partners, they helped shape her understanding of how successful businesses are developed across different industries and regions.
Throughout her career, Bajela said she has witnessed how widely distributed ambition and entrepreneurial talent can be.
That belief is now reflected in Evertrue’s investment strategy, which aims to identify exceptional founders regardless of where their journeys begin.
Evertrue Capital’s Bigger Ambition Goes Beyond Raising $17 Million
The successful closure of Evertrue Capital’s first fund is an important achievement, but Bajela’s ambitions extend beyond fundraising.
With seven investments already completed and a target of at least 20 portfolio companies over the next three years, the firm is beginning to establish its presence in Europe’s competitive venture capital market.
Its focus on artificial intelligence, fintech and internationally ambitious founders places it in a promising position as technology continues to reshape the global economy.
However, the firm’s long-term success will ultimately depend on the quality of the businesses it backs and their ability to turn innovative ideas into sustainable companies.
Bajela has made her priorities clear: she wants Evertrue to be recognised for the exceptional entrepreneurs it supports and the businesses they go on to build.
After more than a decade helping other people pursue their entrepreneurial ambitions, she now has the opportunity to put her own investment philosophy to the test.
And with $17 million behind her, the next chapter of her venture capital journey has officially begun.
