Chris Adelsbach
Location: Europe
Chris Adelsbach is an entrepreneur, investor, mentor and dad. He is the Managing Partner of Outrun Ventures and one of Europe’s most successful Angel investors in fintech companies. He started, scaled, and sold Marlin Financial Group – appearing in the Sunday Times Fast Track 100 for four consecutive years. He then helped to build the Techstars accelerator fintech practice in Europe. He’s invested, as an Angel, in over 200 companies and was named Business Angel of the Year in the UK in 2018/19 and the most active angel investor in Europe in 2020/21/22 by Sifted. In 2022 Business Insider named him number one in their inaugural European ‘Seed 50’ rankings.
NUMBER
#528Xs
269Investments
139Exits
9| Number of Portfolio Companies 2 | ||
| Location Europe |
Chris Adelsbach serves as Venture Partner at Techstars. Entrepreneur with a 9-figure exit. He serves as Board Observer and Advisor at Crowdz. He is a founding Partner at Outrun Ventures. Angel investor with a private portfolio of 140+ companies that have had >?1.5bn of follow-on investment. UKBAA Angel Investor of the year 2018/19. He led the leading FinTech accelerator in Europe as Managing Director of Techstars, investing in an additional 50 FinTech companies with a 5X return to date. Co-founder of Marlin Financial Group which featured in the Sunday Times Fast Track 100 in 2009/10/11/12/13 as one of the top 100 fastest growing privately held companies in the UK. After Marlin exited a NASDAQ-listed company in 2014, he made the transition from entrepreneur to venture investor and startup mentor.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Founding Partner | Outrun Ventures (Aug 2019 – Present)
- Leading investment firm focused on Series Seed investments in UK/Europe fintech startups
- Specializing in B2B and B2C companies in fintech, regtech, insurtech, proptech, payments, and lending
- Portfolio includes investments in category-defining businesses with >£1.75 billion follow-on investment
Venture Partner | Techstars (May 2019 – Present)
- Providing strategic advice and mentorship for company selection to Techstars MDs across Europe
- Contributing to the global Techstars network development and portfolio growth
Managing Director | Techstars (Mar 2015 – May 2019)
- Built and led Europe’s #1 rated accelerator program
- Managed portfolio of 50 investments achieving >8x returns to date
- Collaborated with Barclays and leading business mentors, advisors, and VCs
Co-Founder | Marlin Financial Group (Prior to 2014)
- Co-founded specialty finance company featured in Sunday Times Fast Track 100 for five consecutive years (2009-2013)
- Led company to successful exit through acquisition by NASDAQ-listed entity in 2014
Senior Executive | GE Capital
- Ten-year career in financial services leadership
BOARD & ADVISORY POSITIONS
Board Member | UK Business Angels Association (Jan 2022 – Present)
Advisory Board Member and Investor | Venari Security (Jun 2021 – Present)
- Strategic advisor for encrypted traffic analysis security solutions
Advisory Board Member | Quant Network (2018 – Present)
- Advising on development of Overledger blockchain operating system
Chris Adelsbach Investments
- Deal Date: November 25, 2024
- Deal Type: Seed Round
- Industry: Financial Software
- Company Stage: Startup
- Lead Partner: LO:TECH
- Deal Date: September 12, 2024
- Industry: Financial Software
- Company Stage: Generating Revenue
- Deal Date: September 12, 2024
- Industry: Financial Software
- Company Stage: Generating Revenue
- Deal Date: June 4, 2024
- Industry: Financial Software
- Company Stage: Generating Revenue
- Deal Date: May 1, 2024
- Industry: Business/Productivity Software
- Company Stage: Generating Revenue
- Deal Date: May 1, 2024
- Industry: IT Consulting and Outsourcing
- Company Stage: Startup
- Deal Date: April 24, 2024
- Industry: Business/Productivity Software
- Company Stage: Startup
- Deal Date: April 24, 2024
- Industry: Financial Software
- Company Stage: Generating Revenue
- Deal Date: March 29, 2024
- Deal Type: Later Stage VC
- Industry: Network Management Software
- Company Stage: Generating Revenue
- Deal Date: March 27, 2024
- Deal Type: Seed Round
- Industry: Legal Services (B2B)
- Company Stage: Generating Revenue
ACHIEVEMENTS & RECOGNITION
- Great British Entrepreneur Awards Investor of the Year (2023)
- Business Insider’s #1 Seed Investor in Europe (2022)
- Sifted’s Most Active Fintech Angel in Europe (2021-2023)
- UKBAA Angel Investor of the Year (2018/19)
- Portfolio of 250+ companies, including three unicorns
- Notable investments: Marshmallow, Quant Network, Atom Bank, Smart Pension, BondAval, Kuda Bank, Griffin Bank
EDUCATION
BBA in Finance, Marketing, Strategy | University of Michigan – Stephen M. Ross School of Business (1991-1995)
- GPA: 3.56/4.0 (Highest Distinction)
- Activities: Delta Sigma Pi Business Fraternity
VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE
President – United Kingdom | University of Michigan Alumni Association (May 2017 – Feb 2023)
- Led UK chapter of world’s largest alumni association (600,000+ members)
- Organized professional, social, and volunteering events
Member and Fundraiser | Twins Trust (Mar 2009 – Present)
Contact Information
- Location: United Kingdom
– Professional Followers: 8,399
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