She Backed Wise and Flutterwave Early: Now Yvonne Bajela Just Raised $17M to Shake Up European Tech

Yvonne Bajela has officially closed an oversubscribed $17 million debut fund for her new venture capital firm, Evertrue Capital. The fund is set up to back European and British founders at the earliest stage of their journey, specifically zeroing in on artificial intelligence and frontier technology.

At a time when tech founders are struggling to secure early cash and solo venture capitalists find it tough to get capital commitments, Bajela pulled off a massive feat. She initially set out to raise $13 million. Instead of falling short, demand from institutional investors pushed the total to $17 million, forcing her to turn away extra checks to keep the fund concentrated and disciplined.

Her move signals a major shift in how smart money views early tech bets across the United Kingdom and Europe. Rather than spreading thin checks across hundreds of random ideas, Evertrue Capital wants to make high-conviction bets on gritty founders solving non-obvious problems before the rest of Silicon Valley catches on.

Who Is Yvonne Bajela? The Track Record Behind the Millions

If you follow the global tech and venture capital landscape, Yvonne Bajela is not a stranger. The British-Ghanaian investor has built a reputation over the last decade as an early-stage spotter of billion-dollar startups.

Before launching Evertrue Capital, Bajela served as a Partner at Phoenix Court, the investment powerhouse behind iconic European venture arms like LocalGlobe and Latitude. Earlier in her career, she was an integral part of the founding team at Impact X Capital Partners, an initiative formed to back underrepresented founders across Europe. She also sharpened her corporate finance teeth as an analyst at Goldman Sachs and spent time directing tech investments for Japanese trading giant Mitsui & Co across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

Along the way, Bajela placed early bets on category-defining tech companies:

• Wise: She was an early believer in the cross-border money transfer platform that went on to list publicly in London at a multibillion-dollar valuation.
• Marshmallow: The digital insurance platform built by twin brothers Oliver and Alexander Kent-Braham that earned unicorn status in the UK.
• Moove: The African-founded mobility fintech giant that finances vehicles for ride-hailing drivers worldwide.

Her track record proves an eye for picking winners before they become corporate giants. As Bajela noted during the announcement, the founders who go on to build billion-dollar businesses almost never fit an obvious mold on day one. They are usually people driven by lived experience, tackling hard problems that traditional investors overlook.

Inside Evertrue Capital: Why $17M Is More Powerful Than It Sounds

In a venture ecosystem where mega-funds frequently announce billion-dollar war chests, a $17 million vehicle might seem modest at first glance. But in early-stage investing, that size is deliberate.

Bajela made it clear to outlets like TechCrunch that fund size is a strategic choice rather than a vanity metric. When a fund gets too massive, general partners are forced to write massive checks into later-stage companies just to deploy their cash. A tight $17 million pre-seed fund allows Evertrue Capital to lead rounds, take meaningful ownership stakes, and work side-by-side with engineers and product creators without feeling pressured to spray money everywhere.

The Institutional Backers Behind the Fund

Evertrue Capital secured backing from five premier institutional players and top operators:

1. British Business Bank: Backing the fund through its £400 million Investor Pathways programme designed to support emerging investment managers.
2. Phoenix Court: Investing through its Basecamp fund-of-funds vehicle.
3. Better Society Capital: Providing key institutional capital.
4. Bootstrap 4F: Supported via the UK’s Invest in Women Taskforce.
5. Allocator One: A specialized fund platform designed to scale first-time venture managers.

Nearly 80% of Evertrue’s limited partners are based in the UK, with the remaining capital originating from strategic backers across Asia, Europe, and the United States.

Where the Money Goes: AI, Frontier Tech, and US Ambitions

Evertrue Capital is not waiting around to put its dry powder to work. The fund has already backed seven early-stage companies across Europe and the UK.

The firm is focusing directly on infrastructure, artificial intelligence, and frontier computing tools. While the market is experiencing massive shifts in artificial intelligence valuation—as seen with big moves like the trillion-dollar AI bet sending stocks to historic levels and tech giants building custom AI chip infrastructure—Bajela is hunting for the foundational software layers that keep modern enterprises running.

Seven Portfolio Companies Already Backed

Evertrue’s early investments show where early venture capital sees long-term value:

• Zuba: Building core cross-border financial infrastructure for global businesses.
• Revion: Creating agentic AI automation built specifically for the automotive supply and retail chain.
• Poindexter Labs: An AI efficiency research lab developing lighter, faster computation tools.
• Zaro: Designing a shared knowledge layer that lets enterprise teams query company data without privacy risks.

Even though these companies were founded in the UK and Europe, more than half of them have already expanded operations into the United States. Bajela’s strategy ensures that European tech ideas do not get trapped inside their domestic markets, but instead scale globally from day one.

Why Pre-Seed Is the New Battleground for Global Investors

Raising early capital has completely transformed over the last two years. While big technology corporations continue spending record amounts on computational power—like Amazon’s massive multibillion-dollar AI bets—early founders face an entirely different reality.

Tools like GitHub Copilot, Claude, and Gemini mean a small team of two engineers can build a working software prototype in a single weekend. Building the initial product has become cheaper and faster than ever.

However, building an enduring, profitable company that survives past its first seed round is still difficult. Investors call this the valley of death between pre-seed and Series A funding. Founders do not just need a bank transfer; they need enterprise introductions, pricing advice, customer discovery help, and transatlantic expansion support.

That is where specialized operator-led funds give startups an edge. Evertrue connects its portfolio founders to an international network of general partners, enterprise leaders, and successful operators across London and New York.

Bridging African Diaspora Talent with Western Capital

Bajela’s fund launch also marks an inspiring milestone for representation in international finance. Historically, Black women and solo female managers have received a fraction of 1% of total venture capital funding worldwide.

Her success follows an expanding pattern of African diaspora professionals shaping international financial institutions. As African tech hubs expand with global players—evidenced by JP Morgan opening expanded operations in Nigeria—investors like Bajela prove that cross-border networks unlock unmatched value.

Having evaluated startups across London, Nairobi, Lagos, and Tokyo, she brings a truly global lens to technology problems. Founders building for emerging markets or handling complicated cross-border payment flows benefit greatly from investors who understand both developed capital markets and high-growth frontier economies.

What Comes Next for Evertrue Capital?

With seven portfolio investments already closed, Evertrue Capital plans to add a selective group of high-potential tech founders over the coming years.

Bajela is keeping her selection criteria strict:

• Deep founder empathy rooted in solving real daily problems.
• Groundbreaking applications in applied artificial intelligence and technical infrastructure.
• Global day-one operational plans, especially fast pathways into US and European commercial enterprise markets.

As traditional funds slow down their check-writing pace, Evertrue Capital’s fresh fund proves that strong venture operators with verified track records can still raise money and back the next wave of tech pioneers.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Evertrue Capital?

Evertrue Capital is a London-based venture capital firm founded by Yvonne Bajela. The firm invests in pre-seed stage technology startups across the UK and Europe, with a primary focus on artificial intelligence, frontier tech, and enterprise infrastructure.

How much money did Yvonne Bajela raise for her debut fund?

Yvonne Bajela raised $17 million for Evertrue Capital’s debut fund. The raise exceeded its initial $13 million target due to strong demand from institutional and strategic investors.

Who are the main institutional investors in Evertrue Capital?

The fund is backed by the British Business Bank via its Investor Pathways programme, Phoenix Court’s Basecamp fund-of-funds, Better Society Capital, Bootstrap 4F, and Allocator One.

What startups has Evertrue Capital invested in so far?

The fund has backed seven companies, including fintech infrastructure platform Zuba, automotive AI startup Revion, enterprise knowledge platform Zaro, and AI efficiency research team Poindexter Labs.

Why does Evertrue focus on pre-seed startups?

Pre-seed funding allows the firm to partner with founders at the earliest validation stage, helping them build enterprise-grade software and expand into markets like the US before competitors take notice.