ID8 provides time or strategic capital, or both, in startups and scaleups sharing our own DNA: Consumer Entertainment (with a focus on gaming & gambling); FinTech (with a focus on trading, fiat:crypto rails, & stablecoins); CycleTech and cool ideas with the potential to transform daily lives.
We have deep insights from decades of our own lived experience, as well as an enormous, steaming, heaving global network.
We play poker, bet, trade, ride bikes, read voraciously, and invest on conviction (sanity-checked with math).
We source deals from friends and former colleagues, as well as from paying attention at conferences, on social media, and at the pub. We invest super-early (we prefer to be the first money in), so always glad to review a well-thought-out powerpoint deck at the beginning of a founder's journey.
We also share dealflow with friends around the world, including other Business Angels, a few Family Offices, & some brilliant Venture Capital funds like Dreamcraft (where our MD is a Venture Partner) and DRIVE by DraftKings (where our MD is a former staffer), among others. We have robust conversations with them about emerging trends and opportunities.
There are only ~20 Angel & VC investors around the world who regularly write cheques for early-stage gambling companies, and we can let them know you exist.
Our MD is Jeffrey Haas, a Copenhagen-based Canadian & British Angel Investor. As such, we focus on companies in our 'home' markets of Scandinavia, UK & Canada. Though we are open to global opportunities.
Our portfolio companies - held directly or via our MD - reside across emerging technology themes. They include:
We will consider participation in token offerings, and investing in select digital assets. We are curious about how fractionalization and DLT can be used to store and transfer ownership of real-world assets. No monkey pictures, please.
We are very (VERY) interested in Artificial Intelligence, particularly where it intersects with Gaming. Throw ideas at us. Let's ideate!
We had a few notable exits along the way. Our favourite was when our friends at world-leading AI CRM specialists VAIX.ai sold their business to Sportradar in April 2022. The others were: Nutmeg being acquired by JP Morgan in June 2021; and Freetrade being acquired by IG Group in April 2025.
What we look for in the companies we back:
Innovative Technology
We seek companies developing proprietary technologies that provide a sustainable competitive advantage. It needs to be a good idea, interesting (to us), and worth putting time or money, or both, into helping crystalize its potential. Reviewing the porfolio above will provie a sense of what we like.
Strong Team
We invest in passionate founders with world-leading domain expertise, with the energy and the ability to execute on their vision.
Market Potential
We target startups addressing large, growing markets with clear paths to scalability. It's OK to start in Azerbaijan, Australia or Angola (for example), but the destination should be the global market.
Traction
We value companies that have demonstrated initial product-market fit or user adoption, though it's not necessary. We will consider Day Zero Companies for the right founders and ideas.