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London-based procurement software company Omnea has
launched the Omnea Future Founders Fund, a new initiative designed to support
employees who want to start their own businesses. The programme, launched in
partnership with European angel fund Firedrop, will allow employees who have
spent at least five years at the company to pitch for $250,000 in seed funding
to launch their own ventures.
Founded in London with offices in New York, Omnea
develops an AI-native procurement orchestration platform that helps businesses
manage purchasing workflows by connecting requests, approvals, suppliers and
spend data into a single system.
Employees will pitch directly to Omnea founder and CEO
Ben Freeman and Firedrop founding partner Pietro Invernizzi in a single
30-minute meeting, with investment decisions made immediately.
In addition to funding, successful applicants will
receive workspace, operational support and coaching from Omnea’s leadership
team, along with access to the combined network of Omnea and Firedrop, which
includes entrepreneurs, operators and investors such as Claire Hughes Johnson (former
COO of Stripe), Anne Raimondi (COO of Asana), Joel Hellermark (CEO of Sana),
and Harsh Sinha (CTO of Wise).
According to Ben Freeman, joining a high-growth startup
can give aspiring founders the experience, skills and network needed to build a
company of their own.
People who want to start businesses are looking
for an environment where they can develop the skills they need and find a
launchpad for the next step. Omnea does exactly that, which is why we have the
confidence to invest in any long-serving Omnean who chooses to take that
path,
he said.
Pietro Invernizzi, founding partner at Firedrop, said
Omnea attracts and develops people with the qualities early-stage investors
typically look for in founders, adding that the partnership aims to help more
employees turn their ideas into companies.