Imran Akram is a long-standing European growth investor and founding partner at AVP, where he leads growth deal. He focuses on technology businesses with strong international scale potential, especially fintech, marketplaces, SaaS, and data platforms.
He has been investing for more than 15 years across Europe and the US, and sits on multiple high-growth scale-up boards.
Investment Focus
- Fintech – GlobalCollect, Remitly, CurrencyFair, Finbourne
- Marketplaces – Auto1, Sendcloud, Treatwell/Wahanda, Quantoo, Zenjob
- Data & SaaS – Cognism, GoodData, Sonovate, ForceManager
- Recruitment & HR Tech – hackajob, Sonovate
- Gaming – Innogames
Typical investment scope: venture + growth rounds for tech companies scaling internationally (especially EU → US).
Current Roles
- General Partner, AVP (AXA Venture Partners) – Co-founded the firm, leads growth investments and AI/data platform initiatives.
- Board Member / Investor:
- Sendcloud
- Cognism
- Zenjob
- hackajob
- Investor:
- Sonovate
- Remitly
- CurrencyFair
- GoodData
- AUTO1 Group (former board)
- Multiple other European and US tech companies
Previous Experience
- Partner, DN Capital – Led investments into Auto1, Quandoo, Sonovate.
- Eight Roads / Fidelity Growth Partners Europe – Growth-stage tech investor (Wahanda, GoodData, Innogames).
- General Atlantic – Growth capital investor (GlobalCollect).
- Bain & Company – Sales/growth strategy, operational optimisation.
- Early experience at Citigroup, DLJ, Unilever.
What He Looks For
Based on portfolio patterns:
- Tech companies with clear revenue engines (fintech, B2B SaaS, logistics, sales tech, data).
- European founders who are scaling internationally, ideally to the US.
- Businesses where data and workflow automation create defensible advantages.
- Marketplaces with strong liquidity loops and operational complexity.
How Founders Can Engage Him
Imran openly notes he “enjoys brainstorming on growth strategies,” so founders approaching him should lead with:
- Clear traction metrics
- A crisp expansion thesis (especially US entry)
- How data/automation strengthens the product
- Your edge vs incumbents or adjacent players
He is best suited for founders at late-seed to growth stage with demonstrated product-market fit and a need for scaling capital + expansion expertise.
Background & Education
- University of Oxford – MEng, Engineering, Economics & Management
- International upbringing (UK, Turkey, Pakistan, Singapore) with multilingual capabilities.
- Awards include the Engineering Leadership Award and Mayor’s Gavel for Public Speaking.
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