Index Ventures is a European worldwideventure capital firm with dual headquarters in San Francisco and London, investing in technology-enabled companies with a focus on e-commerce, fintech, mobility, gaming, infrastructure/AI, and security. Since its founding in 1996, the firm has invested in a number of companies and raised approximately $5.6 billion.
History
Index Ventures has its origins in a Swiss bond-trading firm called Index Securities, founded by Gerald Rimer in 1976. In 1992, Rimer recruited his son, Neil, to join the firm and together they launched its technology investment arm, which would evolve into an independent entity, Index Ventures. Index Ventures was officially founded in 1996 by Neil Rimer, David Rimer and Giuseppe Zocco, when they raised a pilot fund of $17 million, followed by a $180 million fund in 1998. That year the firm also launched its life sciences practice, which in 2016 launched as an independent venture capital firm, Medicxi Ventures. Index Ventures' dual headquarters in San Francisco and London were opened in 2011 and 2002, respectively.
Danny Rimer has been named to Fortune's "40 under 40" list of the top rising stars in business, Forbes Midas List of the top 25 deal makers in venture capital, and the New York Times list of the top 20venture capitalists worldwide each year since its inception. Neil Rimer was named the number one venture capitalist in Europe in Forbes inaugural Midas List Europe 2017. The 2018 Forbes Global Midas List of the world's top venture capitalists featured Neil Rimer and Jan Hammer, and the 2018 New York Times list of the top venture capitalists worldwide featured four Index partners: Danny Rimer, Mike Volpi, Neil Rimer, and Jan Hammer.
Investments and Exits
Index Ventures has raised a number of venture funds, including Index Ventures I through VIII and Index Growth 1, 2 and 3. In 2018 the firm raised a total of $1.65 billion for an early-stage investment fund and a growth fund. The firm's notable exits include:
In 2018, Index launched the Index Ventures summer fellowship to support innovative student entrepreneurs. The program provided free office space, guest speakers, and mentorship with the partners at Index. Notable participants of the first batch include Akshay Ramaswamy and Chetan Rane, co-founders of Alma Campus, and Akbar Khan, co-founder of Dough.
