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UK's Tapestry VC closes a €70m (US$80m) Fund III for repeat founders, co-anchored by the state British Business Bank

Nearly triple its prior fund; the British Business Bank commits €35m alongside Railpen and Molten Ventures; ~30 startups at US$1m to US$3m cheques

Startups· active Whose Money·The Long Game ·6 takes · ·rbtfl upd Jul 2, 2026
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The split

The same story, as told by newsrooms in different countries. Their words, attributed and linked.

United States

Crunchbase News

“Tapestry VC has closed an $80 million third fund to double down on repeat founders.”

US ventureread the original ↗

European Union

EU-Startups

“Co-anchored by a €35 million commitment from British Business Bank.”

European ventureread the original ↗

Ireland

Silicon Republic

“OpenAI's Sarah Friar among backers of Tapestry VC's new repeat-founder $80m Fund III.”

Irish/European techread the original ↗

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Summary

London-based Tapestry VC, an early backer of Nothing and Hopin, closed its third fund at €70m (about US$80m) on 30 June 2026, nearly tripling its prior €30m vehicle. The UK state-owned British Business Bank co-anchored with a €35m commitment, alongside returning LPs Railpen and Molten Ventures, with OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar among individual backers. The firm will back around 30 startups at initial cheques of US$1m to US$3m, targeting repeat founders across Europe and North America. Founder Patrick Murphy is relocating from San Francisco to open a flagship London office as part of the raise.

The split

US venture coverage frames the fund around its repeat-founder thesis and rising cheque sizes. European outlets lead instead with the British Business Bank's anchor stake, reading state capital as decisive for a European early-stage manager closing a fund in a tight LP market. The founder's move from San Francisco to London is itself the signal: European institutional money pulling talent back across the Atlantic.

By the numbers

  • €70m (~US$80m), Fund III size.
  • €30m, the prior fund, nearly tripled.
  • €35m, the British Business Bank's co-anchor.
  • ~30, startups targeted at US$1m to US$3m cheques.
  • June 30, 2026, close.

Why it matters

State-anchored early-stage funds are how Europe is trying to keep founders and capital at home rather than losing them to US firms. A British Business Bank cornerstone pulling a fund to nearly triple its size, and a GP relocating from San Francisco to London, is a small concrete instance of that push against the transatlantic talent drain.

What to watch

  • Whether more European early-stage GPs lean on state anchors to close funds.
  • Tapestry's first Fund III deals and its London-versus-US deployment split.
  • Whether the repeat-founder thesis outperforms in a tighter market.

The briefing, by email