Jenson Ventures welcomes Steve Leighton as new partner

Jenson Ventures announces that Steve Leighton, a two-time exited founder and one of their earliest portfolio company entrepreneurs, is joining the firm as Chairman and Partner.

This marks what may be a first in UK venture capital – an exited founder returning to the VC that backed him from the beginning, now stepping into a leadership role to shape the next generation of high-growth startups.

Their journey with Steve began back in 2013 when Jenson invested in DICE Networks via their SEIS Fund. DICE began as a VOIP solution and soon pivoted to become Voneus – a rural broadband provider on a mission to bring high-speed internet to hard-to-reach communities. They backed Voneus through multiple rounds of EIS funding, supporting the company from idea to market leadership.

In 2019, Voneus secured a strategic partnership with Macquarie Capital – the investment arm of Macquarie Group – with an initial commitment of £10 million and potential investment of up to £30 million. Jenson exited Voneus in 2021, successfully returning capital across five of their funds.

Macquarie and its funding partners have since invested significant sums into Voneus as it has continued its journey.

Since then, Steve has gone on to launch Zapgo, an innovative electric vehicle charge point operator with a strong destination focus. By integrating rapid EV charging into everyday destinations like stately homes, farm shops, garden centres, gyms and cafés, Zapgo is revolutionising how drivers power up. Steve will continue as an Ambassador for Zapgo and remains an Advisor to Voneus.

Steve now joins Jenson Ventures with a unique founder-to-investor perspective. His experience in scaling startups, pivoting for growth, and raising follow-on capital makes him an invaluable asset to both their team and the founders they back.

“We’ve always believed in backing exceptional founders – and we couldn’t be more excited to welcome one of our own into the fold. Steve brings unmatched insight, empathy, and energy, and we can’t wait to see the impact he’ll have across our portfolio,” said the Jenson Ventures team.

Steve Leighton commented:

“This is a dream role for me. Re-engaging with the Jenson team gives me the opportunity to do for them what they did for me and help them build an exciting business with creativity and dynamism at its heart. Thanks to Jenson’s support, Voneus grew into the rural broadband powerhouse that it is today and it’s my aim to turn Jenson into the ‘go-to’ fund for entrepreneurs and funders alike.

“I know better than anyone the challenges faced when starting and then growing a business. From my seat as Chairman, I will seek to attract funds into Jenson for us to deploy and then, uniquely in this market, I will work with the Jenson team to guide our portfolio business founders as they embark on their individual journeys. I can’t wait to get started!”