Venture capitalist Yvonne Bajela has launched Evertrue with a $17 million debut fund, establishing her own investment firm after more than a decade backing startups. Announcing the oversubscribed close on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, Bajela said she wanted greater independence to pursue her investment convictions. The fund will concentrate on early-stage businesses across the U.K. and Europe, principally in artificial intelligence and financial technology, as she seeks opportunities among founders building companies with international ambitions.

Evertrue has already invested in seven companies and intends to back at least 20 over the next three years, with an expected average cheque size of around £350,000, Bajela said. The fund had initially sought around $13 million, but investor demand took the final amount above that target. Bajela nevertheless declined further commitments rather than continue expanding the fund, saying the amount raised needed to fit the investment strategy rather than become an objective in its own right.

The launch follows roles at LocalGlobe and Impact X Capital Partners, with Bajela's previous investments including fintech company Wise. She began her career as an analyst at Goldman Sachs and has also worked in Japan as a senior investment manager. That experience across markets informs Evertrue's approach, she said, having shown her that entrepreneurial talent and ambition are not confined to a narrow set of locations. Running her own firm gives her scope to put that view into practice.

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Bajela identified the expansion of AI as an important reason for launching now. In her assessment, the technology has altered the economics of starting a business and opened opportunities for investors entering at an early stage. She drew a distinction, however, between making it easier to build and creating a business that lasts. She is looking for founders with a particular understanding of a problem, the capacity to execute and aspirations extending beyond their first product.

The U.K. provides a backdrop for that strategy. King's Cross has become a leading AI centre, while businesses including Revolut, Synthesia, ElevenLabs and the Bezos-backed CuspAI illustrate the country's ability to develop and attract growing technology companies. For Bajela, the opportunity is to identify the next generation of British entrepreneurs before their businesses become established. She expects internationally significant companies to develop from a broader variety of origins, an outlook consistent with Evertrue's interest in founders whose experiences give them a distinctive perspective.

Fundraising conditions offer a mixed picture for a new investment firm. PitchBook data through the end of September 2026 showed emerging U.K. fund managers had raised $7.4 billion, exceeding the $6.2 billion recorded for all of 2025. Those figures point to greater capital raised by the group, but Bajela's experience shows that the process can still be difficult for an individual manager. She described fundraising as demanding, particularly when lengthy discussions ended in rejection after substantial time had already been committed.

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Evertrue secured five institutional backers, including the British Business Bank and Basecamp, the fund-of-funds operated by Phoenix Court, which also houses LocalGlobe. The fund participated in the British Business Bank's £400 million Investor Pathways initiative, under which £90 million went to 10 first-time fund managers. Those commitments place Evertrue's close alongside a broader effort to provide capital to new managers. The institutional support also sits alongside Bajela's account of repeated fundraising conversations that did not ultimately result in investment.

The decision to stop at $17 million reflects a preference for controlling the scale of deployment despite additional investor interest. Bajela said she wanted sufficient capital to establish meaningful holdings in the investments she believed in most strongly, without feeling obliged to invest simply because more money was available. Her position distinguishes the success of securing commitments from the question of how much capital a strategy requires. For Evertrue, the stated portfolio plans and expected average cheque size provide the framework for putting the fund to work.

Around 80% of Evertrue's limited partners are based in the U.K., with the remainder spread across Europe, Asia and the U.S. Bajela said those international commitments reflected relationships developed during her investment career and the firm's ambitions beyond its home market. That outlook is already visible in its investments: more than half of the portfolio operates in the U.S. The geographical focus on sourcing early-stage businesses in the U.K. and Europe therefore does not imply a similarly limited market for the companies themselves.

Evertrue's next task is to build out its portfolio over the next three years while maintaining its focus on AI and fintech. Bajela said her assessment of founders includes the obstacles they have overcome and how those experiences influence their thinking, as well as their insight and ability to deliver. Having chosen not to enlarge the fund further, she wants the firm's reputation to rest on the founders it supports and the companies they ultimately create.