Ben Black

Managing Director at Verlinvest

📍 United Kingdom🔄 Updated October 2026💼 5 investments📅 10 years investing🗓 Last invested Jun 2026
VC🌍 United KingdomInvested this year
5
Total investments
0
Early stage
2
Mid stage
2
Late stage
10y
Years active

Portfolio

5 investments · sorted by recency
All investments
Early stage
Mid stage
Late stage
Series B Lead Investor
Jun 2026
Years.com is on a mission to help your dog live a happier, healthier and longer life. * High growth direct to consumer brand * Fully funded with 25,000 sq.ft headquarters * Experienced founding team If you are brilliant, no matter the role or your experience, Years.com is currently recruiting (visit years.com) for team members who believe anything is possible and they will do everything needed to achieve.
mid stagePet Services
Series B Lead Investor
Mar 2025
Korean effectiveness meets sustainable solutions: our mindfully produced skincare products are made with love in Korea. Yepoda’s mission is to bring you the best natural and active ingredients without ever compromising on quality or sustainability. We are a young skincare start-up launched in spring 2020, and proudly recognised as one of LinkedIns Top Startups 2025 in Germany. Would you like to join us? Check our website!
mid stageCosmetics
Board Observer
Mar 2021
We are one of the fastest-growing eCommerce businesses in Australia (and now the US and UK too!). More than that, we’re one of the country’s fastest-growing social businesses. Who Gives a Crap sells beautiful, forest friendly toilet paper, paper towels and tissues and we donate 50% of our profits to help build toilets for those in need. As much as we love toilet paper, the reason we’re in business is the impact we’re having on the world—To date, Who Gives A Crap has donated over $8 million Aussie dollars to our charity partners, WaterAid, Sanergy, Lwala Community Alliance and Shining Hope For Communities, iDE and WaterSHED. The more innovative the solutions our partners can unlock, the quicker we can help build toilets for the 2 billion people who don’t have them. We have a fully distributed business with all team members working remotely (i.e. from home or a co-working space) most of the time. We currently operate in six time zones with team members across four continents... and we’re just getting started. We believe a diversity of perspectives and experiences is what makes a strong team. The stronger our team, the closer we are to our mission – toilets and clean water for all. So come join us! Were looking for people of all genders, races, ethnicities, orientations, abilities and disabilities to come sit at our table. The only thing were a stickler on is species – you have to be a person.
late stageRetail
Board Member
Dec 2016
Oatly is a company built on the idea of change. We exist to make it easy for people to eat better and live healthier lives without recklessly taxing the planet’s resources in the process. This is why we come to work every day. Headquartered in Malmö, Sweden, the Oatly brand is available in more than 20 countries across Europe, North America and Asia. Visit oatly.com to learn more.
Board Member
Mar 2016
Pioneering Gluten Free bakers since 2009, we believe everyone deserves to live a life without symptoms, without compromise and with utter deliciousness. We work together to harness our collective genius to make this a reality in the UK with our Deliciously Gluten Free bakery range. Before we came along there were no fresh gluten free products you could get hold of easily. Genius changed that. It started with loaves, but these days we’re doing everything from pancakes to tiger bloomers, and we’re adding new products all the time. We have just three simple rules: they’ve got to be tasty, they’ve got to be of a high quality, and of course, they’ve got to be deliciously gluten free.
Experience · 8 entries
All (8)
Investments (5)
Board (3)
2026
Series B Lead Investor
Jun 2026
Years.com is on a mission to help your dog live a happier, healthier and longer life. * High growth direct to consumer brand * Fully funded with 25,000 sq.ft headquarters * Experienced founding team If you are brilliant, no matter the role or your experience, Years.com is currently recruiting (visit years.com) for team members who believe anything is possible and they will do everything needed to achieve.
mid stagePet Services
2025
Series B Lead Investor
Mar 2025
Korean effectiveness meets sustainable solutions: our mindfully produced skincare products are made with love in Korea. Yepoda’s mission is to bring you the best natural and active ingredients without ever compromising on quality or sustainability. We are a young skincare start-up launched in spring 2020, and proudly recognised as one of LinkedIns Top Startups 2025 in Germany. Would you like to join us? Check our website!
mid stageCosmetics
2021
Member of LPAC
Jun 2021
We love and invest in category defining consumer brands of tomorrow. Founded and run by the innocent drinks founders. Investments include Oatly, Many Pets, Deliveroo, Papier & Babylon.
Board Observer
Mar 2021
We are one of the fastest-growing eCommerce businesses in Australia (and now the US and UK too!). More than that, we’re one of the country’s fastest-growing social businesses. Who Gives a Crap sells beautiful, forest friendly toilet paper, paper towels and tissues and we donate 50% of our profits to help build toilets for those in need. As much as we love toilet paper, the reason we’re in business is the impact we’re having on the world—To date, Who Gives A Crap has donated over $8 million Aussie dollars to our charity partners, WaterAid, Sanergy, Lwala Community Alliance and Shining Hope For Communities, iDE and WaterSHED. The more innovative the solutions our partners can unlock, the quicker we can help build toilets for the 2 billion people who don’t have them. We have a fully distributed business with all team members working remotely (i.e. from home or a co-working space) most of the time. We currently operate in six time zones with team members across four continents... and we’re just getting started. We believe a diversity of perspectives and experiences is what makes a strong team. The stronger our team, the closer we are to our mission – toilets and clean water for all. So come join us! Were looking for people of all genders, races, ethnicities, orientations, abilities and disabilities to come sit at our table. The only thing were a stickler on is species – you have to be a person.
late stageRetail
2016
Board Member
Dec 2016
Oatly is a company built on the idea of change. We exist to make it easy for people to eat better and live healthier lives without recklessly taxing the planet’s resources in the process. This is why we come to work every day. Headquartered in Malmö, Sweden, the Oatly brand is available in more than 20 countries across Europe, North America and Asia. Visit oatly.com to learn more.
Show all 8 entries ↓
Investment activity
2016–2026 · 5 investments
20162202112025120261
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