John Ayton Mbe

Seed Investor Entrepreneur and company chair

📍 East Ashling, England, United Kingdom🔄 Updated September 2026💼 12 investments📅 19 years investing🗓 Last invested Aug 2021
Operator-angel🌍 United Kingdom
12
Total investments
5
Early stage
5
Mid stage
1
Late stage
19y
Years active

Portfolio

11 investments · sorted by recency
All investments
Early stage
Mid stage
Late stage
Seed Investor and Chair
Aug 2021
Grind is a coffee company that lives in London. After opening Shoreditch Grind in 2011, the brand expanded across London with cafés and a production coffee roastery. 2020 changed Grind beyond recognition, and today Grind coffee is available online - through our direct-to-consumer coffee business led by the UK’s first compostable coffee pods for Nespresso machines - as well as around the world as the global coffee partner for Soho House.
late stageRestaurants
Seed Investor and Chair
Oct 2020
Every community needs a home. A space that can be lived in, not passed through. Somewhere private, but welcoming to those who know it. An escape from the world, where you can just be you. The Subdial Clubhouse is a home for watch enthusiasts to discover, manage and trade watches. Were turning the traditional dealer model on its head: our network-powered trading model allows users to take control of the collecting journey by accessing a global network of watches that arent on the public markets.
early stageRetail
Investor and Board Advisor
Oct 2019
Luxury aftercare for shoes, bags and leather goods. Book a contactless collection from your home, anywhere in the world.
Seed Investor
Jun 2018
Vinterior is a vintage furniture marketplace with over 1,850 vintage sellers from over 30 countries and counting. As the new home of vintage, we want to be the place where you discover sellers, find one-of-a-kind pieces, and shop more sustainably. We offer over 25 styles, including Mid-Century, Art Deco, Mid Century, Scandinavian Modern, Shabby Chic, Bauhaus, Industrial, Boho, Rustic, British, French, Italian and Chinese Antiques. Vinterior launched in 2016 with 12 London dealers and 200 mid-century furniture pieces. In five years, we have grown to a community of 1,800 vintage sellers across Europe which has generated over $600 million in sales worldwide. 200,000 products across 97 furniture and homeware categories and 25 styles are now available on Vinterior, to the delight of our vintage fans. After growing 120% in 2020, we have become the leading vintage marketplace in the UK. We have just raised a $10m series A to accelerate growth and expand to new markets in order to become the European leader by 2023. Discover remarkable design today at www.vinterior.co.
Seed Investor and Board Advisor
Apr 2018
𝙁𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮, a drink to 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 about.™ No sugar. No sweeteners. No worries.
Seed Investor and Board Observer
Nov 2017
Togather started life in 2017 as Feast It, a platform for people to book street food caterers for their birthday parties and weddings. Since then, we have become the UK’s leading event booking platform, offering access to a curated community of suppliers spanning food, drink, photographers, venues, and so much more. We have also grown from a company of 2 twenty-somethings in a flatshare to a team of over 70 dedicated and passionate event experts who, together with our algorithm-led technology, are on hand to match ideas and visions with the best people to bring them to life. In short, we remove the stress from event planning, allowing our customers to bring their visions to life and give their guests and colleagues memories they will never forget. In 2023, Feast It rebranded with a brand new name and look, one that better fits who we are and where we’re going: Togather.
early stageEvents Services
Seed Investor
Apr 2016
People deserve more from their money. More visibility, more control, and more freedom. Since 2015, Revolut has been on a mission to deliver just that. Our powerhouse of products help our 70+ million customers get more from their money every day. As we continue our lightning-fast growth,‌ 2 things are essential to our success: our people and our culture. In recognition of our outstanding employee experience, weve been certified as a Great Place to Work™. So far, we have 10,000+ people working around the world, from our offices and remotely, to help us achieve our mission. And were looking for more brilliant people. People who love building great products, redefining success, and turning the complexity of a chaotic world into the simplicity of a beautiful solution.
Seed Investor and Chair
Jul 2012
A luxury and contemporary shoe company founded by Marc Hare in 2008 providing handsome shoes to male customers globally. Mr. Hare has two stores in London, and is stocked internationally at over 30 locations internationally.
Investor and Board Advisor
2012
Boticca.com is a curated online marketplace to find and buy unique jewelry, handbags and fashion accessories directly from the world's best undiscovered brands and emerging designers. Selected #3 on the Times' list of Top 50 Fashion & Beauty Websites as the "Global online jewelry and accessories boutique"
Chair and Seed Investor
May 2009
Based in London, Orlebar Brown was founded by Adam Brown and launched in March 2007 as a tailored approach to men’s swim shorts. OB Classic swim shorts remain the original and best ‘short you can swim in’, offering something you can wear on the beach or by the pool, yet smart enough to wear to lunch or for a drink. All OB Classic swim shorts are guaranteed for five years for quality you can truly believe in. In 2010, they progressed from beach to resort with a full range of holiday clothes that can also be incorporated into everyday wardrobes, including polos, chinos and shirts. In addition, they offer a Design Your Own service which enables you to create your own bespoke pair of photographic swim shorts using the #SnapShorts app in-store or online. Orlebar Brown has grown into a global brand with an ever-increasing number of international stores, an enviable list of stockists and a burgeoning expansion into ready-to-wear.
Seed Investor and Chair
Oct 2007
Bremont is an award-winning British company producing beautifully engineered chronometers at our Headquarters in Henley on Thames, England. Time began for Bremont when we embarked on a journey to make beautifully crafted pilot’s watches of exceptional quality. Flying historic aircraft has been in our blood from an early age, as has our love for watches and all things mechanical. The timepieces had to be tested beyond any normal call of duty (and not just in the workshop), and of course be immensely precise and durable. We make our watches to a very high specification for the price point and every watch in our standard range is Chronometer certified. We stand by our product and are one of the few companies offering a 3 year warranty on every watch we produce. We hope you get the same satisfaction as us when you try on a Bremont. Facebook: facebook.com/TestedBeyondEndurance Instagram: @bremontwatches Twitter: @Bremont Please email info@bremont.com for further information.
Experience · 18 entries
All (18)
Investments (12)
Founder (5)
Board (1)
2021
Seed Investor and Chair
Aug 2021
Grind is a coffee company that lives in London. After opening Shoreditch Grind in 2011, the brand expanded across London with cafés and a production coffee roastery. 2020 changed Grind beyond recognition, and today Grind coffee is available online - through our direct-to-consumer coffee business led by the UK’s first compostable coffee pods for Nespresso machines - as well as around the world as the global coffee partner for Soho House.
late stageRestaurants
2020
Seed Investor and Chair
Oct 2020
Every community needs a home. A space that can be lived in, not passed through. Somewhere private, but welcoming to those who know it. An escape from the world, where you can just be you. The Subdial Clubhouse is a home for watch enthusiasts to discover, manage and trade watches. Were turning the traditional dealer model on its head: our network-powered trading model allows users to take control of the collecting journey by accessing a global network of watches that arent on the public markets.
early stageRetail
2019
Investor and Board Advisor
Oct 2019
Luxury aftercare for shoes, bags and leather goods. Book a contactless collection from your home, anywhere in the world.
2018
Seed Investor
Jun 2018
Vinterior is a vintage furniture marketplace with over 1,850 vintage sellers from over 30 countries and counting. As the new home of vintage, we want to be the place where you discover sellers, find one-of-a-kind pieces, and shop more sustainably. We offer over 25 styles, including Mid-Century, Art Deco, Mid Century, Scandinavian Modern, Shabby Chic, Bauhaus, Industrial, Boho, Rustic, British, French, Italian and Chinese Antiques. Vinterior launched in 2016 with 12 London dealers and 200 mid-century furniture pieces. In five years, we have grown to a community of 1,800 vintage sellers across Europe which has generated over $600 million in sales worldwide. 200,000 products across 97 furniture and homeware categories and 25 styles are now available on Vinterior, to the delight of our vintage fans. After growing 120% in 2020, we have become the leading vintage marketplace in the UK. We have just raised a $10m series A to accelerate growth and expand to new markets in order to become the European leader by 2023. Discover remarkable design today at www.vinterior.co.
Seed Investor and Board Advisor
Apr 2018
𝙁𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮, a drink to 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 about.™ No sugar. No sweeteners. No worries.
Show all 18 entries ↓
Investment activity
2007–2021 · 12 investments
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