Mike Chalfen

Solo VC at Chalfen Ventures

📍 London, England, United Kingdom🔄 Updated September 2026💼 39 investments📅 26 years investing🗓 Last invested Mar 2026𝕏 @upgrade_to_unlock
VC🌍 United Kingdom20+ investmentsInvested this year
39
Total investments
20
Early stage
13
Mid stage
1
Late stage
26y
Years active

Portfolio

37 investments · sorted by recency
All investments
Early stage
Mid stage
Late stage
Investor
Mar 2026
Iridius is the compliance-by-design AI platform that enables regulated enterprises to design, build, and operate AI systems that are continuously compliant. In regulated industries, AI isn’t failing because of model capability — it’s failing because it can’t operate within real-world constraints: fragmented systems, complex workflows, and strict compliance requirements. Iridius solves this by harmonizing regulatory standards and internal policies, and transforming rules into executable logic — and embedding that logic directly into workflows across systems and teams. Powered by a patent-pending agentic architecture, Iridius enables coordinated execution across fragmented systems, teams, and processes — enforcing compliance, accelerating workflows, and generating evidence as systems run. Instead of treating compliance as a manual process that happens after systems are built, Iridius makes compliance part of how systems run. The result: → AI systems that are continuously compliant, auditable, and traceable → Faster timelines and reduced cost across high-friction workflows → The ability to move from AI pilots to production at scale Iridius operates across your existing systems — coordinating execution, enforcing controls, and generating evidence throughout the lifecycle. Iridius turns it into a strategic advantage — enabling organizations to move faster, reduce risk, and scale AI where it matters most.
Investor
Oct 2025
SurrealDB is an AI-native, multi-model database built in Rust designed to unify multiple data models into a single, powerful engine. It combines document, graph, relational, time-series, geospatial and key-value data types natively, with powerful search and retrieval (vectors, full-text, hybrid) and built-in real-time and event-driven capabilities. By using SurrealDB, companies can drastically simplify their tech stack, reduce complexity and operational overhead, and build new applications faster. SurrealDB is designed as a single data and logic layer for AI agents, knowledge graphs, real-time applications (e.g. recommendation engines, fraud detection systems), and OLTP applications requiring multiple data types. SurrealDB can also be used as a backend-as-a-service thanks to its support for direct user authentication. Given that it’s a single Rust binary, SurrealDB can run embedded, in the edge, as single backend node, or fully scaled to a distributed cluster - all with the same API.
Investor
Aug 2025
Tracelight aims to make analysts superhuman in spreadsheets. It is the AI engine for complex financial modelling in Excel, purpose-built to fit precisely into professional analyst workflows. Tracelight is available online at tracelight.ai today, and on Microsoft AppSource.
Investor
Nov 2024
Overlooked and unaddressed inefficiencies are slowing down our most vital industries. Whether in utilities, construction, facilities management, logistics, or beyond - complex infrastructure and siloed legacy systems are hampering productivity. Traditional off-the-shelf software can’t address these unique challenges—and few organisations have the resources for custom-built solutions. Cogna is a precision solutions provider that uses AI to automate the IT consultancy process to identify the trickiest business pain points and create simple, usable solutions to remedy them. We put software creation into our customers hands, letting them describe their own challenges and delivering AI-powered custom software in days, not months or years, at a fraction of typical costs.
Series A Investor
Nov 2024
View all your data in one place with user-friendly, customizable reports and seamless Shopify integration. Trusted by over 2700 + Shopify brands including Razor Group, Volcom, The Frankie Shop, and Lemaire. #1 Multichannel analytics software where Shopify brands can aggregate all their data into a comprehensive dashboard to analyze ecommerce performance and monitor issues in real-time. Polar Analytics helps you get actionable marketing insights like your true CAC, Marketing Efficiency Ratio, and true LTV, without any engineering required.
Investor
Oct 2024
The first crypto wallet integrated with a current account.
Investor
May 2024
Stackfix helps you compare business software in seconds. By using AI to test software products, Stackfix collects real-time data on pricing, features and performance, enabling buyers to compare tools accurately and get personalised advice. Were backed by Tier 1 investors, and were voted Product of the Day and Product of the Week on Product Hunt in December 2024.
Investor
Aug 2023
With its unique sensor technology applying the most stringent privacy rules and based on image analysis by Artificial Intelligence, Upciti characterises and optimises flows of goods and people for towns and local areas that are more pleasant to live in.
Investor
Jan 2023
Translucent turns your existing accounting software into a multi-entity accounting solution. Translucent consolidates your accounting data to create a single source of truth and gives you all the multi-entity apps you need – including Search, Group Reporting, Live Sheets, Intercompany, Bank Consolidation and more.
Investor
Dec 2022
We are on a mission to remove the friction associated with bringing physical products to market. Think food, cosmetics, textiles and consumer electronics. All have specific compliance requirements and these vary from country to country. Today, many companies just sell domestically, unable to wrap their hand around the regulatory requirements of global commerce. We want to build a different world. One where every single company thinks global first from day one. We want to streamline how regulation is identified, how compliance data is collected, maintained and shared across the value chain.
Investor
Nov 2022
Elevate your team’s potential with 5Mins.ai, The TikTok-styled AI-powered training platform revolutionising the way startups, scale-ups, and tech giants like Dropbox approach internal training, onboarding, manager development, and upskilling. At 5Mins.ai, we help you transform mundane training into an engaging, high-impact experience, slashing training time and costs by 60-80% while enhancing employee engagement and productivity. Say hello to the future of training.
Investor
Jul 2022
At Luminovo, we bring innovations faster to everyone by reducing the time and resources needed to go from an idea to a market-ready electronic product – currently offering LumiQuote (EMS RfQ software), Stackrate (PCB software) and ultimately building the next-generation electronics software suite. With our background in intelligent software and deep learning, we aim to simplify and accelerate electronics development and production processes. So far, 25+ active customers and 20+ product partners in Europe and the US are working with us towards the same goal. 💡 We are a mix of deep learning natives, business talents and product enthusiasts. Our current team not only includes top graduates from institutions such as Stanford University, Cambridge, ETH Zurich, TUM, and CDTM, but also motivated individuals with rather unconventional CVs who are burning for what they do. We are a remote-first company and our team is spread from Amsterdam to Skopje, Lagos, and Nairobi. 🌍 If you're someone working in the electronics industry or looking to grow a software startup - join Luminovo as we pioneer a modern setup of the all-encompassing electronics industry. 🚀 You can reach us at hello@luminovo.ai 🙋
Investor
Mar 2022
At Amenitiz, we’re on a mission to democratise technology for independent hoteliers worldwide, from the bustling streets of Paris to the serene Uyuni Salt Flats of Bolivia. Empowering over 14,000 hoteliers worldwide, we’re not just another SaaS scaleup - we’re revolutionising one of the world’s oldest industries. With over $50M raised from top-tier VCs backing disruptive giants like Alibaba, Toast, Zendesk, Delivery Hero, Revolut, and Loom, we’ve been named a TravelTech Titan and one of Wireds hottest start-ups. With a diverse team of 300+ in Barcelona, Amenitiz fosters a culture of positivity and personal development. Within our ranks, you’ll find enthusiastic individuals who thrive on ownership and collaboration. Every day, we lead by example, putting client satisfaction first and fostering a culture of strong execution. We’re dedicated to making a positive impact wherever we go. Ready to take on new challenges? --> https://careers.amenitiz.io
Investor
Dec 2021
Opply automates ingredient ordering for consumer goods SMEs and suppliers in the Food & Beverage space. We are creating a fully traceable and predictive global supply chain for SMEs, powered by the world's biggest buyer supplier network (1.2 million and growing!). We automate and predict sourcing, comms, payments, documentation, orders and delivery, reducing time spent on food and bev supply chain by 90%, at 20% less cost. If you want to start or scale your food & bev business, we're here for you! We are Opply We make supply easy
Investor
Oct 2021
Crossbeam is the first and largest Ecosystem-Led Growth platform, used by over 30,000 companies to attract, convert, and grow customer relationships using their partner ecosystems. Ecosystem is Everything.
Show all 37 investments ↓
Experience · 44 entries
All (44)
Investments (39)
Founder (1)
Board (5)
2026
Investor
Mar 2026
Iridius is the compliance-by-design AI platform that enables regulated enterprises to design, build, and operate AI systems that are continuously compliant. In regulated industries, AI isn’t failing because of model capability — it’s failing because it can’t operate within real-world constraints: fragmented systems, complex workflows, and strict compliance requirements. Iridius solves this by harmonizing regulatory standards and internal policies, and transforming rules into executable logic — and embedding that logic directly into workflows across systems and teams. Powered by a patent-pending agentic architecture, Iridius enables coordinated execution across fragmented systems, teams, and processes — enforcing compliance, accelerating workflows, and generating evidence as systems run. Instead of treating compliance as a manual process that happens after systems are built, Iridius makes compliance part of how systems run. The result: → AI systems that are continuously compliant, auditable, and traceable → Faster timelines and reduced cost across high-friction workflows → The ability to move from AI pilots to production at scale Iridius operates across your existing systems — coordinating execution, enforcing controls, and generating evidence throughout the lifecycle. Iridius turns it into a strategic advantage — enabling organizations to move faster, reduce risk, and scale AI where it matters most.
2025
Investor
Oct 2025
SurrealDB is an AI-native, multi-model database built in Rust designed to unify multiple data models into a single, powerful engine. It combines document, graph, relational, time-series, geospatial and key-value data types natively, with powerful search and retrieval (vectors, full-text, hybrid) and built-in real-time and event-driven capabilities. By using SurrealDB, companies can drastically simplify their tech stack, reduce complexity and operational overhead, and build new applications faster. SurrealDB is designed as a single data and logic layer for AI agents, knowledge graphs, real-time applications (e.g. recommendation engines, fraud detection systems), and OLTP applications requiring multiple data types. SurrealDB can also be used as a backend-as-a-service thanks to its support for direct user authentication. Given that it’s a single Rust binary, SurrealDB can run embedded, in the edge, as single backend node, or fully scaled to a distributed cluster - all with the same API.
Investor
Aug 2025
Tracelight aims to make analysts superhuman in spreadsheets. It is the AI engine for complex financial modelling in Excel, purpose-built to fit precisely into professional analyst workflows. Tracelight is available online at tracelight.ai today, and on Microsoft AppSource.
2024
Investor
Nov 2024
Overlooked and unaddressed inefficiencies are slowing down our most vital industries. Whether in utilities, construction, facilities management, logistics, or beyond - complex infrastructure and siloed legacy systems are hampering productivity. Traditional off-the-shelf software can’t address these unique challenges—and few organisations have the resources for custom-built solutions. Cogna is a precision solutions provider that uses AI to automate the IT consultancy process to identify the trickiest business pain points and create simple, usable solutions to remedy them. We put software creation into our customers hands, letting them describe their own challenges and delivering AI-powered custom software in days, not months or years, at a fraction of typical costs.
Series A Investor
Nov 2024
View all your data in one place with user-friendly, customizable reports and seamless Shopify integration. Trusted by over 2700 + Shopify brands including Razor Group, Volcom, The Frankie Shop, and Lemaire. #1 Multichannel analytics software where Shopify brands can aggregate all their data into a comprehensive dashboard to analyze ecommerce performance and monitor issues in real-time. Polar Analytics helps you get actionable marketing insights like your true CAC, Marketing Efficiency Ratio, and true LTV, without any engineering required.
Show all 44 entries ↓
Investment activity
2000–2026 · 39 investments
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