Jasper Smith
Founder / co-founder @Arksen, @ValaCapital, @10% For The Ocean, @Play.Works. Investor in many more great companies.
London, England
Invests in
Skills
Education
Lists including Jasper
Investments
Work Experience
2019
Chairman
2019
Arksen designs and engineers iconic products for life’s greatest adventures. Our range includes explorer vessels from 28 to 100 foot +, all-terrain vehicles, high-performance clothing, and remote timber-built cabins, all meticulously designed to support a circular economy and to offer a paradigm shift is usage, ownership models and lifecycle management. We work to enable the most daring among us to visit and thrive in the planet's most challenging destinations. Our aim is to reshape the adventure and marine industries by launching highly innovative products alongside creative business models such as shared ownership and membership clubs, whilst working in support of our philanthropic initiatives, such as www.10percentfortheOcean.org.
2018
Chairman
2018
Vala is a European VC backing the best entrepreneurs as they build new ventures. We support start up and high growth companies led by teams that have the potential to change the world. We invest our capital, but our aim is to embolden our founders and inspire their teams to excel through deep collaboration. Think of what you could achieve if you believed you couldn’t fail. We love fearless entrepreneurs, who see building a transformational business as their destiny. We love teams who see opportunity where others just see obstacles. We love companies that challenge convention. Above all, we love building lifelong relationships with the entrepreneurs we back, which are based on trust, respect and a shared vision. We work across multiple sectors
2021
Board Member
2021
Revving is a revolutionary new Fintech that captures sales data at source to provide payment advances ahead of invoicing, enabling businesses in the digital economy to offer market leading payment terms or unlock the funding they need to grow.
2018
Chairman
2018
PlayWorks is a games company pioneering post-app-store games - the biggest revolution in the entertainment sector since the advent of the smartphone. PlayWorks develops and distributes games that do not require download from an app store. Instead they can be played instantly on a variety of platforms – Instant Messaging (IM) platforms, web and TV. The huge growth in platforms such as Facebook Messenger, WeChat, Apple iMessage and WhatsApp and their universal adoption of games has created the world’s largest and most dynamic gaming platform with over 3bln monthly active users. PlayWorks was set up to exploit this opportunity and is well positioned to become a dominant player in the sector. PlayWorks has established partnerships with Facebook, Samsung, LG, Comcast, Dish, and DishTV India and many others. These partnerships are enabling the company to pioneer the development of a totally new type of gaming experience and to develop the technologies that power those experiences.
2018
Founder
2018
The ocean receives less than 1% of charitable giving - 10% For The Ocean exists to change this. We have created a single point of entry into ocean conservation, representing a global alliance of the most impactful charities working to protect our most vital ecosystem. Every donation, big or small, is channelled into our network of ocean recovery partners.
2012
Founder & Chairman
2012
PlayJam is a technology company focused on developing a platform for OTT services. Backed by Adobe, GameStop, London Venture Partners, AVIT, Hero Unity and a series of industry veterans, the company uses its proprietary technology platform to provide its partners with access to new markets, larger audiences and greater revenue potential.
2017 - 2019
Founder
2017 - 2019
PlayFund is a private equity fund focused on app and technology development with a strong bias towards games. We invest in people and their ideas, using over 20 years of experience in the sector to help knock down walls. We have a deep sense of play ingrained within our DNA. If you have a great idea and need seed capital, please get in touch.
2016 - 2019
Co Founder and Executive Chairman
2016 - 2019
PlayStack was founded to discover and publish the next big thing in games. Whether you’ve come up with the idea that captures the imagination like Pokémon Go, engages a community like Overwatch, or immerses a player like Uncharted - then we’d love to hear from you. With years of experience from leading, developing, publishing and playing great games the PlayStack team has what it takes to fund and grow IP from concept through to global success. There has never been a better time to be in the industry - If you think you’ve created the next big hit then get in touch.
2011 - 2013
Investor
2011 - 2013
Zapper began as a book trading platform for charities, recyclers and businesses and has now grown into a unique website for consumers who wish to de-clutter their homes and sell their unwanted Books, CDs, DVDs and Games. I was able to exit this business successfully in 2013.
2008 - 2010
Chairman & Investor
2008 - 2010
Electra was a groundbreaking hybrid IPTV platform technology for connected consumer electronic devices. Electra's technology was sold globally through ST Microelectronics (one of the worlds largest silicon vendors) and used by many leading retailers, including Tesco, to operate second generation TV services such as IP delivered catch up TV, VOD and games.