Aviva Extends Founders Factory Partnership to Scale AI-Driven Fintech and Health Startups
By Lauren Towner · 29 September 2026
In brief: Aviva has extended its fintech partnership with Founders Factory for three years to build AI-driven startups in insurance, wealth, and health, building on £500m already raised by its portfolio.
| Partnership Duration | 3-year extension |
|---|---|
| Total Startups Supported | 60+ |
| Capital Raised by Portfolio | £500 million+ |
| Core Tech Focus | AI and Frontier Technologies |

Aviva, the UK's leading diversified insurer, today announces it is extending its exclusive fintech partnership with Founders Factory, the global venture studio and accelerator. Aviva is investing over three years to build new startups focusing on insurance, wealth, property, asset management and cybersecurity.
The new ventures will look to harness AI and frontier technologies to deliver new ways in how people manage and protect their money, health and family. The decade-long strategic partnership has supported more than 60 startups to date, which have raised more than £500 million in investment since 2016.
These include Tembo, a mortgage lending platform that recently saw Aviva expand access through its workplace pension proposition following a successful pilot, and Marrow, a connecter of AI agents including ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini to insurers’ pricing, underwriting and policy admin systems.
“Aviva’s long-standing partnership with Founders Factory is supporting new businesses to help customers and businesses manage and protect their money, health and family. Partnerships like ours show the power of innovation – they can boost UK investment and support economic growth, helping the UK get ready for the future.” said Arslan Hannani, Chief Innovation Officer, Aviva plc.
“Aviva's decade-long commitment marks one of the longest-standing corporate venture studio partnerships in the UK. The startups that spin out from the programme and continue to gather pace show what's possible when a financial services business chooses to keep innovating and moves the market forward. It proves that with time, a willingness to embrace new ideas, and a commitment to collaborating with the right founders, a venture studio can consistently produce category-defining companies.” said Henry Lane Fox, CEO of Founders Factory.
The Aviva x Founders Factory venture studio works with entrepreneurs to develop new ideas, technologies and business models, turning them into high-growth companies. Founders benefit from the unique access to Aviva's deep financial services expertise, alongside knowledge and data drawn from its millions of customers. This combined with preseed capital and Founders Factory's venture-building expertise unlocks a new generation of investable, high-impact companies that have the potential to transform markets and address some of the world’s biggest challenges.
Investments made by the Aviva x Founders Factory joint venture include Scan.com, a diagnostic imaging platform streamlining access to medical scans (which closed a £220M investment round in September 2026), Xapien, an AI-powered due diligence platform, and Valarian, a secure digital infrastructure and data sovereignty startup.
Frequently asked questions
What is the goal of the Aviva and Founders Factory partnership extension?
The goal is to build a new generation of startups focusing on insurance, wealth, property, asset management, and cybersecurity. Aviva is investing over the next three years to harness AI and frontier technologies, helping customers better manage and protect their money and health.
How many startups has the Aviva x Founders Factory studio supported?
The decade-long strategic partnership has supported more than 60 startups to date. These companies have collectively raised more than £500 million in investment since 2016, including major successes like Scan.com and Tembo.
What kind of support do founders receive from the venture studio?
Founders receive pre-seed capital combined with Founders Factory's venture-building expertise. Crucially, they gain unique access to Aviva's deep financial services expertise and data insights drawn from millions of customers to help commercialize and scale their businesses.
About the companies
Companies in this story: Founders Factory, Aviva
People in this story: henry lane fox, Arslan Hannani