over two decades of experience in automotive investment and advisory leadership, Mike Allen established and joined Cambria Private Capital alongside a highly experienced investment committee with over 150 years of combined experience, including the founder of Cambria Automobiles, who also provides the capital behind the fund. Headquartered in the UK, Cambria was created to close the gap between capital provision and the operational expertise needed to scale mobility-focused ventures. The firm takes a hands-on approach with post-seed and growth-stage companies across EV, mobility, AI, and connected vehicle technologies. Having evaluated over 700 businesses and advised several across the UK, Ireland, and Nordic regions, Cambria is now deploying its £10 million fund. Alongside this, its growing advisory arm applies sweat equity principles to high-potential companies that fall outside direct investment scope — many are looking to scale into the UK, Europe’s second-largest and arguably most dynamic automotive market.
Managing Director @ Cambria Private Capital | Board Advisor, NED, Angel Investor
Can you tell us about your journey and what inspired you to start Cambria Private Capital?
After more than 20 years of operating and investing across the automotive landscape, I saw a consistent gap in the market. Traditional investors often lacked the sector-specific experience needed to help founders overcome the real-world commercial and operational challenges they were facing. That’s why I helped establish Cambria Private Capital, with a strong investment committee and the support of the founder of Cambria Automobiles, to offer more than just capital. Our aim was to create the kind of partner we would have wanted ourselves: one that brings strategic insight, deep networks, and practical, roll-up-your-sleeves support from day one.
What industries or technologies are you most excited about investing in right now?
We’re laser-focused on the future of mobility — and that means everything from electric vehicles and energy storage to AI-powered platforms, predictive analytics, and connected fleet solutions. These technologies are reshaping how vehicles are built, managed, and experienced. We’ve already seen strong early momentum in areas like remarketing automation, predictive maintenance, and modern SaaS tools tailored for OEMs, dealerships, and service providers. Our conviction is strongest where clean energy, connected data, and smart mobility converge — and that’s where we’re deploying capital.
How do you support startups beyond capital?
Capital is just the entry point — it’s the execution that creates value. We bring strategic and operational muscle to every company we work with. That includes helping with product-market fit, commercial strategy, executive hiring, and access to an extensive network across the automotive ecosystem. Our advisory business allows us to apply sweat equity principles to earlier-stage or non-investable companies that are still strategically exciting, giving them hands-on support to build momentum. Whether through equity investment or advisory engagement, we only take on a select number of companies at a time to ensure each one gets the focus it needs to scale.
What’s your view on the Middle East as a region for venture investment?
The Middle East — especially the UAE and Saudi Arabia — is rapidly transforming into a major innovation hub. There’s alignment between government policy and private capital to accelerate sustainable mobility, infrastructure, and clean tech. What excites us is the openness to international partnerships and the appetite to localise innovation at scale. At Cambria, we’re actively scouting UK and European startups with the potential to expand into the GCC, and we’re ready to support them with the capital, networks, and regional insight required to make that leap successfully.