Google commits extra $25m to Europe's tech start ups

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Google have committed a further $25 million to invest in Europe's tech start ups, with the head of the search giant's venture capital arm revealing the company could be on the verge of investing in a London start-up.

Bill Maris, who founded Google Ventures in 2009, revealed that the size of Google Ventures Europe's inaugural fund has been raised from $100 million to $125 million. The European arm was announced in July and is based in Clerkenwell.

Maris said the increase was in part to match the annual cycle of funds in the US, allowing the European team to invest until the end of next year, but also to reflect the buoyancy of Europe's tech scene.

Maris said: "There's a lot of opportunity here. I'm asked the team not to limited their vision [based on the fund size]."

Maris, visiting London for the TechCrunch Disrupt conference, also revealed that he and the European venture team had a final meeting with a London company it was considering investing in yesterday.

Maris declined to comment further but added that the team were meeting with businesses in Berlin and Paris on its visit as well.

Google Ventures in the US has to date invested over $1.5 billion in around 250 companies, including Uber, Airbnb and Nest, a 'smart' home appliance company acquired by Google in January for $3.2 billion.