Two services companies are offering a mix of cash and payment-in-kind in order to take minority equity holdings in start-ups.
News provider Financial Times (FT) said UK-based Sandpit and Germany-based German Media Pool had both struck a deal each.
Sandpit, founded by Simon Campbell, has bought a quarter of Scotland-based artificial intelligence software consultancy SoDash in return for £125,000 ($200,000) and a commercial team that has already generated an extra £120,000 of annual sales revenue.
German Media Pool’s deal was undisclosed but its founder Nico Waesche told the FT: "We are like a VC [venture capital] fund, but instead of investing cash we invest media."