Andy Murray backs five UK crowdfunding start-ups
Andy Murray has made his first investments of 2016 in start-up firms, through crowdfunding platform Seedrs.
Crowdfunding is a way of raising money through lots of small investments from a large number of people, not necessarily professional investors.
The tennis star's investments are with firms Oppo Ice Cream, Commuter Club, Landbay, We Are Colony, and Readbug.
The world number two, who teamed up with Seedrs last June, invested undisclosed amounts into each company.
The two-time Grand Slam champion said "giving recognition and support to British entrepreneurs is important to me".
Last year he he invested in three British startups through Seedrs.
Oppo makes low-calorie ice cream, while Commuter Club aims to help commuters save time and money by offering season tickets as a subscription service.
Landbay provides secured peer-to-peer lending on UK buy-to-let mortgages, We Are Colony is a global film-streaming platform, and Readbug offers a curated selection of independent magazines in one app.
Seedrs says it has had more than £100m invested on its platform, has funded more than 320 deals to date, and on average raises up to £7m per month.
Murray is the reigning Olympic champion in singles, and has also won the US Open and Wimbledon titles.
Last year he lead Great Britain to its first Davis Cup win in 79 years, and will lead the team in their defence of the trophy against Japan on 4 March.
Earlier this month his wife gave birth to their first child.