Chief Technical Officer
‘I'm an inventor and I've been inventing all my life so if I see an opportunity in the market that hasn't been filled then I invent and fill it.’
- 1995—Quad
- Computer consultancy company.
- 1997—2000 Pulsar
- Raised £25m for the worlds first comparisons shopping engine.
- 2000—Entrepreneur of the Year
- 2000—2001
- Worked with the White House, the UK government, DTI, looking at third generation technology.
- 2002-2003—Rotch Property Group
- Headed up technology and investments due diligence.
- 2003—The Rainmakers
- Innovations and corporate venturing company.
‘I look at all the technology that's coming into the ventures side of the company and evaluate them to see if they're technically feasible - that they use best practice, whether we can add value to them, whether they fit with any of our existing investments.
‘I have 17 years in technology, which isn't bad seeing as I'm still in my twenties.
‘I got into computers when I was nine because I was severely dyslexic and the local government gave me a laptop - I've been doing it ever since.
'‘ started my own business in technology when I was 15, I was the youngest company director at the time. People had started asking me for help with their computer systems. I had a unique skill that people needed.
‘Brightstation Ventures was developed by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs. That's really the key.
‘I'd been looking for a fund for a long time that takes the entrepreneurial spirit and is controlled by entrepreneurs. We understand the problems that start-ups have so we can negate a lot of the risks that normally comes with getting VC money.
‘You use your years of experience to get a feel for whether a venture is going to work or not. The team is just as important as the idea itself. It's a lot of things, it's not just "Will it work?" Even though I'm a technologist, I'm not only a technologist; I'm a portfolio entrepreneur so I know where the risks lie.
‘We're adding our years, years, years of experience to not just investing but helping businesses. The ethos is: "Been there done it, now we'll help you".
‘We have a big funnel in terms of projects that come into Brightstation. I'm an inventor and I've been inventing all my life so if I see an opportunity in the market that hasn't been filled then I invent and fill it.
‘Brightstation Ventures is about the people. It's very important for us we all work well together.'
Related People
He won “New Business Millennium Young Entrepreneur Of The Year” in 2000 which was given to him by Gordon Brown.
