Best Startup
At Best Startup UK we track over 130,000 UK startups and over 500,000 people who hold key positions in these companies. We use this directory of startups to highlight top employees, founders and board members we think deserve more appreciation than they are currently getting.
This list showcases the top United Kingdom based Director operating in the Crowdfunding space. If you think a Director is missing from this list, feel free to contact our editor on editor@beststartup.co.uk.
The individuals on this list have been included because of exceptional performance in one of the following categories:
- Innovation – Operating as a key part in an extremely innovative business or startup.
- Growth – Operating as a key figure in the growth and upscale of a market leading business or startup.
- Management – Showing exceptional management skills.
- Societal impact – Putting their business on the map for their positive societal or environmental impact.
Our Data – We source our data from OSINT (open source intelligence) and public directories such as Companies House UK, Crunchbase, SemRush and many more. The data from these sources should be treated with a degree of caution and verified yourself.
Paolo Simonato
Managing Director of BlackRock
Paolo Simonato, Managing Director, is a senior member of the investment team and head of the London office for BlackRock Private Equity Partners (PEP) within BlackRock Alternatives Investors (BAI). He has primary responsibility for the sourcing, diligence and monitoring of private equity funds, secondary transactions and direct co-investments with leading private equity firms across Europe.
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About BlackRock: BlackRock is an investment company that offers its services to institutions, intermediaries, foundations, and individual investors.
Martin Cook
Managing Director of BlackRock
As EMEA Head of Technology & Operations, Cook is responsible for working closely with the Head of EMEA, the Chief Operating Officer and the BlackRock Executive Committee to ensure effective delivery of technology and operations within the EMEA Region. Prior to joining BlackRock in 2006, Cook spent ten years with Wall Street Systems in the design, development, and implementation of a front-to-back integrated trading system for global financial institutions, and two years in a similar role with Calypso Technology, a market-leading Derivatives Technology provider. Other industry roles included that of Assistant Treasurer at the London Office of Credit Agricole Indosuez, and the Derivatives Risk Controller at Foreign & Colonial Investment Management. Cook studied Mathematics, Economics and Physics at Palmers College, and “Institute of Bankers” professional qualifications at Thurrock Management College.
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About BlackRock: BlackRock is an investment company that offers its services to institutions, intermediaries, foundations, and individual investors.
Sandra Boss
Senior Managing Director, Global Head of Investment Stewardship of BlackRock
Sandra Boss has been a director of the Company since November 2015. Ms. Boss has served since September 2014 as an independent director of the Prudential Regulation Authority, part of the Bank of England responsible for the prudential regulation and supervision of around 1,700 banks, building societies, credit unions, insurers and major investment firms. Ms. Boss was a Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company, a global management consulting firm, from 2005 to 2014, and a Partner from 2000.
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About BlackRock: BlackRock is an investment company that offers its services to institutions, intermediaries, foundations, and individual investors.
Raja Hussain
Director of BlackRock
Raja Hussain, Director, is a member of the BlackRock Private Equity Partners (PEP) group within BlackRock Alternative Investors. He is responsible for performing due diligence on and monitoring private equity investments. Prior to joining BlackRock in January 2010, Mr Hussain was a senior associate in the Financial Entrepreneurs Group (private equity coverage team) within the Investment Banking division of Citi, advising on a range of mid to large cap private equity and debt investments across the EMEA region. He joined Citi in 2007. Mr Hussain began his career at Ernst & Young in 2004, where he trained and qualified as a Chartered Accountant working within the Mergers and Acquisitions lead advisory team, advising on European financial services transactions. Mr. Hussain earned a BSc, honours degree, in Economics from University College London in 2003. He is a qualified Chartered Accountant and Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland.
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About BlackRock: BlackRock is an investment company that offers its services to institutions, intermediaries, foundations, and individual investors.
Brett Pybus
Managing Director – Head of iShares EMEA Investment and Product Strategy of BlackRock
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About BlackRock: BlackRock is an investment company that offers its services to institutions, intermediaries, foundations, and individual investors.
Selby Knox
Board of Directors of Hubbub
Selby had 35 years experience within the University of Bristol, including 15 in senior management positions. He was Head of the School of Chemistry from 1992-2001, before joining the senior management team of the University as Pro Vice-Chancellor with responsibility for resources (Finance and Estates) from 2004 – 08.
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About : Build fundraising communities for organisations using crowdfunding
Steven Rimmer
Senior Independent Director of Seedrs
Steven is a highly-experienced financial services executive and entrepreneur. He currently acts as COO of Lanner Capital, an independent financial advisor, as Chairman of Magian Mutual Insurance Company, which he helped found, and as a director of Aquarius Underwriting Managers (PTY) Ltd, a South African insurance venture. His previous roles include as a founding partner of insurance broker Andrew Wallas & Marsh Limited, as CEO and Compliance Director of City Assurance Consultants Limited and as an insurance and investments executive with Glencairn Group. Steven is a member of the Chartered Management Institute and the Institute Register of Insurance Brokers.
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About Seedrs: Seedrs is a UK-based investment and crowdfunding platform.
Jamie M. Weinstein
Managing Director of PIMCO
Jamie M. Weinstein (San Francisco) joined KKR in 2005 and is the Co-Head of special situations investing, which includes the firm’s global activities in public and private distressed and structured principal investments. He is also a member of the Credit Portfolio Management Committee and the Real Estate Investment Committee. Previously, he was a portfolio manager with responsibility across KKR’s credit strategies. He also has extensive experience as a research analyst managing the financial services, healthcare and commercial real estate sectors. Prior to joining KKR, Jamie Weinstein was with Tishman Speyer Properties as Director of Acquisitions for Northern California and The Boston Consulting Group as a strategy consultant. He received a B.S.E. degree cum laude in Civil Engineering and Operations Research from Princeton University and a M.B.A. from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business, where he was an Arjay Miller Scholar. Jamie Weinstein serves as a Trustee of the Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco and is actively involved in the Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco on its Endowment Investment Committee and Capital Planning Committee.
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About PIMCO: PIMCO, a global investment solutions provider that manages investments for public and private pension and retirement plans and other assets.
Heather Corcoran
Senior Director of International of Kickstarter
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About Kickstarter: Kickstarter is a crowdfunding platform for creative projects such as movies, music, art, theater, games, comics, design, and photography.
Matthew Linnecar
Director, Growth Capital of Snowball Effect
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About Blue Ventures, Edmund Hillary Fellowship(EHF), Snowball Effect: A curated marketplace that simplifies access to private equity investment opportunities
Simon Fox
Investment Director of White Horse Capital
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About : Corporate capital raising and M&A
Nigel Payne
Non-Executive Director Advisor Channel of rebuildingsociety.com
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About rebuildingsociety.com: peer to business loans platform connecting lenders directly with businesses needing debt funding.
Kenton Robbins
Non-Executive Director Business Strategy of rebuildingsociety.com
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About rebuildingsociety.com: peer to business loans platform connecting lenders directly with businesses needing debt funding.
Simon Deverell
Creative Director of Crowdfunder
Simon leads Crowdfunder’s platform team after two decades of disruptive digital work. He has led significant campaigns for Channel 4’s Big Brother and River Cottage plus its various campaigns including Hugh’s Fish Fight.
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About Crowdfunder: Crowdfunding is an alternative way of raising money for great ideas from the people happen all over the UK and beyond.
Matthew Hinkley
Director UK of KoreConX
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About KoreConX: Empowering Private Markets
Matthew Hinkley
Director UK of KoreConX
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About KoreConX: Empowering Private Markets
Béla Hanratty
Investment Director & Co-Founder of Align17
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About Align17: Align17 is a private marketplace connecting private wealth vetted institutional impact investment opportunities.
Liam Brooke
Co-Founder and Director of Lendy
Liam co-founded Lendy Ltd in 2012. He is responsible for the operational performance of the company such as underwriting, disposals, legals and other key professional services, while also overseeing the commercial broker relationships. Liam has a background in corporate finance, private banking and investment management. He developed his early banking career with Barclays Corporate before moving on to United Trust Bank as a property development manager before moving to Ahli United Bank in Bahrain to head up the UK mortgage investment proposition. On his return from the Middle East, Liam worked as an Investment Director for a small asset manager in Switzerland.
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About Lendy: Lendy is Europe’s leading peer-to-peer secured property lending platform
Ruth Chamberlain
Co-Founder and Marketing Director of Investly
Co-founder and MD at Investly.Recent successful exit from OnTrees, previously business planning @ dmg media & Bauer Media Group
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About Investly: Investly is provide an invoice finance platform that lets you easily upload invoices.
Louise Wilson
Co-Founder & Joint Managing Director of Abundance Investment
Louise spent over 15 years at UBS Investment Bank and was responsible for structuring multi million pound flotations and share sales across several global regions. In the end she questioned why traditional markets don’t serve the ordinary investor and left to pursue a new degree and finding a way to build a fair society and while generating a decent return. Louise is on the Advisory Board for the Centre for Climate Finance & Investment at Imperial College Business School.
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About Abundance Investment: Abundance is an online debt crowdfunding platform allowing individuals to invest as little as £5 in to help accelerate net zero.
Bruce Davis
Co-Founder & Joint Managing Director of Abundance Investment
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About Abundance Investment, University of Leeds: Abundance is an online debt crowdfunding platform allowing individuals to invest as little as £5 in to help accelerate net zero.
Karl Harder
Co-Founder & Joint Managing Director of Abundance Investment
Karl went from writing about renewable energy as a parliamentary researcher to running his first green business, which also pioneered the London Living Wage. After 5 years he recognised that finance was the key barrier to creating a more equal and environmentally sustainable world, so left to study for an MBA at Imperial College and to pursue the idea that became Abundance.
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About Abundance Investment: Abundance is an online debt crowdfunding platform allowing individuals to invest as little as £5 in to help accelerate net zero.
Tom O’Brien
Founding Director & CEO of The Services Family
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About The Services Family: The Services Family building better financial services for the ‘Services Family’.
Mike Jenkins
Founding Director, Strategy, Plans and Development of The Services Family
Mike Jenkins Strategy, Plans and Development – had a full career in the Royal Air Force. A experienced pilot, he has deployed on Balkan, Middle East and other operations on Land and Sea. He has held leadership positions in regulation, development, internal audit, training, logistics and transformational change. Leading in effective governance and planning, he developed organisational and technical solutions to analyse and manage behaviours and operational, financial and reputational risk. He has been a Governor of a Foundation Trust hospital, Chair of an association of charities and a flying instructor and examiner regulated by the Civil Aviation Authority.
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About The Services Family: The Services Family building better financial services for the ‘Services Family’.
Chris Huggins
Director of Credit Strategies of Man AHL
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About Man AHL: Man AHL, a leading quantitative investment manager and pioneer of systematic trading.
Mani Khiroya
Co-Founder & Investment Director of Propio
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About Propio: Propio is a crowdfunding platform that brings together investors property firms seeking funding for development.
Tom Buttress
Co-Founder & Managing Director of Propio
Tom is Propio’s day-to-day lead and is involved in all strategic and operational aspects of the business. An expert in building, improving and re-orientating regulated financial services firms, Tom previously worked as a management consultant advising household names such as Barclays, Bank of England, Aviva, FCA and T. Rowe Price. He holds a BA from Oxford University.
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About Propio: Propio is a crowdfunding platform that brings together investors property firms seeking funding for development.
Shahil Kotecha
Co-Founder & Investment Director of Propio
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About Propio: Propio is a crowdfunding platform that brings together investors property firms seeking funding for development.
Parul Scampion
Co-Founder & Investment Director of Propio
Parul Scampion (MSc Public Policy and Administration 1992) is part owner and Chief Operating Officer of Fruition Properties, a London based SME property developer. Having supported the Annual Fund since 2015, Parul recently donated to the Department of Geography and the Environment to support research into the causal impact of the UK government’s Help to Buy policy on residential construction.
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About Propio: Propio is a crowdfunding platform that brings together investors property firms seeking funding for development.
Hardy Giesler
Founder & Director of CFPro Ventures
Hardy is an experienced executive with a track record in delivering accelerated growth and performance transformation. Results have been achieved across a broad base of sectors and industries, having worked in public and private sectors, manufacturing and service industries. He has over 25 years of experience gained in more than 30 countries, particularly in EMEA, North America, Far East and the FSU.
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About CFPro Ventures: CFPro Ventures bridges the gap between businesses seeking growth opportunities, and the investment community.
Sylvia Bowden
Director of CapitalStackers
Sylvia Bowden BSc (Hons), MRICS, Director is a qualified surveyor and has worked in real estate for 36 years in a career spanning fund management, property development, construction, agency and property finance. Latterly, she has led real estate structured lending teams at Barclays and Clydesdale and brings to the team a breadth of experience, risk assessment and risk management skills.
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About CapitalStackers: CapitalStackers is a peer to peer lending platform dedicated to real estate finance.
Steve Robson
Founding Shareholder and Managing Director of CapitalStackers
Steve Robson ACIB, Managing Director and founder of CapitalStackers, has worked in property finance for almost 30 years and has a broad and deep understanding of development and investment lending. He is also the founder director of pi-FRAME Ltd, a property risk analysis software house and a non-executive director of property development and construction companies.
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About CapitalStackers: CapitalStackers is a peer to peer lending platform dedicated to real estate finance.
Val Wain
Finance Director of CapitalStackers
Val Wain FCCA, Finance Director is also a director of Hallidays and handles the ongoing financial management for each company. Her multi-faceted knowledge of regulatory issues makes her a considerable asset when dealing with FCA matters. Her main role is overseeing client account compliance and the relationship with Capitalstackers Trustees Ltd.
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About CapitalStackers: CapitalStackers is a peer to peer lending platform dedicated to real estate finance.
Tony Goldrick
Director of CapitalStackers
Tony Goldrick BA, ACIB, Director has spent his career in banking, the last 20 years of which specialising in property lending. He is skilled in loan risk assessment and loan performance monitoring, bringing huge property sector experience to the business, along with an impressive list of professional contacts.
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About CapitalStackers: CapitalStackers is a peer to peer lending platform dedicated to real estate finance.
Abdullah Iqbal
Director of Igloo Crowd
A young entrepreneur and Innovation is critical in his approach. Realised that the traditional property investment method restricted the majority to reap the benefits of this market. Found a solution within crowdfunding, but yet there was another restriction and that was to the communities that wanted interest-free investment opportunities. Property Crowdfunding allows anyone to own a share of a property without any loans, mortgages, and interest its a Shariah-compliant investment. Our mission is to allow individuals to access below-market deals and developments. Our dedicated team has over 125 years collective experience in Central London and UK property.
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About : Equity crowdfunding platform for UK property, now everyone can be an investor online from £100. Ethical/Shariah-compliant.
Jonathan Graham
Architect, Global Risk Systems (Executive Director) of Mizuho International
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About Mizuho International: Mizuho International provides investment banking and securities markets services.
Greg Denton
Director of Attlas
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About Attlas: Attlas is subscription-based crowdfunding platform devoted to charting new ideas.
Chris Brooke
Director of FE Trustnet
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About : FE Trustnet is a leader in fund research
Chris Brooke
Director of FE Trustnet
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About : FE Trustnet is a leader in fund research
