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 Funding Platform 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.
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.
Lynsey Muldoon
Financial Director of Maven Capital Partners
Lynsey joins Maven from City Facilities Management where she was Financial Controller for two years. Lynsey trained and qualified as a Chartered Accountant with KPMG and then worked in Financial Services for seven years at Morgan Stanley in various finance roles before moving to City Facilities Management. In her role as Financial Controller at Maven, Lynsey is responsible for all aspects of reporting and tax compliance, and ensuring a strong control environment is maintained. She is also responsible for treasury, budgeting and forecasting, and financial modelling. Lynsey has a Bachelor of Accountancy from Glasgow University and is an ICAS qualified Chartered Accountant.
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About Maven Capital Partners: Maven Capital Partners is a private equity firm that provides a range of funding options to SMEs and investment opportunities.
Craig Hopwood
Investment Director of Maven Capital Partners
Based in our Manchester office, Craig is responsible for new private equity investments across the North of England and also works with portfolio companies in the region. He joined Maven in 2017 from HSBC‘s Leverage Portfolio Management team where he was a Relationship Director responsible for a portfolio of larger private equity-backed businesses across the region. Prior to this, Craig worked at Northstar Equity Investors where he set up and ran the Leeds office with overall responsibility for a new £48m Equity Investment Fund. Craig also previously worked with Aberdeen Asset Managements’ Private Equity team, where he was a colleague to a number of current Maven executives, prior to that Aberdeen team leading a buy-out to form Spirit Capital Partners LLP. Craig has a degree in Business Management from Bradford University and trained as a Chartered Accountant with Coopers & Lybrand before working within the Audit, Transaction Services and Corporate Finance practices at PriceWaterhouseCoopers, based in Leeds, Denver and London.
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About Maven Capital Partners: Maven Capital Partners is a private equity firm that provides a range of funding options to SMEs and investment opportunities.
Tom Purkis
Investment Director of Maven Capital Partners
Tom is based in our Birmingham and London offices and is responsible for sourcing and executing new Private Equity investments across the Midlands and the South of England. Tom joined the team in 2015 from Grant Thornton where he was an Associate Director in the M&A team in London. At Grant Thornton Tom advised on a wide range of private and public company transactions for both private equity and corporate clients. Prior to this Tom started his career in Business Restructuring before moving into Transaction Services. Tom graduated from the University of Durham with a BA (Honours) in Business, and is a Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW).
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About Maven Capital Partners: Maven Capital Partners is a private equity firm that provides a range of funding options to SMEs and investment opportunities.
Melanie Goward
Investment Director of Maven Capital Partners
Melanie is responsible for transacting new early-stage and technology private equity investments across the South and South West of England and Wales. She joined Maven in 2016 from Finance Wales, where she was part of the Technology Ventures team and fund manager for the Wales Technology Seed Fund, providing funding to help businesses commercialise and bring to market innovative products and services across a range of sectors. Prior to this she worked as an Investment Director with Nesta Investments, focusing on early stage healthcare investments as well as in technology sector finance at Lloyds TSB Corporate, providing debt finance to high-growth companies. With over 15 years’ experience as a specialist in early-stage investment, Melanie has completed a range of investments in technology, life science and biotechnology businesses. Melanie has a BA (Hons) in Natural Sciences, and a PhD in Genetics from Cambridge University, which included research as part of the Human Genome Project.
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About Maven Capital Partners: Maven Capital Partners is a private equity firm that provides a range of funding options to SMEs and investment opportunities.
Dave Furlong
Investment Director of Maven Capital Partners
Based in our Manchester office, Dave is responsible for the execution of new investments for the NPIF Equity Finance fund, and also works with portfolio companies across the region. He joined Maven in 2017 from Infinity Debt Capital Management LLP, where he oversaw the launch and overall management of a new SME/mid-market regional debt fund and originated new private equity opportunities. Previously, Dave held senior positions at HSBC across London and the UK regions, and ultimately ran the Leveraged Finance business in the North West, responsible for the origination, execution and monitoring of a £500m portfolio of leveraged facilities across a wide range of transaction sizes and types. He also held a similar role at Lloyds Banking Group in Manchester. Dave completed an MBA at the University of Liverpool in 2013.
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About Maven Capital Partners: Maven Capital Partners is a private equity firm that provides a range of funding options to SMEs and investment opportunities.
Alan Robertson
Investment Director of Maven Capital Partners
Based in our Edinburgh office, Alan is an Investment Director responsible for new private equity transactions in Scotland. Alan joined Maven in July 2012 from Quayle Munro, where he helped establish a Debt Advisory and Corporate Finance business in Scotland. Prior to this Alan spent seven years with RBS predominately working in the Aberdeen Structured Finance team financing mid-market private equity transactions. He latterly had responsibility for a portfolio of large corporate and leveraged clients. Alan holds an Honours degree in Accountancy from the University of Glasgow and is a Chartered Accountant – qualifying through the TOPPS scheme during his time with RBS.
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About Maven Capital Partners, Symphonic: Maven Capital Partners is a private equity firm that provides a range of funding options to SMEs and investment opportunities.
Richard Elliott
Investment Director of Maven Capital Partners
Richard is based in Glasgow and is an Investment Director in Maven’s property team. He joined Maven in 2011 from Bank of Scotland, where he spent seven years in a variety of corporate banking roles including the Joint Ventures Equity team managing a portfolio of investments in joint venture companies across the UK real estate sector. Whilst at Maven Richard has been responsible for sourcing and executing new private equity and Scottish Loan Fund investments as well as supporting a number of companies in the Maven portfolio. He moved into Maven’s property team in early 2016.
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About Maven Capital Partners: Maven Capital Partners is a private equity firm that provides a range of funding options to SMEs and investment opportunities.
Paul Johnston
Investment Director of Maven Capital Partners
Paul joined Maven in early 2016 as an Investment Director to support the growth of the property business. He brings to Maven a wide range of experience in corporate finance, private equity, property investment and fund management, and has been a Director of a number of public and private companies. Paul qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1997 with Ernst and Young and holds an MA (Hons) in Accountancy from the University of Aberdeen. Prior to joining Maven he spent 12 years as a partner and director with The Hamilton Portfolio group, a diverse investment and advisory company based in Glasgow, before establishing his own advisory business, Bowmont Capital Partners, in 2013.
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About Maven Capital Partners: Maven Capital Partners is a private equity firm that provides a range of funding options to SMEs and investment opportunities.
Richard Altoft
Investment Director of Maven Capital Partners
Based in Nottingham, Richard has responsibility for new MEIF investments across the East Midlands, as well as managing portfolio investments across the region. He joined Maven in 2018 following a 37-year career with NatWest, Co-op and Handelsbanken, primarily in the SME commercial and corporate banking sectors. During his career, Richard has managed broad portfolios of commercial customers across a wide variety of B2B sectors including manufacturing, engineering and technology. Most of his banking career has been in the East Midlands region.
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About Maven Capital Partners: Maven Capital Partners is a private equity firm that provides a range of funding options to SMEs and investment opportunities.
Julie Glenny
Investment Director of Maven Capital Partners
Julie Glenny is an Investment Director based in Glasgow with responsibility for the Scottish Loan Fund team and for transacting new investments across Scotland. She joined Maven in May 2011 following a career with Bank of Scotland where she held a number of roles in the corporate arena, including that of Director of Corporate Banking which involved working with a diverse portfolio of SME connections and on a variety of transactions. Julie is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers in Scotland and has an MBA from Strathclyde University (1997).
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About Halifax Bank of Scotland, Maven Capital Partners: Maven Capital Partners is a private equity firm that provides a range of funding options to SMEs and investment opportunities.
Jonathan Lowe
Investment Director of Maven Capital Partners
Based in Nottingham, Jonathan leads Maven’s MEIF team for East & South East Midlands, with responsibility for delivering new investments and portfolio management of existing MEIF holdings. Jonathan joined Maven in 2017 having spent his career in SME equity investment, finance and banking, primarily in and around the East Midlands. Most recently Jonathan was an Investment Director and Head of Investor Relations at Catapult Ventures. He had previously worked as a Portfolio Director at Capital for Enterprise Ltd, and spent nine years as Head of Business Investment at East Midlands Development Agency, where he led the development of new loan and equity funds and the delivery of two major SME grant programmes. Jonathan began his career at NatWest in Nottingham, where he managed head office credit teams and was a business relationship manager.
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About Maven Capital Partners: Maven Capital Partners is a private equity firm that provides a range of funding options to SMEs and investment opportunities.
Steve Marshall
Sales and Marketing Director of Maven Capital Partners
Steve Marshall is responsible for developing IFA sales channels for Maven, maintaining relationships with advisers, key industry commentators and the press, and is responsible for defining the strategic marketing direction. He joined Aberdeen Asset Management in 2006 from AXA Life where he advised major corporate accounts and business partners of AXA. Previously Steve worked in the computing industry, before becoming a Navigating Officer in the Royal Navy. He moved into financial services with London Life in 1991, and subsequently held senior roles with Scottish Equitable and Friends Provident, where he focused on managing relationships within the investment and pensions markets and helped develop their corporate and investment sales strategy. Steve was also nominated for Friend Provident’s European management development programme, helping lead collaborative projects with European partner companies. Steve has a BSc (Hons) in Computer Science from the University of Hertfordshire.
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About Maven Capital Partners: Maven Capital Partners is a private equity firm that provides a range of funding options to SMEs and investment opportunities.
Graeme Cullen
Client Reporting Director of Maven Capital Partners
Graeme supports the fund management and client servicing requirements of the Maven Team. He joined Maven in July 2009 from State Street Bank where he was responsible for servicing a range of client products. Graeme has worked in financial services for 17 years and is a qualified accountant (FCCA).
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About Maven Capital Partners: Maven Capital Partners is a private equity firm that provides a range of funding options to SMEs and investment opportunities.
Ryan Bevington
Investment Director of Maven Capital Partners
Ryan is responsible for new investments in the north of England. He joined Aberdeen Asset Management in January 2007 having previously worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers in Manchester where he spent over 8 years in their Corporate Finance Private Equity team working as an Assistant Director on a wide range of transactions. Ryan qualified as a Chartered Accountant with PricewaterhouseCoopers having graduated from Leeds University with an LLB (Hons) Law degree in 1998.
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About Healthpoint, Maven Capital Partners: Maven Capital Partners is a private equity firm that provides a range of funding options to SMEs and investment opportunities.
Michael Vassallo
Investment Director of Maven Capital Partners
Michael is responsible for new investments across the North East of England and manages the North East Development Capital Fund and Finance Durham Fund. He joined Maven in March 2017 having previously worked for FW Capital in Newcastle where he spent five years in their SME investment team leading transactions across the North East. Previously, Michael worked at Brewin Dolphin in Newcastle and London where he spent over eight years in the Investment Banking team working as an Associate Director on a range of listed company fund raisings. Michael qualified as a Chartered Accountant (ACA) with Ernst & Young in 2002 having graduated from Oxford University with an MA (Hons) in Mathematics in 1999.
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About Maven Capital Partners: Maven Capital Partners is a private equity firm that provides a range of funding options to SMEs and investment opportunities.
Gareth Price
Investment Director of Maven Capital Partners
Gareth is responsible for transacting new early-stage private equity investments across the South and South West of England and Wales. He joined Maven in 2018 after eight years at the Development Bank of Wales, where he latterly managed the equity portfolio team, providing equity and debt funding to SMEs in Wales to finance their growth plans. Prior to this Gareth spent 14 years as a Corporate Financier in London. While working at NatWest Markets (Hawkpoint), ABN AMRO and Landsbanki he advised on many UK and cross-border M&A transactions, fund-raisings and IPOs across a wide range of industry sectors, including acting as Nomad to a number of public companies quoted on the AIM market. Gareth has a BA in Chemistry and an MA from Oxford University, and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants, having qualified while working at PwC.
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About Development Bank of Wales, Maven Capital Partners: Maven Capital Partners is a private equity firm that provides a range of funding options to SMEs and investment opportunities.
Andrew Symmonds
Investment Director of Maven Capital Partners
Andrew is based in our London office and is responsible for supporting portfolio companies, generating and protecting shareholder value, exit planning and monitoring performance. He joined Aberdeen Asset Management in April 2007 having previously performed a number of Finance Director roles in various industry sectors and, more recently, interim management roles principally with under-performing or distressed businesses. Andrew spent the first six years of his career at PricewaterhouseCoopers working in audit and transaction services. Andrew qualified with PricewaterhouseCoopers as a Chartered Accountant in 1996, having graduated from Surrey University with a Mathematics and Economics (Joint Hons) degree in 1992.
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About Maven Capital Partners, Maven Capital Partners: Maven Capital Partners is a private equity firm that provides a range of funding options to SMEs and investment opportunities.
Ramsay Duff
Investment Director of Maven Capital Partners
Ramsay is a Partner in Maven Capital Solutions, which has been established by Maven Capital Partners following the acquisition of the business of HM Corporate Solutions (HMCS), previously run by Ramsay in partnership with Glasgow based Commercial Law Firm Harper Macleod. Maven Capital Solutions focuses on developing structured tax-efficient investment opportunities for sophisticated private investors looking to take advantage of tax allowances such as BPRA (Business Premises Renovation Allowance) and EIS (Enterprise Investment Scheme). Ramsay is a chartered accountant and corporate financier, well known in the Scottish market. Prior to setting up HMCS in 2003, he worked with ING Barings and Charterhouse Securities in Edinburgh. Ramsay graduated with a B.Acc. from The University of Glasgow, and is a Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland.
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About Ernst & Young, Maven Capital Partners: Maven Capital Partners is a private equity firm that provides a range of funding options to SMEs and investment opportunities.
Steve Lewis
Investment Director of Maven Capital Partners
Based in Birmingham, Steve has responsibility for new MEIF investments across the Midlands, as well as managing portfolio investments across the region. He joined Maven in 2017 following a long career in SME investment and banking, primarily in and around Birmingham. He was most recently a Branch Manager with Handelsbanken in Wolverhampton, and has extensive experience of commercial banking having worked for a number of UK-based banks.
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About Maven Capital Partners: Maven Capital Partners is a private equity firm that provides a range of funding options to SMEs and investment opportunities.
Andy Round
Investment Director of Maven Capital Partners
Based in our Manchester office, Andy is responsible for the execution of new investments across the Maven funds and works with investee companies across the region. He joined Maven in March 2018 following 8 years of experience managing Regional funds for both SPARK Impact and MSIF. Andy has previously worked for IP-Group investing in a range of early stage University companies across different sectors. At Yet2 as Consulting Director Andy provided services for companies such as Sumitomo Chemical, DSM, P+G, Unilever and Philips. Andy has a PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Leeds, the technology developed was incorporated into a company called Micap which went onto to raise £40m and was admitted to AiM.
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About Maven Capital Partners: Maven Capital Partners is a private equity firm that provides a range of funding options to SMEs and investment opportunities.
Andy Round
Investment Director of Maven Capital Partners
Based in our Manchester office, Andy is responsible for the execution of new investments across the Maven funds and works with investee companies across the region. He joined Maven in March 2018 following 8 years of experience managing Regional funds for both SPARK Impact and MSIF. Andy has previously worked for IP-Group investing in a range of early stage University companies across different sectors. At Yet2 as Consulting Director Andy provided services for companies such as Sumitomo Chemical, DSM, P+G, Unilever and Philips. Andy has a PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Leeds, the technology developed was incorporated into a company called Micap which went onto to raise £40m and was admitted to AiM.
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About Maven Capital Partners: Maven Capital Partners is a private equity firm that provides a range of funding options to SMEs and investment opportunities.
Oussama Ammar
Director of The Family
Oussama has always been an Entrepreneur — he got his first taste of the startup world when he was 12 years old and launched one of the first web agencies in France. He spent a few years working on it with multiple spin-offs and independents platforms, including one of the first online antique shops. In his early 20’s, after a quick detour through the social sciences, law, logic and philosophy at La Sorbonne, Oussama created Hypios that became, in less than 3 years, one of the few open innovation leaders in the world. Angel Investor for over 2 years with 21+ active deals (most of them Silicon Valley-based), Oussama is trying to scale this by founding TheFamily, an accelerator for early-stage startups that supports them from [0] to [1] through education & unfair advantages. He is also a lecturer on Entrepreneurship at Sciences Po Paris. Oussama is a Lebanese-born French citizen, he grew up in Africa and France, worked in Paris, Hong Kong, Sao Paulo and San Francisco, making him a true global citizen.
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About The Family: The Family nurtures Entrepreneurs through Education, Unfair Advantages & Capital.
Nicolas Colin
Director of The Family
Mr. Nicolas Colin is a Co-Founder and Partner at TheFamily (Holdings) Limited and has been its Founding Partner since October 2013. Mr. Colin is Commissioner at CNIL – Commission Nationale de l’Informatique et des Libertés from January 2014. He was Inspecteur des finances at Inspection générale des finances from April 2012 to October 2013. He was Founder, Chief Executive Officer at 1x1connect from April 2010 to April 2012. He was Co-Founder at Stand Alone Media since September 2010. He was Inspecteur des finances at Inspection générale des finances from April 2006 to March 2010. He was Desk Officer / United States Affairs at Ministère français des affaires étrangères from August 2003 to December 2003. He was Consultant at Groupe MB from June 2000 to September 2000. He was Consultant at Astek from April 2000 to May 2000. He was Bid Manager at Siemens SAS / Siemens AG / ICN Division from 1998 to 1999. He studied Government at Ecole nationale d’Administration from 2004 to 2006, Master’s Degree, Public Administration / American Studies from Institut d’Etudes politiques de Paris from 2000 to 2002, and Master’s Degree, Computer Science from Ecole nationale supérieure des Télécommunications de Bretagne from 1996 to 2000.
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About The Family: The Family nurtures Entrepreneurs through Education, Unfair Advantages & Capital.
Mike Lebus
Founder & Director of Angel Investment Network
Mike Lebus is the Co-Founder and Director of Angel Investment Network Ltd, the world’s largest business angel network with over 400,000 members and 30 networks covering over 80 countries worldwide. He is also a regular author and blogger on topics related to angel investing and raising capital. He has a Master’s Degree in German and French from the University of Edinburgh.
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About Angel Investment Network: Angel Investment Network angel investment platform, funding platform, startup investment, entrepreneurs, angel investors,
Cristobal Mendez de Vigo y zu Loewenstein
Director of C-QUADRAT
Cristobal Mendez de Vigo y zu Loewenstein has been serving as a director of C-QUADRAT since January 2015.
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About C-QUADRAT: C-QUADRAT is a privately owned investment manager.
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
Rob Ferguson
Executive Director of CoInvestor
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About CoInvestor: Alternative asset investment platform connecting advisers and investors with premium tax-efficient, capital growth and yield investments
Carl-Petter Halvorsen
Managing Director of equityfor
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About equityfor: Re inventing Venture Capital Investment. Providing investment access for institutional and accredited investors.
Mark Allatt
Director of InvestingZone
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About InvestingZone: InvestingZone is an equity crowdfunding platform allowing users to invest in exciting, high potential companies.
Steven Janes
Director of InvestingZone
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About InvestingZone: InvestingZone is an equity crowdfunding platform allowing users to invest in exciting, high potential companies.
Steven Janes
Director of InvestingZone
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About InvestingZone: InvestingZone is an equity crowdfunding platform allowing users to invest in exciting, high potential companies.
Davin Poonwassie
Co-Founder and Operations Director of Simple Crowdfunding
Davin was first introduced to crowdfunding in early 2013 and he spotted the opportunity that crowdfunding brings. At the end of 2013, Simple Backing, their first property crowdfunding platform focused on Peer to Peer Lending was born. After speaking to their customers, Davin soon realised that there was also a need to provide an Equity option, thus Simple Equity was formed. With a background in data, databases and information technology, Davin is well suited to this marketplace. Outside of crowdfunding, Davin is a business and property coach, helping others achieve their goals and aspirations. Davin is also a keen property investor, investing in parts of the UK and France.
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About Simple Crowdfunding: Simple Crowdfunding is a regulated peer to peer lending and crowdfunding platform, offering property finance.
Atuksha Poonwassie
Managing Director and Co-Founder of Simple Crowdfunding
Atuksha has been involved in Peer to Peer Lending and Crowdfunding since 2013. She is a Director of the UK Crowdfunding Association, and regularly engages with policymakers and Government to advance this marketplace for all sectors in the UK. Atuksha is also the 2017 national Venus ‘Influential Woman of the Year’ award winner and is recognised in the P2P Finance News’ 2020 and 2021 Power 50, making the top 10 cut. This list highlights the 50 most influential people in P2P. Being a firm believer in building a strong community and customer base, Atuksha uses her expertise to help property professionals raise finance, build a crowd, and stand out in the market, whilst providing better access to the UK property market to everyone.
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About Simple Crowdfunding: Simple Crowdfunding is a regulated peer to peer lending and crowdfunding platform, offering property finance.
