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 London 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.
Follow Steven Rimmer:
About Seedrs: Seedrs is a UK-based investment and crowdfunding platform.
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).
Follow Tom Purkis:
About 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.
Follow Andrew Symmonds:
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.
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.
Follow Oussama Ammar:
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.
Follow Nicolas Colin:
About The Family: The Family nurtures Entrepreneurs through Education, Unfair Advantages & Capital.
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.
Follow Cristobal Mendez de Vigo y zu Loewenstein:
About C-QUADRAT: C-QUADRAT is a privately owned investment manager.
Heather Corcoran
Senior Director of International of Kickstarter
Follow Heather Corcoran:
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
Follow Matthew Linnecar:
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
Follow Rob Ferguson:
About CoInvestor: Alternative asset investment platform connecting advisers and investors with premium tax-efficient, capital growth and yield investments
Mark Allatt
Director of InvestingZone
Follow Mark Allatt:
About InvestingZone: InvestingZone is an equity crowdfunding platform allowing users to invest in exciting, high potential companies.
Steven Janes
Director of InvestingZone
Follow Steven Janes:
About InvestingZone: InvestingZone is an equity crowdfunding platform allowing users to invest in exciting, high potential companies.
Steven Janes
Director of InvestingZone
Follow Steven Janes:
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.
Follow Davin Poonwassie:
About Simple Crowdfunding: Simple Crowdfunding is a regulated peer to peer lending and crowdfunding platform, offering property finance.
