Biography
Julian joined Mercia through the 2016 acquisition of Enterprise Ventures Group Ltd, which he joined in 2004 and was head of technology investments at the time of its acquisition. He has over 25 years of venture capital experience, including the successful listings of companies such as Blue Prism Group plc and OptiBiotix Health plc. Through the subsequent sell-down of its holding in Blue Prism, Mercia’s RisingStars Growth Fund realised £95.0million, 105x the cost of its investment. Julian leads the equity investment team as well as managing the pipeline of Mercia’s direct investments.
Alongside his wide experience of investing across many sectors, Julian is Fund Manager for NPIF, the RisingStars Growth Funds and the Finance Yorkshire Seedcorn Fund. Julian played a leading role in securing both the recent 2024 British Business Bank sponsored managed funds equity contracts, alongside the original 2017 awards, and has been Mercia’s Chief Investment Officer since April 2018. Julian has a geology with chemistry degree from the University of Southampton and qualified as a chartered accountant with accountants Smith & Williamson.