Directors and management
- Simon Hunt
Executive chairman
- Simon is a co founder of IPSO Ventures and leads our entity creation activities. He trained as a corporate lawyer, specialising in corporatefinance and M&A as well as intellectual property law, before moving into venture capital management
with Gartmore Investment Management Limited, focusing mainly on technology in the US. He later
added public company investment banking experience including corporate finance and M&A. Simon has worked with companies at all stages of their development both in the UK and the US. He is Non-executive Chairman of GEM Biofuels plc, Strathdon Investments plc as well as a number of private companies.
- Nick Rodgers
Chief Executive
- Nick is a co founder of IPSO Ventures and is responsible for sourcing new technology and relationships. Nick trained as an accountant and then became an investment banker specialising in life sciences. Between 1989 and 2003 he worked for Beeson Gregory (later Evolution Securities) and was responsible for a significant number of IPOs, fundraisings and acquisitions involving
life sciences companies. As part of his role within Beeson Gregory he was involved in the establishment
of the Oxford and Southampton partnerships for IP2IPO plc (now IP Group plc). Nick is also the Senior Independent Director and Deputy Chairman of Oxford Biomedica plc and a Non-executive Director of TMO Renewables Limited and Morvus Technology Limited.
- Simon Haworth
Executive Director, responsible for team building
- Simon is a co founder of IPSO Ventures. He is responsible for development of portfolio companies, for the development of our industry links, and for the management of team building activities. Simon is also a founder director of international recruiter BSG Team Ventures which underpins our team building work and gives IPSO portfolio companies preferential access to a vast international network of connections and potential CEOs, Chairmen/NEDs and other senior executives. Simon has built teams for many startups and for venture capitalists themselves, has founded or co founded four companies following training with Arthur Andersen and holds a PhD in Economics ("The growth of firms").
- Tim Carter
Commercialisation Manager
- Tim joined the founders of IPSO in early 2007 at the time of the company’s IPO. Tim has a central operational role both within IPSO and several of our portfolio companies. He initiates and drives the establishment of new entities in conjunction with developing the business and building the management team. He also takes a leading role in researching and validating demand in the marketplace, before turning this into a business plan and working with the IPSO team to create a new entity designed to meet that demand. His involvement in maintaining close relationships with IPSO’s partner Universities means he is able to source and license in requisite technology and expertise. He also runs the ‘IPSO Entrepreneurs Programme’, delivering it to UK Universities. Tim trained as a scientist at Cambridge and Imperial College and completed a Medical Research Council Fellowship before moving into the technology commercialisation sector where he spent several years with Queen Mary Innovation and Imperial Innovations among others
- Jacques Dreyer
Group Financial Controller
- In addition to performing the Group financial function, Jacques is responsible for providing accounting and administrative support to IPSO’s spin out companies through the early development phase of those companies. He qualified as an accountant with KPMG in Cape Town, where he specialised in owner managed businesses. He later moved to Morgan Stanley in London, where he worked with equity derivatives. Jacques joined IPSO in June 2007.
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- Chris Wright
Consultant
- Chris was previously the founding chief executive of IP2IPO Limited (now IP Group plc). In that role he negotiated the first IP partnership agreements with Oxford and Southampton universities. Chris has many years experience in the management of engineering and technology businesses including time with AEA Technology, BOC, RHM and Harwell Laboratory.
there is evidence that university spin outs are at a disadvantage to their corporate counterparts
Jo Taylor, Chairman
BVCA Technology Committees
