Blackfinch Ventures is delighted to announce the appointment of Dr Simon Porter as Principal, reinforcing the commitment to a multidisciplinary team that can support founders across every stage of growth.
Simon brings with him extensive technical knowledge and expertise, including a PhD in Mechanical Engineering, adding further depth to the Ventures team and building on the team’s ability to evaluate and support businesses across a wide range of sectors. In his role as Principle, Simon will be integral to managing the portfolio of founders, ranging from being hands-on with portfolio company product design to recommendations for strategic planning.
Alongside his academic excellence, Simon brings more than eleven years of venture capital and corporate finance experience. Simon joins Blackfinch after building his own consultancy firm that helps startups and their management teams with business growth, including planning, strategy, fundraising and exit. Prior to that Simon held a Principal role at Active Partners, where he built strong expertise in Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) investing.
A large section of Simon’s career has been spent at Pembroke VCT where he worked for just under 6 years, latterly as Investment Director, leading both new and follow-on investments. During that period Simon also held Non-Executive Director roles across multiple portfolio companies.
Before joining the venture industry in 2017, Simon spent three years in corporate finance at boutique buy/sell-side advisor Oakley Advisory.
Simon Porter said: “I'm thrilled to be joining the Blackfinch Ventures team, and I look forward to getting hands-on with the portfolio - combining my technical expertise and venture capital experience to help our early-stage founders grow, fundraise, and exit successfully.”
Richard Harley, Ventures Director at Blackfinch Ventures, commented: “Simon’s skillset will be particularly valuable when supporting the technology-enabled companies we have in our portfolio and our pipeline. This expansion of the team enhances the way we manage our portfolio of founders, which in turn helps to deliver strong long-term outcomes for investors.”
Richard Cook, Chief Executive Officer at Blackfinch Group, added: “As Blackfinch Ventures moves forward, we’re continuing to sharpen our focus on the key themes shaping the future; FinTech, DeepTech and Energy Transition. To back the visionary founders within these sectors, we’ve put together a team with the technical insight and founder-first mindset needed to support this coming wave of innovation - Simon’s appointment is another clear step forward in that journey.”
Simon’s arrival reflects the continued growth and evolution of Blackfinch Ventures. By continuing to broaden the expertise within the team, Blackfinch remains well placed to support the UK’s most ambitious entrepreneurs and help deliver strong outcomes for investors.
