Jens is Executive Chairman of Oxford Innovation Finance, Development Director SQW Group and Senior Advisor, Oxford Economics. Previously, was Managing Director UK, Oxford Economics, Executive Director, Oxford Analytica and Executive Director UBS. Jens holds a MA in PPE and an MSc in Economic History, both from the University of Oxford. Jens is a trustee of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) and Chair of Governor’ of St Clare’s. He is NED of Advanced Oxford and Venturefest Oxfordshire. He has been an active investor for many years and is a member of the investment committee of two UK charities.
Team
Jens Tholstrup
Executive Chairman
Richard Cooper
Managing Director
Richard has been working with early stage companies for the past twenty years, both in the UK and Australia in both a funding and business advisory capacity. Having developed two early stage software companies himself, he has advised on hundreds of early stage companies to develop their growth strategies and raise them funding as a result. This allows Richard to be able to identify companies with strong growth potential and advise them if needed. Richard has an MSc in Marketing from the University of Leicester and post graduate qualifications in applied finance and project management. Richard also has a CFA Certificate in Investment Management and the foundation course in Private Equity from the Australian Venture Capital Association.
Eileen Modral
Investment Manager
Eileen is a finance specialist who combines over 22 years’ experience in fundraising and international business development for Oxford Innovation with her support of angels within the OION network. Eileen is on the selection panel for the OION angel network and a Board Member of Venturefest Oxford. She concentrates on technology companies with a strong barrier to entry including MedTech and precision engineering. Eileen is passionate at supporting entrepreneurs and uses her expertise and passion for start-ups to mentor and support local technology driven accelerator/incubator businesses focused on impact, diversity and sustainability whilst investing in companies with social impact. Eileen is FCA regulated as SMF17.
Chris Oliver
Investment Manager
Chris is a finance specialist who has worked in a number of different fields of finance within the last 15 years, operating within Fund Management, Private Equity, Business Advisory & Audit. Chris started his career in finance within Fund Management, analysing investment opportunities across 2 funds and managing a significant portfolio of legacy investee companies. He then spent some time in audit with Grant Thornton before returning to the faster pace of private equity, sell side M&A and Business Advisory. Immediately prior to joining Oxford Innovation Finance, he worked as a finance specialist for the Access to Finance team in Cornwall, helping raise in excess of £40m of Equity, Debt & Grant finance for SMEs based in Cornwall & IoS. Chris has a degree in Business Economics from the University of Leicester and holds a certificate in Corporate Finance via the Chartered Institute of Securities & Investment.
Steve Piercy
Investment Network Manager
Steve has almost ten years’ experience of working with early stage companies. He divides his time working with both the Oxford Innovation EIS Growth Fund and OION angel network. He’s a key point of contact for companies who are successful in receiving an offer to pitch at a Showcase. Steve also has experience in Marketing having previously worked within the Faculty of Business Marketing department at Oxford Brookes University. He has a BA (Hons) Business and Management degree and holds the Investment Management Certificate (IMC) from the CFA Society.
David Crichton-Miller
Board & Investment Committee Member
David is Chief Executive of SQW Group (Oxford Innovation Finance's parent company) and a specialist in subjects relating to innovators and entrepreneurs. SQW Group is uniquely qualified to find and support innovators and small businesses being both a UK market leading operator of innovation centres and incubators and also a UK market leading provider of business advice and support to small business. David’s background is in corporate finance at Morgan Stanley, as a management consultant at McKinsey & Company and as an entrepreneur who raised venture capital to start (and successfully exit) his own business. He has also been and still is an advisor to a wide range of businesses as well as an investor in early stage businesses.
Kate Wright
Board Member & Compliance Officer
Kate works alongside David as Chief Financial Officer at SQW Group within which role she has a particular focus on risk and compliance management. Prior to joining the group in 2016, Kate held a number of senior finance positions in high-growth SMEs – from early-stage to established AIM-listed companies – during which time she was instrumental in securing three successful exits, one of which – for a highly innovative diagnostics business – was to a US-listed multinational. Kate qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Deloitte during which time she specialised in working with technology-rich SMEs across the Thames Valley including leading the advisory work on two successful IPOs. Kate’s belief in the power and importance of supporting early-stage businesses in order to accelerate their growth and realise their potential led her to her current role working with SQW Group.
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