Speakers

James is a Partner at Balderton - a multistage venture firm with more than 25 years experience supporting Europe's best founders from seed to IPO.

He has been a venture investor for 15 years, becoming a Partner at Balderton in 2016. James invests across geographies and stages with a specific focus on applications and models in AI, energy, and health. He works with multiple portfolio companies, including Convergence (acquired by Salesforce), Sophia Genetics (Nasdaq-listed $SOPH), GoCardless (acquired by Mollie), Depop (acquired by Etsy), Writer, Tibber, Quantum Systems, and has been involved in the sale and IPO of over a dozen companies.

Prior to joining Balderton, James helped launch and run one of the UK’s first social venture funds. He has worked with entrepreneurs and businesses in Europe and Africa and as a consultant with McKinsey & Company.

James is also the Chair of the UK Government’s Sovereign AI fund, where he supports on strategy for critical infrastructure for AI and is a member of the investment committee for Christ Church, Oxford.