Ascension

Iulia Tudor, after hands-on community work at TechHub and Startup Institute, provides fundraising support, introductions and partnerships for AI-driven healthcare, fintech for underserved markets and democratized renewable energy, advocating access.

Remy Minute pairs operator experience as Managing Director of CSC Media Group (later acquired by Sony Pictures Television) with active Director and Investment Committee Chair roles and deep UK/London roots.

Chris Wheatcroft, an ex‑restaurateur and early Fizzback operator sold to NICE for ~$80M, syndicated 150+ deals and now runs a syndicate fund, focusing on TechBio/health like Stablepharma’s fridge‑free vaccines.

Alex Heerema is an Investment Manager at Ascension, a UK early-stage venture capital firm, where he sources, screens, and conducts due diligence on opportunities for the firm's generalist funds. Before moving into venture capital, he was an early employee at two B2B software startups working on go-to-market strategy, and he previously gained investment experience at Prime Ventures in Amsterdam and Techstars in London. He holds an MSc in Economics and Strategy for Business from Imperial College London and a BA in Political Economy from King's College London.

Toyosi Ogedengbe leads UK pre-seed software deals, specializing in marketplaces and network-effect platforms, applying his engineer/product-leader background to identify underestimated, often ethnic and immigrant, technical founders.

Aleks Habdank leverages 25 years in telecoms and TV (senior roles at TalkTalk and MAM) as a hands-on board investor in consumer and media, and chairs Wasps FC Youth Rugby.

Antonin de Fougerolles is a venture partner and biotech CEO with 20+ years of drug‑discovery experience, specializing in RNA and exosome therapeutics, and advises pharma–blockchain supply‑chain firms like Veratrak.

Craig Fletcher built and sold Multiplay to GAME Digital in 2015, combining rare hands-on multiplayer infrastructure experience with a venture-partner investment committee role and angel investing in gaming and esports.

David Buller is an investor who co-founded and exited Avantec Healthcare to Becton Dickinson, with hospital-device expertise and entrepreneurial background since 15, bridging founders to specialist healthtech capital in Europe.

Diane Stewart is a trained attorney and international legal consultant who combines cross-border legal and governance expertise with venture investing and human rights advocacy bridging law, capital and social impact.

Emma Blackburn uniquely combines senior CFO finance leadership with Venture Partner investing at the same early-stage platform, runs an active angel portfolio, and unlocks international co-investment opportunities through trusted relationships.

Erik Blachford, who scaled Expedia as its early CEO, brings two decades of public-company board experience (Zillow since 2005), and is a venture partner, angel investor, and outdoor camp owner.

Ian McClelland, a BAFTA-winning media and tech CEO, led AI-enhanced learning transformations at academy+ and combines exit experience with operating expertise in creative production, digital learning and AI transformation.

Kip Meek pairs deep regulatory and policy expertise as Senior Partner at Ofcom with founder experience selling Two Way Media and chairs growth companies including A Million Ads and Sitenna.

Sonia Powar holds a mathematics degree and qualified as a chartered accountant at PwC in London before moving to private equity and growth investor 3i plc. She spent eight years as a Partner at venture debt start-up BOOST&Co, helping grow it into one of the UK's top non-bank lenders to SMEs specialising in the TMT sector. At Frog Capital she works with software scale-ups across Europe and focuses on responsible investing that adds value to the planet, people, or society.

Vin Murria is a serial entrepreneur who built Advanced Computer Software plc, selling it for £765m, and offers deep operational and M&A expertise plus rare business, legal and research credentials.

An associate at Ascension who co-hosts the Fundamentals workshop series for junior venture capitalists, focusing on educational content and career development in the VC industry.

Jean de Fougerolles—who taught in post‑Berlin‑Wall Czechoslovakia and advised former Soviet governments—focuses on systems change; his Fair By Design portfolio reached ~1.7M UK households via 25+ companies reducing poverty premiums.

Keir Wright-Whyte is Finance Director at Ascension, a London pre-seed venture capital firm managing £150m across EIS and institutional fund structures, where he leads deal execution, holds signing authority across portfolio companies, and oversees operational and compliance infrastructure. He previously spent six years as managing director of a London accounting firm, which grew from a 12-person single-office practice to a 40-person multi-office digital firm with tax, corporate finance, and SRA-authorised legal arms, and earlier worked in PwC audit in Edinburgh alongside founding team roles and a period as an outdoor education instructor in Hong Kong. He is a CA (ICAS), holds an MA in Geography from the University of Edinburgh, and is an SRA COFA and ICAEW Authorised Training Principal.

Chief Operating Officer at Ascension who leads educational sessions on AI tools and fundamentals for junior investors, helping translate complex AI concepts into practical frameworks for investment professionals.