Founders Factory

Serial entrepreneur and co-founder of Founders Factory.

Serial entrepreneur and co-founder of Founders Factory.

Brent Hoberman is Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of Founders Factory, Founders Forum, and firstminute capital, a $320m seed fund. He previously co-founded lastminute.com in 1998, serving as CEO until its 2005 sale to Sabre for $1.1bn, and co-founded made.com in 2010, which went public with a $1.1bn valuation. He has served on the advisory boards of organizations including Google Cloud and the UK Government Digital Service, has advised four UK prime ministers, and was awarded a CBE in 2015 for services to entrepreneurship.

David Hickson is a member of the founding team and Chief Strategic Development Officer at Founders Factory, a global technology operating and investing business with a portfolio of over 400 technology companies, 80 of which it built from the ground up. He was part of lastminute.com from its early period through its 2005 $1.1bn exit and has helped raise more than $100m in venture and investment capital across four technology ventures. He serves as a non-executive director at the mattress company Simba and is a co-founder, Chief Strategy Officer, and non-executive director at Tribe Sports.

Henry Lane Fox is the co-founder and CEO of Founders Factory Ltd. He works in the technology startup sector and has experience as an operator, investor, and board member.

Damian Routley is Chief Operating Officer at Founders Factory, where he works on building and investing in early-stage companies across deeptech, telecommunications, health, climate, and fintech sectors.

Edoardo Gentili is an investor and operator on the investment team at Founders Factory, where he works with early-stage founders across AI, fintech, data, cybersecurity, and the creative industries at the Pre-Seed and Seed stages, supporting them on fundraising, go-to-market, and partnerships. He is the founder of Italians in VC, a global community of Italians working in venture capital.

Jack Kennedy is a mining and deeptech investor at Founders Factory, where he leads early-stage mining investments through a $10M joint venture with Rio Tinto. He previously worked as a deeptech investor at Kintanna and has experience as a founder and product lead.

Founder of Mercuri (originally GMG Ventures), which he established in Kings Cross, London in 2017.

Jacob George is Director of Product at Founders Factory, where he works on AI agents and generative AI products, including workflow automation across healthcare, fintech, and retail. His work covers LLM-powered workflows, RAG systems, and agent orchestration, with products such as Chiron AI, Nila, Jointly AI, and Ditto AI. He has over 10 years of experience building AI products and was on the founding team at Emagin, which was acquired by Autodesk.

Levi Young is Sector Director at Founders Factory, where his work focuses on building startups. His background includes experience in digital ecommerce, digital merchandising and marketing, along with managing teams at high-growth startups. He has been recognized on Forbes 30 Under 30, Management Today's 35 Under 35, Top 100 UK Startups, and The Shift 100.

Olly Betts is the Fintech Sector Director at Founders Factory, where he works with a portfolio of more than 50 fintech companies and has supported founders in raising over $300 million. He previously founded OpenWrks, an open banking platform acquired in 2020, and was part of the leadership team at TDX Group, which was acquired in 2014. His latest venture is Version 40, a financial services company.

Sahil Sachdev is Director of New Ventures at Founders Factory, a Europe-based venture builder, where he oversees the creation of 10 to 20 new ventures annually and their development and validation. He has been involved in the investment in and building of more than 60 startups, representing over £35 million in deployed capital.

Tamryn Barker is Sector Director for Mining and Nature Tech at Founders Factory, where she supports technology founders addressing challenges in mining and climate in Western Australia and internationally. Her work is conducted in partnership with Rio Tinto and the Government of Western Australia.

Bianca Furtuna is Head of Data Science at Founders Factory, where she leads applied machine learning initiatives. She has built and managed data science teams and delivered complex machine learning solutions, with experience mentoring ML scientists and engineers. Her focus areas include applying machine learning and data science to healthcare applications.

Charlotta Kemp is Program and Community Lead at Founders Factory, where she develops and executes accelerator programs for early-stage mining and nature technology startups. With over a decade of experience in international investment and trade, she manages partnerships with Rio Tinto and the Western Australian Government to provide capital, mentorship, and resources to approximately 24 startups annually. Her expertise spans public affairs, investor relations, and government relations.

Claire Morris serves as Chief Studio Officer at Founders Factory, where she leads the Venture Studio in partnering with entrepreneurs to build and scale technology companies. With over 23 years of experience in digital and technology, she has previously managed teams across leading agencies and startups.

David Hickson is Chief Strategic Development Officer and member of the founding team at Founders Factory, a global technology operating and investing firm managing a portfolio of over 400 tech companies, more than 80 of which were launched internally. He was part of lastminute.com's founding team through its 2005 sale for $1.1 billion, and has supported fundraising efforts across four technology ventures totaling over $100 million in capital raised. Hickson serves as a non-executive director at Simba and as co-founder, Chief Strategic Officer, and non-executive director at Tribe Sports.

Edoardo Gentili is an investor and operator at Founders Factory focused on early-stage companies in AI, fintech, data, cybersecurity, and creative industries at the Pre-Seed and Seed stages. He supports portfolio founders with fundraising, go-to-market strategy, and partnerships, while also utilizing AI agents for sourcing and evaluation processes. Gentili co-founded Italians in VC, a global community aimed at connecting Italian professionals in venture capital, investment, and entrepreneurship.

Frank Webster is General Counsel and Head of Corporate Development at Founders Factory, a multi-sector venture studio and early-stage investor. With over 20 years of experience in investment, early-stage technology, and M&A law from previous roles at top-tier US law firms, he oversees legal operations, international expansion, and investment activities while providing support to the company's portfolio of more than 350 companies. He serves on multiple boards representing Founders Factory UK, including positions with investors such as Mediobanca and Rio Tinto.

Jack Howell is Head of Applied AI at Founders Factory. Previously, he co-founded Kody with Yoyo Chang, a payments-focused venture. His background includes design work with Adobe Creative Cloud tools and prototype development.

Jacob George is Director of Product at Founders Factory, where he develops AI agents and generative AI products focused on workflow automation across healthcare, fintech, and retail sectors. With over a decade of experience shipping AI products, he has supported portfolio companies that raised more than $100 million and brought 30+ products from conception through product-market fit. His background includes founding team experience at Emagin, which was acquired by Autodesk.

Lee Bernasconi is Chief Marketing Officer at Founders Factory, a global company builder and early-stage investor. His experience spans venture strategy, go-to-market and growth strategy, customer acquisition and retention, product and customer experience, digital marketing, sales enablement, and marketing strategy and communications.

Levi Young is Sector Director at Founders Factory. He has experience in digital ecommerce and merchandising, with background in leading high-growth startups and teams. Young has been recognized as a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree and Management Today's 35 Under 35 selectee.

Liam Nolan is Head of Growth at Founders Factory. He works on user and customer acquisition through online and offline channels, conversion rate optimization, and lifetime value strategies including CRM and pricing optimization, with a focus on data-driven decision making.

Louis Warner is a General Partner at G-Force and partner at venture funds Granpool and AI Tech Builders, focusing on deep-tech, AI, and software investments. He serves as executive chair of Brenpower and board director at Dayjob and Metalchemy, bringing over 25 years of experience in venture-backed technology companies across roles including CEO, COO, and co-founder. His background includes exits ranging from IPO to private equity, as well as experience working with hundreds of founders across multiple geographies and investment platforms.

Olly Betts is Fintech Sector Director at Founders Factory, where he builds and invests in fintech startups across wealth, health, insurance, and sustainability. He has worked with over 50 portfolio companies and supported founders in raising more than $300 million, drawing on 20 years of experience founding and scaling fintech ventures, including OpenWrks (acquired 2020) and a leadership role at TDX Group (acquired 2014). He currently leads Version 40, a personal venture focused on customer-centered financial services.

Raluca Ciobancan is Head of Talent at Founders Factory, where she advises pre-seed startups on talent, people, and culture matters and has managed hiring processes for over half of the studio's founders. Her background includes recruitment, graduate programs, agile transformation, and startup experience, which inform her work building talent programs and supporting founders through early-stage hiring and team development.

Sahil Sachdev is Director of New Ventures at Founders Factory, where he oversees the creation of 10-20 new ventures annually. He has been involved in the development and investment of over 60 startups from inception, representing more than £35 million in total deployment, and has supported several high-growth companies in the UK market.

Tamryn Barker is Sector Director for Mining & Nature Tech at Founders Factory, where she supports technology founders addressing challenges in mining and climate. She works in partnership with Rio Tinto and the Government of Western Australia, focusing on ventures in Western Australia and globally.

Alex Daish is a Venture Design Lead at Founders Factory Ltd, where the role focuses on new ventures. Work involves developing products, services, and marketing stunts for brands, as well as conducting rapid design sprints.

Bianca Furtuna is Head of Data Science at Founders Factory, working in applied machine learning. Her experience includes building and managing teams and delivering machine learning solutions, with a focus on applications in healthcare. She has also mentored machine learning scientists and engineers.

Charlotta Kemp is Program and Community Lead at Founders Factory, where she oversees accelerator programs for early-stage mining and nature technology startups, providing capital, mentorship, and resources to 24 startups annually. Her role is supported by partnerships with Rio Tinto and the Western Australian Government. She has over a decade of experience in international investment and trade, with a background in public affairs, investor relations, and government relations.

Claire Morris is Chief Studio Officer at Founders Factory, where she leads the Venture Studio, which partners with entrepreneurs to build and scale technology companies. She has worked in the digital and technology sector for over 23 years and has managed teams at agencies and startups.

Damian Routley is Chief Operating Officer at Founders Factory, where he works on building and investing in early-stage businesses. His current projects span deeptech, telco, health, climate, and fintech.

Frank Webster is General Counsel and Head of Corporate Development at Founders Factory, a multi-sector venture studio and early-stage investor. He leads the firm's legal and corporate development functions, covering internal legal operations and the negotiation of investment, commercial, and partnership deals, and provides support to its portfolio of more than 350 companies. He represents Founders Factory UK on several boards, including ventures involving Mediobanca and Rio Tinto, and previously worked as an M&A lawyer at two US law firms.

Jack Howell is Head of Applied AI at Founders Factory. He previously co-founded Kody, a payments company, with Yoyo Chang. His earlier work involved design, including building websites and prototypes.

Jack Kennedy is a mining and deeptech investor at Founders Factory, where he leads early-stage mining investments through a $10M joint venture with Rio Tinto. He was previously a deeptech investor at Kintanna and has prior experience as a founder and product lead.

Lee Bernasconi is Chief Marketing Officer at Founders Factory, a global company builder and early-stage investor. Areas of focus include venture strategy, go-to-market and growth strategy, customer acquisition and retention, product and customer experience, digital marketing, and partnerships.

Liam Nolan is Head of Growth at Founders Factory, working as a growth marketer who uses data to identify opportunities and inform decisions. His experience spans user and customer acquisition through online and offline channels, conversion rate optimization, and increasing lifetime value through CRM and pricing optimization.

Louis Warner is a General Partner at G-Force and a partner at the VC funds Granpool and AI Tech Builders, which invest in deep-tech, AI, and software businesses. He chairs Brenpower, an industrial AI digital twin company, and serves as a board director at Dayjob and Metalchemy. His prior experience includes executive roles across venture-backed technology companies, with involvement in lastminute.com, Founders Factory, 500 Startups, and eviivo.

Louis Warner is a General Partner at G-Force and a partner at VC funds Granpool and AI Tech Builders, which invest in deep-tech, AI, and software businesses. He chairs Brenpower and serves as a board director at Dayjob and Metalchemy, and has more than 25 years of experience as an executive chair, investor, co-founder, CEO, and COO in venture-backed technology companies. His prior involvement includes lastminute.com, Founders Factory, 500 Startups, and eviivo.

Raluca Ciobancan is Head of Talent at Founders Factory, where she advises pre-seed startups on talent, people, and culture matters and has led hiring for over half of the studio's founders. She has developed talent programs affecting quality of hire and time to hire, and previously served as interim Chief People Officer. Her experience covers recruitment, graduate programs, agile transformation, and startup building.