Howard Bell
InvestorVenture Partner at Octopus Ventures
London
Writes $100K – $5M checks · typically $1.5M
About
Howard Bell is a board chair, non-executive director, and operating partner with experience across venture and private equity advisory roles. He has held leadership positions at organizations including the British Red Cross, PayPal Europe, JustGiving, and FutureLearn, and currently serves as chair of MPB, SuperCarers, and FairforYou. His background spans digital business growth, fintech, edtech, and marketplace platforms, with advisory focus on Series A/B stage companies.
Experience
- British Red CrossBoard Trusteecurrent2022 — presentLondon, England, United Kingdom
- Fair for You Enterprise CICChaircurrent2014 — presentUnited Kingdom
- PeakSpan CapitalOperating Partnercurrent2021 — present
- StaffCircleChaircurrent2022 — presentLondon, England, United Kingdom
- RoleMapperChairpersoncurrent2024 — present
- On Purpose InternationalChaircurrent2022 — presentLondon, England, United Kingdom
- THE CHANGE COMPANYAdvisor/Consultantcurrent2016 — presentLondon, United Kingdom
- PanintelligenceChair2019 — 2024United Kingdom
- Octopus VenturesVenture Partner2017 — 2023London, United Kingdom
- mpb.comChair2018 — 2021Brighton, United Kingdom
- SuperCarersChair2018 — 2020London, United Kingdom
- Firefly LearningChair2013 — 2019London, United Kingdom
- BridgeUNED2017 — 2018London, Greater London, United Kingdom
- FutureLearnChief Commercial Officer2014 — 2016London, United Kingdom
- THE CHANGE COMPANYAdvisor / Consultant2013 — 2014London, United Kingdom
- JustGivingDirector of Global B2B (CCO)2010 — 2013London, United Kingdom
- BarclaycardDirector of Online Payments2008 — 2010
- PayPal EuropeHead of Product2003 — 2007
- IntaMission LtdVP Product2002 — 2003
- Content Technology (later Baltimore now ClearSwift)VP Product Marketing2000 — 2001
Education
- Cranfield School of ManagementMBA, Business Administration and Management1990 — 1991
- Imperial College LondonBSc, Physics1983 — 1986
Skills & more
Enterprise SoftwarePayments14Value Propositions4Product Management21Mobile Payments8Strategic Partnerships59E-commerce36Start-ups14International Expansion4Business Strategy27Business Development17Cross-functional Team Leadership3
+12 more
Business PlanningManagement ConsultingB2BProduct DevelopmentProduct MarketingMarketingMarketing ManagementMarketing CommunicationsDigital StrategyStrategyManagementLeadershipLanguages English · french
From Howard's professional profile.
Colleagues at Octopus Ventures
Adam Said
Principal at Octopus Ventures
Alan Wallace
Investor at Octopus Ventures
Albert Puig
B2B Software at Octopus Ventures
Angel Issa
Fintech at Octopus Ventures
Brandon Mhangami
Investor at Octopus Ventures
Chloe Allan
B2B Software at Octopus Ventures
Chris Oliver
People + Talent at Octopus Ventures
Constanza Diaz
B2B Software / Climate at Octopus Ventures
Frequently asked questions
- Where does Howard Bell work?
- Howard Bell is Venture Partner at Octopus Ventures.
- What check size does Howard Bell write?
- Howard Bell typically writes checks of $100K – $5M.
Same school
Also attended Cranfield School of Management25
IlanInvestor at Eudemian VenturesNick WinstoneFounder, Partner at Aera VCKim BerknovSenior Advisor at FraserFrancisco VelázquezChairman and Managing Partner at Axon Partners GroupChristophe PrimaultVenture Partner at ElaiaJames MallinsonPartner at Oxford Investment Consultants LLP
+ 19 more
