Rhiannon brings two decades of investment experience at Finance Wales and the Development Bank of Wales. She serves as senior investment executive and deputy fund manager for the micro loan fund.
Carl brings investment and technology fund management experience from the Development Bank of Wales and Finance Wales. He previously served as managing director at Seren Photonics and ORS.
Alexander is managing director at Future Planet Capital and investment director at the UK Innovation and Science Seed Fund. He previously served as an investment executive at the Development Bank of Wales.
David brings investment and engineering experience from roles at Deepbridge Capital and the Development Bank of Wales. He is also a qualified accountant.
Philip brings investment and sector intelligence experience from roles at Life Sciences Hub Wales and the Development Bank of Wales. He previously held investment and research positions at Finance Wales and Cardiff University.
Michael brings venture capital and portfolio management experience from roles at the Development Bank of Wales and SPARK Impact. He previously held non-executive directorships at Acoustic Sensing Technology and Cable Sense.
Rafael brings investment and deal advisory experience from roles at Mercia Asset Management, the Development Bank of Wales, and KPMG UK. He previously managed acquisitions at The Bunker and started his career with an internship at Growth Capital Partners.
Matthew brings investment and financial experience from his time at the Development Bank of Wales and SWIG Finance, alongside governance roles in the housing sector.
Linzi brings investment and operational experience from roles including Franchise Director at LEXISNEXIS DRAGONS Official Page and Technology Investor at the Development Bank of Wales.
Jack is an investment executive at the Development Bank of Wales, focusing on early-stage investments. He previously held roles at Finquest, NoBa Capital, and Fordhouse.
Phil brings investment and sector intelligence experience from roles at the Development Bank of Wales and Life Sciences Hub Wales. He previously worked in technology transfer at Cardiff University.
Alun Thomas
Regional Manager
Alun brings regional investment and banking experience from roles at the Development Bank of Wales, Finance Wales, and Barclays UK. He currently serves as chairperson for Jenkins Bakery and BIC Innovation alongside consultancy work.
Gaynor previously spent over a decade as an investment executive at the Development Bank of Wales, following a long tenure as a business manager at Barclays.
Emily serves as an investment executive at the Development Bank of Wales, following previous support and administrative roles at the bank, Finance Wales, and MotoNovo Finance.
Alex is a managing director at Future Planet Capital and a committee member at Midven, following investment roles at the UK Innovation and Science Seed Fund and the Development Bank of Wales.
Nicola Crocker
Nicola manages property funds at the Development Bank of Wales, following previous property and commercial roles at Principality Building Society.
Siôn brings investment and regional business support experience, having previously served as an Investment Executive at the Development Bank of Wales and in various advisory roles across public sector organisations.
Mike brings venture capital and investment management experience, having previously served as deputy fund manager for technology venture investments at the Development Bank of Wales and senior investment manager at SPARK Impact Ltd.
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Mike Owen
Group Investment Director
Clare Sullivan
Regional Manager for West Wales
Clare brings regional banking and investment experience, having previously worked at HSBC and the Development Bank of Wales.
Richard serves as a portfolio executive at the Development Bank of Wales. His background includes commercial banking and risk roles at HSBC and Santander UK.
Nick brings investment and banking experience from roles at the Development Bank of Wales, Lloyds Banking Group, and HSBC. He also serves as a board observer at Novomorphic.
Aled serves as a Portfolio Executive at the Development Bank of Wales, having previously held portfolio and support roles within the same institution. His earlier background includes customer service and claims experience at M&S Bank and Wrexham County Borough Council.
Joanna brings investment and portfolio management experience from roles at the Development Bank of Wales and Finance Wales. She currently serves as deputy fund manager at the Development Bank of Wales.
Nakeja is a portfolio executive at the Development Bank of Wales. Previously, she served as a portfolio assistant and business analyst at the same organisation.
John brings investment and corporate finance experience from roles at the Development Bank of Wales, GS Verde Corporate Finance, and Union Bank of Nigeria.
Carol currently manages the co-investment network for the Development Bank of Wales, following years as an investment manager for Angels Invest Wales. Her background also includes business development roles within accounting firms.
Emily is an investment executive at the Development Bank of Wales. She previously held support and administration roles within the same institution and at Finance Wales.
James brings property development and corporate banking experience from roles at the Development Bank of Wales and Handelsbanken. He previously spent several years at HSBC across business banking and branch management.
Charlotte serves as an investment executive at the Development Bank of Wales, having previously held support and assistant roles within the same institution.
The Series A round was led by Eos Ventures and the Development Bank of Wales to scale investment products and expand operations.
"A lot of hardworking professionals look like they’re doing well on paper, but still feel unsure whether they’re actually making the most of their money. They’ve outgrown entry-level investing tools, yet traditional wealth management often feels overcomplicated and expensive for what it delivers. Sidekick is designed to remove unnecessary complexity and give people access to investment tools that have traditionally sat inside private banking. This funding allows us to scale that approach, expand our investment offering and reach more people who want transparency rather than complexity."
The pre-seed round was led by Huw Bishop and backed by a syndicate of angel investors including PlayCap and The Games Angels.
"Representation in video games is more important than ever, and technological limitations have long constrained the scale of customization developers could offer. With our proprietary technology and our upcoming game “YOU VS ZOMBIES”, we’re breaking those barriers—creating fully personalized, ever-evolving experiences for every player. This level of customization was previously unattainable, but thanks to advancements in generative AI, we’re making it a reality right here inWales."
The funding was backed by Foresight Group and the Development Bank of Wales to accelerate product development and team expansion.
"We are excited to be working with the Development Bank of Wales on our first joint investment into Nisien AI. We are keen to see the improvements Nisien.AI will provide to online safety and look forward to working together with the Nisien team."
The oversubscribed seed round was led by the Development Bank of Wales and Angels Invest Wales.
"We are delighted to have the continued support of our existing investors, as well as the new investors who share our vision for revolutionizing the car insurance industry. This funding will enable us to accelerate our growth and expand our reach, ultimately benefiting both insurers and policyholders."
The funding round was led by angel investor Robert Williams and supported by the Development Bank of Wales.
"Pelly bridges the gap between data and action. We’ve built a platform that leverages AI to turn complex data into clear, actionable insights for clubs. Our focus is empowering teams to operate with agility, integrating the data they already have, and providing tools that help them win—both on and off the pitch. We’ve been working closely with international academic institutions to develop our prototype. Over 100 industry professionals have been consulted to date, and eight football clubs are now testing the product before going to market in the next few months. The support of our team, advisors, and investors is helping us to accelerate our growth. They’re encouraging us to work smarter whilst opening doors and providing the working capital that we need to fund our early-stage development. It’s a huge vote of confidence in us, our business model, and our potential as a young and driven team."
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