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Boutique consultancy gathering data and insights to support investors focused on digital advertising, social media, eCommerce and video. This includes monitoring the digital ad spend of a panel of companies across all walled garden platforms (incl. Meta, Google, YouTube, Snapchat, Twitter, Pinterest, Tiktok, Reddit). We monitor all ad formats and targeting options and benchmark everything for ROI, volume and usability. For each platform, we have like-for-like monthly and quarterly KPI trend data (spend, pricing, ROI etc) going back years, plus forecasts for the next four quarters. We also forecast the long-term future of the advertising industry, along with the future of eCommerce, chatbots, the creator economy, the metaverse and data/ privacy.

MoneyPlus is one of the UK’s largest and most trusted financial lifestyle solutions companies. I joined the board to build the brand and marketing capabilities, accelerating growth and ensuring long-term success.

Hypervolt is a fast growing electric vehicle charging business with a game-changing vision for the future of the electricity grid.

GALLOS Technologies (www.gallostech.io) invests in and builds early-stage (pre-seed through to Series B) security technology companies. Focus sectors are cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, data analytics, sensors, and autonomous systems (UAVs). GALLOS has a world-class team with decades of Nation State level security experience as well as deep investment and commercial optimisation know-how. GALLOS puts that expertise at the disposal of the companies they invest in and build, underpinned by highly connected, patient capital at scale. GALLOS is also a partner of The Portfolio Collective.

Making elite level exercise science and physical therapy accessible to everyone

Yoxly is one of the world's leading sexual health education brands. We also deliver convenient, no fuss sexual health testing kits directly to your home.

We look for investment opportunities in Europe that meet the following criteria: 1) Company Type. We invest in Gaming, plus other B2C companies involved in heavily personalised and engaging user experiences. This could be in entertainment, edtech, healthtech, consumer products etc. To see our current portfolio, click on the link below.2) Stage & Size. We invest at the Pre-Seed, Seed and Series A stages, with cheque sizes of $100-500k3) Our Role. Due to the low headcount at GFR Fund, we typically don't have the resources to take the lead in due diligence etc, so prefer to invest in conjunction with a larger fund.

Goodsted is a collaboration platform for social and environmental impact. We help charities, nonprofits, social enterprises and small businesses that are facing new challenges to recruit volunteers with the appropriate skills. For volunteers, we help you to find causes and projects that are the best fit for your passions and skills.

The Webinar Vet (and other portfolio companies) are building the world's largest community of vets, focused on professional training, conferences, jobs and networking

Viital is a team of creatives, coders, and entrepreneurs working together to bring technology that empowers creators, agencies and brands to achieve more in the immersive web space.

Where techies discover opportunities

I helped the Conduit EIS Impact Fund find and screen investment opportunities in education, future of work, mobility and sustainability

The Oxford Foundry was the accelerator of the University of Oxford. I mentored (and occasionally invested in) the 70+ startups taking part in the Foundry programme. Am also a guest lecturer at Oxford University on entrepreneurship, the future of work and career planning.

Mrs Wordsmith aims to become every child's favourite English teacher. With a massive award-winning and engaging content library, best selling educational books and flash cards, plus some really exciting apps in the pipeline, we see exciting potential to change how the 900 million 4-11 year olds around the world learn English.

Launched Ola - one of the world's largest mobility companies - in the UK. Wrote the UK strategy, hired the team, acquired over 100 licences and successfully entered seven cities/ regions.

After acquiring AdParlor in 2011 (as Group CEO Adknowledge) grew it from a North American Facebook API partner with $20m in revenue, into a global media and creative technology platform, operating in 14 countries, integrated into Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Snapchat, Pinterest and more - with over $250m in revenue. Won and grew hundreds of demanding clients, including Amazon, Starbucks, QVC, Rogers and Staples. I stepped in 'temporarily' as CEO in 2016 and it lasted two years

Adknowledge was one of the largest and most successful adtech holding companies in the USA, which invested - both organically and through acquisition - in teams and platforms that aimed to redefine the future of marketing, including digital video, social media, email marketing, mobile advertising and big data. Despite four years of growth, with the AdTech IPO market drying up, in the end we broke up the company and sold the business units one-by-one to maximise shareholder value.

After being told by multiple CEO friends "Ben, I plan to fire my CMO - please help me find a better one" I wrote this book - to help CEOs, CFOs and boards understand what good (and economically literate) marketing looks like: http://marketingforceosbook.com/

Led digital transformation of a Yellow Pages (mostly print) company - with 700,000 advertisers, 5,000 employees and $1bn revenue - into a sustainable (and highly profitable) one-stop-shop for small business advertising services

'Wrote the blueprint' for Google's monetization approach - developing, launching and optimizing many of the most impactful ads products for Search, YouTube, Mobile, Hotels, SMBs and eCommerce

Led 12,000 salespeople, with a million customers and 300 million active consumers, in a major turnaround, driving an EBITDA upswing from -$100m to +$27m in one year

Led sales, marketing and distribution organisation of 1,800 people. Coca-Cola Poland delivered the fastest growth in Europe and was recognised within Coca-Cola as having one of the best run salesforces in the world

Led talent management, training and salesforce development in organisation of 40,000 people in 27 countries. Won global awards for innovation and best practices

Led strategic client initiatives worldwide. Functional specialization in strategy, organisation, product development, marketing and salesforce effectiveness. Industry focus on technology, defence and media

Led various military engineering organisations in Germany, Canada, Cyprus, Northern Ireland, Poland and Bosnia (led the military engineering organisation that relieved the Siege of Sarajevo in 1995). Designed and built numerous military and civilian (often bomb-proof) structures, and demolished a lot of stuff 😀