Our Team

SVV is led by founders turned investors, using decades of entrepreneurial experience to find the very best company founders to invest in.

We combine deep technical insight with real-world startup experience - so we truly get what you're building and the journey you’re on.

Get to know us

  • Barry Downes

    Barry Downes

    Managing Partner

    Serial Founder with deep AI expertise

    Barry founded SVV in 2017 after he exited FeedHenry, which was acquired by Red Hat/ IBM. He leads SVV’s entire AI strategy and helps great founders scale breakthrough companies.

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  • Brian Kinane

    Brian Kinane

    Founding Partner

    Serial Founder with a strong AI background

    Brian co-founded FeedHenry, acquired by Red Hat/IBM. At SVV, he brings deep AI expertise, product vision and experience investing in early-stage software.

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  • A man with short dark hair, light skin, and a slight beard, wearing a light blue button-up shirt, smiling and looking at the camera.

    Greg D'Ambrosio

    CFO

    Finance leader with regulated expertise

    Greg joined SVV from a wealth manager, where he led finance. He brings operational rigour and experience building systems in regulated financial environments.

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  • Gareth Burchell seated indoors wearing a navy blazer and light pink shirt, looking at the camera with a neutral expression. A modern abstract wall design is visible in the background.

    Gareth Burchell

    Partner

    Equity markets and financing specialist

    Gareth has 20 years experience in equity markets. He brings deep expertise in financing and public markets, sitting on the Board for several of SVV’s companies.

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  • A middle-aged man with glasses, a beard, and a mustache, wearing a green sweatshirt, looking into the camera smiling

    DC Cahalane

    Venture Partner

    Four-time founder & ecosystem builder

    DC has scaled several startups and advised government on innovation. He helps founders with their go-to-market strategy and ecosystem access.

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  • A man with short light brown hair and a slight smile wearing a white shirt

    John Frizelle

    Venture Partner | CTO

    Serial founder with deep tech expertise

    John brings technical expertise to SVV’s AI investments. He is also the founder of Alludium, an AI agents startup focused on intelligent enterprise automation.

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  • A smiling woman with long blonde hair, blue eyes, wearing a white top against a light background

    Isabelle Smurfit

    Marketing Manager

    Marketing & Investor Relations specialist

    Isabelle raises SVV’s profile with investors and founders. She helps our portfolio founders tailor their messaging, enhance brand visibility, and effectively scale.

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  • George Mensah

    George Mensah

    Principal

    Investor focused on underserved tech hubs

    Based in Manchester, George leads SVV’s sourcing beyond London. He helps founders build in underserved tech ecosystems across whole of the UK.

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  • Young man with dark hair smiling, wearing a blue shirt, in an indoor setting.

    Saurabh Kumar

    Principal

    Engineer turned investor with technical expertise

    Saurabh joined SVV from BNY Mellon. He applies deep data science knowledge to evaluate founders building infrastructure and applications in AI.

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  • Portrait of a young man with light hair, wearing a blue shirt, smiling slightly against a light background.

    Hunter Moore

    Principal

    Healthcare expert focused on AI innovation

    Hunter joined SVV from a leading US heathcare company. He backs founders using AI to improve access, quality and outcomes in healthcare.

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  • A young man with curly brown hair and glasses with a mustache, smiling. He is wearing a light collared shirt.

    Cedric Van Duffel

    Associate

    AI Investor with Board-level experience

    Cedric focuses on sourcing across the UK and Ireland. He also serves as a board director on several early-stage SVV portfolio companies.

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  • Portrait of a smiling man with dark hair, beard, wearing a black collared shirt, against a blurred white background.

    Alex Thompson

    Investment Analyst

    Investor defining SVV’s data-driven approach

    Alex sources early-stage enterprise AI deals in the UK. He led his first investment in 2025 and now supports that company as a board observer.

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  • A woman with brown hair smiling at the camera, wearing a blue dress, sitting in front of a blurred light background.

    Rebecca Gulliver

    HR Manager

    People leader with VC & tech experience

    Becky supports SVV founders with hiring, scaling and people. She brings experience from VCs and high growth companies across al areas of HR.

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