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

    Founder turned investor with deep AI expertise

    Barry founded SVV in 2017 after exiting FeedHenry, acquired by Red Hat/IBM. He leads SVV’s AI investments and helps technical founders scale transformative companies.

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  • Brian Kinane

    Brian Kinane

    Founding Partner

    Founder turned investor with strong AI expertise

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

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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 sector 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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  • A middle-aged man with glasses, a beard, and a mustache, wearing a navy blue sweatshirt, looking into the camera with a neutral expression.

    DC Cahalane

    Venture Partner

    Four-time founder with deep ecosystem insight

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

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  • A man with short light brown hair and a slight smile wearing a light blue striped button-up shirt

    John Frizelle

    Venture Partner | CTO

    Serial founder with deep engineering 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 man in a dark suit, white shirt, and red sweater vest smiling against a dark background.

    Gareth Burchell

    Venture Partner

    Finance expert specialising in scaling companies

    Gareth brings structuring experience from his City career. He helps SVV founders access capital and develop financial strategies to support scaling.

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  • A smiling woman with long blonde hair, blue eyes, wearing a black top, against a dark background.

    Isabelle Smurfit

    Marketing Manager

    Marketing, Brand & Investor Relations expert

    Isabelle raises SVV’s profile with investors and founders. She helps portfolio teams sharpen messaging, grow brand visibility, and engage the startup ecosystem.

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  • George Mensah

    George Mensah

    Principal

    Focused on underserved tech ecosystems

    Based in Manchester, George leads SVV’s sourcing beyond London. He helps founders build in overlooked UK regions and underserved tech ecosystems.

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  • Young man with glasses and dark hair smiling, wearing a brown jacket and black 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 white shirt and dark blazer, smiling slightly against a dark background.

    Hunter Moore

    Principal

    Healthcare leader focused on AI transformation

    Hunter joined SVV from a fast-growing US company. He backs founders using AI to improve access, quality, and outcomes in healthcare and life sciences.

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  • A young man with curly brown hair, glasses, and a mustache, smiling. He is wearing a black zip-up jacket over a white collared shirt.

    Cedric Van Duffel

    Associate

    Investor with Board-level startup 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 dark 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 curly hair smiling at the camera, wearing a light-colored blazer over a black top, standing in front of a dark background.

    Rebecca Gulliver

    HR Manager

    People leader with VC & tech experience

    Becky supports SVV founders with hiring, team scaling and people strategy. She brings HR experience from VC-backed and high-growth tech companies.

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