Northern Gritstone, the investment business focused on science and technology-enabled startups in the North of England, has announced the appointment of Jess McCreadie as investment director.
McCreadie joins from Octopus Ventures where she worked as principal specialising in HealthTech and B2B SaaS.
Prior to Octopus, she was investment director at L&G, investing in HealthTech, CleanTech and infrastructure-scale clean energy.
She will be based primarily at Northern Gritstone’s office in Manchester having relocated from London for her new role. Her remit will include HealthTech and CleanTech, areas in which Northern Gritstone specialises, demonstrated through its investments in Imperagen and C-Capture.
Launched in July 2021 and chaired by Lord Jim O’Neill, Northern Gritstone’s investment philosophy is ‘profit with purpose’, combining strong returns for investors with wider positive, societal and economic impact.
In October 2023, the company announced the final close of its initial fundraise at £312 million and has already made 17 investments in some of the UK’s most exciting future science and technology-enabled businesses in the North of England.
“Northern Gritstone has quickly built a reputation as a leading investor and innovation ecosystem pioneer,” said McCreadie. “The past decades in venture capital demonstrate that the most successful and ambitious companies are borne out of highly collaborative local economies, thinking globally.
“I see the opportunity we have in the North of England to scale a high-performing technology ecosystem, to be incredibly exciting.”
Duncan Johnson, CEO of Northern Gritstone, added: “I’m delighted to welcome Jess to the team.
“Her HealthTech and CleanTech investment experience and understanding of the innovation ecosystem will be invaluable to Northern Gritstone as we continue our investment activities in these exciting areas.”