The investment team has a wealth of venture capital and investment banking experience across the biotechnology and food sectors. This is backed up by Tate & Lyle’s outstanding insight into the food industry as one of the world's leading ingredient players.
Management structure
Tate & Lyle Ventures' senior management team provides valuable insight into industry trends and dynamics and supports our commitment to long-term investment. Our investment businesses may also benefit from interaction with senior Tate & Lyle managers and researchers to provide insights as they take products to market.
Simon Barnes, Managing Partner
With a background in life sciences venture capital, Simon started out with Atlas Venture in London and later worked for GIMV Venture Capital. His interest in early stage life sciences ventures has dominated his investment focus during his career.
After graduating from The University of Cambridge with a degree in Natural Sciences and a PhD in Plant Biochemistry, he spent two years as a NATO Research Fellow at The Rockefeller University in New York, before becoming Head of The Laboratory of Cotton Biotechnology in Singapore.
He holds an MBA from Imperial College Business School and was Director of Imperial's Entrepreneurship Centre where he co-authored 'Raising Venture Capital' (Wiley 2006).
He is currently a Director of Changing Health Ltd., Evolve Biosystems Inc. and Prolupin GmbH.
David Atkinson, Managing Partner
David brings considerable experience in investment banking coupled with extensive knowledge of the food industry.
After 14 years in equity research focused on the food processing industry, David worked at SG Warburg Securities before joining NatWest Securities. Here he led the successful pan-European Food Producers research team and later became Managing Director and Head of European Research.
He co-founded Stamford Partners in 1988, a leading investment banking firm providing merger and acquisition and strategic consulting services to the European food industry and further developed his food industry network. David has also held several senior management positions in the equities operations of Banc of America Securities and provided consultancy services to HSBC and the VC industry.
He is currently a Director of BioFilm Holdings Ltd. and Nutriati Inc.