The Eos Team bring a wide range of personal experience as business founders, scientists, record breakers, industry leaders, and government advisors.
Eos Advisory Chairman
Eos Advisory Managing Partner
Eos Advisory Partner
Eos Advisory Partner
Eos Advisory Partner
Eos Advisory Partner
Investment Executive
Investment Committee & Fund Manager
Information Technology & Design
Eos are specialists in deep science, engineering and technology, taking businesses from start-up and spinout stage, through to Series A and beyond. We back ventures that have global potential, protectable IP, a clear commercial strategy, and a management team that we can have a significant relationship with for what is typically a 5-8 year investment journey. Our approach is very selective and hands-on.
We only work with companies that are strongly motivated by the global challenges they are addressing, as well as their financial growth.
We focus on seed funding in the following four impact areas:
Eos works closely with its portfolio companies to give them not just investment, but also direction and introductions. This ‘smart money’ means that the value we bring is more than the financial backing, and we have the experience to know that companies don’t grow in a straight line, or always follow the planned hockey curve. The start-up and spin out journey are often a rollercoaster, so we are realistic about future capital requirements and contingencies. As we celebrate 6 years, we are starting to see our earliest investments mature according to our 5-8 year plan.
We have often had to help companies pivot their business plans to continue their growth and impact. All of our companies have grown through sales and follow on investments, which is a track record we are proud of. We have had our first exit event in March 2021 and out of the 13 invested companies 6 have had follow on rounds at either Series A and B.
Lab-on-a-chip’ technology that delivers oil analysis 1000x faster and 10x cheaper than the current ‘send the sample to laboratory approach.
Europes first cancer drug accelerator. Finding assets, creating spin-outs, commercialising cancer therapies.
ABUNDA mycoprotein is a fermented food ingredient, rich in protein and fibre. Naturally fortified in B12, zinc and iron. ABUNDA is highly nutritious. The fibrous nature of the product gives an outstanding meaty texture, naturally.
A Syndicate of like-minded entrepreneurs was how Eos started in 2014 and it has since grown to a private members group of around 60 individuals who typically meet 4 times a year either in St Andrews or online to consider investment opportunities that the Eos executive has pre-screened. Members are usually presented with 2-3 investment opportunities per meeting. These have been carefully selected from a large pool of applications, not only for the strength of the underlying science or technology, but also for their market potential, management team and exit potential. The investment opportunities are predominantly Scottish based businesses, often spin-outs from Universities and they will always be seed stage, generally pre-revenue.
The businesses that we back all aim to have a positive impact on the world around us, whilst also delivering a commercial return. By addressing global challenges, we are backing Scottish innovation that has a significant market opportunity, whilst acknowledging the risks of early stage investing. Eos alongside our network of advisors and investment directors work with innovators to build the foundational years of companies.
Eos has extensive access to the Scottish start-up market and the ability to lead due diligence and transactions on deep science and technology. We look for Venture Partners who have a range of complimentary strengths, the ability to invest at Series A and trade connections and experience.
Each Venture Partnership is unique and based on the overlap of interests. We are seeing particular growth in life science and climate change opportunities, and are actively looking for new UK and international Venture Partnerships in these areas, whilst continuing to invest across our four impact areas.
Eos Advisory LLP,
Kinburn Castle,
Doubledykes Road, St Andrews,
KY16 9DR
Eos Advisory Chairman
Kevin Grainger is a serial entrepreneur with over 35 years track record in the IT and investment sectors. Having worked in both corporate and SME/start-up environments, Kevin has a wealth of business experience and a university education in physics that lead to a passion for seeing innovative technologies and science being successfully commercialised. Kevin founded the Eos in 2014.
Eos Advisory Managing Partner
Andrew McNeill has over 15 years’ experience in leading early stage venture capital backed medical device and biotech companies. Andrew holds a PhD in Molecular Physics from Leeds University. He was part of the founding team at Ambicare Health, a medical device company in the oncology space and took several technologies from lab through to market. Subsequent to that he was CEO of biotechnology company Fixed Phage before joining Eos in 2017.
Eos Advisory Partner
Mark Beaumont spent the first 15 years of his career building teams around sporting success and is best known as an athlete and BBC broadcaster. He still holds the 18,000-mile circumnavigation cycling record in a time of 78 days along. Mark’s degree education was in Economics & Politics, and for over thirteen years he has also worked with LDC, the UK’s leading mid-market private equity firm, in their deal origination team.
Eos Advisory Partner
Rick is the CFO of a private equity-funded business in the energy sector and is a NXD of two other companies. He is also on the board of a charity which owns and operates 2 nationally-significant museums and is a member of the ICAS Ethics Board. His prior experience in the energy sector was with a technology-led oilfield services company which he helped build rapidly prior to its successful sale. Before that he was a partner with KPMG for 15 years.
Eos Advisory Partner
Ana founded her digital consultancy business after graduating from University and grew it into a leading global innovator consumer engagement software. As CEO, she led the AIM listing of the company on the London Stock Exchange and was voted Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year by the Scottish Entrepreneurial Exchange. Ana sold then sold the company in a US trade sale. Ana sits on the Board of the Scottish FA and also sits on the main council of ICAS.
Eos Advisory Partner
Chris Brinsmead is a council member at Imperial College London, a former adviser to the UK Government on life sciences, has previously held senior executive roles at ICI, Zeneca and AstraZeneca, and over the last decade has been a non-executive board member and chair on a number of private and public limited company boards. And from 2010 until 2017 he was an independent Advisor to the Prime Minister and other senior government ministers on Life Sciences 2010.
Investment Executive
Calum Keddie is an early stage investment professional with experience in the investment and banking industries. Prior to joining Eos-Advisory, Calum worked at the early stage investment firm, Two Magnolias, and was responsible for sourcing, screening and transacting venture capital deals in the impact investment sector. He has also had roles at Rolls-Royce Plc. aerospace division and at ING Bank in the market risk function for structured products. Calum is an MBA candidate at Warwick Business School and earned his undergraduate degree in Finance from the University of Strathclyde. He has previously been selected to represent the British Council in India and China and has lived in Canada, Norway and Singapore.
Investment Committee & Fund Manager
Valerie founded Javelin Ventures Limited in 2001 currently also manages EIS funds for Newable (London) and Halo Business Angels (Belfast.) Valerie also acts as head of finance for one of the Iceni spin-outs. Valerie has a degree in engineering from Cambridge University, a masters in charity finance and accounting from Cass Business School, and is a Chartered Secretary.
Information Technology & Design
