Press Release: Niall Santamaria joins Laidlaw Scholars Ventures as Chief Investment Officer

Laidlaw Foundation appoints Niall Santamaria as Chief Investment Officer of its new investment fund, Laidlaw Scholars Ventures (LSV), opening for applications on October 4th this year.
Press Release: Niall Santamaria joins Laidlaw Scholars Ventures as Chief Investment Officer
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LONDON, UK, September 10th, 2021—Laidlaw Foundation appoints Niall Santamaria as Chief Investment Officer of its new investment fund, Laidlaw Scholars Ventures (LSV), opening for applications on October 4th this year. 

Niall will start at LSV on September 13th, joining from Edge Investments, where he led investments, supported the portfolio as a Board Director, and managed exits in high-growth early-stage businesses. 

For the last decade, Niall has been advising startup CEOs on growth strategies, fundraising, and supporting them as they scale. Before this, he spent five years in strategy development, consulting with OC&C Strategy Consultants and in-house for the B2B media group EMAP (now Ascential). He is a CFA Charterholder and has an MBA from London Business School.

“I am extremely excited to be joining Laidlaw Scholars Ventures and look forward to working closely with the numerous talented and determined founders whose ideas, strategies and success will not only deliver significant returns for the Laidlaw Foundation, but also inspire future generations,” said Niall. 

“Niall is an exceptional investor, skilled at identifying great businesses and mentoring founders to help them and their companies grow. He is the perfect person to launch our new Laidlaw Scholars’ investment fund, Laidlaw Scholars Ventures, and ensure our Scholars succeed,” said Susanna V. Kempe, CEO of the Laidlaw Foundation and Laidlaw Scholars Ventures. 

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About Laidlaw Scholars Ventures 

Laidlaw Scholars Ventures (LSV) is a for-profit business investing in start-ups founded and run by Laidlaw Scholars. Backed by a $50m fund, LSV accelerates Good Businesses by financing growth, providing support services, delivering extensive training and development, and bringing a network of expert advisors and mentors. All profits from LSV will be returned to the Laidlaw Foundation to invest in its educational programmes designed to break the cycle of poverty, reduce inequality and develop a new generation of ethical leaders.

About the Laidlaw Foundation 

The Laidlaw Foundation invests in the education of the underprivileged and underrepresented in order to break the cycle of poverty, reduce inequality and develop a new generation of leaders. We believe that education is the single most powerful tool to break the cycle of poverty and reduce inequality in the world. We invest in the education of the underprivileged and the underrepresented in order to create systemic change.

Our goal is to develop a new generation of engaged global citizens and leaders; who embrace research, make data-driven decisions and believe that there is a moral imperative to act with integrity.

Contact

Nikol Chen: nikol.chen@laidlawfoundation.com

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Go to the profile of Susanna Kempe
over 2 years ago

Welcome Niall - so delighted to have you onboard.

Alumni and Business School Laidlaw Scholars - if you have a startup that needs funding do watch this space. We'll be announcing how to apply for funding from Laidlaw Scholars Ventures later this month. 

Go to the profile of Lorenzo Molinari (he/him)
over 2 years ago

Super great to hear! Well done Niall :)