With a focus on complex projects or situations, Orsus Ventures supports institutional investors, companies and ultra-high net worth individuals with venture building, investments and transactions, predominantly within the financial services and advanced technology (artificial intelligence & machine learning) sectors.
Stephen is experienced at restructuring and helping investors exit complex investments and companies; executing individual investments and transactions of up to €200m; founding and running companies within the financial services and advanced technology (artificial intelligence & machine learning) sectors; acting as a Representative Director / Non-Executive Director on behalf of shareholders of both private and public listed companies; and building and managing investment teams.
As part of his work at Orsus Ventures he supports institutional investors, companies and ultra-high net worth individuals with venture building, investments, divestitures, commercial negotiations, structuring and transaction related services.
He also holds Non Executive Director positions, representing companies' largest / majority shareholders through to successful exit (including facilitating one of the largest ever percentage sell-downs of a listed position at c. 75% of the company), at Trufin plc (an operating company primarily focused on growing Fintech and banking businesses) and Distribution Finance Capital Holdings plc (a bank holding company), both of which are listed on the London Stock Exchange's Alternative Investment Market (AIM). He has also been a Non Executive Director of DF Capital Bank Limited (a UK based PRA regulated bank), Satago Financial Solutions (an invoice finance, debt management and risk insights platform), Playstack (a computer games development and publishing company), Oxygen Finance (a provider of supply chain finance early payment programmes and technology) and Vertus Capital Limited (a financial advisor focused buy-out funding provider).
Stephen was previously Managing Director of Satalia, one of Europe’s highest profile artificial intelligence, optimisation and machine learning start-ups. He was also co-founder of Coleura Labs (a computer vision, machine learning and bespoke hardware company operating in the field of audio-visual recognition) and founded Keel Harbour Capital (a corporate finance and capital raising boutique focused on alternative asset managers and independent sponsors across private equity, credit, real assets and direct investments).
Prior to Satalia Stephen was Head of Strategic Capital Solutions / Investments and COO, Trading at Arrowgrass Capital Partners, one of Europe’s leading hedge funds. Whilst at Arrowgrass Stephen founded and ran one of Europe's first institutional FinTech investment teams (leading the execution of high profile strategic investments of up to €30m and lending transactions of up to €200m) as well as the firm’s structuring and corporate development teams.
Previous positions include Global Head of Hedge Fund Research at Deutsche Bank, where Stephen was responsible for $15bn in assets globally and built and managed investments teams, and advisory and distribution platforms, in the US, Europe & Asia.
He is a CFA Charterholder.