The Pitch Judges
The Pitch judges
As our pitchers prepare to take the stage, we’ve locked in a stellar line up of judges – all with investor backgrounds, who know what separates a good pitch from a great one.
The Pitch 2026 judges
Dublin
Denise McQuaid
As co-founder and Director of Investor Relations at AwakenAngels, Denise is dedicated to supporting and investing in internationally scalable, women-led companies, helping them refine their value proposition, prepare for global expansion and connect with the right investors and commercial partners.
Niamh Sterling
Angel investor, co-founder and board member, Niamh is well-versed in the startup journey. Having co-founded, grown and eventually exited startups including Interact and H20 solutions, she knows what it shapes a successful business – and now as judge for The Pitch Dublin, she’s ready to pass her wisdom on.
Quentin Preuvot
An active business angel investor behind startups such as Abby, Equali and Yneuro, Quentin backs founders who think big and move fast. As an investor, he’s all about win-win partnerships, transparent growth and mentoring the next generation of leaders, tapping into 15 years of leadership experience.
Glasgow
Manjit Mooker
Manjit Mooker is a seasoned founder, investor and commercial strategist with over 25 years’ experience across healthtech, AI and digital platforms. He has supported over 60 startups and university spinouts through CodeBase Techscaler, Barclays Eagle Labs, and Strathclyde Inspire, helping founders raise investment, build products and reach scale.
Victoria McLaren
Victoria is an Investment Manager at Maven Capital Partners and is based in the Edinburgh office. Her role involves sourcing and completing equity investment deals, with a focus on Scottish companies and opportunities for the Investment Fund for Scotland across a wide range of industry sectors.
Daniel McKiddie
A chartered accountant with a background in finance, Daniel made the switch to investment management in 2022 after eight years at PwC. Now, as Investment Manager at business angel syndicate Archangels, he provides fundraising support and helps create exit strategies for Scottish technology and life science companies.
Manchester
Amber Jardine
For the past 5 years, Amber has primarily supported and advised early-stage technology companies operating in the UK. Before joining Mercia Ventures as a Portfolio Support Manager in 2024, she launched and managed an institutional investment fund for Twinkl Educational Publishing, managing a portfolio of 33 investments spanning EdTech, FinTech and Future of Work Tech.
Ben Davies
Ben is the marketing director for PXN Group, an award-winning venture capital investor behind northern success stories such as Modern Milkman, Street Group, Fuuse and more. With over £700m AUM and 120 portfolio companies, the group is best known for their ‘more than money’ approach to supporting early-stage founders post-investment.
Ranvir Singh
After 5 years as an Equities Trader at Deutsche Bank and Royal Bank of Canada, Ranvir cut his teeth in the startup scene by founding his own company with £250k investment. After a successful Series A exit, Ranvir worked as an investment advisor for Innovate UK, helping early-stage businesses raise over £30m, before joining GC Angels as a Senior Investment Manager.
Bristol
Ben Cooper
After a decade in financial services, Ben set his sights on the startup scene and hasn’t looked back. Tapping into the skills gained from his time as Commercial Director, Ben launched FMCG product Shower in a Can, all the while acting as Director for Skowt Consulting, working with SMEs to identify and reach their goals. Now, as co-founder of Angel Investors Bristol, he’s ready to support and share his wisdom with the next generation of Bristolian entrepreneurs.
Jim Moodie
Having spent 20 years working with software startups, Jim now helps early-stage startups navigate key strategic decision points as they grow. He often acts as a soundboard for founders, and through strategic projects equips them with the tools and mental models to make the right choices for their companies. When not advising founders, he’s an angel investor at Ada Ventures and Ventures Together, backing businesses building a better future.
Kate Clarke
When not angel investing, Kate can be found offering a dynamic and insightful approach for scaling businesses seeking to recruit their first full-time or fractional CFO in her role as founder and Finance Director at Artemis Clarke. She helps growing businesses build a finance function they can trust, in turn helping them feel more confident, more informed and better supported as they scale.
London
Vasily Alekseenko
Vasily is an active early-stage investor and founder of Rare Founders, one of London’s most popular startup communities bringing together founders and investors through high-energy events and demo days. His investment portfolio spans deep tech, AI and frontier industries, including OpenAI, Groq, Varda Space Industries and Superroom.
Greg Tufnell
Having held senior Board positions at Next as Trading Director, Arcadia as Managing Director and Mothercare as CEO, Greg has successfully built a broad private equity and advisory portfolio extending across the consumer, retail, hospitality and lifestyle sectors. Greg also leads the Consumer sector at Prime Advantage Capital Partners (PACP), working across the Climate, Health & Life Sciences and Data & technology sectors.
Sutin Yang
In the 12 years spent at J.P. Morgan investing for a $12.5B fund, Sutin learned not only how the world’s best investors think, but what it is that separates ideas that get funded from those that don’t. Equipped with this knowledge, she went on to found her own startup before launching The Fundraising Accelerator, a 7-week programme designed to help entrepreneurs master the investor mindset and close rounds in record time.
Birmingham
Jake Connolly
Joining the Birmingham regional finals judging panel is Venture Capital Investor Jake Connolly. Equipped with a background in investment operation administration, Jake has spent the last three years at Mercia Ventures, deploying up to £10m into early-stage companies to help drive growth and long-term success.
Oyinkansola Adebayo
As CEO and Founder of Niyo Group, Oyinkansola is no stranger to building successful businesses while helping others create their own, from hair and beauty ecosystems that economically empower hairstylists through accreditation, to training over 1000 Black women to become full-stack developers and data engineers through “black codher” boot camps. These impressive feats have won her many awards, including Barclays Entrepreneur of the Year, MBCC Entrepreneur of the Year and Female Innovator of the Year.
Got an eye for great ideas?
Are you an investor with a keen eye for high-potential startups?
We want you on our judging panel!
Join the fun, discover bold ideas, and celebrate founders from one of the most exciting seats in the house.
As a judge, you’ll:
- Sit on a panel at one of our regional finals, watch 90-second lightning pitches, ask questions, and score the best ideas
- Give founders actionable feedback and help shape the next generation of UK & Ireland startups
How to get involved:
Email holly@thepitch.uk and tell us all about your investment background and let us know which event(s) you’d like to judge – Dublin, Glasgow, Manchester, Bristol, Birmingham, or London.
