BUILDING YOUR BUSINESS
10k+ scale-ups told us that fundraising, customer acquisition and growth were their biggest challenges.
NEXUS is a UK-based innovation hub that provides global business concierge services and solutions to these and much more, enabling you to supercharge scaling.
With a strong focus on innovation, scalability, and impact, NEXUS supports high-growth founders in the creative, digital, and tech sectors to build their businesses.
As a consortium partner in UKES for the Innovator Founder Visa route, NEXUS is UK Government approved, working closely with policymakers, investors, and industry leaders to drive meaningful innovation.
ACCREDITATIONS
GET TO KNOW US
FAROUK DEEN
CO-FOUNDER, NEXUS
Farouk is an award winning Event Director and Consultant with 20+ years of pioneering creative led strategy and content for clients (B2B) and uniquely incubating in-house brands (B2C). Alongside Mark, Farouk is co-founder of NEXUS, Cellar Door, Coffee Shotter and Bollywood Fever. Prior to being a start-up founder, Farouk began his career at Barclays corporate banking, working with brands including Jimmy Choo, Versace and Zara, before moving onto investment banking / portfolio management for Deutsche Bank.
MARK SARFO-KANTANKA
CO-FOUNDER, NEXUS
Mark is co-founder of NEXUS, an incubator for creative and digital SMEs. Additional business interests include Cellar Door, a creative events agency, Coffee Shotter, an independent plant based coffee shop and Bollywood Fever, the largest Bollywood film festival in the U.K. Mark is Chair of the Croydon Creative Enterprise Zone Steering Group and Trustee of Savvy Theatre Company.
“Enfys is a multi-award-winning producer and franchise builder with 20+ years in film, animation, gaming, and VFX, collaborating on global hits like Harry Potter, Batman, and Happy Feet. Founder of WonderLust Pictures, she excels in storytelling, film finance, and IP development. At Nexus, she mentors creatives on scaling bold, world-class projects.”
ENFYS DICKINSON
“Meena Jafferali is a strategic leader with 25+ years in business, finance, and ESG transformation. She excels in investor readiness, global trade, and sustainable growth, helping companies align purpose with profit. At Nexus, she mentors founders on embedding ESG, scaling internationally, and delivering long-term value for investors, customers, and society.”
MEENA JAFFERALI ESG Strategist, Growth Architect
“Dr. John Holder is a global leader in XR, Metaverse, AI, and Spatial Computing, uniting academic excellence, creative innovation, and commercial impact. Founder of Realities Centre and Head of Innovation at Immersionn, he has led pioneering XR initiatives worldwide. At Nexus, he mentors founders on harnessing immersive technologies for breakthrough innovation and growth.”
DR JOHN HOLDER XR Pioneer, Metaverse Visionary
“Dawn Musgrave is a transformational leader with 30+ years’ experience in organisational development, sustainability, and human potential. An executive coach, NLP and emotional intelligence expert, and Prince2 Practitioner, she blends strategy with holistic well-being. At Nexus, she mentors founders to build resilient, purpose-driven businesses, empowering leaders and teams to thrive authentically.”
DAWN MUSGRAVE Transformation Architect, Growth Alchemist.
“David Donaldson, founder of Wizdom Global, is a financial strategist specialising in scaling businesses through his Fractional CFO model and Momentum Finance framework. With 18+ years in venture capital, corporate finance, and sovereign wealth, including the Emirates Investment Authority, he equips founders to secure capital, drive growth, and achieve high-impact exits as a Nexus mentor.”
DAVID DONALDSON Financial Architect, Capital Strategist
“Amrish Shah is CEO of Proof of Concept, transforming edtech and entertainment by equipping creatives with business skills. Founder of Red Kimono, he drives innovation in film, VR, and social impact storytelling across global markets. At Nexus, he mentors founders and filmmakers, blending creative vision with entrepreneurial strategy for lasting impact.”
AMRISH SHAH EdTech Visionary, Creative Force
“Andie is a global strategist and mentor dedicated to empowering women entrepreneurs and purpose-driven founders. With nearly 20 years’ experience in international negotiations, supply chains, and brand partnerships, she combines commercial expertise with people-focused mentorship. At Nexus, she helps entrepreneurs build confidence, resilience, and strategy to scale businesses and achieve impact.”
ANDIE HASSANI Empowerment Coach
“Nina Carr is an AI and venture capital leader, blending technical expertise with high-stakes dealmaking to drive explosive growth. A former entertainment entrepreneur who raised millions, she now excels in AI agents, fund structuring, and go-to-market strategy. At Nexus, she mentors founders on scaling, fundraising, and seizing next-gen market opportunities.”
NINA CARR AI Powerhouse, Venture Catalyst
“Christina is a fintech leader and global business development expert, passionate about data-driven strategies and innovation. With expertise in analytics, customer engagement, and legal frameworks, she bridges law, tech, and finance. At Nexus, she mentors startups, guiding fintech entrepreneurs on growth, strategy, and market expansion while fostering emerging talent.”
CHRISTINA DI NOLFO Mentor - Finance /Credit & Risk - Fintech and Data Evangelist
“Kavan Polson is a seasoned leader with expertise across music, finance, and technology. Former COO and CFO of Onedoor Studios, he excels in operations, strategy, and financial management. At Nexus, he mentors startups and talent, leveraging his unique cross-industry experience to drive innovation, growth, and success in creative and financial sectors.”
KAVAN POLSON Insurance Broker
“Marcello De Mello is an experienced board member, investor, and mentor with 20+ years in FinTech, M&A, and corporate finance. As Managing Partner of Nobiletec and Co-Founder of Goodticket, he drives business innovation. At Nexus, he guides founders on scaling, financial strategy, and impact-driven innovation, drawing on global advisory experience.”
MARCELLO DE MELLO Investor & Mentor
“Zeeshan is a Senior Marketing Consultant and CEO of YouYaa, has 22+ years’ experience driving digital growth in finance, fintech, Web3, and crypto. Based in Dubai, he has scaled global brands like HSBC, Barclays, and Microsoft, while mentoring startups at Level39 and Business France. At Nexus, he empowers entrepreneurs with cutting-edge digital marketing strategies.”
ZEESHAN MALLICK Mentor & Investor
“Phil is an entrepreneur, investor, and mentor with three successful exits in music and technology. Chairman of Blackstar and founder of First Fixation, he drives innovation across media, healthcare, and business. At Nexus, he leverages 20+ years’ experience, global networks, and strategic insight to guide startups and creative ventures toward growth and success.”
PHIL MCCAULEY Mentor, Entrepreneur & Industry Leader
“Dr. Marian Daryouzeh is a life sciences expert with 16+ years in pharma, biotech, CROs, and consulting. Specializing in clinical research, regulatory affairs, MedTech, and digital transformation, she drives innovation and growth. At Nexus, she mentors professionals, leveraging her strategic expertise in compliance, portfolio management, and emerging trends to foster success.”
DR MARIAN DARYOUZEH Strategic Life Sciences Expert
“Dan is Chief Executive of Ideas Crucible, securing investment for Fintech, AI, Health, and Deeptech ventures. A serial entrepreneur with two successful exits, he has led global innovations for brands like Coca-Cola and BT. At Nexus, he mentors founders on product development, fundraising, and scaling disruptive technologies for sustainable impact.”
DAN BALLIN Tech Entrepreneur, Chief Executive of Ideas Crucible
“Ian is a corporate development expert in FinTech research, strategy, and exits. With deep experience in M&A, financial management, and change leadership, he mentors startups on GTM, planning, and execution. At Nexus, he guides founders and corporations in scaling, navigating exits, and leveraging FinTech innovations for sustainable growth.”
IAN DOWSON FinTech Specialist
“Sarah is the Founder and CEO of Reward Technologies, created B-MEE to empower families and equip children with life skills, healthy habits, and financial literacy. With 15+ years in sales, marketing, and leadership, she mentors Nexus founders on entrepreneurship, strategy, and impact, championing purpose-driven ventures that foster confidence and independence.”
SARAH O’REILLY Visionary Founder, CEO
“Michael is a fintech entrepreneur, investor, and strategist with 13+ years scaling tech businesses. A Crowdcube pioneer, he helped raise £1B for companies like Monzo and Revolut. Now CEO of EVERYTHING, he’s redefining Gen Z financial education. At Nexus, he mentors founders on funding, growth, and disruptive business scaling.”
MICHAEL WILKINSON FinTech Innovator & Startup Mentor
“Kevin is a seasoned entrepreneur and founder of Consilience Ventures, with expertise in digital transformation, venture growth, and finance. A former Microsoft Ventures UK leader, he has raised millions, mentored 5,000+ startups, and supported 40+ scale-ups. At Nexus, he combines entrepreneurial insight and financial acumen to guide founders toward sustainable growth.”
KEVIN MONSERRAT Tech Entrepreneur, Investor
“Ron is a globally acclaimed DJ, producer, and mentor with decades of experience collaborating with icons like Beyoncé, Snoop Dogg, and Paul Weller. With deep industry expertise in production, performance, and trends, he guides emerging talent at Nexus, sharing knowledge, opportunities, and cultural insight to shape successful creative careers.”
RON ELLISTON International DJ, Producer, Creative
“Amy is a visionary leader, exited founder, and brand strategist with expertise in luxury, tech, and consumer markets. She excels in scaling brands, investment readiness, and digital innovation. Passionate about female health, she mentors entrepreneurs, leveraging her experience, network, and strategic insights to drive sustainable growth and commercial success.”
AMY WILLIAMS Strategic Brand Builder & Digital Innovator
“Paris is the founder and CEO of We Love Work, a technology platform that helps companies and organisations create healthier and happier workplace culture by collecting data and insights on how people and teams feel at work. A regular guest on ITV’s Good Morning Britain.”
PARIS PETGRAVE Founder, We Love Work
“Ezechi is a founding member of Impact X Capital. A venture capital fund investing in startups at seed, Series A and Series B stages, with an aim to represent entrepreneurs within the entertainment, media, tech and creative industries. Ezechi is also the founder and CEO at Code Untapped, a digital skills accelerator.”
EZECHI BRITTON MBE Founding Member, Impact X Capital
“Anthony is founder of AD:K, growing tech hubs, ventures, and ecosystems, for entrepreneurs, corporates, banks, and governments in 30 cities around the world. With Airbnb, Telefonica, Bank of Korea, the Austrian Embassy and others.”
ANTHONY DAVID KING Founder, AD:K
“Henry is the founder and CEO of Percent, an API-based fundraising platform using technology to put social good into every transaction and purpose into every organisation by enabling businesses to integrate giving to good causes as part of their checkout process.”
HENRY LUDLAM Founder, Percent
“Urenna is the founder and CEO of Cashmere App. A fashion-focused social savings and e-commerce fintech platform that helps trend-focused millennials save towards and purchase luxury fashion without having to dip into their personal savings.”
URENNA OKONKWO Founder, Cashmere App
“John is a Partner at MediaCom, one of the world’s leading media communications specialists, with billings of $17.6 billion, employing 8,000 people in 125 offices across 100 countries and working with some of the world’s most valuable brands and companies.”
JOHN BEARDSWORTH Partner, MediaCom
“Shona is the founder and CEO of startup Utopy. And was previously the UK and Norther Europe Market Manager for Airbnb Experiences, responsible leading on the product’s meteoric growth across Northern Europe. And previous to this, was head of Operations for Accomable, the accessibility focused startup.”
SHONA MARSH Founder, Utopy (Ex Airbnb)
“Moe is the ex product and growth manager at Splento, a photography and video services platform, dubbed the Uber for photography, which has now scaled to more than 47 countries, and 400 cities worldwide.”
MOE HANAFY Product and GTM Strategy (Ex Splento)
“Andrew is the founder and CEO of Kaomi, a UK and South Africa based digital marketing platform delivering SEO, analytics, and social media marketing for companies around the world.”
ANDREW BLOCH Founder, Kaomi
“Simeon is the founder and CEO of Vivida, a technology platform leveraging interactive and immersive technologies, film and storytelling, to help some of the world’s biggest brands and companies train and develop their people and teams in remarkable new ways.”
SIMEON QUARRIE Founder and CEO, Vivida
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