Agile team, Ambitious bets

Lucas launched Accelerate Ventures in late 2023 driven by his passion for sports and technology, as well as the desire to work in the dynamic environment of investing in and building great companies.

In 2023 Lucas became a Director at Wigan Athletic and Wigan Warriors where his responsibilities involved leading a data-driven approach to enhance the strategy across both the performance and the financial sides of the clubs.

Lucas spent his early career as a Strategy and Investment Analyst in Private Equity, initially at DotVector and then ScaleUp Capital. Across these roles his projects involved carrying out investment due diligence for early stage companies as well as growing and developing portfolio companies in the edtech and media sectors. Before this he graduated from Oxford with a degree in Mathematics.

Nick’s background is in strategy consulting, having completed projects across a wide range of sectors including leading commercial due diligence projects for the acquisition of several technology start-ups and scale-ups.

After working as a consultant at both Accenture and Eden McCallum, Nick then put theory into practice and gained experience in-house as Operations Manager at GlobalData. In this role he was responsible for assessing the individual business units, identifying and implementing initiatives to increase their growth and profitability.

At Accelerate Ventures Nick’s role covers the full investment process from origination through to IC, as well as supporting and advising our portfolio companies and partner clubs in a consulting capacity.

Raef is a Senior Associate at Accelerate Ventures and has been part of the team since the fund began investing. He joined as a Senior Analyst in February 2024 and has since worked on many of the fund’s investments, from first meetings with founders through to diligence and supporting the companies once they’re in the portfolio. He also works with Accelerate’s partner clubs, including Wigan Warriors, in a consulting capacity.

Before Accelerate, Raef was an Analyst at Eden McCallum, the management consultancy. He graduated from the London School of Economics with First Class Honours in Geography with Economics. While there, he founded the LSE Sports Business Group, now the largest student-led sports business group in the UK. A keen sportsman, he still turns out occasionally at step 6 of the English football pyramid.

Lenka is an Associate at Accelerate Ventures, where her work spans the whole investment process, from sourcing new deals through to supporting them to close.

Previously, Lenka worked and volunteered at Alma Angels, an angel investor network connecting investors with female founders, and was an Associate Consultant at OC&C, where she worked on strategy projects across consumer and TMT. Lenka read Modern & Medieval Languages at the University of Cambridge and went on to complete a Diploma in Law. An avid language learner, her curiosity for different cultures and ways of thinking now shapes how she works with founders. Outside of work, she particularly enjoys winter sports, from skiing and snowboarding to ice skating, and if snow not available, you will find her weightlifting.

Joash is a Senior Analyst with Accelerate Ventures, where his work spans the whole investment process from sourcing new investment leads through to portfolio management. Here, he brings strong commitment to seeking and supporting meaningful and revolutionary ventures. His role also involves strategy consultancy for Wigan Sports Group, Wigan Warriors and Wigan Athletic.

Previously, Joash worked across various start-ups and strategy consulting projects and read Geography at the University of Oxford, where he graduated with a First Class degree and a passion for marine ecology. His passion was inspired by his background as a swimmer. Now, he seeks to fuse his passion for sports and meaningful investments.

Annabel is a Venture Scout at Accelerate Ventures supporting the sourcing of early-stage start-ups and contributes towards Accelerate’s marketing activities.

Before Accelerate, Annabel studied Marketing and Management at the University of Exeter, completing a placement year in London as a Recruitment Consultant. A lover of sports, Annabel enjoys watching and playing a variety of sports, particularly tennis, hockey and netball and combines her love of sport with connecting with new founders in the industry.