Meet the Investors: Birmingham

Mira Androniciuc

Investment Associate, DSW Ventures

Mira is an Investment Associate at DSW Ventures and is leading the firm’s activities in the Midlands. Mira moved to venture capital from academia following a postdoc and PhD in Chemistry and Life Sciences at the Francis Crick Institute and Imperial College London.  

Aaron Baker

Investor, BGF

Aaron joined BGF in June 2013 and works across both the East & West Midlands. He is involved in the full spectrum of BGF’s investment lifecycle, with a principle focus towards the identification and execution of new investment opportunities. He has supported over 35 new and follow-on investments since joining BGF, with over £175m of invested capital. Before BGF, Aaron worked in Structured Finance at RBS and started his career in Corporate Finance at Deloitte.

Andy Hague

CEO TechWM, Director 4TSec,

Andy is the CEO of TechWM, an independent not-for-profit organisation that sits at the beating heart of the West Midlands tech sector acting as the voice of the region’s tech ecosystem. He is also the founder and director of 4TSec, a boutique cybersecurity advisory business.

Andy acted as CEO of The Cyberfort Group from starting the business with Private Equity backing in 2017 until the start of 2024 and continues to act as a Board Advisor to the business. Cyberfort was created from his idea to bring together the best of breed products and services in the field of data security by a combination of targeted acquisition , industry recruitment and organic build of market leading services and has grown to be one of the largest cyber services SME’s in the industry.

Prior to founding Cyberfort, Andy held a wide variety of roles across technology businesses and cybersecurity notably heading up the cybersecurity division of NCC Group in its early days and setting the foundations for the business to become a global player in the field.

In his early career Andy carried out the MBO of a software business and transformed it into a telecoms business operating in over 100 countries before selling the business to an AIM company in 2005.  This venture saw him receive a much respected Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award.

In January 2023 Andy helped set up the SME cybersecurity forum within TechUK that has now gained strong momentum and has seen him subsequently pick up the SME industry panel remit within the Cabinet Office for the rollout of Secure By Design.

Other current roles include sitting as a member of the Bank of England Decision Making Panel providing important industry data and feedback on a monthly basis to help shape the MPC policy decisions.

Outside of business and advisory roles, Andy is a passionate advocate of Neurodiversity inclusion and acceptance where he has always embraced the strong crossover with cybersecurity skills.

Andy lives outside Stratford upon Avon with his wife and two young children, one of whom is autistic and provides inspiration every day to help shape and improve the future life chances of neurodiverse individuals. This has served as a primary driver in moving to roles that allow him to promote and improve the tech skills and life chances of Neurodiverse individuals.

Sam Meiklejohn

Partner, Gateley

Sam focuses his practice on equity capital markets, public companies and corporate governance. He advises corporates, investment banks, brokers and major shareholders on a broad spectrum of capital markets matters including primary and secondary securities offerings listed on both UK and international stock exchanges. His experience covers a wide range of sectors, including life sciences, technology, and biotech. He also has significant cross-border transactional experience, including transatlantic, pan-European and across the MENA region. Sam also advises private companies, founders, and venture capital firms on private fundraises from seed capital through to series fundraising. Sam works with start-ups and founders on all aspects of corporate growth strategy, scale-up and university spin-outs.

Indu Seshadri

Co-Founder and Director, Skewb

Indu Seshadri is the Co-Founder, Director, and Board Member at Skewb, where she plays a key leadership role in guiding the company’s operations, people strategy and cross-functional project delivery.

With a background in Computer Science and Software Engineering, Indu started her career in the UK utility sector, contributing to significant transformation initiatives. In 2018, Indu co-founded Skewb with her husband, Shashi Seshadri. 

Skewb delivers targeted outcomes through specialised digital products, transformation initiatives and business change activities for organisations across the gas, water and broader infrastructure sectors. Since launch, Skewb has experienced substantial growth and now brings together a community of approximately 300 employees, partners and delivery specialists. 

Indu plays a crucial role at Skewb, overseeing Business Services, leading the company’s People initiatives, inclusion and diversity programmes and community initiatives, ensuring that Skewb not only grows as a business but also fosters a supportive, inclusive and socially responsible culture

Luize Silina

Investor, Future Planet Capital

Luize is an Investor at Future Planet Capital, a global impact-led VC firm, working within the regional investment team at the firm’s Birmingham office.