Praetura Ventures

David Foreman is the Managing Partner and co-founder, overseeing all investment activity. The investment committee includes Partner Andy Barrow, who leads tech investments after serving as CTO at ANS Group until its sale to Inflexion, and Partner Colin Greene, who heads the portfolio growth platform. Operational Partners with significant P&L experience—figures like Steve Caunce (former CEO of AO World) and Mark Slade (co-founder of OSTC)—participate in sourcing and due diligence, giving the investment team direct access to seasoned operators.

Praetura relies on its operational partner network and regional concentration to surface deals, particularly in the North of England. Its merger with Par Equity extends this funnel into Scotland and Northern Ireland. The firm also manages dedicated sleeve funds like the GMC Life Sciences Fund By Praetura, which creates structured relationships with universities and research institutions in Greater Manchester. This regional, relationship-driven model gives it early visibility into university spinouts and founder-led companies that often fall outside London-centric venture networks.

Praetura Ventures is a venture capital asset manager, not a family office. It raises funds from external investors—including financial advisers, family offices, and institutional investors—and manages third-party capital. Its EIS Growth Fund and other vehicles are marketed through a dedicated business development team led by Partner Jon Prescott, who previously spent 15 years at AJ Bell. The firm's merger into PXN Ventures in 2024 reinforces its position as an institutional venture platform.

Praetura invests almost exclusively through direct equity positions in early-stage companies. There is no evidence of significant fund-of-funds activity. The firm manages its own dedicated vehicles, including the GMC Life Sciences Fund and its EIS Growth Fund, which provide direct exposure to portfolio companies. Its operational partner model requires the hands-on engagement that direct investing enables, and the firm's public materials do not reference commitments to other venture funds.

Praetura invests from preseed through Series B+, with a concentration on seed and early-stage rounds. The portfolio includes companies at the very earliest stages—university spinouts like BlueSkeye AI and CareLoop—alongside later-stage businesses that have reached multi-million-pound ARR, such as AccessPay (enterprise fintech) and Cyclr (iPaaS). The merger with Par Equity in 2024 expanded its capacity to write larger cheques, with PXN positioning itself to support companies through later growth stages.

In May 2024, Praetura Ventures merged with Edinburgh-based Par Equity to form PXN Ventures. The combined entity brings together two Northern-focused investors, extending Praetura's reach from its Manchester base into Scotland and Northern Ireland. Praetura's Managing Partner David Foreman and the existing investment team continue to operate within the new structure, which retains the 'more than money' brand identity and the operational partner model that distinguishes the firm.

Praetura's public materials do not describe a formal co-investment program or syndication strategy alongside other venture firms. Its operational partner model suggests a preference for direct, high-touch engagement with portfolio companies rather than passive participation in club deals. That said, the firm's portfolio includes companies with institutional co-investors on the cap table—AccessPay counts Mastercard and NatWest as investors—indicating a willingness to invest alongside strategic and financial partners where the opportunity arises.