Trapezia EIS II Fund Investment Committee

The Trapezia EIS II Fund’s Investment Committee, which has a collective experience of over 55 years in venture capital and entrepreneurship, comprises:

 Stephan Gagnon , BAA CA MSc Fin
Stephan is a co-founder of Stargate and a fund manager for Stargate’s Trapezia and Catalyst EIS funds. Prior to Stargate, he headed the City team of venture capital advisory firm Beer and Partners where he was involved in numerous transactions from seed funding to exit. Stephan is also director of Green Gold Forestry Limited, a sustainable forestry assets management firm operating in Peru, and African Emerging Ventures, a firm focusing on renewable energy and technology transfer investment opportunities in Sub-Saharan Africa. A graduate in business administration from HEC Montreal, Stephan holds a Masters in Finance from the London Business School. A Canadian Chartered Accountant, he has held senior audit and tax advisory positions within Grant Thornton International and Arthur Andersen in Canada.

 Gita Patel , BSc (Econ) FCA

Gita is a co-founder of Stargate and a fund manager of Stargate’s Trapezia EIS Fund. She was also the creator of the Trapezia programme which included launching Europe’s first venture fund, Trapezia EIS Fund, targeting women-focused businesses. Gita plays a leading role in growing women’s entrepreneurship, a field where she has acquired substantial experience and provided thought leadership over the past five years. Her previous experience includes work in the oil industry, followed by a 15-year career in banking at NatWest Group where she was part of the bank’s core management. Gita is a business angel and mentor and also serves on the boards of a number of private companies. A graduate of the London School of Economics, Gita is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants (UK), having trained with Arthur Andersen.

 Paresh Shah , BSc (Econ) MBA FCCA

Paresh is a co-founder of Stargate and a fund manager of Stargate’s Trapezia EIS and Catalyst EIS Funds. He represents the Trapezia EIS Fund on the Boards of Femeda, Sarah Arnett and Diet Freedom. He is a successful entrepreneur who built up an automotive components manufacturing business employing 200 people with a turnover of £12m. His previous experience includes working at 3i plc and Laurie Millbank. Paresh is Chartered Certified Accountant, holds an MBA from Manchester Business School and a BSc (Hons) in Economics from the London School of Economics.

3. Stargate Capital Management Limited

 Peter Kirby , Compliance Officer

Peter spent six years in oil and mining companies before becoming a consultant for Deloitte Haskins Sells. After eight years of assignments involving the management of change he joined a reinsurance broker and became its joint managing director. He subsequently started a group of consultancy and other business service companies himself. He is an experienced manager and administrator of growing businesses. He was previously Finance and  Compliance Director for Classic Fund Management, and joined Stargate on its acquisition of Classic Fund Management in 2004. Peter graduated in Theoretical Physics from Cambridge University.