How UK tech could benefit from Chinese capital – Mark Pearson, Fuel Ventures

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5 • 6 Ratings

🗓️ 14 January 2025

⏱️ 38 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Mark Pearson, founder and managing partner of Fuel Ventures, discusses how working as a chef under Gordon Ramsay led him to life as an entrepreneur, why Chinese capital presents a massive opportunity for British innovation and why after a few tough years, optimism has returned to the UK tech industry.

Fuel Ventures is a London-based technology investment group focussing on early and growth-stage companies. Pearson said Fuel has always had a good relationship with China, grown stronger by the firm recently securing a £20m investment from Chinese partners. The Fuel managing director said that with Trump likely to further strain US-China relations, there is an opportunity for the UK to grow with increased support from the East.

Transcript

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0:00.0	I really got to see for the first time, probably at the tender age of 22, 23, I got to see the business side of stuff.
0:13.0	And that started to interest me. You can see how that goes towards the entrepreneur steps.
0:22.6	The Chinese are very good at some stuff. They look at the UK and Europe as an innovation help.
0:26.6	You know, that they know there's talent here.
0:28.6	They know we've got the top five universities in the world in the UK.
0:32.6	Don't know we're building a business at any size is fantastic, right? The journey of success is a spectrum and a scale.
0:40.3	But I keep saying to founders now, unicorn's not enough.
0:48.3	From the first time founders to the funds that back them, innovation needs different.
0:56.3	Our episode partner, HSBC Innovation Banking, is proud to accelerate growth for tech and life science
1:02.7	businesses, creating meaningful connections and opening up a world of opportunity for entrepreneurs
1:08.3	and investors alike. Discover more at www.h.hsbc Innovationbanking.com
1:15.1	slash EN-GB.
1:21.5	Hello and welcome to the UKTM podcast, a weekly chat with the movers and shakers of the UK tech
1:29.0	industry and the destination for all things UK tech related. And this first episode to kick off
1:35.2	2025 looks like being a great one as I'm joined by Mark Pearson who has had a fascinating and varied
1:42.1	career. Currently running fuel ventures, he's also the founder
1:45.8	of My Voucher Codes and a contestant on Channel 4's Secret Millionaire. Welcome, Mark.
1:52.4	Hey, how are you doing? I'm good, thank you. Lots to unpick there with all your varied jobs
1:57.3	through your career. As it is the first episode and as it is 2025,
2:01.4	I'm going to start with a boring question about news resolutions.
2:04.7	Have you got any?
2:06.1	Oh, do you know what?
	...

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