Former Uber exec joins the OMERS Ventures team in London

Jambu Palaniappan is now a managing partner at OMERS Ventures in London, which is the venture capital arm of the $71 billion (C$95 billion) Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System. He brings with him start-up experience from his years at Uber, which he joined in 2012 when it was predominantly a U.S.-focused company. Palaniappan’s appointment marks the end of a successful year for OMERS Ventures in launching its first European fund and opening its London office. The team includes ex-Balderton investor Harry Briggs and former Turo founder and LocalGlobe partner Tara Reeves. The team has injected more than $84 million (€76 million) into the European technology ecosystem, officials said. The group’s focus ranges from fintech, proptech, insurtech and healthtech to deeptech, smart cities and the future of work. OMERS Ventures launched in Europe in March following eight years in North America where the team’s success includes notable exits such as Shopify, which went public in 2015, and Password Box that was acquired by Intel and Wave that was acquired by H&R Block. European investments to date include Resi, FirstVet and Quorso. At Uber, Palaniappan led the Uber expansion throughout the EMEA region and India and later worked on the development of Uber Eats. Most recently, he was at London-based venture capital firm Atomico. “The scope of venture capital has broadened considerably in recent years, and investors need to add value in so many more ways than just signing checks,” said Damien Steel, managing partner and head of ventures at OMERS Ventures. “But with less than 10% of UK VCs having operational experience within a startup, it is clear that investor profiles have been slow to evolve to match these new demands.” He added that Palaniappan’s experience at Uber is integral to ensure OMERS Ventures offers the right support to the startups at every stage of their growth journeys.

Former Uber exec joins the OMERS Ventures team in London

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