Northern Gritstone appoints Jess McCreadie as Investment Director

Northern Gritstone, the investment business focused on science and technology-enabled businesses in the North of England, today announces it has appointed Jess McCreadie as Investment Director.

Jess joins from Octopus Ventures where she worked as Principal specialising in Health Tech and B2B SaaS. Prior to Octopus, she was Investment Director at L&G, investing in Health Tech, Clean Tech and Infrastructure scale Clean Energy.  

She will be based primarily at Northern Gritstone’s office in Manchester, having relocated from London for her new role. Her remit will include Health Tech and Clean Tech, areas in which Northern Gritstone specialises, demonstrated through its investments in Imperagen and C-Capture.  

Launched in July 2021 and chaired by Lord Jim O’Neill, Northern Gritstone’s investment philosophy is ‘profit with purpose’, combining strong returns for investors with wider positive, societal and economic impact.

The company announced its final close of £312m in October 2023 and has already invested in 17 early-stage science and technology-enabled businesses in the North of England.

Northern Gritstone CEO, Duncan Johnson, said: “I’m delighted to welcome Jess to the team. Her Health Tech and Clean Tech investment experience and understanding of the innovation ecosystem will be invaluable to Northern Gritstone as we continue our investment activities in these exciting areas.”

Northern Gritstone Investment Director, Jess McCreadie said: “Northern Gritstone has quickly built a reputation as a leading investor and innovation ecosystem pioneer. The past decades in venture capital demonstrate that the most successful and ambitious companies are borne out of highly collaborative local economies, thinking globally. I see the opportunity we have in the North of England to scale a high-performing technology ecosystem, to be incredibly exciting.”