Dr Robert Hornby

Building relationships

I’m fundamentally motivated by the impact our founders and companies can have on the world, and so I’m always on the look out for founders who are passionate about doing something positively impactful. Almost as important is that I get along with whoever it is I’m working with – life is far too short and there will always be hard times to work through, so that upfront relationship will count.

Background

I started my career out in scientific research at the University of Liverpool’s MRC Centre for Drug Safety Science where I obtained my PhD and spent a number of years attempting to figure out why drugs fail in trials or cause toxic side effects. Through this, I got to work on projects with a few of the world’s major pharmaceutical companies, which helped to tie back my research to something practical and commercial, something which always felt important to me – I’m less interested in science for science’s sake, and more on the benefits that it can bring.

After several years in the lab and a failed attempt at setting up a life science business with my colleagues, I realised that this wasn’t the career path for me. Happily, this failure highlighted other opportunities and resulted in me pivoting to a career in M&A and financial advisory at Grant Thornton, where I also qualified as an accountant and supported mainly healthcare and life science businesses through fundraisings, exits and restructuring. I enjoyed this role, however I always felt slightly detached from the decision-making process and so when the opportunity arose to move into a corporate development role, I leapt at it. This led me to spend a number of years with Verastar, a Vitruvian Partners-investment in the business services space, where I led acquisitions and helped the board set the company’s strategy. What my time at Verastar made me realise was that I much prefer the dynamic nature of working with early-stage businesses and that’s what led me to take on my current role.

At Mercia I have two hats. I am responsible for early-stage health tech and life science investments from a new deal and portfolio support perspective. In addition, as a proud northerner, I’m always on the look out for exciting businesses across a range of different sectors in the North West, where I live, and more broadly across the north.

I’m always on the look out for founders who are passionate about doing something positively impactful.