Ben Wilkinson

Ben Wilkinson is the Chief Executive Officer of Molten Ventures plc, one of Europe's largest publicly-listed venture capital firms (formerly known as Draper Esprit before its 2021 rebrand). He was appointed CEO on 30 October 2024, succeeding Martin Davis, after eight years serving as the company's Chief Financial Officer. He originally joined the group in 2016 immediately post-IPO and was appointed to the Board in June 2019.

As CFO, Wilkinson was central to building out Molten's balance sheet through equity and debt financing, broadening its shareholder register, and leading the company's transition from AIM to the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange. He also sat on the firm's Investment Committee and helped execute multiple secondary portfolio transactions during a period of rapid growth. In his own words on becoming CEO, "The Molten Ventures platform is significantly larger than when I joined immediately post-IPO and has incredible potential for the next phase of growth, with a strong investment team supported by a platform team with a unique skillset."

Before Molten, Wilkinson spent five years as CFO of AIM-listed President Energy plc. Earlier in his career he worked in M&A investment banking at ABN Amro and RBS, focusing on cross-border transactions and corporate financing. He is a Chartered Accountant (FCA) and holds a BSc in Economics from Royal Holloway, University of London.

Beyond Molten, Wilkinson chairs the Pensions & Private Capital Expert Panel, an industry initiative aimed at unlocking UK defined-contribution pension capital for investment in private markets, and he sits on Molten's Sustainability Committee.

• Invests as a listed, permanent-capital VC — meaning Molten backs companies from its own balance sheet rather than a time-limited fund, allowing longer holding periods and follow-on support through the cycle.
• Core sweet spot is Series A and B, where a company has "demonstrable value through proven demand and scaling of a proven business model," with emphasis on repeatable unit economics and founder-market fit.
• Sector-diversified across enterprise SaaS, AI/deeptech, fintech, consumer, digital health, cybersecurity, climate and space tech.
• Strongly European-focused (80%+ of portfolio), leveraging the region's tech ecosystem while selectively co-investing in high-potential US deals.
• Provides seed-stage access through dedicated EIS and VCT fund vehicles alongside the main balance-sheet portfolio.
• As CEO/CFO, Wilkinson's own priorities center on capital discipline, balance-sheet strength, realizations/secondaries and returning value to shareholders, rather than sourcing individual deals himself.