Business Weekly - Cambridge, UK

Peter Wynn, a serial entrepreneur and highly respected financier, is set to retire from Amadeus Capital Partners in the near future but is keen to pass on his experience to the new generation of young technology companies locally.

Wynn has been a trusted lieutenant of Dr Hermann Hauser for almost a quarter of a century.

He was former director of finance for Acorn Computer Group Ltd where Dr Hauser cut his entrepreneurial teeth.

He also joined Dr Hauser in becoming co-founder and director of Amadeus Capital Partners Ltd in 1997, providing a huge shot in the arm for young technology businesses.

Wynn will ease out of Amadeus on his 60th birthday this June but is already fielding approaches from hi-tech companies seeking to acquire the ‘greybeard’ factor.

Wynn has been FD and CFO at Amadeus where he made and managed investments on behalf of Amadeus funds and was also responsible for compliance and money laundering reporting.

As an independent management consultant between 1985 and 1997, Wynn’s many roles with various companies included a spell as FD of Business Weekly in its formative years.

During this time, he was involved with 33 young companies and raised finance for 15 businesses ranging from £250k to more than £10m.

Wynn also effected four corporate recoveries and five trade sales, one mostly funded by a US Fortune 100 company and two others to a FTSE100 company and an AIM-listed business.

While the majority of the companies were in the fields of Information Technology and biotech, Wynn’s portfolio also ranged across publishing, relocation management, dir-ect marketing, office and building services and a golf course.

At Acorn, where he spent five years to 1985, Wynn introduced sophisticated computerised systems and was also instrumental in the highly successful launch of the company on the Unlisted Securities Market.

He recruited a team of professional and motivated managers and used his expertise to help Acorn control the many demands inherent in extremely fast growth.

Wynn said: “I’ve just taken up golf but it seems ludicrously early to retire to the golf course.

“It is tremendously exciting to see the number of young technology companies in the region that have real commercial potential.

“Many fail through lack of focus or not accessing the right kind of finance at the right stage of their life cycle.

“I feel I still have a lot to offer in helping young companies raise funds and in terms of mentoring – keeping them on track to exploit their bright ideas on a global, commercial stage.”

Charles Cotton, formerly CEO of Virata, and most recently Phil O’Donovan – co-founder of CSR – have already added their considerable talents to the Cambridge angel network as the region bids to create more billion dollar companies internationally.

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