David Foreman is the Managing Partner and founder of Praetura Ventures, an award-winning fund manager in the North of England. Praised for its early backing of northern success stories such as Reacta, Modern Milkman and Culture Shift, the Manchester-based VC has now become known for its ‘more than money’ approach to supporting early-stage founders post investment. Praetura’s portfolio companies benefit from active mentorship from the company’s operational partners, who are industry-heavyweights that have led businesses such as AO, ANS, Apple, Dr Martens, OSTC, PA Consulting and Spark. Their team deliver EIS and VCT funds, alongside NPIFII North West Equity Fund for the British Business Bank and the GMC Life Sciences Fund By Praetura for GMCA, Cheshire & Warrington LEP and Bruntwood SciTech. In 2023, Praetura also launched a cohort investment programme called PraeSeed to help early stage start-ups in the North. As one of the fastest growing venture capital businesses in the region, they have a portfolio of over 50 companies with £350m assets under management.