Chair, Nesta Investments, Nesta

Policy Fellow, Centre for Science and Policy

Nathan Elstub is Executive Director of Investments at Nesta, the innovation foundation. Nesta’s investment activity includes the responsible investment of our own endowment and acting as manager of funds for third party clients as well as exploring and developing novel approaches to investment such as our work over the last 12 years in Impact Investment. As well as investing in funds, we are have been an active direct venture capital investor for over 20 years supporting innovative, disruptive technology based businesses and social enterprises in the Education, Health, Government and Arts sectors.

Nathan has worked as a venture capital investor for over 20 years with a focus on using venture investment as a tool to support positive social change for the last decade. He has been involved in establishing a number of organisations in this field and sits on a handful of boards and investment committees of social and impact investment funds and organisations. He is a director of a thriving Multi Academy Trust of primary schools.

Alongside this investment work Nathan has also been personally actively involved in helping build a number of start-up businesses, surprisingly all of which are flourishing!

Nathan is happiest with a banjo in his hands playing tunes with his family and friends.