Founder Partner, Sturgeon Ventures
Seonaid’s career spans over 36 years in financial services, beginning as a stockbroker for multiple American firms, and then as fund manager of a family office and VCs, an operator of UK funds, fund raising for private companies and funds and multiple advisory positions to financial service firms and SMEs.
Seonaid is known in the industry as an out-of-the-box strategic thinker and the innovator of Regulatory Incubation and the wholesale use of the Appointed Representative, now used by Financial Services throughout the UK.
Seonaid founded Sturgeon Ventures as a "single family office" in 1998. In 2000, Sturgeon became the pioneer of Regulatory Hosting, coining the phrase "Regulatory Incubator" for financial services (also known as “Regulatory Umbrella”). In 2013, Sturgeon became a registered investment advisor with the SEC, and in 2014, a sub threshold AIFM (Alternative Investment Fund Manager), migrating in 2016 to an EU VECA management firm.
Since this business model began, Sturgeon has incubated over 180 financial services start ups, supported numerous approved persons and assisted in setting up a number of funds in Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, the Cayman, and the Channel Islands. Clients include emerging managers, third party fund raisers, corporate finance advisors and family offices.