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Praetura Ventures bolster its North West investment team with new hires from LDC and Maven Capital

Press release 22 July 2024

images of Camilla Greenwood and Klarissa Nura

Praetura Ventures (PV), the North West-based VC and Northern Powerhouse Investment II (NPIF II) NW Equity fund manager, has appointed two new industry professionals to its growing investment team as it looks to continue building its portfolio.

Camilla Greenwood and Klarissa Nura have joined the company from LDC and Maven Capital, respectively, taking Praetura’s North West investment team to 11 people and the total number of female investors within the team to five. 

A Chartered Accountant, Camilla joined LDC’s North West team in 2021 after initially starting out at PwC and brings with her a wealth of investment experience, having been at the heart of the North’s Private Equity sector. 
In her new role as an Investment Director at Praetura Ventures, Camilla will be responsible for deploying funds from NPIF II – NW Equity Fund into regional businesses, in line with the British Business Bank’s mission to help fund regional entrepreneurs.

Klarissa, who joins as an Investment Associate, worked on a number of notable deals during her time at Maven and will be responsible for supporting the deployment of capital from NPIF II. 

We are lucky to enjoy a wealth of investment talent in the North West, and that is evidenced by the work done by Camilla and Klarissa over their careers so far. We are delighted to be welcoming both of them to our growing Praetura team in what is shaping up to be one of the biggest years for us to date, following the launch of the £660m NPIF II and outstanding growth in our portfolio. Louise Chapman NPIF II Fund Principal at Praetura Ventures
It is an exciting time for Praetura Ventures who have seen significant growth in recent years. I am really looking forward to investing the newly awarded NPIF II fund and providing More than Money. There is a wealth of knowledge within the team of scaling early-stage businesses which will be put to good use in a flourishing Northern market Camilla Greenwood Investment Director at Praetura Ventures
I'm so excited to join the Praetura team. They've got a renowned reputation for backing the best businesses in the North's ecosystem with their 'More Than Money' support. I can't wait to get started. Klarissa Nura Investment Associate at Praetura Ventures
Praetura will play an important role in helping small businesses in the North West achieve their growth objectives through accessing equity finance from NPIF II. These two appointments demonstrate the team’s commitment to successfully deliver the funding across the North West business community. Simon Cunnington Investment Manager at British Business Bank

The news follows Praetura being named the fund manager for the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II – Equity North West mandate, with £100m of the total £660m fund dedicated to helping North West businesses scale. 

The £660m NPIF II covers the entire North of England and provides loans from £25k to £2m and equity investment up to £5m to help a range of small and medium sized businesses to start up, scale up or stay ahead.

The purpose of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II is to drive sustainable economic growth by supporting innovation and creating local opportunities for new and growing businesses across the North of England. NPIF II will increase the supply and diversity of early-stage finance for the North’s smaller businesses, providing funds to firms that might otherwise not receive investment and help to break down barriers in access to finance.

Further Information

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Notes to editors

About the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II


Operated by the British Business Bank, the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II (NPIF II) provides a mix of debt and equity funding.  NPIF II will offer a range of commercial finance options with smaller loans from £25k to £100k, debt finance from £100k to £2m and equity investment up to £5 million. It works alongside the Combined Authorities, Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs), and Growth Hubs, as well as local intermediaries such as accountants, fund managers and banks, to support the North’s smaller businesses at all stages of their development. 


The funds in which the NPIF II invests are open to businesses with material operations, or planning to open material operations, in: Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside, City of Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, North Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, Hartlepool and Stockton-on-Tees, South Teesside, Darlington, Durham, Northumberland, Tyneside, Sunderland. 


For investment by NRIL at the sub-fund level
The investment from the Nations and Regions Investments Limited into [.] does not amount to any endorsement or warranty from Nations and Regions Investments Limited, the British Business Bank plc or the government of the United Kingdom.

For investment by NPIF II sub-fund at the investee company level
The investment from the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II into [.] does not amount to any endorsement or warranty from Nations and Regions Investments Limited, the British Business Bank plc or the government of the United Kingdom.
Smaller Loans from £25,000 to £100,000 – GC Business Finance & River Capital (North West), Business Enterprise Fund (BEF) (Yorkshire and Humber) and NEL Fund Managers (North East)

Business Loans from £100,000 to £2m – FW Capital (North West), Mercia (Yorkshire and Humber) and NEL Fund Managers (North East)

Equity Finance up to £5m  – Prateura Ventures (North West), Mercia (Yorkshire and Humber), and Maven Capital Partners (North East)

Applications for funding are made directly to the relevant fund managers who can be contacted via the NPIF II webpages www.northernpowerhouseinvestment fund.co.uk

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