Piers Linney

Piers Linney, born on February 15, 1971, is a British businessman and investor. He studied accounting and law at the University of Manchester, then qualified as a solicitor with SJ Berwin. His early career included working in investment banking at Barclays de Zoete Wedd and Credit Suisse. In 2000, Linney transitioned to starting an internet business. He subsequently specialized in technology venture capital, securing structured equity and debt finance for small and mid-cap listed companies. Linney became a partner in a €90 million alternative investment fund, providing structured debt and equity financing to small public companies. In 2007, he co-led the buyout of Genesis Communications, a mobile voice and data resale company. This company later acquired Thus Mobile from Cable & Wireless in 2009 and rebranded as Outsourcery, focusing on cloud IT and communications. The mobile division was sold to Daisy Group for £15 million in 2012. Outsourcery floated on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) in 2013, raising £13 million. The business achieved revenues of £10 million before being sold in June 2016.

Linney gained wider public recognition as a Dragon investor on BBC One’s Dragons’ Den for two seasons (2013-2015). He also appeared on Channel 4’s The Secret Millionaire in 2011, where he worked at a young offenders’ institution. He has served as a Non-executive Director of the British Business Bank during the rollout of £90 billion in Covid business support loan schemes and was a Trustee of Nesta, the UK’s largest innovation agency. In May 2023, Linney co-founded Implement AI, which offers scalable digital workforces of managed AI agents, winning ‘AI Startup of the Year – London’ at the UK Startup Awards 2025. He also co-founded Atherton Bikes, a producer of additive manufactured mountain bikes, which secured first and second place at the World Championships in 2023.

He is a respected voice on AI, technology, and economics, publishing a bi-weekly LinkedIn newsletter titled ‘Business as Usual?’ and co-hosting ‘The Implement AI Podcast’. Piers is also a keynote speaker, addressing topics such as scaling businesses, the future of work, and diversity and inclusion at events like Tech Show London and Elite Business Live. His contributions to business and diversity have been recognized through various awards, including being named one of the UK’s top 100 most influential black Britons and winning ‘Diversity Champion of the Year’ at the European Diversity Awards in 2024 for his work with Sky’s Diversity Advisory Council.