Piers Linney

Renowned entrepreneur and former Dragon’s Den investor Piers Linney has a string of successful business ventures to his name including Genesis Communications, British Patent Capital and cloud services provider Outsourcery. Before appearing on Dragon’s Den, Linney starred in Channel Four’s The Secret Millionaire, in which he gained crucial experience successfully fronting a television show. Much of Linney’s work has revolved around exciting technology start-ups, leading the Financial Times to place him in the Top 20 of their Top 100 Technology and Business Leaders.

Linney’s experience stretches back to the ‘90s, when he worked as a solicitor at the prestigious multinational law firm SJ Berwin before going on to become an investment banker for Barclays de Zoete Wedd and Credit Suisse. He has since become a champion of cloud computing, founding the Governance Board of the UK’s Cloud Industry Forum. Linney’s business acumen has earned him a spot on the Cabinet Offices SME panel where he advises on small and medium business enterprise panels. He has also sat on the Board of TechUK and is currently a trustee of the innovation foundation Nesta.

Linney sat on the panel of hit TV show Dragon’s Den from 2013 to 2015, most notably investing in the children’s book publishing business Wonderbly. Never afraid to take risks, the serial entrepreneur lent his winning spark to the boutique 3D-printed bike company and racing team Atherton bikes: just six months after his initial investment the manufacturer went on to score its first win on Scotland’s epic Fort William track. As an entrepreneur, businessman, presenter, speaker and mentor Linney believes that if you aren’t moving forward, you are finished.