Adventures in Venture

With a long standing passion for how technology can positively impact the world, Evan grew up in Auckland, New Zealand and began programming computers at the age of 12. Graduating high school early at the age of 16, he went on to study computer science at university, deepening his knowledge and expertise in the field.

 In 1992, Evan moved to the UK, gained a grounding in global business at British Telecom, and rose quickly to a senior management role. He sharpened his instinct and acumen for real estate projects by buying a string of investment properties in London in his mid 20’s.

 After completing an MBA and working in a tech startup, he then launched MELT Property, a property investment and development company. By 2020, MELT Property had accumulated a portfolio of over 50 investment properties. It had also built over 100 properties in London, Gloucestershire and Kent.

 As MELT Property grew, Evan began to focus on sustainable property development – carbon net zero or offsetting and highly efficient/energy generating buildings. This led to a frustration with the lack of integration of sustainable technologies in the property sector. He decided that he wanted to do something to fix the problem.

 This led to a series of angel investments in early-stage startups which were developing technologies which drive sustainability in the property and finance sectors. With markups on these investments delivering an IRR of around 60% over a four year period, he decided to raise his own Venture Capital fund, Hyperlight Ventures.

In this podcast, Evan talks to the scientists, angel investors, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and other people he meets to tease out how how developments in technology, business and science can be harnessed to create positive change in the world.