OMERS Ventures brings on board former Uber executive, Jambu Palaniappan

Jambu Palaniappan has joined OMERS Ventures as managing partner in London. The former Uber executive brings extensive experience from the startup world to the Canadian VC’s team in Europe. Palaniappan joined Uber in 2012 and led its expansion throughout the EMEA region and India over the next 18 months before becoming Regional General Manager for Eastern Europe, Russia, the Middle East, and Africa. He then headed up Uber Eats in EMEA from its inception. He has also been an angel investor, backing startups from a wide variety of sectors across the US, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Commenting on the critical value of Palaniappan’s experience, Damien Steel of OMERS Ventures said: “The scope of venture capital has broadened considerably in recent years, and investors need to add value in so many more ways than just signing cheques. But with less than 10 per cent of UK VCs having operational experience within a startup, it is clear that investor profiles have been slow to evolve to match these new demands. That’s why we’re so excited to welcome Jambu to our team.” OMERS Ventures launched in Europe in March 2019 following eight years in North America that have included notable exits such as Shopify (which went public in 2015, now valued at $38 billion), Password Box (acquired by Intel), and Wave (acquired by H&R Block). Investments in Europe to date include WeFox, Resi, FirstVet, and Quorso. This year, OMERS Ventures has launched a new European fund and London office, hired ex-Balderton investor Harry Briggs and former Turo founder and LocalGlobe partner Tara Reeves, and invested over €76 million in European tech companies.