James Middleton is a Senior Advisor and Venture Partner who bridges the often-disparate worlds of institutional finance and early-stage entrepreneurship. With a career rooted in the analytical discipline of global asset management and the operational grit of a successful founder, James specializes in preparing deep-tech and climate-tech ventures for institutional-grade investment.

Before shifting to the venture ecosystem, James spent over 15 years at the highest levels of systematic finance. As a Quantitative Investment Director at BlackRock and Barclays Global Investors (BGI), he was responsible for developing sophisticated global macro and systematic trading models for active commodity futures and tactical asset allocation. This institutional background allows him to bring a data-driven, "quant" lens to startup valuation and business model validation that is rarely found in the early-stage market.

As a founder, James built and led Street Stream, an asset-light, same-day logistics marketplace. He successfully navigated the platform from its initial concept through multiple funding rounds to a strategic trade sale to a rival operator. Today, he leverages this "both sides of the table" perspective through Decollare Capital, acting as a bridge between ambitious founders and discerning investors. He is a prominent fixture in the London innovation scene, serving as a mentor for Imperial College’s Undaunted climate-tech accelerator and holding NED and advisory roles at Athleet (Sports Tech) and Real-E Racing (AR Motorsport).