Joao Guarisse

I was born and raised in Brazil, from a family of small entrepreneurs. I was lucky to grow up in an entrepreneurial household that valued resourcefulness, dedication, and integrity. My grandfather had a small manufacturing business and my father has been a small business owner since he was 16.

Over the past 15 years, I have been fortunate enough to work as a manager and leader in a variety of professional settings, including consulting, sales and business development work in the UK, the Netherlands, Brazil, US, China, and Argentina. Throughout my career, I have successfully helped both large and small companies develop and implement strategic initiatives to drive growth and success. For instance, in my last role I helped my company grow 300% in less than four years and was personally responsible for bringing in over £30m in revenue. 

My wife is originally from Southend-on-Sea, in Essex. We are welcoming our first child in 2025.

Jonathan Thompson

I have been surrounded by entrepreneurs since my upbringing in Kingston, Jamaica, where both my parents were professionals running their own businesses and where the values of resourcefulness, creativity, and persistence are embedded in the culture.

I started my career as an investment banker in the US and Caribbean advising a variety of businesses on financial transactions and strategic decisions. My passion is to build rather than advise businesses and for the last decade I have held executive roles at large and mid-sized UK-based businesses where my objective has been to drive growth and profitability. Most recently, I launched a new business line at a company that I helped triple in size and go public on the London Stock Exchange.

Outside of work, you can find me cycling, playing tennis, or at my local pub on quiz night. I am a dual citizen of the UK and Jamaica and I live in London with my wife and daughter.