Paul Humphries

Paul Humphries joined Octopus Ventures as an Investment Director in 2008.
Since 2005, he has been an adviser to and active investor in a number of early stage companies, providing guidance on business, marketing and sales strategy and operational support, in addition to the funding required for future growth.
In 1999, Paul co-founded Opta Ltd, a successful business consultancy which grew to 40 staff with a turnover of around £10 million before being acquired by SAIC Inc, the NYSE listed Scientific, Research and Engineering company.
As Opta’s Chief Operating Officer and a Director of the business, his responsibilities included sales and marketing, staffing and resourcing, as well as day-to-day operational management.
In 2003, Paul oversaw the sale of Opta Ltd to SAIC Inc. Following its completion, he was Vice President EMEA at SAIC Inc for two years.
Prior to founding his own business, Paul held a number of senior positions at large international companies including Chief Operating Officer at Liberty Communications; Marketing and Operations Director of the JP Morgan ‘Wirefree’ Fund, a global mobile communications investment fund; Sales and Marketing Director of Telefonica’s Romanian operations; Head of the Aeronautical Sector at ICO Global Communications, the global mobile satellite services provider; and eleven years at Cable & Wireless plc, latterly as Managing Director of the Company’s FlightLink Ltd subsidiary which was responsible for supplying in-flight information, communication and entertainment to the European airline market.