We are operators first. The people behind Creative Capital have built, scaled, and sold businesses across sport, music, media and wellness.

John Darling is the CEO and Founder of Creative Capital Ventures, an investment and growth firm focused on building long-term value through a combination of capital, execution, and strategic support.

He has founded and successfully exited multiple ventures across marketing, growth, and creative industries, with a consistent focus on driving measurable performance and scalable growth.

John works closely with founders and leadership teams, taking a hands-on role in shaping strategy, strengthening commercial outcomes, and navigating the realities of early and growth-stage businesses.

His approach is grounded in a simple principle: capital alone does not build companies. Execution does.

Simon Kirby is Chief Operating Officer of Creative Capital Ventures, where he leads the firm's operations and supports the scaling of its portfolio companies. He brings more than two decades of experience spanning operational leadership, venture building, and the delivery of complex programmes in some of the world's most demanding environments — from the trading floors of the City of London to the casinos of Macau and major fixtures for the England & Wales Cricket Board.

Simon previously ran a venture studio, working hands-on with more than 40 early-stage startups, and served as a Director of the United Kingdom's COVID-19 response at the centre of government during one of the most consequential crises in recent memory. Across financial services, hospitality, public service, and the startup ecosystem, he is known for operational rigour, decisive delivery, and composure under pressure.

Sam Keisner is Chief Investment Officer of Creative Capital Ventures, where he leads the firm's investment strategy and portfolio development. He brings over a decade of experience spanning private equity, venture capital, and family office investing, having contributed to the deployment of more than £500 million across funds and direct investments.

Sam began his career at the KKR-led infrastructure platform John Laing Group before transitioning into venture, where he built and operated a syndicate and later managed the venture portfolio of a single family office with a focus on entertainment, media, and lifestyle. Across institutional and emerging asset classes, he is known for bridging traditional capital with cultural trends, and for identifying opportunities at the intersection of entertainment, community, and technology.

Adam Clayton is a commercially driven CFO and two-time co-founder with over 20 years of experience spanning investment banking, private equity-backed growth, and entrepreneurial ventures. He co-founded The Mandala Group, building it from the ground up into Southeast Asia's most dynamic private members' community, scaling revenue tenfold to SGD20M before orchestrating its merger with Amber Lounge to form ICON1C Group, a luxury experiences platform.

Adam's entrepreneurial instincts are grounded in deep financial rigour, developed through his early career at Macquarie Group leading IPOs and capital markets transactions across ASEAN, and later as CFO of two oil and gas services businesses where he drove significant revenue growth and executed major cross-border acquisitions. He brings a rare combination of founder mindset and institutional-grade financial governance, having built the capital raising, reporting and controls frameworks that enable ambitious businesses to scale with confidence.

At Creative Capital, Adam applies this blend of operator experience and strategic financial leadership to help founders and investors navigate growth, capital and value creation.

Jamie Caring is a veteran brand and community strategist with more than 30 years of experience across lifestyle, hospitality, and media. He spent 14 years at MTV Europe and MTV Networks International, rising to Senior Vice President of Talent, Music, and Events for markets outside the U.S. There, he built deep expertise in global communications, marketing, content, and partnerships while working within one of the world's most influential youth brands.

In 2008, he joined Soho House as Chief Marketing Officer, partnering with Founder and CEO Nick Jones to expand the brand globally, grow its Houses network, and triple revenue. In 2015, he founded Sevengage, a consultancy focused on creating innovative, community-led concepts across hospitality, real estate, and lifestyle, helping launch more than 30 clubs and ventures worldwide.

Today, his work centers on large-scale, future-focused projects spanning placemaking, mixed-use and luxury residential developments, service innovation, and digitally integrated experience design.

Adriana Darling spent five years at J.P. Morgan's Private Bank in Hong Kong, where she managed high-profile client events across the APAC region, from intimate fund lunches to large-scale conferences including the inaugural J.P. Morgan Tech Exchange in Shenzhen. She later joined a newly formed team tasked with building the bank's global advisor onboarding programme from scratch, serving as the APAC representative for new joiners.

Before joining Creative Capital, she also worked with JMAN Group, gaining experience optimising hybrid event workflows and implementing industry best practices. She now keeps Creative Capital running behind the scenes, managing investor relations, coordinating the team, and making sure nothing falls through the cracks.

Nathalya Pereira is a Finance professional at Creative Capital Ventures, where she supports the firm's financial operations, reporting, and internal processes. She brings experience spanning cost control, budgeting, project support, and stakeholder communication across international environments. At Creative Capital, she manages day-to-day finance activities and works closely with teams across the firm to bring structure and clarity to its operations.

Erim Jones is Co-Founder of Creative Capital Ventures, where he works closely with portfolio companies on commercial strategy and international scaling. He brings more than two decades of experience spanning venture capital, entrepreneurship, and technology across betting, fintech, medtech, food tech, and sports technology.

Erim has built and operated businesses across the UK, Europe, Asia, and Latin America, completing several exits and a notable joint venture with the Malaysian government before focusing his efforts on sports tech through venture fund Impact Counsel. At Creative Capital, he partners closely with the startups and projects the firm backs, drawing on his international network and commercial expertise to help founders scale through key partnerships.

Marco Aghajanian is Platform Manager at Creative Capital Ventures, where he leads the firm's technology infrastructure, design, and development capabilities. He brings years of experience spanning agency leadership, freelance project management, and startup scaling, having run design, development, and marketing agencies before moving into the venture space.

Marco has worked closely with early-stage companies through funding rounds, developing a strong foundation in both the creative and operational demands of building from scratch. At Creative Capital, he builds and maintains the firm's internal tools and technology, leads on design and development, and manages much of the operational infrastructure that underpins the firm's work. Known for treating technology as an extension of creative craft, he brings a distinctly design-led perspective to the way Creative Capital builds and scales.

James Morgon is Managing Partner at Mindstruck Advisory, a strategic advisory firm operating at the intersection of government, institutional capital, and global industry. He specialises in designing high-impact coalitions to address complex challenges and unlock large-scale transformational outcomes. Recognised for his ability to bring together heads of state, sovereign wealth funds, Fortune 500 CEOs, and breakthrough founders, James works where capital, policy, and technology meet. Previously Head of Europe at the Milken Institute and a Global Partner at Antler, he holds a degree from City University Business School and was named one of GQ Magazine's 100 Most Connected Men in Britain.