Errol Damelin is a founder and investor, investing through Dust Road Ventures.
He writes first or second cheques at seed stage in fintech, AI, health-tech, and enterprise software — backing founders with deep domain expertise building technology the market does not yet know it needs.
He grew up in Klerksdorp, a small mining town in South Africa's North West Province — no traffic lights, no malls, the family home backing onto open bush. Read engineering and business at the University of Cape Town, then a graduate degree at Boston University, before settling in London. The roads of his childhood are the source of the firm's name and visual identity.
Built three companies — Supply Chain Connect, Wonga, and Tide — before becoming a full-time investor. 75+ investments since 2011. Portfolio includes Wise (pre-revenue), Purplebricks (first investor), HiBob, K Health, Cleo AI, Earnin, Elliptic, Cazoo, Citymapper, YuLife, and Zoe. Named TechCrunch Founder of the Year (2010), Guardian Digital Entrepreneur of the Year, and Ernst & Young UK Entrepreneur of the Year (2011).
“A force of nature with incredible strategic vision and yet still such a nice guy.”
Lives in London with a family base in the Kalahari. For the full biographical timeline and writing, see erroldamelin.com.
“I wish for every founder that they had you, given the impact you continue to have.”
“One of the most relentlessly creative people I know.”
Co-investor
Nadav Damelin — Israel-based co-investor focused on early-stage deal evaluation and founder engagement, with a particular interest in marketplace and consumer technology businesses. Studied Business Administration and Entrepreneurship at Reichman University (IDC Herzliya). Brings a founder's perspective to early-stage investing across the UK and Israel.
