Dr Keith Arundale Keynote Speaker

Led PwC’s European Venture Capital Programme (1999–2005)
Author, Venture Capital Performance – Routledge bestseller 2020
Co-founder, Reading Tech Cluster initiative (2024)

Enquire Add to shortlist

Dr Keith Arundale's Biography

Dr Keith Arundale FCA FCIM is a leading authority on private equity, venture capital and entrepreneurial finance. A chartered accountant, chartered marketer, author and researcher, he is Senior Visiting Fellow at the ICMA Centre, Henley Business School, where he designs and delivers one of Europe’s few dedicated VC courses. Over a 28‑year career with PwC in London, Windsor and Pittsburgh, he steered the firm’s European venture‑capital programme, authored the influential Money for Growth reports, and advised technology scale‑ups on funding and market expansion.

Keith studied Physics (BSc) and Applied Optics (MSc) at Imperial College London, before earning a PhD in management from the Adam Smith Business School, University of Glasgow. His award‑winning thesis—now the Routledge title Venture Capital Performance—compares the structural, operational and environmental factors that drive VC fund outcomes in Europe and the United States. Earlier, he wrote Raising Venture Capital Finance in Europe and the BVCA’s definitive Guide to Private Equity.

Active across the investment ecosystem, Keith sits on the BVCA Research Advisory Group, co‑founded the Reading Tech Cluster initiative and spent six years as a non‑executive director of Henley Business Angels. An experienced audit‑committee chair, he also champions professional standards through his livery commitments in the City of London. Audiences value his rigorous scholarship, practitioner insight and clear frameworks for securing capital, improving fund performance and navigating global investment trends.

Entrepreneurial Finance: Venture Capital, Angels & Crowdfunding

Drawing on decades of expertise in private equity and venture capital, Dr Keith Arundale explores the full spectrum of entrepreneurial finance—from VC and angel investing to crowdfunding. His insights are grounded in teaching at Henley Business School and a major eight-year research project comparing investment practices in the UK, Europe and the US. Audiences benefit from a global, practitioner-informed view of current trends, deal structures and investor behaviour.

Tech Ecosystems in Action: From Thames Valley to Silicon Valley

What makes a tech ecosystem thrive? As co-founder of the Reading Tech Cluster and researcher on innovation ecosystems, Keith dissects the key enablers of regional tech success. Drawing comparisons between Reading and Silicon Valley, he analyses the role of enterprise support organisations (ESOs), investor networks and corporate collaboration in fuelling innovation and scale-up growth.

Life on the Auditing Front Line: The Unexpected Stories Behind the Numbers

With an engaging and often humorous lens, Keith offers a behind-the-scenes look at the world of audit. Based on his years at PwC in London and Pittsburgh, this talk explores unusual audit experiences, famous corporate frauds, and why accountancy is anything but dull. Ideal for business audiences looking for insight with a lighter touch.

The City of London: Tradition, Power and a Year as Master Marketor

From ancient rituals to modern finance, Keith brings the City of London to life through his perspective as a Liveryman, Freeman and Past Master of the Worshipful Company of Marketors. This talk unveils the enduring institutions of the City, the role of the Lord Mayor, and what it means to lead one of London’s historic livery companies in the 21st century.