As Jon Bradford, head of TechStars London, hosts their annual Demo Day in a well-worn old cinema in East London, TechCrunch has learned that this will be his last in the role. Independent sources have confirmed that Bradford is leaving the TechStars network to pursue new opportunities, though his next move remains a mystery.
Bradford gave me a “no comment” on the story today, however, it’s understood from other sources that he has turned down several other positions — some with Venture Capital firms — and is looking to start a new company, after taking a break from the hurly burly of running an accelerator. Furthermore, on stage today, he continually referred to his role at TechStars in the past tense.
He first came to light as the head of Northern England public-money-backed accelerator The Difference Engine. He parlayed that into a private entity, Springboard, within Cambridge University, before finally landing the deal in February 2013 to make the operation part of the TechStars global network.
TechStars London has since gone on to be amongst the most active nodes in the network, providing intense competition with older incumbents like Seedcamp.
We’re reaching out to TechStars for comment as this story breaks and will update with more as we get it.
(Picture courtesy John Henderson)