Laura Clifford
Laura joined Northzone in 2021, initially based in London before relocating to the New York office in 2023 to lead the firm’s support for US-based portfolio companies and European companies expanding to the US. She spends most of her time building out Northzone’s Operator Network, connecting world-class talent to the portfolio for full-time roles, advisor engagements, and business and customer introductions.
Prior to Northzone, Laura worked at Dartmouth Partners in London on the Private Equity team, focusing on venture capital coverage to hire junior and mid-level investment professionals.
Laura studied political psychology, international relations, and gender studies at the University of Leeds, graduating with first-class honours in Politics.
What’s a non-obvious experience that makes you better at spotting talent?
While studying politics, I focused less on government and more on the study of power—how people exercise it, react to it, and navigate structures. In startups, Operator success requires navigating the shifting power dynamics that emerge as a company grows. My background helps me identify leaders who can master founder-operator dynamics and influence the decisions that shape a company’s trajectory.
If you weren’t working at Northzone, where would we find you?
I’d be a history teacher. I was lucky to have brilliant history teachers who helped make sense of the world, and I’d love to take on that challenge—particularly exploring the lives of ordinary people in the 18th to 20th centuries.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
You get to decide how you react to things.
