Gary McGann, the former CEO of Smurfit Kappa and Aer Lingus, is joining fintech fund MiddleGame as a venture partner. Stepping down as chairman of Paddy Power-parent Flutter three months ago, McGann, while acknowledging he isn’t a tech expert, believes his leadership experience can benefit MiddleGame’s portfolio companies. Despite his limited tech background, McGann, who joined Flutter in 2016, gained insights into the role of technology in business. He expressed eagerness to contribute to start-ups’ growth by asking insightful questions and providing valuable answers beyond the digital dimension.
Fintech Watch is now on WhatsApp Channels. Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest fintech insights!” Click here!
Established in 2018, MiddleGame Ventures, led by Patrick Pinschmidt, Pascal Bouvier, and Michael Meyer, operates globally with offices in Dublin, Luxembourg, London, and Washington DC. It unveiled a €40 million fintech-focused seed fund last year, adding to its significant investment of over €300 million in 40 companies over the past decade. Partnering with Enterprise Ireland for accelerators and funds, MiddleGame has supported Irish start-ups like Wayflyer, Payslip, Circit, &Open, Trustap, Outmin, and Conjura.
Gary McGann joins Ellen McCance as a venture partner at MiddleGame. McCance, with a background in financial data and strategy, previously served as COO of Genscape, a commodities and energy market data company, and held roles as global head of investment banking and innovation sciences at Thomson Reuters.