Stu Coates

CTO

< Advisors

I’m Stu Coates, the CTO of Finerva. I’m responsible for the construction of our internal platform that provides a high quality service to our clients.

I’m Stu Coates, the CTO of Finerva. I joined Finerva in 2019 having previously worked with Adam in another organisation for a number of years.

My role at Finerva is to oversee processes and implementation of them within the business.

I am also responsible for the construction of our internal platform that assists us to provide a high quality and consistent service to our clients.

For 30+ years I’ve built software solutions across a diverse range of industries, including Insurance, Finance, Pharmaceutical, Automotive, and organisations of all sizes from one-person startups to established global players employing thousands of people. The insights I’ve gained enables me to empathise with early stage business that require pragmatism at bootstrap and growth stages, but also apply the process discipline to enable larger organisations function at scale.

The most rewarding part of my job is when I hear “This is so much easier than before” – this means we’ve applied technology to solve a problem correctly. Technology should be applied to problems only to help people do their jobs better and delight our clients with service excellence.

Outside of software I admire engineers that create simple, elegant, and functional designs.

Whether it’s Andrew Ritchie who designed the Brompton folding bicycle that’s ubiquitous in London and other cities around the world, or the clean and elegant hardware designs that Apple turned out during the Jony Ive and Steve Jobs years – a design philosophy that endures today.

When I’m not hard at work I enjoy spending time with my family, pottering around the roads of Essex on my bicycle, and cooking for the family. I also enjoy beers from around the world, with my particular favourites being Dubbels and Tripels from Belgium.

Meet our Advisors

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  • Complete technology group logo - Mark Burrows - Complete Technology Group

    ”Finerva are an excellent partner both for start ups and more mature organisations. Their ability to work with you and help with the challenges you meet as you scale indicates a real partnership approach.”

  • - Antony Tikhonov - Seedrs

    “Finerva team are always fast to pick up conversations with the entrepreneurs and understand their needs. Many of them leave us very positive feedback after cooperation with Adam and his team.”

  • - Dave Cook - Mason & Cook

    “Apart from being extremely experienced and knowledgeable in M&A transactions Finerva were very patient and always used language I understood. They gave me confidence and security and I knew they were working for my best interests.”

  • - Nicola Koronka - Missive

    We’ve switched from a top 10 firm to Finerva and have immediately felt the difference. The team understand small business finance and offer strategic yet practical counsel.”

  • - James Ballard - Soar Running

    “Finerva have assisted us on multiple investment rounds. On every occasion the financial models we have built have stood up to the test after many professional investors scrutinized them.”

  • - Gary McKay – APPII

    “Knowing that Finerva understand the pressures of starting a new business is very reassuring.”

  • - Chris Ward – Klive Agency

    “Finerva are very much a partner to Klive and not a supplier. If you are a start up, time starved, focused on building client and customer relationships then trust them to manage your bookkeeping and tax affairs with diligence, accuracy and passion.”

  • - Riya Pabari – Founders Academy

    “Finerva is a fantastic source of insight and strategic counsel over the EIS/SEIS fundraising process – always responsive, clear and thoughtful.”

  • - Haydn Brooks – Risk Ledger

    “R&D Tax Credits – an easy service and good price. Ben put up with my constant questioning and poor writing skills so highly recommended!”

  • - Phil Barry – Blokur

    “Finerva provided excellent advice on structure for our EMI share option scheme, especially when negotiating a fair tax valuation with HMRC.”

  • - James Hadley - Immersive Labs

    “Thank you! You and the team were great for our initial lift off and it has been an amazing experience!”

  • - Sally Smith - My Clinical Outcomes

    “Finerva drove and delivered a highly efficient R&D process from start to finish with a quick turnaround time to receipt of HMRC repayment.”

  • - James Beddows - RIDEto

    “Finerva do things differently – at one of their investor evenings we found an investor who is also a former FTSE100 Executive.”

  • - Gretchen Lennon - Lennon Legal

    ”Finerva is my go-to recommendation for clients looking for advice on EIS matters. They combine top-quality technical knowledge with a commercial, practical approach.”

  • - Bill Cogan - Seven Legal

    “Our clients are consistently impressed with Finerva’s expertise, responsiveness and commercial approach to the more complex EIS support required by fast growth clients.”

  • - Sam Bartholomew - All Mountain Rental

    “The team at Finerva helped with valuable advice regarding a nascent, but relatively complex M&A deal. They understood the pertinent issues quickly and were able to offer valuable perspective from other industries to help us define and refine our understanding of the economics of the trade. Highly recommended.”

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