We’re a team of engineers, operators, and investors with European roots and Silicon Valley DNA
Maria Dramalioti Taylor
GP
Maria is a high-conviction investor in European Enterprise SaaS, backing founders building AI-native architectures, automation-first workflows, and next-gen data platforms. An engineer by training, she began her career in tech strategy and operations at EY and Andersen before becoming a high-performing angel investor—delivering 7x realized returns across European scaleups and successful exits.
She founded Beacon to partner with founders on the journey from early traction to major scale—reaching critical inflection points on the path to building $100M+ businesses.
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At board level, Maria is a trusted voice in high-stakes decisions, working closely with founders, investors, and executive teams to drive long-term value. She sits on the board of Included.VC, was an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at INSEAD, and served on committees at the Royal Academy of Engineering—advancing the role of engineers in Europe’s innovation economy.
Tom Canning
GP
Tom is a high-conviction investor and commercial operator with two decades of experience bringing emerging technologies to the global enterprise market. A Canadian engineer by background, he built his career leading sales and go-to-market teams across Silicon Valley and Europe.
Before co-founding Beacon, Tom was VP at Canonical (Ubuntu), where he led the company’s global IoT business across OEM, ODM, and semiconductor partners. His career spans five exits—including a NASDAQ IPO and a $475M acquisition—and deep expertise in enterprise SaaS, DevOps, embedded systems, and analytics.
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At Beacon, Tom partners with founders to drive early customer adoption, scale repeatable sales engines, and structure for growth. He plays an active role at board level, helping teams navigate go-to-market complexity, pricing, and strategic positioning on the path to building $100M+ enterprise businesses.
We back the next generation of enterprise software champions in Europe
Lucas Kuziv
Senior Associate
Lucas is a CFA charterholder with a background in venture capital, private equity, and strategic advisory.
Before joining Beacon, he backed high-growth companies at the EBRD and advised on M&A at EY. A graduate of the Newton Venture Program and Included.VC, he brings both financial precision and commercial insight to early-stage investing.
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At Beacon, Lucas is known for building clear investment narratives grounded in deep financial analysis, and validating them through hands-on commercial diligence. In negotiations, he takes a balanced, outcome-driven approach—working closely with founders and investors to align strategy and unlock scale.
Nicola Zuidewind
Operations
Nicola brings over 20 years of experience in senior business administration and client services. At Beacon, she leads operations and coordination, supporting the team and our portfolio companies with clarity, consistency, and care.
She also manages our external partnerships—coordinating with fund administrators, compliance advisers, legal counsel, and other third-party providers to keep everything running smoothly behind the scenes.
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Known for her sharp eye for detail, calm under pressure, and exceptional communication skills, Nicola is the quiet force behind Beacon’s day-to-day rhythm—freeing up founders and investors to focus on building.
We build conviction, go deep, and stay close to founders – outperforming the market by doing just that
Charlie
Chief Moral Officer
Charlie is Beacon’s Chief Morale Officer—and a vital part of the team. Calm, loyal, and always up for a walk, he’s the quiet force that helps the rest of us slow down, laugh more, and take breaks when things get intense.
Beloved by everyone, Charlie is especially valued during long days and late nights. Whether he’s enforcing mandatory walk breaks or reminding us that stress has a short shelf life.
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Special skills: Emotional intelligence, tactical tail wags, expert-level snack detection, and exceptional judgment of character.
Interested in Joining the Team?
We are seasoned investors and operators but we are always looking for exceptional talent to elevate our success and help drive us forward
