Madeline Petrow
Lisa is an authentic East Ender of Polish and Irish descent. Lisa cares deeply about the community and making Tower Hamlets safe and inclusive for everyone, having always lived and worked locally. She started her career as a market trader and from an early age was honing her entrepreneurial skills. Lisa went on to support at-risk young people with legal issues and appeals. As a community volunteer, Lisa has raised substantial funds for education and charitable organisations and has strategically supported many more.
Lisa is a fellow of The School of Social Entrepreneurs, graduating in 2013.
She was also recognised in 2021 by being a winner of the Social Innovation Prize. This is is awarded annually by Trinity Hall College Cambridge, and the Cambridge Centre for Social Innovation based at University of Cambridge Judge Business School. It is given to a few chosen individuals for their achievement to date and for their ambitious plans for the future.
As the founder of Social Ark, Lisa helps grassroots social entrepreneurs, whom she describes as ‘hidden gems’, to use their lived experience to develop social businesses and to create a better life for themselves and the community around them.
Madeline Petrow runs QC·Ventures, the VC arm of boutique investment firm Q·Advisers and has 7+ years of experience in building businesses and investment raising.
She is a social entrepreneur founding 2 start-ups in London including a VC-backed, top 100 UK Social Enterprise and Greenspark – an impact-as-a-service platform proving the business case for taking climate action.
Madeline is an active member of the London start-up ecosystem, spending two years as the Entrepreneur in Residence at King’s College London, and lecturing at leading universities including London School of Economics, King’s College London, & Cambridge University on entrepreneurship and social impact.
In addition to her responsibilities at QC·Ventures and Greenspark, Madeline sits on the board of several startups and is currently fascinated by all things sustainable food systems related.