Get to know our Venture Partner Elisabeth Ling

Elisabeth is a Strategic Product Advisor and a Board Member with a proven track record of over 25 years driving commercial success and innovation in B2B SaaS, financial services, marketplaces, and e-commerce. She has held executive roles in VC- and PE-backed startups as well as publicly listed companies, helping businesses scale, innovate, and achieve meaningful impact.

Her expertise lies in Product and AI, from embedding algorithms into global platforms at eBay to managing over £1bn of B2B product revenue at RELX. She has also made key contributions to PayPal’s initial launch in France and has extensive experience in scaling businesses and executing M&A strategies to maximise commercial growth. As an angel investor, Elisabeth has been backing software-enabled businesses since 2013 across the UK and EU. Her portfolio includes companies like Synthesia (Gen AI), BotGuard (Cyber), ZenEducate (EdTech marketplace and Conduit Connect portco), and Mubi, among others.

Tell us a little bit about your background? (How did you start your career?)

While studying maths and engineering in France, I spent a year in the US in the late ’90s and saw the early days of the consumer Web. I was drawn to the energy of this new space and joined a French startup straight out of uni. Subsequently, in 2004, I joined PayPal as employee number 5 in France and helped launch it in Europe. I learned product management in the PayPal/eBay ecosystem, working regularly in California. I’ve stayed in the industry ever since. I enjoy building tech products that are both useful and commercially sound. I also like this industry because it keeps me on my toes: there’s always something new to learn, and I enjoy working with people who move fast and want to disrupt the status quo.

In summary, I’ve spent 25+ years in product, data science and leadership roles across SaaS, marketplaces, and data-heavy businesses, in both startups and corporates.

 What has been your greatest success to date? And your greatest challenge?

My greatest success has been building and scaling high-performing product teams that drove real commercial outcomes. I’m proud of having led a £1B+ portfolio at RELX and subsequently to have carved out my own path, as an independent product advisor where I could help CEOs and product leaders grow their businesses. I’m also very proud to have invested in over 30 startups in the UK ecosystem.

The biggest challenge? Moving to Mexico City at 25. I was determined to find an excellent job but I had to start from scratch in a country where I didn’t know anyone professionally. After several months, I landed a fantastic role leading a large tech project for three years. It was tough: working in Spanish, leading a team in a very different culture, and dealing with all the technical issues that come with a project of that scale. But it taught me how to adapt quickly and made me far more resilient. I’ve also made life-long friends who taught me a lot along the way.

What led you to work in the impact space?

I grew up in Lyon and spent a lot of time at my grandparents’ house. For a city kid, roaming their orchards and being in nature was pure joy. That early connection to the natural world stayed with me. I care deeply about nature, sustainable food ecosystems, and want to contribute to the fight against plastic pollution. I also benefited from the excellence of the French public education system, and I’m passionate about expanding access to quality education globally – especially where it’s still out of reach.

What are you most excited about in the impact space currently?

I’m constantly blown away by the number of ventures tackling really hard problems with great determination. I’m especially excited about the development of plant-based materials that could replace plastics entirely. In education, I’m fascinated by the potential of AI-powered EdTech to deliver high-quality, personalised learning at scale, at a cost that makes it accessible globally.

If you were to advise a founder, what are the main things you’d say you are looking that will catch your attention?

When talking to a founder, I first look to see if they are obsessed with the problem they want to solve, not just in love with their solution. What really catches my attention is deep empathy for their future customers and a clear passion for their problems.

How did you get started with angel investing?

I started investing in startups 13 years ago. My first investment was in a biotech company. The invention looked brilliant! What I didn’t realise at the time was how critical their supply chain would be to their success. It didn’t work out. Since then, I’ve learned to stick to sectors I know well as I have a better grasp of the challenges ahead.

What’s one piece of advice you would give to your younger self?

Keep more time for sport and learning to sing! I focused so much on studying and dabbling in various hobbies, but I don’t think I really found what interested me outside of studying and seeing friends. I could have made space for more sport and learning to sing (which I still keep postponing!).

What’s the worst piece of advice you have received during your career?

“ Why do you want to work in the Web industry? It’s just going to become a utility like electricity, and be very boring?”. I didn’t follow that advice for a second! I followed my passion and built my career in the digital industry. It’s been anything but boring.

When you were a child what did you want to be?

I wanted to be an architect and a civil engineer, in order to reconcile these two professions which don’t get along typically in France. I then bumped into Internet and jumped ship. I’ve always been drawn to structure, design, and the way things are built - maybe that’s why I ended up in product development!

As a new VP, what are you most looking forward to in this role? 

I am looking forward to contributing to the identification of fantastic impact-led startups and sharing my knowledge on product, strategy and commercial growth. I am excited to explore new ideas and meet founders. The team at Conduit Connect is excellent and I can’t wait to contribute.