About Us
Talisman
Behind every successful person is a healthy dose of luck. We are seeking to identify and bottle the drivers of serendipity and empower others to increase their chances of success.
Talisman is a project created by international startup venture capitalist Rob Vickery to help understand more about the Cornish and South West England entrepreneurial sectors. Rob is keen to meet entrepreneurs, investors, government and trade bodies, and anyone else who shares a passion for startups coming from this region.
Meet our Founder
Rob’s purpose in life is to empower others to create a better future for the next generation. He believes that impactful venture capital investment is a pathway to fulfilling his purpose.
An entrepreneur turned VC, Rob’s career started in the British financial sector and then transitioned to California, where he founded his first venture capital firm in 2012. In 2019, he created his latest fund, a pre-seed/seed-stage firm in New Zealand. To date, he has invested in forty-five seed-stage startups across the US, Latin America, Australia, New Zealand, and Israel from over twenty thousand pitches. He has achieved multiple exits and seed-funded his first Unicorn. His investment theses have focused on the frontiers of machine learning, the convergence of media and gaming and innovative consumer products entering blue ocean markets.
In 2024, Rob and his family returned to the British West Country, and they are now based in Cornwall. He desires to see the Cornish startup market reach and exceed its potential and is excited to help in any way he can.
Rob is passionate about Celtic culture and history, passing it on to his two sons, Arthur and James. He is a keen amateur palaeontologist, a very average snowboarder and has an almost unhealthy interest in video games which frustrates his wife daily.
Click here for a speaker bio and photo.
Some of Rob's investments