The Marque The Marque

John Darling

Co-Founder and CEO

Creative Capital Ventures

London, UK


John Darling
Tom Darien
Montauk Distilling Co.
Roger Devlin
Persimmon PLC

John Darling’s Biography

John Darling is a serial founder in the marketing, consumer, and finance sectors. He has launched, scaled, and exited multiple consumer apps and played a key role in establishing the UK’s first nationwide credit union. He also spent time at Meta working with small and medium-sized businesses across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, helping them adopt digital advertising tools and capitalise on emerging market opportunities.

As CEO and founder of Creative Capital Ventures, John leads an investment group that backs and supports the transformation of creative businesses. The firm focuses on building a connected ecosystem of cultural assets, intellectual property and immersive experiences, as well as the tools needed to bring them to market. Its work reflects the shift taking place across the creative economy as technology, culture, and new forms of media continue to evolve.

Over his career, John has founded six companies across consumer technology, marketing, creative services, and finance. His work includes launching two venture studios and completing two successful exits. He founded...
John Darling is a serial founder in the marketing, consumer, and finance sectors. He has launched, scaled, and exited multiple consumer apps and played a key role in establishing the UK’s first nationwide credit union. He also spent time at Meta working with small and medium-sized businesses across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, helping them adopt digital advertising tools and capitalise on emerging market opportunities.

As CEO and founder of Creative Capital Ventures, John leads an investment group that backs and supports the transformation of creative businesses. The firm focuses on building a connected ecosystem of cultural assets, intellectual property and immersive experiences, as well as the tools needed to bring them to market. Its work reflects the shift taking place across the creative economy as technology, culture, and new forms of media continue to evolve.

Over his career, John has founded six companies across consumer technology, marketing, creative services, and finance. His work includes launching two venture studios and completing two successful exits. He founded Impact Counsel, a venture builder based in Lisbon that supported early-stage companies with product development, operations, and investor engagement. He also created We Are Traction, a remote digital marketing group, and served as COO of Mae’s Home Cooked Food, a community-focused food initiative. His roles have included partnerships with creative entrepreneurs, entertainment projects, and rights-based businesses working with music IP and immersive experiences.

Earlier in his career, John held leadership roles in community finance as COO of My Community Finance and worked as Chief Growth Officer at Powered Now, a software company serving trade professionals.

Through Creative Capital Ventures, John continues to support founders and cultural organisations, building businesses at the intersection of creativity, technology, and digital experiences.
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John Darling’s Background

Creative Capital Ventures
Co-Founder and CEO
Jan 2025 - Present
London, UK
Creative Capital Ventures backs businesses, creatives and platforms that are redefining culture. As AI reshapes the digital landscape, CCV focuses on the human side of innovation: experience, creativity and community. The firm partners with founders and cultural institutions, providing capital, operational support and access to an ecosystem spanning immersive experiences, entertainment, music IP and rights-based assets.
 
Seed Real Estate
Partner
Aug 2023 - Present
Lisbon, PT
Seed is an award-winning real estate company offering personalised support for clients buying and selling property in Portugal. It provides property search, negotiation guidance, legal and financial coordination, and high-quality marketing for listings.
 
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John Darling’s Education

Northern Regional College
Higher National Diploma, Information Technology