Operator-Investor and Venture Builder, Deeptech

David Herbada is an operator-investor and venture builder working at the intersection of deeptech, health innovation, AI and entrepreneurship.

Over more than 25 years, he has helped translate complex scientific and technological innovation into investable, governable and scalable companies. He is a Venture Partner at Zinc, where he supports science- and technology-led ventures across health, deeptech and medical devices, and a Founding Partner at Fikra Ventures, an AI-native venture studio focused on building technology companies around complex real-world problems.

David has worked across venture capital, private equity, corporate strategy, entrepreneurship and operational leadership. He has founded and led deeptech ventures, served as CEO and board director, and supported founders and investors through company formation, fundraising, strategy, governance, commercial development and growth.

His core interest is the translation layer between innovation and economic impact: the entrepreneurial, operational and financial work required to turn promising technologies into companies that can scale. He believes the UK has exceptional scientific and entrepreneurial potential, but that more attention must be paid to the practical mechanisms that help founders convert innovation into globally competitive businesses.

David supports The Entrepreneurs Network because he believes entrepreneurship is one of the most effective mechanisms for turning innovation into long-term economic and societal progress.