# Josh Bell
Josh Bell (born 1978) is a British venture capitalist and a General Partner and founding team member of [Dawn Capital](https://www.edgepedia.org/dawn-capital), a European investor in B2B software and fintech, best known for leading the firm's investments in [iZettle](https://www.edgepedia.org/izettle), sold to PayPal for $2.2 billion, and Tink, acquired by Visa; Dawn describes the two as Europe's largest fintech M&A exits.[1](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/oSpM13eR8ihUTHpnqGvEbETf9tU/appointments) • [2](https://www.dawncapital.com/team/josh-bell) • [3](https://thefintechtimes.com/the-vc-that-sold-izettle-for-2-2-b-to-paypal-josh-bell-dawn-capital/)
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | Josh Carl Bell, born 1978, British, resident in England[1](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/oSpM13eR8ihUTHpnqGvEbETf9tU/appointments) |
| Role | General Partner and founding team member, Dawn Capital, since 2006; LLP Designated Member since 1 January 2008[2](https://www.dawncapital.com/team/josh-bell) • [1](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/oSpM13eR8ihUTHpnqGvEbETf9tU/appointments) |
| Education | Mathematics at Oxford; economics and game theory at Cambridge and Harvard; Research Fellow at Harvard; MPhil in Statistics at Cambridge[3](https://thefintechtimes.com/the-vc-that-sold-izettle-for-2-2-b-to-paypal-josh-bell-dawn-capital/) |
| Prior career | Five years at McKinsey advising Fortune 500 financial institutions[2](https://www.dawncapital.com/team/josh-bell) |
| Notable exits | iZettle (PayPal, $2.2 billion); Tink (Visa)[3](https://thefintechtimes.com/the-vc-that-sold-izettle-for-2-2-b-to-paypal-josh-bell-dawn-capital/) • [4](https://medium.com/@joshbell00) |
| Other investments | Billie, Soldo, Sonovate, Flatpay, Brite, Copper, Elwood, OpenGamma[5](https://europe.money2020.com/agenda/speakers/josh-bell-s102-114273) • [4](https://medium.com/@joshbell00) |
| Public roles | Trustee, City of London School Charitable Trust; former trustee of StepChange (Foundation for Credit Counselling), 2018–2022[5](https://europe.money2020.com/agenda/speakers/josh-bell-s102-114273) • [1](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/oSpM13eR8ihUTHpnqGvEbETf9tU/appointments) |
## Career and education
Bell graduated from Oxford University with a degree in [Mathematics](https://www.edgepedia.org/mathematics), then was a Research Fellow at Harvard University in [Economics](https://www.edgepedia.org/economics) and Game Theory, before completing an MPhil in [Statistics](https://www.edgepedia.org/statistics) at Cambridge University.[3](https://thefintechtimes.com/the-vc-that-sold-izettle-for-2-2-b-to-paypal-josh-bell-dawn-capital/) His own Dawn biography describes the same path as studying maths at Oxford and then economics and game theory at Cambridge and Harvard.[2](https://www.dawncapital.com/team/josh-bell)
Before founding Dawn he spent five years at McKinsey advising [Fortune 500](https://www.edgepedia.org/fortune-500) financial institutions, according to the firm's profile.[2](https://www.dawncapital.com/team/josh-bell) His Money20/20 Europe speaker bio gives a slightly different figure, nearly 20 years working exclusively in financial services, six of those at McKinsey.[5](https://europe.money2020.com/agenda/speakers/josh-bell-s102-114273) The two bios differ by about a year; the firm's own figure of five is used here.
He helped found Dawn in 2006, when he was twenty-eight.[2](https://www.dawncapital.com/team/josh-bell) [Companies House](https://www.edgepedia.org/companies-house) records his appointment as a Designated Member of Dawn Capital LLP on 1 January 2008, with identity verification status Verified as of the record.[1](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/oSpM13eR8ihUTHpnqGvEbETf9tU/appointments)
## Dawn Capital: role and investment focus
Dawn Capital invests in B2B software and fintech, offering funding to Series A and Series B companies.[3](https://thefintechtimes.com/the-vc-that-sold-izettle-for-2-2-b-to-paypal-josh-bell-dawn-capital/) Bell leads investments across fintech and financial software at the firm and was, in Dawn's description, the driving force behind both iZettle and Tink.[2](https://www.dawncapital.com/team/josh-bell) Within the firm he has also led the internal building of the team, including choosing the office and interviewing every hire.[2](https://www.dawncapital.com/team/josh-bell)
The sources in the public record do not settle Dawn's total assets under management or which specific funds Bell leads. Figures circulating on directory and event pages (such as "over $3 billion AUM") are unverified and are not treated as established here.
## Notable investments and exits
**iZettle.** Bell's investment in the Swedish payments company iZettle led to a $2.2 billion acquisition by PayPal.[3](https://thefintechtimes.com/the-vc-that-sold-izettle-for-2-2-b-to-paypal-josh-bell-dawn-capital/) Dawn counts it among the two realized investments he is proudest of, noting that both companies "navigated periods that felt existential" before their exits.[2](https://www.dawncapital.com/team/josh-bell)
**Tink.** Bell first met Tink's co-founders [Daniel Kjellen](https://www.edgepedia.org/daniel-kjellen) and [Fredrik Hedberg](https://www.edgepedia.org/fredrik-hedberg) in their Stockholm office in 2018, having heard of the company long before.[4](https://medium.com/@joshbell00) Tink was subsequently acquired by Visa; Bell has written publicly about what the [Tink](https://www.edgepedia.org/tink-open-banking-platform) and iZettle exits have in common, and Dawn describes the two together as Europe's largest fintech M&A exits.[4](https://medium.com/@joshbell00) • [2](https://www.dawncapital.com/team/josh-bell)
**Other investments.** He has written about why Dawn invested in the German B2B payments company Billie and why the firm re-invested in the spend-management company Soldo.[4](https://medium.com/@joshbell00) His Money20/20 bio lists current board seats at [Flatpay](https://www.edgepedia.org/flatpay), Brite, Billie, Copper, Soldo, Elwood, and OpenGamma.[5](https://europe.money2020.com/agenda/speakers/josh-bell-s102-114273)
## Boards and public positions
Companies House records two past directorships: Sonovate Limited, from 3 November 2015 until his resignation on 5 March 2021, and Obillex Limited, from 13 October 2014 to 6 July 2017.[1](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/oSpM13eR8ihUTHpnqGvEbETf9tU/appointments)
He served as a director and trustee of the Foundation for Credit Counselling, the charity behind StepChange, the UK's largest debt management charity, from 1 June 2018 until resigning on 31 May 2022.[1](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/oSpM13eR8ihUTHpnqGvEbETf9tU/appointments) He is a trustee of the City of London School Charitable Trust.[5](https://europe.money2020.com/agenda/speakers/josh-bell-s102-114273)
The Copper board seat rests on a single speaker bio and is not corroborated by other sources in the record; it is reported as listed there rather than independently verified.[5](https://europe.money2020.com/agenda/speakers/josh-bell-s102-114273)
## Public writing and thesis
Bell publishes essays on his Medium account, including "Turbocharging B2B payments: Why we invested in Billie" and "Transforming spend management: Why we've re-invested in Soldo", and a piece asking what two of the largest fintech M&A exits in Europe, Tink and iZettle, have in common.[4](https://medium.com/@joshbell00) In an interview with The Fintech Times he discussed what he looks for when investing in a company.[3](https://thefintechtimes.com/the-vc-that-sold-izettle-for-2-2-b-to-paypal-josh-bell-dawn-capital/) The available record covers only these short essays and interviews; no fuller statement of his investment thesis appears in the kept sources.
## References
1. [Josh Carl Bell personal appointments – Companies House (GOV.UK)](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/oSpM13eR8ihUTHpnqGvEbETf9tU/appointments)
2. [Josh Bell | Dawn Capital](https://www.dawncapital.com/team/josh-bell)
3. [Searching for Mana: The VC That Sold iZettle for 2.2BN to Paypal | Josh Bell, Dawn Capital – The Fintech Times](https://thefintechtimes.com/the-vc-that-sold-izettle-for-2-2-b-to-paypal-josh-bell-dawn-capital/)
4. [Josh Bell – Medium](https://medium.com/@joshbell00)
5. [Josh Bell | Speakers | Money20/20 Europe](https://europe.money2020.com/agenda/speakers/josh-bell-s102-114273)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › Economics and business › Founders, operators, and investors › Venture and growth investors › European venture › UK and Ireland investors*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license