The Team

Started by founders. Built for founders.

Our team has experience of founding, scaling, and exiting companies. We know what founders need because we have needed it ourselves.

Pete Ballard mentoring founders at an Akcela community event

Photo: © Tim Stephenson Photography

James Adams

Founder & Managing Partner

James leads the Akcela incubator, driving it from launch through to national recognition. He works directly with portfolio founders on strategy, fundraising, and go-to-market, bringing the hands-on, no-nonsense approach that defines Akcela’s culture. James built Akcela because he saw a gap: Norwich had the founders and the ideas, but not the structured incubation support to turn them into companies.

Anna Barney

Office Manager

Anna is at the heart of the incubator. She ensures that our space works for everyone who uses it, and that our office feels like a place where people can do their best work. She runs ops, events and our outreach comms. Anna makes everything tick.

Peter Ballard

Founder & Partner

Peter co-founded the product design studio Foolproof in Norwich in 2002, and grew it into a 150+ person international business before selling in 2016. He’s an angel investor in the Norwich startup ecosystem and brings deep experience in scaling companies, building teams, and navigating the messy middle between startup and established business. At Akcela, Peter works with founders on product strategy, team development, and the practicalities of growth.

Tom Wood

Founder & Partner

Tom co-founded Foolproof alongside Peter in 2002 and led the business as it grew from a Portakabin in Norwich to an internationally recognised agency with studios across the world. He brings a founder’s perspective on everything from user experience and value proposition to investor relations and exit planning. He is very active in the Norwich startup and creative ecosystem and is extremely well connected across these networks in the region.

Kate Yarbo

Founder & Advisor

Kate is a co-founder of Akcela and continues to support the incubator in an advisory capacity. She brings experience across business development, partnerships, and ecosystem building, and played a key role in establishing Akcela’s early community and programme structure.

Want to work with us?

Whether you are a founder looking for support, a professional who wants to get more involved with the ecosystem, or an investor looking for deal flow, we would love to hear from you.

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