About Chris Hulatt

Chris co-founded Octopus in 2000 from the front room of his London flat. Today, Chris is an award-winning entrepreneur whose role is to develop Octopus relationships with institutional investors around the world.

Additionally, Chris spends his time championing British entrepreneurialism and promoting policy ideas to drive business growth, by meeting UK business leaders and stakeholders such as MPs and government ministers.

Key facts

Bio

Co-founder of Octopus Group
Education: University of Cambridge
Adviser to The Entrepreneurs Network

Main interest

Championing small business
Politics
Alternative investments
Healthcare

Character traits

Trusts his instincts
Makes decisions quickly
Always generating ideas

In his own words

On Octopus

“What makes Octopus different? We’re very good at seeing new opportunities and, once we’ve identified these opportunities, building a really big presence. We operate in sectors that people really care about, and we form lasting partnerships with investors of all sizes.”

Our Business

“Businesses have a responsibility to do more than just make a profit; they need to behave in the right way towards their customers. And the irony is, when you make purpose rather than profit the core of your business, the profits come naturally anyway. When we founded Octopus back in 2000, we wanted to work hard and build something we could be proud of. We still have this mindset; it provides the backdrop for everything we do. We’re always challenging ourselves to build a better business.”

On Life

“My question to anyone running a business is this: what do you stand for? What do you want to tell your grandchildren you achieved? I want to be able to tell my grandchildren I built a business that was loved by its customers and made a valued contribution to people’s lives. I’d like Octopus to be known for the way we made a difference to our clients, and the way in which we have contributed to building assets that stand the test of time.”