Eileen Burbidge

In 1993 Burbidge graduated from the University of Illinois with a BS in computer science.⁠[1]

Burbidge began her career at Verizon WirelessVerizonVerizon (Verizon Communications Inc.) is one of the largest telecommunications carriers in the United States, formed in 2000 through the merger of Bell Atlantic, one of the “Baby Bells,” and GTE. Headquartered in New York City, it operates a nationwide wireless network, Fios fiber broadband and communications services for businesses and government, and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq.Open the full entry and went on to serve as market development manager at Apple ComputerAppleApple is a public technology company founded in 1976 and headquartered in Cupertino, California, United States. Its business includes the iPhone, Mac, iPad, wearables, and services such as digital content, payments, and cloud storage. The company builds its product system through in-house hardware, operating systems, and services.Open the full entry, group manager for market development at Sun Microsystems, director of product at Skype, and director of communication products at Yahoo!YahooYahoo is an internet brand founded by Jerry Yang and David Filo in 1994, with email, search, news, finance, sports, and advertising businesses. It developed from a web directory into a portal, underwent major acquisitions and security incidents, and sold its operating business in 2017, when the original listed company became Altaba. Apollo-managed funds acquired the brand’s operating business in 2021. Yahoo launched the AI answer service Scout in 2026.Open the full entry Europe; she also held business and product development roles at PalmSource and Openwave.⁠[1][2]

In June 2015 Burbidge was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to business.⁠[1]

On November 17, 2015, Andreessen HorowitzAndreessen HorowitzAndreessen Horowitz (a16z) is a venture capital firm founded in 2009 by Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz. It invests from the seed stage through the growth stage and provides operational support to its portfolio companies.Open the full entry (a16z) released the episode “a16z Podcast: Fintech from the World's Financial Capital — London,” recorded during a16z’s U.K. road trip. Burbidge, as a partner at Passion Capital, spoke with Alex RampellAlex RampellAlex Rampell (Alastair Rampell) is an entrepreneur and investor, a general partner at Andreessen Horowitz and leader of its Apps practice. He co-founded TrialPay and Affirm and serves on the boards of Wise and Rocket Companies.Open the full entry, the a16z general partner leading the firm’s $1 billion Apps practice.⁠[3]

The conversation asked whether London’s status as a center of gravity for finance means fintech companies will naturally cluster there, and picked apart the term “fintech” itself as well as the barriers and opportunities for entrepreneurs building “better banks.” It was uploaded to the a16z YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is Google’s video-sharing and creator platform, founded in 2005 by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim and acquired by Google in 2006. Built around video uploading, viewing, and creator earnings, the platform has developed Shorts, YouTube Music, Premium, YouTube TV, and products for children, and is headquartered in San Bruno, California, United States.Open the full entry channel on January 1, 2019.⁠[3][4]

In 2017 Burbidge ranked 10th in Computer Weekly’s list of the 50 most influential women in UK tech, which listed her roles at the time as partner at Passion Capital, chair of Tech City UK, special envoy for fintech for HM Treasury, and member of the Prime Minister’s business advisory group.⁠[2]

In 2021 Burbidge received the Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award from the University of Illinois’ Siebel School of Computing and Data Science.⁠[1]

Burbidge co-founded the London-based early-stage technology venture fund Passion Capital with Stefan Glaenzer and Robert Dighero and serves as a partner. She has served as investor director of companies including Monzo Bank, Digital Shadows, Marshmallow, Tuune, Fertifa, and Butternut Box.⁠[2][1]

Burbidge was appointed by the Chancellor as the UK Treasury’s special envoy for fintech and has served as tech ambassador for the Mayor of London’s office, as a member of then–Prime Minister David Cameron’s business advisory group, and as chair of Tech Nation for five years. She has also served as a director of Dixons Carphone, a FTSE 250-listed consumer electronics retailer.⁠[1]