Category Archives: Entrepreneur

Aug 21

Entrepreneurship in Bristol

Posted on by

There have been lots of events and initiatives to encourage innovation and entrepreneurship in Bristol. Two of the latest have been Simon starting Open Coffee Bristol and the Creative Technology Network (CTN), this last launched with some fanfare by Michael B Johnson (Moving Pictures Group Lead at Pixar Animation Studios).

Open Coffee is really beginning to build some momentum with a regular cadre and new folks dropping in to see what’s happening, which is nice. We still haven’t quite reached the attendance size or mix that Saul’s getting in London, which could be in part to the time the events are held. When Simon called the first OC Bristol event, it was a morning coffee at Starbucks next to Temple Meads train station. It was suggested that 8am wasn’t a good time for the creative crowd that are probably Bristol’s strong point (though mobile tech is putting in a good showing recently). So the time was put back to the evening and the location switched to the Watershed. Although we’re getting the innovative and creative crowd, we’re not really getting the investor crowd.

There are rumblings about a more focused approach to bring the innovators and investors together (probably in the New Year) which will tie in nicely with Speed Camp and their outcome. It will be great to see Bristol fulfil more of it’s potential, hope to have more to post shortly.

So when is the best time for innovators and investors to mix – 8am or 8pm?

Jun 21

Killer productivity tool

Posted on by

OK, this is coloured significantly because I’m currently working with a company in Canada, not strictly a start-up since they’ve been going 3 years (and not strictly working as I’m not getting paid, as Sam keeps reminding me :) ). That time has been the founder boot-strapping his way towards the point where there’s a compelling business case to be made. So I’ve joined (informally at present) to round out the concept and put it into investor friendly format.

The link with productivity is that he’s in Toronto, I’m in Bristol and there are 5 hrs between us (which is why I’m writing this at 10pm just as he’s finishing his formal working day). We’ve just been working on an elevator pitch to be sent by email to a potential door opener that’ll get us a long way to the strategic partnerships that we’d like. What would have taken several days by email and I dread to think how much by mobile phone international dialling, was completed in a couple hours and document exchanges.

The fact that Skype is a free download, and broadband is a flat bundled cost, means neither of us think anything of pinging the other for a chat about whatever the current priority/crisis/wtf moment is. The 21C equivalent of leaning across the desk and tapping him on the shoulder for a chat over a coffee (Whittards‘ Co-op Libertad Heredia Valley, Costa Rica).

Now on to the other partnerships, raising finance, licensing, cash flow, finishing off the business plan, firming up the technical infrastructure………

Jun 08

Entrepreneurial support

Posted on by

Pretty much since leaving University I’ve been involved in supporting business change, either from within or as an external agent. Universities have always been pretty central to that change process (either as sources of innovation and entrepreneurial activity, or as expertise engines to support change in businesses). More recently I’ve become increasingly interested in the start-up and highly dynamic micro businesses that have so much potential.Around Bristol there is a genuine wealth of creativity and innovation around the digital media sector. There are good historical reasons for this (the BBC, HP Labs, two strong Universities, etc). There are also strong cultural aspects of Bristol that means many great companies and individuals are, or like to think of themselves, as outside the main stream.  Some of this cultural aspect was undoubtably reinforced with the music scene over the last 20 years where Bristol has produced many underground stars (some of whom went above ground for a bit e.g. Portishead).

What this has left is a highly dynamic, innovative, technology enabled city that doesn’t like (or sometimes want) to be mainstream. Which is fine until you try and build high growth start-up businesses with investment support.  There are of course lots of networking events, there is lots of investment capital, there are business clubs, there is beer; unfortunately they haven’t quite come together as positively as many (including myself) believe they could/should.

So over the next couple of months I’m going to be working with as many people as will put up with me to link up all these great attributes of the city/region.

If you’re an entrepreneur, investor, business builder, inventor, etc, drop me a comment. Lots of stuff will be happening over the coming weeks most of which I don’t know about yet but stay tuned and we’ll find out together!