ENTREPRENEUR
“The oldest memory I have is me drawing fancy, red cars with a big “M” logo on the hood, dreaming of running a car manufacturing company and my Mom telling me that I can’t name a car make ‘Marcin’!“
Along the way I realised that it all kind of made sense and applied to London Entrepreneurs’ Challenge 2011 - a business plan competition. I won the first prize and decided to spend it all on the project development. Afterwards JIVE received some additional financial support from UCL and we could develop our concept a bit further. Three years in and here we are!
You achieved a lot of support from the University College of London (UCL); do you think university is still a realistic route to take considering the increase in fees? UCL supported us massively not only financially, but also provided legal and business mentoring when we needed it the most. It’s hard to raise money for a startup in the beginning of the journey and hardware businesses definitely are very capital consuming. UCL is still a crucial partner for JIVE.
Fees have gone up recently, but frankly it all kind of paid off after winning the Bright Ideas Award 2012 and London Entrepreneurs’ Challenge 2011. In a way, I got my tuition fee back in a form of investment from UCL a few months into the course.
What did you most enjoy about studying at university? The practical approach of the course and the connections that UCL helped me make. I came to London without knowing anyone and UCL’s support in terms of networking was very helpful!
How did you get involved with the site Crowdcube? Also through UCL - Crowdcube ran an accelerator with UCL Advances and that’s how we got introduced to the founders of Crowdcube - Luke and Darren and got to know the details of equity- based crowdfunding.
Apparently you worked in investment banking and the IT industry before starting the business. What made you change your career destiny? I’ve always been passionate about hardware manufacturing, which goes back to my childhood and memories of my father running an electric vehicle manufacturing business in my home town - Mielec, Poland. Msc Technology Entrepreneurship was a good “excuse” to try something technology-related and it worked out!
Did you always know you were going to eventually work for yourself? In relation to this question, the oldest memory I have is me drawing fancy, red cars with a big “M” logo on the hood, dreaming of running a car manufacturing company and my Mom telling me that I can’t name a car make “Marcin!” But the first time I had an idea to work for myself was at the age of 19. Since then I’ve had a couple of business concepts in mind (as we all do!), but JIVE is the first serious venture of mine.
The product recently won product of the year from Crowdcube; how did this feel? It felt great! At the end of the day all that matters is how the general public perceives JIVE Bike, so it was great to get that seal of approval from a big crowd! It meant a lot to us.
Do you participate in any sports or outdoor activities yourself? I used to do martial arts quite passionately. Nowadays, it’s mostly cycling, jogging and some extreme sports occasionally!
Is there any city you would most like to ride a bike in? Assuming it’s the JIVE Bike, San Francisco would be perfect as it’s quite hilly and on JIVE you can zip along like it’s downhill all the way! There’s a few decent hills in London as well, so JIVE fits equally as good!
What was the last inspirational book you read? I won’t be very original if I say it was Steve Jobs’ biography by Walter Isaacson. But not for the reason that I believe most people read it. It helped me realise how much so called “luck” one needs in his life, besides being extremely focused and passionate. The feeling I got after reading this book was that if only one thing had gone wrong, we wouldn’t know Apple as it is today. And I mean Steve Jobs’ both business and personal life.
Can you tell us the best piece of advice you have received so far on your entrepreneurial journey and how it helped you ? It wasn’t direct advice, but some people helped me realise that if things don’t go well (as they do sometimes), it’s definitely not because the whole world around is plotting against you! Running a business is a psychological battle against yourself and you need to learn how your brain and body work. It’s all in your head and the sooner you learn how to react to your thoughts, the more productive and motivated you’ll be.
The population of London is set to increase to the point of saturation. What do you think the future of the capital will be? I’m sure it’ll be bright. London is facing some challenges every big city has to face, but there’s also loads of ambitious people here who are willing to solve these problems. Definitely pollution and congestion are the two big ones, but we’re already taking care of it!
So what plans have you got moving into the next year? Launch JIVE Bike in a couple of major European cities and show people that commuting in big cities can and should be fun and hassle free. We have also some other ideas on how to solve problems people living in big cities have.
JULY 2014 | The Entrepreneur | 43
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