Events


mobile phone alone creates buying power in poor communities and is able to produce income. Grameenphone has now facilitated the use of 80 million mobile phones in Bangladesh and has empowered communities across the country.


Mark Littlewood, the Institute of Economic Affairs Director General, was also at hand to speak to delegates on the idea of a free economy, looking at how economic freedom propels entrepreneurs. Mark’s view was that big government and big corporations squash small businesses and that higher tax rates actually meant less revenue on behalf of government - was it really the solution? Gil Mandelicz, Founder of Traiana, confided in the audience on starting up the company, why he almost gave up, the 30 second call that changed his life and his company and why he and almost every other entrepreneur was a ‘psychotic optimist defying reason’, just working on adrenaline and belief. Robbie Van Adibe then spoke on Silicon Valley being his trading ground 25 years ago knowing ‘this internet thing is going to be big’ and why he now trains college students on building digital ventures such as TRACCKR, a website created by Adibe that is centred around ‘people influencing people’, creating a community to facilitate this.


After a brief break whereby networking and conversation ensued, delegates


returned to Philippa Malmgren, President and Founder of Principalis Asset Management, a platform that engages in original research regarding risks to the market that are not easily quantified, namely politics, policy and geopolitics. Philippa looked at the key opportunities for entrepreneurs, with the belief that the moment of execution is best when things are at their worst - with the lack of borrowing, companies are now being forced to learn how to build businesses that generate cash flow fast. Stan Boland of Nvidia then spoke on starting up a micro chip business, a $224 billion business that is safe, easy to predict and overall a long term, growing industry.


Leading a change of theme in speakers was Alison Hill, Managing Director for Vestergaard Frandsen’s Climate business unit. Alison showcased extensive experience in designing and implementing global health and infectious with a


focus


disease programs, on humanitarian


entrepreneurialism. A particular initiative mentoned by Alison was her work in Western Kenya, hiring 8000 Kenyans to distribute clean water filters, as well as 4000 smartphones being sent to


community health


workers to enter data on when the filters were being installed. igniting a data revolution across the country. Following in the theme of health was Bill Burns, latterly the CEO of Roche Pharmaceuticals Division and now on


the main Board as a Non Executive Director.


Looking at the UK, Bill


proposed the power of communication in advancing science, particularly in the detection and monitoring of diseases and having individuals manage their own health.


The audience was then taken on another entrepreneurial tangent, now looking at the future of music with David Courtier-Dutton, Founder of Slicethepie, the web’s first fan financing platform for


independent artists.


Observing the past decade, David raised the point that record labels no longer control music’s route to market, as well as looking at why legal, on- demand music streaming businesses such as Spotify, can boast a turnover of £900m, with CD’s no longer driving the market.


Overall, the day marked another year of discussion on how new ideas are shaping the era, why entrepreneurs are leading the way and more importantly, why we all need to follow.


We look forward to announcing the third investor’s summit and you can visit http://www.follow-the-entrepreneur. com for a full list of speakers, video footage, presentation downloads and a selection of images taken on the day.


50 entrepreneurcountry


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