EUROPE I started my

first company when I was 16, I have been an Entrepreneur for 3 decades. There is a lot of hard lessons learnt in there.

UK WINNER:

Justin Floyd Red Cloud Ventures

About Justin Floyd

Justin Floyd is an investor and a 5x technology entrepreneur. Recognised as a leading Entrepreneur for almost 3 decades Justin Floyd has founded and invested in a number of innovative businesses including Vecta Software Corporation, a leading Cloud Business Intelligence company and the world's first leasing exchange that within its first 24 months generated over $2 billion in transactions.

He is currently the CEO and Chairman of RedCloud Ventures, an investment company that backs Entrepreneurs in emerging and developing markets with particular focus on mobile, cloud, and disruptive technologies. Recent investments include ICENI Mobile, the team that developed the world famous M-PESA mobile payments platform.

The success of these companies is no accident. RedCloud Ventures has a specific blueprint model for success, and helps startups grow through active participation in their operations. It will usually look to invest at a healthy level, on terms that encourage growth and innovation.

The money however isn’t the point of the investment. For many startups, it’s almost an afterthought. The true value

of the RedCloud Venture experience is mentorship from and exposure of the UK’s leading technology entrepreneurs.

Involved in RedCloud is Martin Frost the ex- CEO of Sagentia, and Ian Murphy the founder of Plextek, one of Europe’s leading technology consultancies.

A lot of RedCloud’s focus is

geographically based, in particular in emerging markets. The model of building cloud computing capability for economies that are looking to scale, but without the financial risk, is a compelling one. When you add services like mobile payments, mobile commerce, and mobile services you begin to realize that the venture model can work very effectively in the right opportunity.

We asked Floyd to give his views of Entrepreneurship and what it takes to be a CEO of a start up business.

30 Finance Monthly CeO AwArdS 2013