Entrepreneurs inspired at Google Campus

More than 65 Johnians and guests attended this year’s Entrepreneurs’ Networking Event at London’s Google Campus, to hear from leading figures in business and innovation. The panel discussion from the event is now available to hear online.

Members of St John’s College teamed up with London’s Google Campus at this year’s Entrepreneurs’ Networking Event, to hear from leading speakers in the world of business innovation. Audio from the event has now been made available to listen to online.

All four speakers, who participated in a panel discussion on start-ups and building business success, are themselves St John’s graduates. They shared their own experiences of starting a new business from initial concept to building a successful company, and gave advice and inspiration for people planning their own start-ups.

Dr Andrew Lynn, CEO of Fluidic Analysis and Entrepreneur in Residence at Cambridge Judge Business School chaired the discussion and spoke about his early experiences in founding biotech companies and the highs and lows of starting out.

Other speakers included Fiona McAnena, Partner at the marketing consultancy business, Clearhound; Leonardo Picardo, Director of Marketing and Corporate Relations at Deliveroo, a food delivery service; and Dr James Smith, CEO and Founder of the Bitcoin custodian firm Elliptic. “Starting my own business was the best job I’ve ever had”, James said.

Campus London, Google’s dedicated space for British entrepreneurs, provided an informal and relaxed environment for discussion and networking amongst speakers and guests, who left feeling inspired and positive about staring their own companies.

The event was organised by Hanaa Skalli and the St John’s Development Office. Hannaa said: “We tried to choose speakers with a diverse range of experiences and backgrounds to emphasise the limitless options that are available to people considering starting out in the enterprise industry. One of the key messages that came out during the discussion was about having self-confidence and not being afraid to take advice from others. We hope the evening has shed some light on the industry and made taking those first steps a little less daunting”.

The panel discussion can be heard online via Soundcloud.