Together with our great seminars, the opportunity to access experienced local mentors is the thing that really sets Startup Masterclass apart from other programmes.
From our experience, early stage entrepreneurs often know what question to ask, but don’t know who to turn to. Furthermore the lack of time and money resources often means that no effort is made to find people are willing to help. Through our programme, we can provide specific expert advice. Whether it be in planning, legal, marketing & PR, funding….. or simply the advice of entrepeneurs who’ve been there before.
Our network of regional mentors – all based in the East of England – can provide the targeted advice that you need to address very specific problems. And what’s even best is that the advice is free!
Are you an experienced entrepreneur / professional who’d like to join our Mentor programme? Please contact us for further information.
Rob Chant – Cambridge Web Marketing Co.
Rob Chant has been working as a freelancer on the web in one form or another for about 10 years, first as a designer and developer and more recently in SEO. Read more
He now runs a web marketing company focused on delivering SEO and related services to small businesses. His experience with both designing and building web sites gives him extra insight into the SEO process.
Adrian Chaffey – Epitome Law
Adrian runs Epitome Law, a Cambridge based law firm which works exclusively with businesses and business owners, advising them them on funding and ownership issues, but also on commercial and contractual issues.
Ian Doughty – StructureFlex
Ian Doughty is Chairman of Resolute Corporate Holdings, a family owned manufacturing and marketing group which owns StructureFlex. Ian’s background is in manufacturing, but he has also led a successful MBO and bought and sold a number of small businesses. Read more
He is a non-executive director in a number of start up, small and medium sized businesses, leads the North Norfolk Business Forum and is a trustee of two charities.
Kevin Gooding – Oxems
Kevin is CEO of OXEMS, a technology spinout from the University of Oxford and one of the growing band of new companies comprising Innovation Martlesham in Suffolk. Kevin has successfully raised funding for OXEMS in the current economic climate and led OXEMS to win the Cambridge Wireless Discovering Start-Ups 2010 competition. Read more
OXEMS has recently launched its first product to help utilities locate, identify and manage underground assets through the deployment of an advanced RFID based solution.
Kevin has previously led various start-ups including as CEO and founder of NextGem, a start up wireless content business backed by angel investment; and co-founder of Metrocomm Ltd, one of the original LLU companies in the UK. He has also worked in senior product and marketing roles in the digital media, TV and telecoms space including with ITV, BT, Cable & Wireless and Eircom. Kevin also presents the ‘Strategic Market Planning’ workshop on the Ignite Programme for budding entrepreneurs, part of the Judge Business School’s Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning.
Mark Goodson – Mark Goodson Associates
Mark has spent nearly 30 years selling technology. This includes co-founded startups including one VC-funded to the tune of $4M. He has also spent several years as an independent sales agent and managed international sales teams. Read more
Mark co-founded Vulcan Machines, a VC-funded startup developing a native Java microprocessor, where he was VP Sales & Marketing.
He has also led CSR’s European sales team during the company’s greatest period of growth.
Andrew Hatcher – Applied Knowledge
There have been two sides to Andy’s life – one working for Reuters the information company in Europe and the US in everything from journalism though sales and marketing to venture investing, the other back in the UK as a business creator starting with Investing for Good (2003), Greenfield Ventures (2004), Working Knowledge (2007) and now Applied Knowledge (2010). Read more
Educated firstly as an engineer and then in business, Andy is a Chartered Marketer and a non-exec at Interstate Associates. Three books – ‘Inventuring’ (2003), ‘Marketing Strategy’ (2009) and ‘Getting to 10’ (2011!)
Andrey Kessel – Entrepreneur & Investor
Andrey’s experience is a combination of investing into and working in startups and includes 15 Board roles, involvement with about 100 companies (close work with 30+), 50+ financing transactions, 3 IPOs/listings, multiple completed M&A deals/exits (both private and public) and a blue chip venture capital firm. Read more
Rounded operational experience covering most aspects of establishing and running a business, business development, managing offices, teams or projects. Andrey co-founded several startups and is a shareholder and/or advisor of several companies and investment funds. He is currently spending his time working with early stage companies, venture funds, incubators or interesting venture opportunities.
Philip Lowndes – Zealworks
Zealworks was founded by Philip Lowndes in 2008 following personal experience that vocational and technical degrees rarely address commercial topics such as branding, marketing and selling. These skills can make the difference between successful and mediocre businesses and between bright ideas and real innovation.Read more
In a varied career Philip Lowndes practiced as a veterinary surgeon, was CEO of a $50 million business and was international Head of Marketing for a $1 billion company based in Switzerland focussing on using consumer marketing techniques in a technical market.
Stew McTavish – ideaSpace Enterprise Accelerator
Currently the ideaSpace Director at the University of Cambridge, Stewart has a background of starting and running his own ventures as well as supporting a large range of others; from new charitable ventures for Cancer Research UK, data and mapping with the Ordnance Survey through to tech companies in Cambridge.
Chris Measures – Measures Consulting
Chris has accumulated nearly two decades experience in technology PR and marketing, helping businesses and organisations reach their key audiences with the right messages at the right time.
Hugh Parnell – EnviroTech
Chairman Cambridge Cleantech (aka Envirotech Ltd), co-founder and now sole Director of Cambridge Energy Forum, co-manager Cambridge Network’s “cleantech” SIG, non-exec NW Brown and of several other companies, angel/VC and corporate finance, early stage business support, mentoring etc. Read more
Since qualifying as a chartered accountant Hugh has had a diverse career centred around finance, management and business development. With 16 years in diverse roles with British Petroleum followed by 6 years in the City doing international corporate finance, he had had enough flying around when, in 2000, he joined the Cambridge technology/innovation community with NW Brown Group.
From early 2007 Hugh has divided his time between i) consulting to early stage businesses and investment funds and ii) engaging with cleantech activities and companies directly to help with their growth and development. From 2001 he has also been involved in supporting environmental and energy technology companies as Chairman of business support organisation Cambridge Cleantech (formerly Envirotech Ltd) which inter alia has recently made 3 promotional DVDs about energy and environmental businesses around the region for EEDA, ii) co-founding and running the Cambridge Energy Forum and iii) starting the Special Interest Group on ‘cleantech’ for the Cambridge Network. He also co-founded a CSR community last year – www.cambridgeresponsibilityforum.co.uk
Joe Parry – Cambridge Intelligence
Joe Parry is a technologist turned entrepreneur. He has a Ph.D. in theoretical physics, but has spent many years working on software for the security sector. His current project is a successfully bootstrapped Cambridge start-up providing network visualisation tools to the intelligence community.
Paul Smith – Eventility
Paul is a creative professional of some 25+ years. A Designer by training, Paul enjoyed an award-winning career before setting off on a new path in digital marketing. He is currently involved with a new startup, where he is leading Online Marketing effort. Read more
Paul joined the first commercial Internet provider PIPEX and spearheaded their marketing department in their evangelical campaign to make everyone aware of the internet.
Paul Walsh - Cognidox
Paul Walsh is CEO at CogniDox, web-based software used by high-tech companies for safe and secure control of their design knowledge assets. He has had software management and CEO roles in a number of start-up companies of varying sizes and outcomes (but all great experiences). Read more
Over a career spanning 23 years so far, Paul has worked for equipment manufacturers (Nortel, Vidanti), network operators (Ionica), semiconductor (Virata, Conexant) and software companies.
Miranda Weston Smith – MWS Consulting
Miranda provides practical business development services for healthcare and biotech. She advises entrepreneurs, companies and universities on marketing, new venture development and technology transfer. Read more
Miranda holds an MA (Cantab) in Natural Sciences, University of Cambridge, the AAT Diploma in Accounting, is a Fellow of the Linnaean Society, and member of One Nucleus, Enterprising Women, and US Association of University Technology Managers.
Tom Wood – Foolproof
Tom Wood is Managing Partner and co-founder of Foolproof, Europe’s largest user experience design group which specialises in bringing customer insight into digital design and marketing. Read more
Before starting Foolproof in 2002, Tom was Head of Advertising at Virgin Money, a role which allowed him to focus on improving conversion performance on e-commerce sites. He has been planning, moderating and analysing research throughout his career which includes roles at Lloyds TSB and Ogilvy.
Ian Wright – Orchard LLP
Ian has had a full and varied career as an executive and non-executive director working for UK and international companies. His expertise spans business development and operations and includes strategic marketing, business direction, worldwide product sourcing, pricing and portfolio strategy, staff engagement, PR, recruitment and communications. Read more
Throughout his working life he often found himself in an informal mentoring role to smaller subsidiary businesses, including many family businesses, and in leading teams charged with developing and implementing business strategy.