HOMERTON CHANGEMAKERS held an inspiring debate on innovation and technology featuring practical tips about how to become a successful tech entrepreneur.
The panel session, at the Bradfield Centre in Cambridge, was followed by a visit to the nearby Bioinnovation Centre last week.
One of the speakers, Jason Mellad, Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Start Codon, a start-up specialising in building businesses, told the audience: “The important thing is to know yourself and find your superpower.”
Mellad said that self-reflection, and valuing one's' talents, was the key to designing a business which played to the things that people are passionate about.
He also had some advice for budding tech entrepreneurs. “Silicon Valley says speed up and break things, but how about slow down and think things through?”
He said success was sweeter when people are successful together, rather than one individual being in total control in order to boost their own ego.
Lucy Jung, CEO at Charco - a start-up that uses technology to help people suffering from Parkinson’s disease - explained her business idea stemmed from her own experience.
After recovering from a brain tumour, Jung witnessed a man with Parkinson’s having extreme difficulty walking.
Wanting to make his life better she invented a device, called Cue1, which helps people with Parkinson’s walk with greater ease.
She said entrepreneurs should ask themselves what stages of building a business they most enjoy, and delegate other areas to other people.
Michael Anstey, a Partner at Cambridge Innovation Capital, said the city was “the best place in the world to find the talent and technology to change the world.”
The session also heard from John Gourd, Chief Executive of Cambridge Network which supports local business, who said that Cambridge is a place to stay and grow. He expressed optimism for the tech sector in Cambridge over the next two decades.
Dr Jerry Wu, Head of Investment at TusPark Holdings, chaired the session. He wrote on his LinkedIn page afterwards: “This is the beauty of Cambridge – there are always exciting bits and learning opportunities in the corner here or there on every single day. Let’s keep doing great work to support the next-generation leaders.”
After questions and answers, the students toured TusPark's Cambridge Bio-innovation centre, learning about the ground-breaking research taking place in the facility.
Dr Soraya Jones, Director of Engagement and Operations at Homerton ChangeMakers, added: “Thank you to all of you for taking the time to speak with our ChangeMaker students.
“Our students really enjoyed listening to your wealth of knowledge and insights on leadership, entrepreneurship, and investments. It was definitely a source of inspiration for all who attended!”
Find out more about Homerton ChangeMakers
