Liveblog: Entrepreneur Country Conference

Blogged by Steve Parks on Thursday, 4 June 2009

I liveblogged the Entrepreneur Country event yesterday.

The original, as-it-happened liveblog can be found here: http://www.steveparks.co.uk/liveblogging_entrepreneur_country_event

Here's the roundup of the day...

09:11
About to start
We're soon to get underway. The event is the brainchild of Julie Meyer, the woman who made her name running First Tuesday in the late 90's, who now runs Ariadne Capital (and has just become the newest of the BBC's 'Dragons'). The opening remarks are from Jonathan Simnett. He's a senior adviser to Ariadne Capital, but has also been communications director at Spinvox - doing a good job of getting them in the public eye, and getting them talked about.

09:14
The Golden Age of the Entrepreneur
That's the title of this event apparantly. Jonathan says if we said that to the man on the street they'd laugh, but so many great companies get founded in downturns. We're going to look at the central role entrepreneurship is going to play in upturn.

09:18
Julie Meyer, CEO Ariadne Capital
She says she was bringing portfolio companies together on a regular basis, and it felt like a different place - the speed, the ideas etc. So she created entrepreneur country. She starts with premise: 'the entrepreneur is the hero'. They are willing to live frankly abnormal lives to build their business. The money is nothing more than money. Capital follows ideas. Stay focussed and the money will find you. A small group of people can make a disproportionate difference.

09:26
Andrew Main-Wilson, COO, Institute of Directors
He says he was once marketing director of Thomas Cook, wanted to leave and start his own business. needed

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