SHARE & SPARK – Accelerating Innovation.

Do you want to meet people who inspire you, and help them realise their vision?
Would you like to take back enterprising ideas into your organisation?
Do you believe in collaborative innovation?

Share and Spark
Wednesday 23 September
Kings Cross Hub London
Sign up now

On 23 September we’re connecting the sharpest minds in the corporate world with the best entrepreneurial talent in the UK.

In today’s uncertain times those that seek out new ways to do business will thrive. Stand still and your business fails.

Delivered in partnership with Enterprise Insight, the national campaign to give people in the UK the confidence, skills and ambition to be enterprising, and Christina Ioannidis, a serial entrepreneur and CEO of leading leadership and organisational development consultancy, Aquitude , Share and Spark will connect you with some of the most inspirational entrepreneurs in London. Join us to

• Get new connections and fresh ideas to catalyse change in your organisation
• Provide mentorship, advice and support to up and coming entrepreneurs

Get involved now.

Where: Kings Cross Hub, London

6- 8.30pm Wednesday 23 September

Sign up for this great free event!

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Entrepreneur profiles

Alastair Mitchell and Andy McLoughlin are co-founders of Huddle, an online service that provides simple, secure workspaces containing powerful project and collaboration tools.

Alastair and Andy used their personal savings to set up Huddle in November 2006. “Our first big break came when we found a software company that really believed in our vision,” says Andy. “We made a deal with them where they built the first version of Huddle in exchange for shares in the company.” The pair went on to secure seed investment from entrepreneur Charles McGregor and venture capital from Eden Ventures.

Huddle now has 30 employees in London and Chicago, with 60 per cent of its business coming from outside the UK. The Financial Times named the company as one of its ten start-ups to watch in 2009 and Alastair and Andy say their ambition is for Huddle to become, “the Facebook of the business world”.

Andrea Photiou always knew she wanted to be her own boss and knew that the time was right. Andrea says, “My background was in creative writing and journalism. But I loved music and I was always making compilations when I really should have been studying! After trying to balance my academic studies with my love of music I was encouraged by Reggae singer Lorna Gayle to follow my passion, and I did.”

Andrea decided to combine her twin loves of music and media to create a radio station, but it wasn’t always easy. Andrea remembers, “I felt frustrated by the lack of variety within mainstream radio and being a young woman in male dominated industry was hard.”

Andrea stuck with her idea and created Playvybz, a radio station that would not only be broadcast online to millions around the world but also work closely with her local community. Playvybz offers lessons in radio, music production and journalism to up and coming local DJs through schools; and provides marketing solutions to unsigned singers and bands

Natasha Faith and her business partner Semhal Zemikael, both aged 21 and based in London, launched their semi-precious jewellery business La Diosa in January 2007 after receiving an initial loan of £5,000 from the Prince’s Trust.

La Diosa means ‘The Goddess’ in Spanish, and perfectly reflects the divine designs of the girls’ jewellery. Both girls have worked for other people before and do say they learnt a lot from their experiences, but also said that they found their age often held them back as employers rarely let them express their creativity.
Both girls, who are Make Your Mark ambassadors, decided to start the business after travelling around the world for 9 months, in which time they learnt various jewellery making techniques, and these international influences are easily visible in their creations.

Their jewellery has been worn by the likes of Baroness Amos, Leona Lewis and Kelly Rowland. The striking jewellery has also been featured on VOGUE.Com and is stocked in the prestigious Harvey Nichols.