Entrepreneurs & Experts Podcast Series - 2013

Rahul Vohra, CEO & Co-Founder of Rapportive and Dr Shamus Husheer, CEO of Cambridge Temperature Concepts, speaking on the topic 'Serendipity or Hard Work' at the Enterprise Tuesday lecture series on 27th Nov 2012.

Successful entrepreneurs are often dismissed as having had a bit of good luck. Entrepreneurs too, are sometimes tempted to ascribe their progress to luck or serendipity - 'Things happen!' What is the reality of entrepreneurial success or indeed failure? How much can we rely on our own endeavours? How much do we have to wait for external conditions to change and go in our favour? Is it about the luck of being in the right place at the right time? Markets, technologies, social trends, access to funding finding the first customer but perhaps not where you were looking are all cases that challenge the rational model for enterprise development.

This session is delivered by two young, charismatic entrepreneurs both of whom are experiencing success but in different ways. Dr Shamus Husheer completed his PhD at Cambridge, while Rahul Vohra took leave from his PhD and went to Silicon Valley with his co-founders to pursue his entrepreneurial dream. Shamus is building a business from Cambridge and Rahul has already made an exit by selling his venture to LinkedIn.

The most frequently cited reason for the success or failure of a venture is whether or not the team (as defined by its composition, experience, expertise, chemistry, soft skills, shared purpose and values) is effectively formed and developed. This session focuses on entrepreneurial teams, the role of the 'Alpha entrepreneur', 'born or made' leadership qualities, characteristics and competences; the ability to change and the ability to manage detail. It will consider the point of view of investors, i.e. what they look for, how they make judgements, when they make changes and how they find talent.

What will you gain from this session? This practitioner-led talk is an opportunity to understand more about the formation, shared vision and development of good entrepreneurial teams and how they build businesses. It will explain the need for the founder role to evolve and how entrepreneurs can influence the investor.

Lord Karan Bilimoria CBE DL, founder and Chairman of Cobra Beer, speaking about his entrepreneurial journey and the choices he made while growing the business, at the Enterprise Tuesday lecture series in February 2013.

The entrepreneurial journey begins with an idea and leads to the start of a new venture. Some argue that is the easy bit! The really hard part is the subsequent growth of the firm. This requires clarity, strategic thinking and a deep understanding of management in all its various components. One of the key issues that arise is whether people are clear enough about their choices. Should they grow a lifestyle business or a high growth business? What are the personal implications of such choices? What might be the motivations for either? What should you really think about as a founder or CEO of a growing venture?