Other leading speakers to be announced in the next few weeks - watch this space!

Hosted by the University of Bristol at the multi-award winning Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, this one day conference is for all those interested in understanding, empowering and supporting the next generation of innovators. This is a unique opportunity to hear a keynote from renowned entrepreneur and angel investor Deborah Meaden, alongside leading entrepreneurs and innovators including Will Shaw (Chief Design Officer, EY Seren), Jonathan Scudder (co-founder, ForgeRock) and Andy Littledale (Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer, Condense Reality).

The world is changing rapidly. The role of new technologies, notably the early stages of AI development, is radically shifting the landscape for innovation in many different fields.

The University of Bristol has been at the forefront of innovation education over the last five years, with graduates now working in high profile roles at key global businesses. In the last two years alone, recent graduates have successfully raised millions of pounds for start-up ventures.

Combining strategic insight from leading industry figures with academic expertise in a range of disciplines, including innovation, entrepreneurship, management, sustainability and technology engineering, this conference will bring together high-profile innovation-led businesses, entrepreneurial startups and the investment community. We have designed this conference to create lasting impact through inspiration and the chance to create new and strengthened connections.

About the Keynote Speaker - Deborah Meaden

Deborah is a highly successful business woman and entrepreneur and one of the most popular investors on the BBC’s Dragons Den.

Deborah launched her own glass and ceramics export company straight out of Business College and then went on to set up one of the first Stefanel fashion franchises in the UK. With several successful businesses in the leisure and retail sector under her belt, Deborah became Managing Director of the holiday park business Westar Holidays, acquired the major shareholding in a management buyout and later sold the company in a deal with Phoenix Equity Partners worth £33million whilst retaining a 23% stake.

A passionate speaker who covers topics such as leadership, entrepreneurship, business and retail, motivating audiences whilst interacting constantly with audience members.

About the speakers - Will Shaw

Will is the Chief Design Officer at EY Seren. As an accomplished service designer and design researcher, he uses customer research and design techniques to help organisations identify opportunities, solve complex problems and make better decisions. He has been designing services and propositions in Financial Services for over 15 years and has a deep spike of expertise in designing for vulnerability and financial wellbeing.

About the speakers - Jonathan Scudder

Bristol alumnus, angel investor and NED Jonathan Scudder co-founded identity and access management company ForgeRock in 2010. ForgeRock now employs over 900 people and was acquired by Thoma Bravo in August 2023 for $2.3bn. Skilled in areas including analytics and finance, Jonathan's core expertise is in software engineering and cloud including the human elements of leadership, change and strategy. Jonathan loves creating things together with other people, and building things that make a difference.

About the speakers - Andy Littledale

Andy is the Co-founder and COO of Condense Reality, which offers the ability to stream live volumetric video into virtual worlds on its proprietary platform. Andy is an experienced entrepreneur with over 20 years' experience working at the intersection of tech and media. His last venture, SecondSync, was acquired by Twitter in 2014 where Andy was responsible for the vision, strategy and delivery of Twitter’s social TV analytics products.

Inspiring Innovation is just one of the exciting events of Innovation Week 2024, hosted by the Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. To see other events in the series, search Innovation Week 2024 on Eventbrite.

Cost Free of charge

Booking Please book your place on Eventbrite