Smart Cookies Meetup – Navigating scale: The challenges and opportunities of growing a business

Join us on Wednesday 21st February, for the next event in our Smart Cookies series. This event is designed for entrepreneurs and business leaders ready to navigate the challenging journey of scaling a business.

Event details

Come along and be a part of the discussion, where our expert panel will share insights into the challenges and opportunities that entrepreneurs face in today’s dynamic marketplace. Whether delving into the impact of AI on scale-up organisations or examining the growing imperative to balance purpose and profit, we’ll explore the key topics influencing founders today.

Topics of discussion will include:

• The challenges of innovation fatigue within the startup world.
• The pivotal role founders play in scaling businesses, the qualities that make them effective, and the common pitfalls to avoid.
• The influence of AI on scaling operations and how leaders are fostering its use in various teams.
• The increasing reliance of startups on venture capital and how it could impact the pursuit of long-term, sustainable business models.
• The challenges founders face in balancing the individual needs associated with growing movements such as BCorp and Tech For Good.

Our expert panel

Nick Sturge MBE – Nick co-founded and IPO’d Motion Media Technology, co-founded Engine Shed in 2013, and grew the SETsquared Bristol Centre to be ranked the world’s top university incubator. Nick now has a strong portfolio of non-executive director and chair roles to several companies in the city of Bristol.

Caroline Clark – Co-Founder, Entrepreneurship & Innovation Facilitator of Streams Learning Hub – creating a community space for flexible online & in-person learning for teens in Bristol. Caroline is also the COO Advisor in residence at SETsquared Bristol and Director of Zebera – engaging young innovators through design thinking and idea generation workshops, product development and planning.

Nick Hounsfield – Founder & Chief Vision Officer of The Wave, a High Performance Surf Centre to help coach future surfing stars and a safe environment for beginners to learn, whatever age or ability. Following a long career in healthcare, Nick’s vision is to revolutionise surfing, and bring the health and lifestyle benefits to millions of people across the world.

Rosie Bennett – Startup founder and previous entrepreneur-in-residence at the University of Bath. Rosie co-founded Neighbuddy, who created peer to peer and hyperlocal digital platforms including Storenextdoor and The Savvy Earner. Rosie was also the Investment Manager at SETsquared Partnership up until 2022 when she became COO of Mystic AI, a venture backed scale up making AI deployment fast, simple, scalable, and secure.

Location & timings

• Location – Engine Shed, Station Approach, Bristol
• Doors will open at 6pm and the event starts at 6.30pm. We will allow plenty of time for food, drinks and networking.
• Places are limited so grab your tickets now!