In part 2 of this episode of Inspiring Entrepreneurs, host Katie Woods continued the conversation with Dr. Kate McKenzie, Co-founder, Director, and CEO of Strathclyde’s first social enterprise spin-out, C2LI, and Manish Joshi, Professor of Practice for Social Innovation at the University of Strathclyde and non-executive Director at the Scottish Government.   They discuss ESGs, the importance of collaboration, how small changes can make a big impact, employing local talent, and the...

In this episode of Inspiring Entrepreneurs, host Katie Woods spoke with two remarkable change-makers in Scotland's social innovation landscape: Dr. Kate McKenzie, co-founder, Director, and CEO of Strathclyde’s first social enterprise spin-out, C2LI, and Manish Joshi, a Professor of Practice for Social Innovation at the University of Strathclyde and non-executive Director at the Scottish Government. Together, they discuss how purpose-driven entrepreneurs use their ventures to spark social...

On this episode of Inspiring Conversations, our host Katie Woods spoke with an extraordinary panel of female leaders: Ana Stewart, tech entrepreneur, investment partner at EOS, and co-author of the Pathways Pledge; Elizabeth Pirrie, CEO of AccelerateHER; Genna Jodie Masterton, founder of Kinoro; and Nasreen Hasan Ashkanani, Inspire supporter and doctoral researcher at the Hunter Centre for Entrepreneurship.  Together, they explored the challenges and opportunities facing female...

In this special episode, we review the 'best bits' of season one of Inspiring Entrepreneurs. Thank you to our guests - Daniel Rae, Founder of Hydrogen; Strathclyde lecturers Lucrezia Casulli and Suzanne Mawson; Chloe Carmichael, Founder of Chloe's Deal Club; and Sarah Jardine, CEO of epipole for your inspiring insights! 

Katie Woods, Ecosystem Development Executive at Strathclyde Inspire, spoke with entrepreneur and inspiring alumna of the University of Strathclyde, Chloe Carmichael of Chloe’s Deal Club. Chloe is a renowned money influencer and TV presenter, who has appeared on television shows like This Morning and was recently honoured as Money Influencer of the Year at the British Bank Awards. They chat about what influenced Chloe to set up her business, how her degree in Product Design and Innovation set...

Welcome to our first episode of our newly rebranded podcast, 'Inspiring Entrepreneurs'! Katie Woods, our Ecosystem Development Executive, spoke with University of Strathclyde Hunter Centre for Entrepreneurship lecturers Lucrezia Casulli and Suzanne Mawson about their new book - 'Entrepreneurial Thinking: Mindset in Action'. They explored how developing entrepreneurial thinking can help individuals, organisations, and society at large develop innovative solutions to pressing challenges.

For this year’s International Women’s Day, Katie Woods, our Ecosystem Development Executive, spoke with Sarah Jardine, a Strathclyde alum and the Chief Executive Officer at retinal imaging company epipole. She tells us about what inspired her to pursue a career in Manufacturing, her journey, and the importance of representation for improving diversity within STEM. She also touches on her time as COO at the National Manufacturing Institute of Scotland, why she has acted as a mentor for young...

For this year’s International Women’s Day, Katie Woods, our Ecosystem Development Executive, spoke with Sarah Jardine, a Strathclyde alum and the Chief Executive Officer at retinal imaging company epipole. She tells us about what inspired her to pursue a career in Manufacturing, her journey, and the importance of representation for improving diversity within STEM. She also touches on her time as COO at the National Manufacturing Institute of Scotland, why she has acted as a mentor for young...

In this audio only episode of 'Let's Talk Entrepreneurship', Dr Caroline Whitfield, a doctoral researcher at the Strathclyde Business School, chats to Noel Mathias – Founding and Managing Director of WEvolution UK – about entrepreneurship in two areas; the East End of Glasgow and the most deprived areas of Mumbai in India, where he grew up. They reflect on how the two cultures differ in terms of participation in entrepreneurship and community development initiatives, and explore barriers that...

In this episode of Inspiring Conversations, John Anderson, Director of Growth at University of Strathclyde's Business School, spoke to Daniel Rae, Co-founder and Chief Innovation Officer at social media agency We Are Hydrogen about his career journey, going viral on TikTok, the stereotype of what an entrepreneur looks like, why he decided to exit the company, and he offers some advice for founders.

In this episode of Inspiring Conversations, John Anderson, Principal Knowledge Exchange Fellow at the University of Strathclyde, sat down with Strathclyde Inspire supporter and international business expert, Neil McDonald. Neil spoke about his career journey and shared his thoughts on leadership styles, the definition of an entrepreneur, fear of failure, and sustainability in this engaging discussion.

In this episode, we continue to dive into the amazing world of female entrepreneurs. Caroline Whitfield from the Strathclyde Business School chat to Ruba Eltigani, a Strathclyde MBA graduate from the Abu Dhabi campus. Discover her journey into entrepreneurship, her personal measures of success, how she balances motherhood with work, and her exciting upcoming ventures. We also explore how Ruba’s story aligns with research showing that women often become entrepreneurs because they are unhappy...

This mini live episode of 'Inspiring Conversations' was recorded at our recent bi-annual Inspire100 event. Gillian Docherty, Chief Commercial Officer, delivers an inspiring keynote address on 'Passion, Perspective and Perseverance'. She recounts her career journey, what led her to change path, and offers some advice to others.

  In this episode, Manish Joshi, CEO of Strathclyde Students Union, sits down with Pamela Smith, VP of Future Programmes at AAC Clyde Space. They chatted about how Pamela began working in the space sector, the opportunities in Scotland, how we can build the workforce, diversity in the sector, and some misconceptions about working in the field.

In this episode, Manish Joshi, CEO of Strathclyde Students Union, sits down with Strathclyde Senior Enterprise Fellow, Dr Rabinder Buttar, to chat about her career journey - from undertaking a PhD at the University of Strathclyde to becoming the Founder and CEO of worldwide clinical research company, ClinTec International. Rabinder comments on what makes a good leadership team, her experience as a female entrepreneur in a male dominated sector, and the importance of perseverance.

In this episode, Manish Joshi, CEO of Strathclyde Students Union, sits down with Managing Director and Founder of This is Milk, Angela Prentner-Smith.   A vocal advocate of equities, particularly gender roles, neurodiversity and human-centred business practices, Angela talks openly about her experience as a neurodiverse female and what led her to become her own boss. She also shares her personal experiences of gender bias and reflects on her career journey to date and what it means to be...

CEO of Strathclyde Students Union Manish Joshi sits down with experienced early stage investor and visiting professor of the Hunter Centre for Entrepreneurship, John Waddell. John talks about his experience as both an investor and visiting professor, and how mindset, being creative and getting comfortable with digital marketing is key to success in growing your business both locally and internationally.

This episode was recorded as part of a Strathclyde Inspire100 event which provides Strathclyde start-up and spin out opportunities with a chance to pitch for a portion of a £15-20k prize pot. Having previously pitched at an Inspire100 event, Stuart Hannah, Founder of Strathclyde spin-out MicroplateDx, shared his entrepreneurial journey with the audience and current pitchers.   Sharing experience of being an innovator and the process of spinning out from the University, Stuart reflects on...

Colleagues from Strathclyde Inspire delve deep into conversation with guests Dr Roddy Yarr (Executive Lead Sustainability, University of Strathclyde) and Prof. Matt Hannon (Professor of Sustainable Energy Business and Policy, Strathclyde Business School), to discuss climate change, climate action and policy, and how entrepreneurs and individuals can make a positive impact on the challenges and opportunities faced within the world we live in today.     Within the podcast, there is a brief...

Manish Joshi and Meghan Friel from the Strathclyde Students’ Union sat down with Jeremie Warner, Power A Life and Matthew MacLean, Airspection for this live episode of 'Let's Talk', which took place in front of a small audience in the Students Union. The guests chat about their businesses, how the engaged with Inspire and the support they have received, juggling starting a business with studying and other jobs, taking risks, and answer some questions from the audience.

In this episode of Inspiring Conversations, Manish Joshi chats to Peter Proud, Founder and CEO of digital technology company Forrit and Visiting Professor at the University of Strathclyde's Hunter Centre for Entrepreneurship. Peter chats about his career journey to date, the importance of mentoring and good working relationships, his career highlights, and offers some advice to budding entrepreneurs. 

In our latest episode of our Exploring Entrepreneurship podcast we speak to Melanie Blane, Founder of White Rabbit Skincare. In honour of World Mental Health Day, we spoke about the ups and downs of being a solo entrepreneur and how it can affect your mental health and wellbeing. Melanie speaks candidly about loneliness, anxiety and feelings of vulnerability as a solo entrepreneur. She offers some fantastic tips for ways to cope with burnout and building confidence.

Manish Joshi chats to University of Strathclyde Alum Rebecca Pick, Founder of Pick Protection. They discuss the benefits of starting a business as a student, alongside the challenges of finding a work/life balance whilst growing a business. Rebecca also highlights her journey in accessing entrepreneurial support from the University Strathclyde, and her new partnership with the University and the launch of Strathclyde SOS which is now available for all staff and students.

In this special end of year episode, we included the highlights of Inspiring Conversations podcast episodes from the past year. We hear from inspirational entrepreneurs Dr Susie Mitchell, Susan Aktemel, Neil Logan, Ian Ritchie, Clare Nelson, and Gurjit Singh Lalli. Watch for some fantastic advice and insights from these innovative leaders.