From growth to Supergrowth

We know that the UK alone is creating some 500,000 start ups per year. And Sherry Coutu has published a report on scale-ups. There is a growing number of incubators and Accelerators, web platforms and clubs and accounting firms leading on entrepreneurship. For example Smith and Williamson who focus on this sector and law firms like EMW who provide practical support for early growth firms.

The explosion of interest in funding early companies has also mushroomed with the benefit of tax breaks and web platforms, bringing both expertise and silly money into the spectrum of entrepreneurship.

This is a very exciting set of developments in the midst of the madness that is Brexit and Trumpitis.  These spikes in economic and political climate should not distract us from the core of long term sustainable growth that a hand full of companies provide us. Because they are job creating ventures adding value to the economy. 

It is for these various reasons we have focused our 9th Venture Day conference on the theme of "growth to Supergrowth". How to we take lessons from the various inflexion points that rise to enable firms to re-imagine their growth. What does this even mean for management, to the founders and to their staff and customers?  What triggers a change in direction, especially upward?  We need to get past the Unicorn view of supergrowth - to the more sustainable view of how companies actually get into supergrowth.

We keynotes, panels and discussions on this topic from a number of perspectives. One of the more humble but amazingly successful entrepreneurs is jon Thornes and he will be addressing this topic as will Jozsef Varadi of Wizzair. Here is a short video of why you should sign up and come to Cranfield!