The Bettany Centre Entrepreneurship autumn guest speaker series continues…
Mid-way through Global Entrepreneurship Week 2022, we were joined on Wednesday 17 November 2022, by not one, not two, but three business founders with great stories to share, each with strong Cranfield ties. All the more fascinating is that while they each run very different businesses, they also have much in common, as became clear during the evening.
Kim Horton
Kim is the co-founder of EQUUS, a SWAGºÏ¼¯-based pure-play online retailer in the equestrian sector, selling a comprehensive range of products for horses and riders. Before starting the business with her husband Steve in 2013, Kim had over 30 years of experience in retail with the John Lewis Partnership, Tesco.com and Argos. While her husband was studying for his MBA at Cranfield, the couple identified a gap in provision for riding enthusiasts and started EQUUS with £50,000 of their own money. Through Cranfield connections, they raised a further £150,000 in 2014 and £375,000 in venture funding in 2018. This year the business will turn over £4.2 mn and the co-founders are shooting for £10 mn by 2024.
Kim Nilsson
When our second Kim came to take her MBA at Cranfield in 2013, she already held a PhD in Astrophysics. During the programme she and a classmate were inspired to start a business of their own and launched Pivigo with the mission of training data scientists for commercial customers. The business rapidly acquired big-name clients in the shape of Barclays, KPMG and Marks & Spencer, raising £2mn of venture capital on the way, and branched into the recruitment and supply of data scientists as well. Kim describes herself as a serial entrepreneur and is now on to her second venture, PeripherAi, which is still in its early stages. Based in Berlin, PeripherAi is a SaaS tool which integrates sales data to enable smaller business owners to integrate and optimise their sales activities. Kim runs this business with her husband, Ole.
Shaz Shah
Shaz is also a self-described serial entrepreneur with a background in technology. After working for Samsung, he founded his own business before taking his MBA at Cranfield. In November 2012, he and his wife Mona set up Harry Specters, a company that manufactures chocolates for the luxury market while creating employment for young autistic adults at a manufacturing unit in Cambridgeshire. The business benefitted from a start-up grant of £4,000 and has since raised further equity funding to support the move from the couple’s home to a dedicated 3000+ sq. ft. facility in Ely. The company name was provided by their autistic son, Ash, and in its ten years of operation, the business has provided work and opportunities to more than 300 autistic people.
What unites our guest speakers?
Clearly, there are strong ties to Cranfield and each member of our panel spoke of the inspiration they received from the entrepreneurial spirit on campus. Much of this is provided by the ecosystem of faculty and former entrepreneurs who return to tell their stories and, in many cases, invest in the next generation of new ventures. The similarities do not stop there, however. Our speakers all spoke of the passion for their business that has propelled them and seen them overcome the inevitable challenges of start-up and growth. That passion can be very close to home. The autism of their son had prompted Shaz and Mona to investigate the employment opportunities for neuro-diverse people like Ash, and they were shocked to discover how limited these were. Manufacturing chocolate is a repetitive, predictable process ideally suited to those with autism and in Harry Specters, the couple has created a social enterprise which provides a fulfilling future for their son and many others.
For Kim Horton, starting EQUUS was, to a large extent solving her own problem. A keen equestrian, she had been let down by equestrian retailers and decided that there must be a better way of ensuring that riders and their horses got what they needed, when they required it. So she created it! As for Kim Nilsson, she has a life-long passion for data and all its applications. She too likes solving problems, empowering clients to improve their business and values her autonomy to do things her way.
A further common factor is that all three of our Guest Speakers are in business with their life partners. It’s not always advisable to start a company with your spouse, but in their cases it’s clearly worked. Perhaps part of the success is down to the complementary roles in the businesses played by husband and wife. Mona is a trained chocolatier, while Shaz is a technologist. Both Kims particularly enjoy the sales and marketing aspects of their business, while their husbands cover other roles. Our thanks again to all three for their contributions to a great, interactive session.
You can find out more about our Guest Speakers’ businesses by visiting: