Join YouNoodle | Login

  • Edinburgh E-club

    17 February 2009
  • Header

  • Table of contents:

    1. Upcoming Events and Announcements
    2. Silicon Valley Speaker Series Continues
    3. MBM Speaker Series Continues on March 3rd
    4. Another Speaker Announced: Kaye Taylor of SKChase

  • 1. Upcoming Events and Announcements

    Dear Entrepreneur,
    Please plan on attending a talk, beta testing a club-member's site, or buying an E-club hoodie. The details of the many events and announcements this month are listed below.

    Alison van Diggelen of Fresh Dialogues will be giving a talk tomorrow, Wednesday February 18 entitled: “Drinking the Kool-Aid in Silicon Valley.”
    Date: Wednesday, 18 February 2009 (18:30-21:00)
    Location: Lecture Theatre 3, Business School, 7 Bristo Square

    Silicon Valley journalist and Scot, Alison van Diggelen will share highlights from a decade interviewing early stage and successful entrepreneurs and business leaders. Why is the company pitch so important? Why is failure a badge of honor in Silicon Valley? What factors make a fertile ecosystem for entrepreneurs? Why are some Silicon Valley entrepreneurs spectacularly successful but others crash and burn? And how can you learn from their failures and triumphs?

    Hoodies!!!
    E-club hoodies can be ordered from E-club member and pitching award winner Richard Buron's HoodEasy: Order Now!

    BarCamp Scotland 2009
    Barcamp is Saturday, March 14th 10:00-21:00 at the University of Edinburgh School of Informatics. What is BarCamp?.

    Vidiowiki Launches!
    E-club member Nicola Hillhouse has launched her startup Vidiowiki. Vidiowiki allows experts to "upload summaries of their research to engage a wide audience. Build their network and follow links to discover related research." Check it out!

    Technology Entrepreneurship OnlineLaunches

    Technology Entrepreneur Online ("TechEnt") officially launches on March 13th, to coincide with the launch of the Scottish Informatics Computer Science Alliance (SICSA). The online course series is being developed and is sponsored by the School of Informatics at the University of Edinburgh. The course series was the brainchild and is led by E-Club member and co-founder Michael Clouser. TechEnt delivers a series of short online courses on the subject of technology entrepreneurship.
    The TechEnt team is looking for trial users in order to "beta-test" the courses, and thus is calling on Club members to participate. If you would be interested in talking one of the courses in order to provide feedback, please email Michael Clouser: Michael.Clouser@Gmail.com or Aghlab Al-Attili: alattili@gmail.com.

  • 2. Silicon Valley Speaker Series Continues

    Please plan on attending these upcoming talks! All of the SVSS talks take place from 18:30-21:00 in Lecture Theatre 1 of the Business School, 7 Bristo Square and are followed by networking receptions.

    “How to Make PR Work for You” by Michelle Brown and Marie Dunsmuir of Beattie Communications
    Thursday, 26 February 2009
    Michelle Brown, an Account Director, has a wealth of experience in corporate, trade and consumer PR and event management, working on clients including Marks & Spencer, Specsavers Optical Group, Land Securities, Kier Homes and Chupa Chups. In their presentation, Michelle and Marie will cover the following points: Who we are and what we do; the importance of knowing how the media works – the basics; knowing how to write and use a press release; how to stand out in the crowd.

    ‘What makes Silicon Valley Silicon Valley?’ by Mike Masnick, Founder, Floor64, blog platform development
    Tuesday, 10 March 2009
    What is at the heart of Silicon Valley? What makes it tick? Mike will provide an enlightening talk this evening on the essence of this leading innovative and entrepreneurial region.

    Bill Joos, The ‘Pitch Doctor’ and Venture Consultant, on ‘The Art of Pitching’
    Wednesday, 18 March 2009
    Come and learn practical tips and receive advice on how to construct and refine a pitch. Bill Joos, the Pitch Doctor and a favorite of the Club, returns this evening to share more knowledge on this important subject for entrepreneurs.

    "Designing for the Future" by David Law, Founder, Speck Design, California
    Wednesday, 25 March 2009
    We've learned about the importance of design and creativity in the future, and also of the relationship between design and competitive advantage in the future. But what about designing for the future? What might the future look like and what will thus be the implications for designing new products and services to succeed in the future? Come and learn from David Law, another Scot who is residing, working, and building companies in Silicon Valley.

  • 3. MBM Speaker Series Continues on March 3rd

    How can we better stimulate entrepreneurship in Scotland?
    Tuesday, 3 March at 18:00 (coffee from 17.30)
    Royal College of Physicians, Queen Street
    register with Aidan.Hetherington@ed.ac.uk

    The Growth Series is a debate on innovation and entrepreneurship in Scotland. MBM Commercial LLP and the University of Edinburgh Business School have joined forces to host a series of four debates that will examine the challenges and opportunities in creating an innovative, entrepreneurial Scotland. This is the final talk in the series.

    Keynote speaker and chair – Peter Shakeshaft, chairman LINC Scotland

    Panel members:
    • Sharon Bamford, UK India Business Council (former CEO of Scottish Institute for Enterprise.
    • Professor Gavin Don (Visiting Professor at the University of Edinburgh Business School, Founder of Equitas, Chairman of Newsbase, Non-Executive Director of SCDTI among other appointments)
    • Mike Rutterford, Rutterford Ltd
    • Peter Morrison Group Chief Exec of RJM Group (architects)

  • 4. Another Speaker Announced: Kaye Taylor of SKChase

    Kaye Taylor on "The case of SKChase: The story of a women-led internet startup and its growth through strategic alliances and affiliations"

    This evening we will hear from a local internet entrepreneur of whom we are especially proud. Kaye Taylor will tell us the story about how she Co-Founded her venture, SKChase, which is based in Edinburgh and focuses currently on the online gift voucher opportunity for luxury hotels, resorts, and restaurants. Kaye will also address internet marketing strategy, especially the formation of partnerships and strategic alliances, as well as affiliations and other tactics used to grow the business.

    About Kaye Taylor:

    Kaye Taylor is Chair and co-founder of SK Chase, the UK's award winning gift voucher company for hotel breaks and experiences. With a client base of over 200 hotels including Gleneagles, Rocco Forte Collection and The Ritz London, SK Chase exploded into the hospitality market in 2005, thanks to innovative software which has built new revenue streams for hotels and spas across the country.

    Specially designed SK Chase technology allows hoteliers to create a bespoke portfolio of online gift vouchers. This is supported by the SK Chase team which secures tracks and traces the voucher from purchase to dispatch within 24 hours.

    In her role of Chair, Kaye is the initiator and visionary of the organization. She is also Head of Business Operations (overseeing the functions of the business that generate revenue) including planning SK Chase's UK expansion programme, part of which is a strategic partnership with The AA and securing partnerships with other distribution channels.

Edinburgh E-club Newsletters