In today’s business and technological environment having a new good idea is often not sufficient to guarantee success in the market. Many start-ups pioneer great ideas but eventually struggle to transform those brilliant intuitions into reality. Success requires a sound strategy that allows capturing the value of ideas. What are the key issues that entrepreneurs need to think about when launching a new idea in the market? How important is to look at the idea from the customers’ perspective? What are the trade-offs that entrepreneurs often face in this delicate phase of starting a business?

These are some of the issues that Dr. Elena Novelli from Cass Business School and James Shillcock, founder of Vivid Drinks, will discuss in this interactive session.

Sharing their experiences with us:

Elena Novelli is Senior Lecturer in Management at Cass Business School. Her research on the strategic management of knowledge, technology and innovation and the implications for firm performance has been published on international academic journals including the Academy of Management Review, the Academy of Management Annals and Research Policy and has been recognized by several grant and awards including the 2015 SMS Best Paper IG Knowledge and Innovation award and the ESRC Future Research Leaders grant. She comes to academia from a corporate background in the fashion design and manufacturing industry that informs her research and teaching practice.

James Shillcock (28, London) is the Founder of Vivid. Having graduated with an Economics degree James turned down the City to work for an independent tea business before pursuing his own venture based on a passion for mental performance and wellbeing.With a penchant for Matcha, a green tea with super-high levels of L-theanine, James saw a gap in the market for a mainstream Matcha-based drink that would support bright minds and busy brains. Proven to increase mental focus and concentration by stimulating alpha waves in the brain and providing a natural caffeine boost, James launched Vivid, a zero sugar, unsweetened range of matcha drinks as an alternative to traditional energy drinks. Pioneering the massive Matcha trend sweeping the UK with investment from Tinie Tempah, listings in Waitrose, Selfridges and many more, Vivid is pioneering the fast-growing category of drinks for the mind.