Having said that, I’m not sure that during my time at university, both in Italy and in Belgium, I would have had THE idea that could turned me into an entrepreneur. But is it nurture or nature? I often ask myself: if I were born 10 years later and had gone to university in Scotland, would I have been inspired to start my own business? I guess I’ll never know the answer to that.
What I know for sure is that the so called entrepreneurial eco-system we live in is real, it’s strong and powerful, and it inspires and supports individuals and their ideas. As Sandy Kennedy has mentioned a few times in his talks, there are some hidden forces that come together in the making of a champion (read Bounce, Matthew Syed to learn more) and an environment that screams success generates success.
For the past 9 weeks, my colleague Adam Kosterka and I have been travelling across Scotland representing Converge Challenge and have had the privilege of meeting so many talented and ambitious individuals. They have that sparkle in their eyes when they talk about their project with no or little fear of failure. Through the various support mechanisms that exist on Scotland, these individuals should and will succeed with their current idea or possibly even the next one.
It has been fascinating to meet this new generation of entrepreneurs, entrepreneurially-minded academics and university staff who are driven to make things happen.
To all of them I say: keep trying, don’t lose that sparkle, that fearless attitude and enthusiasm. Be resilient, don’t give up, even when you think that your idea is not good enough. What you will learn along the way will be the most valuable gift, don’t waste it!
Converge Challenge will close for application on Thursday 29 March 2018 (5.00pm).
