Entrepreneurs’ Network 2021

The St Paul’s Professional Groups were first launched in 2016 in collaboration with the Old Pauline Club. Their aim is to connect those working in specific professional fields and to support current pupils on their career journey.

This event is a chance for the many budding entrepreneurs in our Community to come together virtually to hear from a panel of entrepreneurs who will be discussing the impacts of a post-COVID, post-Brexit world on the landscape of entrepreneurship for the next generation of start-up businesses. They will also be giving their top tips on how to start your own business in trying times and there will be a chance to ask questions through the webinar Q&A. Register here.

The panel will be hosted by Nicholas Troen(OP98-03), Head of Entrepreneurship at St Paul’s School and founder of St Paul’s Start it PRO Incubator programme. He will be joined by Tom Adeyoola (OP90-95), Founder of acquired apparel technology scale-up Metail and Co-Founder of Extend Ventures; former SPS Parent, Dame Cilla Snowball, Governor of the Wellcome Trust and Director of Derwent London plc; Cameron McLain (OP01-06), Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Giant Ventures, and Patrick Marsden (OP97-02), Partner at MaCher.

While face to face networking is not possible, we will be sharing a list of the names and email details of all attendees that have consented to this, so that you can still get in contact with one another following the event.

Nick Troen – After working at KPMG and Innocent, Nick founded Poncho 8, a chain of burrito restaurants in the City, before moving on to his current position as Geography Teacher and Head of Entrepreneurship at St Paul’s School.

Tom Adeyoola – Tom is a technology entrepreneur passionate about disruptive technology for societal and climate good. He was CEO and Founder of acquired apparel technology scale-up Metail (2008-2019).

He is currently a cofounder of Extend Ventures, which aims to diversify access to finance for underrepresented founders through data and research. He also serves as Non-Exec Director for zero carbon monitoring consultancy Verco and environmental behavioural change start-up ‘Do Nation’.  In addition, he is a board trustee for the BAME focused creative incubator MeWe360, chair of mindfulness app Spoke and served on the board of the revolutionary women’s personal wellness scale-up Elvie (2013-2017).

Tom is the inspiration behind the government’s Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS).

Patrick Marsden – MaCher is a global sustainable design and manufacturing firm with offices in the US, UK, Australia, NZ, Hong Kong, and mainland China.

After SPS Patrick went to the University of Leeds where he studied International Development, a degree which he enjoyed but steered him away from a career in the field. Post graduation he moved to Chicago as he’d fallen in love with a girl while working on the John Kerry campaign the previous summer. Both John Kerry’s campaign and the relationship ended similarly. Heartbroken and broke he took a job as an assistant to the head of the Federal Savings Bank, a job at which he was particularly bad and terribly unhappy. Following that he worked at a boutique financial services firm with incredible people and a CEO that taught him the principles of revenue growth and management. After seven years there he resigned and moved to California as he had fallen in love with another girl (now wife). At the age of 30 he decided it was time to do something he actually enjoyed and follow his passion: travel. He joined MaCher as a junior sales person to engage the travel industry and after six years has become the Chief Revenue Officer and one of four owners of the firm.

Cameron McLain – (Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Giant Ventures) was an investor at Hummingbird Ventures, a global fund with investments in Deliveroo, Kraken, ShowPad and Peak Games, where he was involved with their investments in Argent, Automata, and Higia. Cameron previously founded and exited a social analytics company based in Los Angeles. His angel investments have raised over $500M. McLain graduated cum laude from Princeton University where he studied Buddhist Philosophy and wrote an award-winning thesis that was published and quoted in the New York Times. He received his MBA from UCLA Anderson where he was a Merit Scholar and helped found the Social Venture Fund.

Dame Cilla Snowball – Cilla is a Governor of the Wellcome Trust and on the board of Derwent London plc.  Her background is in the advertising business, latterly running AMVBBDO, the UK’s largest agency, where she worked for 26 years.  She’s a former chair of the Advertising Association, The Women’s Business Council and the GREAT Private Sector Council for the Department for International Trade.  She was awarded a damehood in 2017 for services to advertising, diversity and equality.  Most importantly she is Fred, Albert and Rosie’s mum.

Find out more about St Paul’s Careers and Networking events HERE