My name is Hugh Jones. I’m 16 and currently completing my A Levels in biology, psychology and sport at Erasmus Darwin Academy. I also love football! I’ve been on a week-long work placement, through the Innovation Alliance for the West Midlands, focussed on Venturefest.
Keep reading to find out what I’ve learnt throughout my experience…
Day 1
I arrive at Birmingham City University’s STEAMhouse innovation centre which will be my base for the first day. It’s day 1 and my knowledge of innovation and entrepreneurship is limited. At this point, I know that this has something to do with starting a business, but I have so many questions!
A quick Google later, and I’ve identified, in a business context, innovation is the ability to conceive, develop, deliver, and scale new products, services, processes, and business models for customers.
After getting settled in, I was given a grand tour by Head of STEAMhouse, Clayton Shaw, to give me insights into the facilities available to help businesses along their journey. Each floor represented the different stages of support available, from forming an idea and developing a product, to grow-on space as a business expands. The facilities available consisted of all genres and capabilities from digital, to art and textiles. Some impressive highlights were the soundproof rooms which can simulate sound variances depending on the construction materials used, to high-pressure hydro jet cutting machines, able to cut through and sculpt metal.
Next up on the agenda was a trip through Millenium Point and over to iCentrum at Innovation Birmingham. This is home to TechWM who represent the UK’s fastest growing tech sector, a community of visionary entrepreneurs, tech titans, and forward-thinking collaborators, backed by significant investment and a commitment to digital excellence. TechWM plays a pivotal role in uniting the West Midlands digital ecosystem and promoting the region on a global stage. Before visiting, my research identified a narrative that had been created titled ‘Making Tech Succeed in the Most Human of Places’.
Keen to find out more, I had the opportunity to meet Yiannis Maos MBE, CEO of TechWM and founder of Birmingham Tech Week, which is the UK’s largest regional tech festival and conference with over 8,000 people attending, and Naomi Nash, Head of Community and Collaboration. Within minutes of me telling her about my A Level subjects I was recommended to investigate opportunities in Sports Tech, which is the integration of technology into the sport industry to improve athletic performance, training, analysis, fan engagement, and overall sports experience. I like the sound of this already! Naomi then kindly gave me a tour of the iCentrum building which, similar to STEAMhouse, provides businesses a range of space options from hot desks to larger offices to support their growth journey.
To conclude my experiences after my first day, I’ve been enlightened to the ease and mass support available to inspiring entrepreneurs wanting to bring an idea to life, strung together through connected, collaborative organisations like Innovation Alliance, TechWM and STEAMhouse. As I walked into this experience blind with little knowledge of the innovation and business district I can successfully state after my first day I’ve been educated to the vast infrastructure available to drive this exciting, growing sector.
Venturefest West Midlands 2025
It came to Wednesday and it was time to experience Venturefest West Midlands, the region’s flagship one day innovation conference, designed to provide investors, innovators and entrepreneurs the chance to meet, engage and exchange ideas for cooperation and collaboration in the fields of science and emerging technologies. To make the experience extra special, it was the 10 year anniversary of the event, so I was excited to see what I would discover.
I arrived at the event and attended the opening talk by Pam Waddell (Director of Innovation Alliance for the West Midlands and Venturefest WM chair), followed by the opening address by Oliver St John (Deputy Director of Innovation Policy at the Department for Science Innovation and Technology). This was followed by an interview conducted by Mani Hayre (Economic Growth Officer at Dudley Council) and Terry Monkton (CEO and Founder of Simworx). Simworx are a world leader in motion simulation technology, they manufacture 3D and 4D dynamic media-based attractions targeted to the entertainment industry. What really sparked my interest was what Terry described as a groundbreaking stadium viewing concept, conceived by the former professional footballer and England manager, Glenn Hoddle. I took the opportunity to speak with Terry after his interview to find out more about how he was making a business out of technology related to the sport I am deeply passionate about. Find out more about his amazing concept in the video below…
Following this, I was present at a session which showcased the West Midlands Innovation Accelerator business success. During this session I began to understand the importance of Accelerators, and how they give chances to meet and cooperate with clients inside the West Midlands. Prior to this session I had no knowledge of what an accelerator was but by the end I became aware how the programme provides intensive early-stage support for businesses offering such things as mentorship, access to machinery and other kit, and sometimes grant funding.
After the Accelerator session, I met the team at the Innovation Alliance exhibition stand until it was time to attend the Minerva pitch up semi-finals, consisting of 6 different entrepreneurs who pitch their company idea to a panel of expert judges. After the pitch I had time to make my way into the expo room and experience all the different stands. During this time, I went to speak to Aston University to find extra information about life at university.
I was then able to experience interviewing Pam Waddell on camera for the post event marketing content. Pam has been leading Venturefest for ten years and given the event is there to inspire it was interesting to get her perspective both professionally and personally about how important key events like this can act as a gateway to educate more existing and aspiring businesses to connect with the support available to help them grow.
I attended the final talk which highlighted the importance of design and branding. This session consisted of business founders who exemplified the importance of reaching the target audience but also listening to the customer.
Adam Concar, RBL, said:
“Balance what your vision for your brand is with what your customer wants.”
Katerina Mouliadou (Founder, LIGNOO) simplified the difference between a market and a brand being that:
“Marketing is asking someone to go on a date and branding is the reason if someone says yes or not.”
James Urquhaut (Founder of Rupert) said:
“A brand is how your customer explains your company/product to friends and family”.
These quotes simplify but also highlight the importance of having a strong brand/design is to a successful business.
The grand finale of the day was the Minerva pitch up finals with three entrepreneurs battling it out for the £3,000 prize. This was a thrilling experience, and I got to witness key skills being shown, such as pitching to promote themselves in the best way possible to a panel of judges. Overall it was a close vote but the winner was Raoul Popescu-Ghimis (CEO of Race Software) who conducted an amazing pitch, ultimately winning over the audience with his pure emotion and sales skills whom received the cash prize and the chance to sell himself to an audience blossoming with founders and potential investors.
So, as I end my placement, what has inspired me and how can I inspire you?
Firstly, I realise that a good foundation is to pursue something you love and I’m leaving this experience knowing that I could combine sports and technology to investigate a future in sports-tech (I’ve already identified that Loughborough University offers various degrees suited towards this area – watch this space!).
Secondly, you are not alone when it comes to starting your business idea and growing a business. I’ve witnessed first-hand the wide range of infrastructure and passionate people on hand to help support any budding innovator. I reached back out to some of the people I met throughout the week to as them what their advice would be to a young person that is considering a future in innovation…
Clayton Shaw, Head of STEAMhouse said:
“Innovation can be an exciting area of work, it can range from everyday progressive actions which make small improvements, to major industry advances that can help humanity. There’s plenty of room in between to explore, test, and enjoy the myriad of opportunities that innovative thinking can bring.”
Naomi Nash, Head of Community and Collaboration at TechWM said:
“Anyone considering a career in innovation and tech, is anyone considering a career! Innovation comes in all sorts of shapes, sizes and thinking. Having worked in the industry for over a decade, I have met hundreds of people all doing such varied and fascinating work under the umbrella of innovation. Remember, Uber digitised a taxi service, Airbnb digitised short-term letting, and JustEat digitised takeout services.
So even if you’re considering a job in automotive, hospitality or catering, innovation and tech are at the forefront of growth and change.”
My key takeaway is that it takes a village to grow a business, in the case of the West Midlands, that village is a city where everyone wants to see you succeed.
Hugh Jones, Guest Contributor
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