Entrepreneurs face grilling as they aim for a place in the hub

BUDDING entrepreneurs faced a grilling as they pitched to an expert panel in a bid to gain a place at a hub for the region's top creative talent.
Leeds Digital Hub Panel, Yorkshire Post  Leeds..Pictured from the left are Sharon Jandu, Fran Parkinson, Steve Baker and Greg Wright..4th February 2016..Picture by Simon HulmeLeeds Digital Hub Panel, Yorkshire Post  Leeds..Pictured from the left are Sharon Jandu, Fran Parkinson, Steve Baker and Greg Wright..4th February 2016..Picture by Simon Hulme
Leeds Digital Hub Panel, Yorkshire Post Leeds..Pictured from the left are Sharon Jandu, Fran Parkinson, Steve Baker and Greg Wright..4th February 2016..Picture by Simon Hulme

The applicants hoped to join an elite band of small firms that have earned a place at the Leeds Digital Hub.

They had to answer some tough questions about their ambitions and business plans.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The fledgling tycoons appeared before the Leeds Digital Hub panel, which featured Fran Parkinson, the operations manager at Leeds Beckett University, Greg Wright, The Yorkshire Post’s deputy business editor, Sharon Jandu, the customer development manager at Microsoft and Steve Baker, of Baker & Co Accountants, who is also a business adviser to the enterprise and innovation hub.

The panel considered the merits of each applicant, to see if they have what it takes to emulate the success of previous hub occupants. The digital hub has supported around 22 businesses and entrepreneurs to date, including Leon Doyle, a former star of BBC TV’s The Apprentice, and digital advertising company Top Screen Media which recently secured a contract to deliver the digital marketing strategy for New York’s World Trade Centre.

Speaking after the judging session, Mr Wright said: “It was really inspiring to meet the applicants and hear about their ambitions.

“The panel members were looking to offer places to talented, far-sighted individuals who will flourish in the hub’s collaborative environment.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The digital hub is a partnership between The Yorkshire Post and Leeds Beckett University.

It offers an attractive modern city centre office space which inspires creative thinking.

Businesses based in the digital hub benefit from working with like-minded digital innovators. They have exclusive opportunities to pitch collaborative ideas to The Yorkshire Post, and they also receive regular press coverage in the business pages of The Yorkshire Post.