Experts-in-Residence

Looking for subject-specific advice? We've got more than 100 experts from every corner of the startup world. From IP to legal, design to investment - we've got the right expert for you.
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What is Experts-in-Residence?

The question ought to be – Who are the experts in residence?

And the answer is a group of advisors with tons of real-life startup experience ready to pass on their knowledge, answer your questions and help you develop your understanding and confidence. Here are the main subject areas our experts cover:

  • Business Coaching
  • Fundraising & Investment
  • Commercialisation
  • Strategy
  • Business Development
  • Product Development
  • Legal & Intellectual Property
  • Pitching & Selling 
  • Marketing 
  • People Management  
  • Founder Advice

Experts-in-Residence is available to all staff Imperial students and alumni (provided you have graduated within the last three years), but you need to have attended an Idea Surgery and shown us that you’d benefit from some expert advice to take your idea or business forward.

Who is it for?

Experts-in-Residence is available to all Imperial staff, students and alumni (provided you have graduated within the last three years), but you need to have attended an Idea Surgery and shown us that you’d benefit from some expert advice to take your idea or business forward.

Some subjects will only be useful at a specific stage of your startup’s development. For example, most businesses need legal and IP expert advice at a very early stage, but PR and Sales can wait until you’re further along your journey.

To be eligible for Experts-in-Residence you must:

Be an Imperial staff member, student or alum (that’s graduated within the last three years) with a business idea

Have recently attended an Idea Surgery and received approval for coaching or advice

Have demonstrated that you’d benefit from expert advice in a specific area

How do they work?

Experts-in-Residence sessions are one-to-one sessions (that’s you/you and your team) where we pair you up with an expert who can help you with a specific objective or problem, or give you some advice to help broaden your knowledge. 

Once we’ve identified that you’d benefit from meeting an expert or several experts, we’ll email you with details of their availability so you can book your slot. You’ll also need to provide a short explanation of what you’d specifically like help with. Once we’ve received your booking, we’ll email you confirming your slot, so you know you’re good to go.

Sessions are generally 30-45 minutes long and are totally confidential.

Meet the experts

Business Area

Akinwale Olawoye – Strategy

Callum Adamson – Team Management

Rouzet Agaiby – Product & Business Development

Muhammad Altalib – Investor

Adjoa Anim – Intellectual Property

Milly Barker – Strategy

Rune Bentien – Commercialisation

Damon Bonser – Product Fundraising & Strategy

Joel Briscoe – Intellectual Property

Sylvana Caloni – People Management

Beriwan Ceren – Investment

Lindsay Chadwick – Legal

Eamon Chawke – Intellectual Property

Gaurav Chawla – Digital & Tech Commercialisation

Claire Chung – Business Development

Carl Coddington – Team Building

Samuel Conway – Strategy

Steve Crossan – Product Development

Sonal Dack – Email Marketing

Matt Dangell – Finance

Phil Davies – Product Development

Panayiotis Demetriou – Strategy & Operations

Poh-Leng Devare – Legal

Ruben Doyle – Founder

David Farquharson​ – Legal

Irene Ferrero – Finance

Sarah Finegan – Investor

Noah Geeves – Consumer Products

Daniel Glazer – US Expansion & Fundraising

Mark Goddard – Strategy & Funding

Theo Godfrey – Legal

Stefan Goniszewski – Innovation funding

Tom Gray – Strategy

Nick Gregg – Investment

Anna Gregson – Intellectual Property

Tom Grey – Tech

Jessie Harrison – Intellectual Property

Peter Haycocks – Business Coaching

Ian Hobday – Strategy & Fundraising

Jane Hollywood – Intellectual Property

Stephen Hughes – Business Development & Investment

Iain Hunter – Marketing

Remy Husein – Commercialisation

Mehrad Jaberansari – Team Management

Salman Jaffrey – Business Development

Sajini Jayawardena – Growth Strategy

Kieran John – Legal

Claire Johnsen – Care Homes

Thanos Kosmidis – Digital Health & Cancer

Kay Kukoyi – Product & Business Development (Software)

John Lee Allen – Strategy

David Lefevre – Software Businesses

Zhenghong Liu – Healthcare

Jeff Mabbott – Product Research & Development

Anna Magiera – Finance

Georgia Mann – Intellectual Property

Javed Maqsood – Tech Business Development

Byron McCaughey – Pitch Coaching

Andrew McGlashan – Legal

Josh Millar – Intellectual Property

Bob Morgen – AI

Janet Murray – Business Coaching

Kia Nejad – Investor

Stephanie Njoku – Intellectual Property

Pablo Noguerol – Business Development

Paul O’Donnell – Pitching & Selling

Ally Orrin – Intellectual Property

Toby Overmaat – Business Model Design

Alex Pejacsevich – Investment

David Pollington – Digital & Tech Innovation

Kam Pooni – Life Sciences Commercialisation

Jonny Prynn – Founder

Peter Ptashko – Social Enterprise Coaching

Nick Reeve – Intellectual Property

Bryan Roberts – Physical Product Development

Daniel Roe – Digital Product Development

Charlie Rudge – Consumer Products

Iain Russell – Intellectual Property

Ash Rust – Fundraising

James Savage – Investor Preparation

Vreni Schoenenberger – Healthcare

Andrew Secker – Investment

Jack Severs – Intellectual Property

Emma Sexton – Design

Pankaj Shah – Finance

Nechama Shofnos – Finance

Devon Smiley – Negotiation

Mayank Somaiya – Fintech

Alex Somervell – Founder

Justin Starling – Legal

Natalia Talkowska – Strategic Storytelling

Chris Thomas – Life Sciences

Reece Tomlinson – Investment & Strategy

Andrea Turno – Business Development

Vignesh Venkataraman – Product Development

Maria Vigliotti – Digital Product Development

Martin Ward – Business Development

Andrew White – Intellectual Property

Matt Wichrowski – Investor

Paul Wilkes – Investment & Legal

Alex Wilson – Investor

Sebastian Winter – Strategy

James Wong – Investor

Oliver Woolley – Investment

Theo Worsley – Intellectual Property

Amanda You – Business Development

When do sessions happen?

We run sessions throughout the academic year.

FAQs

How is Experts-in-Residence different to an Idea Surgery?

Experts-in-Residence sessions are more formal one-to-one sessions (one individual or a team). We have up to 3 teams at an Idea Surgery, and they’re more informal to give you the chance to chat with your fellow entrepreneurs, share ideas and learn from one another’s experiences.

How is Experts-in-Residence different to Business Coaching?

The Experts-in-Residence sessions focus on a specific area of your business idea or plan, whereas the Business Coaching sessions are more about conducting a comprehensive review of your idea and helping you put a business plan together.

Are Experts-in-Residence sessions one-to-one?

Yes, it’s just you and your team (if applicable).

Are Experts-in-Residence sessions confidential?

Yes. All our experts will work with you in the strictest confidence.

How long are the sessions?

The duration of sessions will vary from expert-to-expert but will be between 30 and 45 minutes.

Can I book more than one session?

Yes you can. In fact, we may encourage you to if you’ve demonstrated a need for additional help in a specific area, or with a particular expert. We always supply guidance when we release session details, so do check that before booking. We also recommend that you read the instructions we provide you with ahead of your first session. All sessions are subject to demand/availability but don’t worry if we can’t fit you in, we’ll add you to the waiting list.

I attended an Idea Surgery last year. Can I book an Expert-in-Residence slot?

If we approved you to have sessions with an expert last year and you’re still working on the same idea, you can continue to book slots as before. You’re also welcome to book an Idea Surgery, so we can catch up on your progress and make sure that you’re making the most of all the opportunities on offer at the Lab.

If you’re working on a new business idea, you’ll need to book an Idea Surgery before you can book future Expert-in-Residence sessions.

I've completed one of the Enterprise Lab programmes. Am I eligible for Experts-in-Residence?

Yes! Anyone that has completed an E-Lab programm (VCC, WE Innovate, Discovery Fund or Summer Accelerator) automatically becomes eligible for Experts-in-Residence.

I’ve booked a session but can’t make it now what do I do?

Please cancel your session via your Calendly booking and email  Amy McDonnell ASAP so that we can offer your slot to someone else.

Testimonial

“Carl and Braham are sources of knowledge and wisdom with an undying passion to share them. When it comes to team building, leadership and human relations, they definitely know what they are talking about.”

Seyed Nasrollahi, Founder, QuantumX (PhD Physics)

Need an expert?

 You’ll need to book an Idea Surgery so we can help you find the right expert.

Experts-in-residence-coaching
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