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.
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 – Sales & Team Management
Rouzet Agaiby – Product & Business Development
Muhammad Altalib – Investor
Danielle Anderson – Customer Experience & Digital Strategy
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
Rebekah Lloyd – Women’s Health & Healthcare
Leo Luk – Strategy & Fundraising
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 Impact & Coaching
Tom Pursey (Flying Object) – Branding & Marketing Strategy
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.
