Adam Desmond is a 23 year old graduate from Coventry University, and set up his first business, Instrol, with the support of The Prince’s Trust in 2006. He found starting up his own business fantastically well suited to his lifestyle, having the opportunity to meet lots of interesting and inspiring people all the time really has given him support through the times that have been tough.

Barry has set up a professional video production company which enableshim to direct and produce music videos and documentaries etc (anything that needs a story telling via moving image basically). He is also a performance poet. He has found that the best training for this kind of work throughout his many years in the industry is meeting new people and observing human behaviour, because ‘the best stories are in our everyday lives’……

Twenty three year old technology expert Chao Liu, from Coventry, gave up his job with an investment bank, in January 2007 to progress his ‘laptop alarm’ LapLock, an innovative idea he came up with whilst studying at Warwick University. Since working on the business full-time, Chao has been offered £100,000 by an American company who wanted the rights to distribute the alarm, but he has turned them down. Instead, he is now in negotiations with IT distribution companies in the UK to get the device into smaller technology outlets. Also, two insurance companies are considering offering a 10 per cent discount on laptop insurance if the user owns a LapLock; this would widen the market for the product and make it a more desirable purchase.

In work terms, i’m a person that really wants to make Coventry punch its weight. The City of Coventry Ambassadors group consists of around 250 people all of whom have a background of success in their field and, more importantly, all of whom desperately want to see the city punch its weight. Generally speaking they haven’t got the time to put lots of work into how they feel the city should go forward but the group gives them a vehicle to float ideas and I can hopefully do some work on their behalf. For instance one ambassador came up with the theory that Coventry should benefit as much as possible from the 2012 Olympics wherever they’re going to be held (2 years before the London decision was made) and as a result giant strides have been made including Coventry hosting the UK Schools Games next month.

David Wick runs Memorabilia F1 and Memorabilia Moto, supplying a range of signed F1 and Motorbike memorabilia from drivers like Michael Schumacher, and Fernando Alonso, and riders like Valentino Rossi, and Nicky Hayden. All the items are 100% authentic as they come from commercial signings.

Emma Saunders currently runs an online greeting card business, and hires herself out as a freelance web coder. She is a bona-fide, fully paid up geek, and says “I love designing and creating websites - getting a piece of code to execute well is a thing of beauty.” She currently has about twenty projects planned at the moment, split into two categories: Save the World, and Make a Million, but says she’ll “settle for achieving some positive social change and being able to afford a pint”. Emma’s background is in trading, and sees her future in journalism.

Fleur is director of Progressive Educational Tools which is a learning and training company. PET events are always very high energy events and are widely known for getting results, with the focus is on making things happen, taking an objective and finding a way to make things work, no matter what.

My name is Jake Stride, I run a software development company in Coventry working with Open Source software developing bespoke CRM and large web systems for customers around the world. Our EGS software is used by people around the world, and are launching a new web-based CRM system that starts for free at www.tactilecrm.com.

Jo Cameron first entered the public consciousness in the hit TV show The Apprentice. She now runs URhired.co.uk, specialising in placing women into organisations where they are underrepresented. Jo has held several senior management professions in the motor industry; something of which only a handful of women achieve.

Joy McKenzie is the best-selling author, journalist, TV presenter and entrepreneur. Nominated for an EFBWBO ‘Innovation’ Award and ‘Young Entrepreneur’ Award, Joy is often headhunted for her particular expertise, ‘strategic thinking’ to creatively conceptualise and directing new ideas. As a seasoned networker, Joy has hosted hundreds of high powered events which have included business breakfasts’, social soirees and evening salons, including the ‘Women Millionaires Club’ - and in 2002 Joy was recognised for her work and was voted ‘Networker of the Year’ by the New Statesman magazine. More recently, Joy’s passion for fashion has been her driving force for setting up ‘Looking Like A Million Dollars’- her fashion networking club. The pilot event will be launched during Enterprise Week ‘07.