CONTACT

S2: Episode 1 – Tanya Rolfe, Co-Founder, Sophia

  • Stephen Carter
  • Jan 20, 2022

In this episode I chat with Tanya Rolfe, co-founder of Sophia (https://www.sophiawomen.com/), about the path that led to her founding Sophia, including the challenges faced by women investors, and the mission Tanya and her co-founders are on, through Sophia, to increase early-stage investing among women and end the gender investing gap.

We hear Tanya’s thoughts on the key ingredients investors are looking for in the businesses they fund, learn from the mistakes she has seen along the way and, at the end of the interview Tanya’s shares her top piece of advice for women founders just starting out on their journey.

Following a 15-year legal career at some of the world’s largest law firms, eager to enter the world of venture, Tanya founded the Ladies Investment Club in Singapore shortly after moving there from the UK in 2017. Tanya grew a team of 40 female investors which enabled female investors to build their investment portfolio and credentials, while providing hard to access funding to female founders. 

In 2020, Tanya founded Her Capital, a female-led seed fund in Singapore investing in female-founded, scalable businesses.

Most recently, in early 2022, Tanya launched Sophia, an exciting new learning platform for women with a goal to increase financial education and diversity and inclusion in early-stage investing.

You can contact Tanya at: tanya@sophiawomen.com
Or via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tanyarolfe/

Your host, Stephen Carter, is Founder of The Intellectual Property Works (theintellectualpropertyworks.co.uk) and a patent attorney by trade.

Over the last 25 years Stephen has worked with some amazing businesses, including writing the patent applications for the Speedo swimsuit that helped Michael Phelps to his record breaking 8 gold medal haul at the Beijing Olympics and Second Sight, a West Coast US startup who make a retinal implant to restore sight to the blind.

Stephen is now recognised by IAM Strategy 300 as one of the world’s leading IP strategists and is on a mission to help innovative businesses succeed by protecting their most valuable asset, their innovation, so they can make a positive impact in the world.

Follow Stephen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenjcarter/

Follow Stephen on Twitter: https://twitter.com/theipstrategist

Contact Stephen directly: stephen@theintellectualpropertyworks.co.uk

OTHER PODCASTS

S2: Episode 7 – Charles Clark, IP ARKITEK

In this, the final episode of season 2, I am joined by Charles Clark, founder of IP ARKITEK (https://www.ip-arkitek.com/).

We chat about the roles intellectual property can play in business and its relevance especially to small businesses. We touch on the building blocks of a practical IP strategy and the importance of ensuring that IP is not viewed in the abstract but seen as a key that can unlock aspects of your business plan.

And we hear Charles’ own story, which took him from a young boy watching his dad tinkering with cars, through roles as a research engineer, to the world of patents (and IP more generally) that ultimately led to him founding IP ARKITEK. 

And we discover why Charles might just be the James Bond of the patent attorney world!Charles Clark is an internationally recognised expert in IP strategy, having been included in the IAM300 of the World’s Leading IP Strategists since 2015. He has additional recognitions in the field, including being listed as an IP Star by MIP.

He has a degree in physics and qualified by exam in the UK and Europe as a patent attorney. Initially, after graduating university, Charles followed in his father’s footsteps, joining the UK’s MOD research and development establishment (later becoming QinetiQ), where he worked as a research scientist developing novel laser systems and optics for military applications and vehicle defence systems. This work brought him into contact with the world of IP and he pivoted his career to train as a patent attorney.

Over 20 years of his career were spent in-house where he gained first hand experience of  handling and managing IP in various business processes, such as initial public offerings (at the LSE and NASDAQ), all phases of acquisitions on the buy and sell side (identification, assessment and integration), divestments or exit planning, contracting or partnering with third parties, as well the day to day IP operations needed to build world class IP portfolios. Since 2008 he has been in leadership positions with different organisations in various sectors, including precision engineering, manufacturing, consumer goods and energy.

You can contact Charles via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/clarkcharles/Your host, Stephen Carter, is Founder of The Intellectual Property Works (theintellectualpropertyworks.co.uk) and a patent attorney by trade.

Over the last 25 years Stephen has worked with some amazing businesses, including writing the patent applications for the Speedo swimsuit that helped Michael Phelps to his record breaking 8 gold medal haul at the Beijing Olympics and Second Sight, a West Coast US startup who make a retinal implant to restore sight to the blind.

Stephen is now recognised by IAM Strategy 300 as one of the world’s leading IP strategists and is on a mission to help innovative businesses succeed by protecting their most valuable asset, their innovation, so they can make a positive impact in the world.

Follow Stephen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenjcarter/

Follow Stephen on Twitter: https://twitter.com/theipstrategist

Contact Stephen directly: stephen@theintellectualpropertyworks.co.uk

S2: Episode 6 – Fiona Anderson, Innovate UK EDGE

In this episode I chat with Fiona Anderson of Innovate UK EDGE (Innovate UK EDGE), where she delivers a government funded programme that helps innovation-driven businesses to grow at pace and achieve their industry- and society-transforming ambitions. 

We talk about some of the key issues she sees for the businesses she helps and, along the way, we learn about Fiona’s journey, with multiple stints in both South Africa and the UK, including how whilst at RBS she was involved setting up and managing a free people accelerator hub in Brighton (which was instrumental in assisting businesses raise over £17m of investment, creating over 400 jobs and turnover in excess of £72m), and her involvement back in her native South Africa with several entrepreneur accelerators, working as a mentor and programme manager for The African Women in Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum (AWIEF) – Fiona is an accredited women in business specialist and has assisted over 100 women owned businesses in the UK and South Africa to grow and scale.

Fiona has worked with over 1,000 early stage and high growth entrepreneurs, helping them to grow and scale through mentoring, coaching and investment readiness programs. She is passionate about entrepreneur development and creating impact and is adept at creating lucrative opportunities for entrepreneurs and startups, through her vast network and ability to connect people and businesses with key stakeholders and individuals.

Away from work, Fiona loves the outdoors, playing golf, walking and hiking around the beautiful Sussex countryside.

You can reach out to Fiona at: Fiona.Anderson@innovateukeddge.ukri.org
Or via these other channels …
Twitter: @FionaAndersonAA
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fiona-anderson-uk/

And you can follow Innovate UK EDGE on LinkedIn (Innovate UK EDGE South East: About | LinkedIn ) and Twitter (@IUK_EDGE_SE)

Your host, Stephen Carter, is Founder of The Intellectual Property Works (theintellectualpropertyworks.co.uk) and a patent attorney by trade.

Over the last 25 years Stephen has worked with some amazing businesses, including writing the patent applications for the Speedo swimsuit that helped Michael Phelps to his record breaking 8 gold medal haul at the Beijing Olympics and Second Sight, a West Coast US startup who make a retinal implant to restore sight to the blind.

Stephen is now recognised by IAM Strategy 300 as one of the world’s leading IP strategists and is on a mission to help innovative businesses succeed by protecting their most valuable asset, their innovation, so they can make a positive impact in the world.

Follow Stephen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenjcarter/

Follow Stephen on Twitter: https://twitter.com/theipstrategist

Contact Stephen directly: stephen@theintellectualpropertyworks.co.uk

Scroll to Top