Before the storm, over 100 local entrepreneurs, community leaders and mentors came together to reconnect, rethink and help with Bermuda’s economic and social recovery.
A spokesman said: “The event included a fair of local businesses, showcasing new products, services, banking and technology.
Ignite alumni participating in “story circles” to discuss resilience issues
“The audience was thrilled to hear from a group of leading entrepreneurs including Marico Thomas, Rebecca Singleton, Holger Eiselt, Laura Purroy and Lorene Philips. The panellists shared their success and failure experiences as well as personal insights into leading teams and their mindset.”
Findings included Laura Purroy’s recommendation to “surround yourself with people who share your values. As a leader, you are the embodiment of this company. That means integrity, honesty and compassion are the values of my company.”
Ignite alumni who participate in story circles to discuss issues of success and failure
Speaking of resilience, Rebecca Singleton shared that “[her] Team and our shared values got us through the pandemic.”
Marico Thomas told the group that he has 150 employees and is actively recruiting another 151. Many of the challenges he shared related to resilience and the feeling that not everything you try will work.
Entrepreneur fair to showcase Ignite companies/organizations and critical supporters
The event also included guest speakers Dr. Kristy Potter from Solstice, Nina London and a powerful, spontaneous spoken word performance from Ignite alumna Tiffany Paynter.”
The event was led by Laura Lyons and the team at Ignite Bermuda, who were keen to reconnect with the five cohorts who have now progressed through Ignite’s Core Accelerator program.
Ms Lyons said: “This event grew out of a desire to see people in person after a long time at a distance and to give our alumni the opportunity to network across cohorts. The Ignite program offers each cohort a powerful, shared experience, and it was time to bring them all together.
“Our congregation needed to express joy and sadness; We came together to celebrate and regret the ups and downs of an entrepreneurial journey – together. I would like to thank all the participants who took the time to themselves, our Ignite team and the wonderful Grotto Bay team for giving us such a warm welcome and hosting – you all went above and beyond.”
Board of Entrepreneurs composed of leading local entrepreneurs Laura Purroy, Rebecca Singleton, Lorene Philips, Marico Thomas and Holger Eiselt
A spokesperson said: “The Ignite community now has 420 members, covering a wide spectrum of start-up and scale-up companies, as well as many community leaders. Ignite will begin the 6th cohort of the Core Accelerator program with Boot Camp for 34 new members on October 4th and the Fuel Your Ambition Series will begin online on October 19th for over 40 new members.”
Sean Reel, Executive Director, said: “This event was critical to reconnecting and supporting the community and would not have been possible without the support of Principal Sponsor KPMG and Technical Sponsor PSI Limited who provided state-of-the-art equipment this event. We cannot leave without thanking our broader base of sponsors and volunteers who are with us every step of this Ignite journey.”
Ignite Alumni Alyson Thompson, Charlotte Andrews and Kristen Scott Ndiaye at the Trade Show
Read more about
category: All, business
