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SUMMARY:Luck and hard work- four decades of innovation - Dr John Saffel - 
 Alphasense
DTSTART:20200212T161500Z
DTEND:20200212T180000Z
UID:TALK138895@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Dr Alexandra Huener
DESCRIPTION:Dr John Saffell- Alphasense\n“Luck and hard work- four decad
 es of innovation” \n12 February 2020 @ 16:15 \nSmall Lecture Theatre \nD
 epartment of Physics \n\n\nThe joint NanoDTC-Impulse-Maxwell Innovation Se
 minar Series has a series of brilliant speakers who are at different stage
 s in their Innovation and Entrepreneurship journey. Our next speaker John 
 Saffell will be speaking to us about ‘Luck and hard work- four decades o
 f innovation’. \n\nYou graduate and then go either into academia or into
  industry. Do you join a secure company and grow within the organisation\,
  or join a start-up and innovate your way to success? I chose the latter i
 n 1979 and again in 1997. \n\nThe first company\, Solomat\, was founded by
  two scientists\; we morphed from a materials analysis company into portab
 le instruments for indoor air quality and water quality. We struggled and 
 grew\, with financial constraints limiting growth. The second company\, Al
 phasense\, started life differently. Well funded and with experienced mana
 gement\, we were able to develop innovative sensors rapidly with help from
  UK Universities. These two stories each affected the two technical groups
  differently. In both companies we were dedicated\, but the difference in 
 luck and finance affected us personally and in our approach to innovation 
 and company structure. \n\nThe landscape has also changed in four decades.
  Whereas digital opportunities opened up for the first time in the ‘80s 
 and ‘90s\, digital innovation is now more lucrative but also more crowde
 d\, more controlled and more global. Innovation in business or technology 
 is now team focused with global markets and bigger budgets\; project plann
 ing is replacing garage technology. \n\nDrinks reception to follow.\n\nPle
 ase book your space here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/nano-innovation-s
 eminar-series-dr-john-saffell-alphasense-tickets-88820106329 \n
LOCATION:Small Lecture Theatre (Bragg Building)\, Cavendish Laboratory
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