In conversation with Louisa Ziane, co-founder of Toast Ale


    In this, the first of our Inspiring Entrepreneurs interviews for Start-up Day, we meet and hear from social enterprise entrepreneur, Louisa Ziane, the co-founder of Toast Ale. This trailblazing brewing company, motivated by climate change and food waste, produces ‘planet-saving beer’ with surplus fresh bread.


Louisa will discuss how you can build a viable, profitable and job-generating business that still keep your core values front and centre, as well as how to integrate these principles into your brand.

As the Chief Operating Officer on the Toast Ale team, Louisa’s focus is on the productivity and people in her business so she will also talk about how leaders can drive innovation and change as the team and the business grows.

Louisa will be interviewed by Toast Ale board member and BIPC Ambassador, Paul Lindley, himself a formidable founder of childrens’ food brand, Ella’s Kitchen, and author of Little Wins: The power of thinking like a toddler.

As Toast themselves would say, “Raise a toast. Save the world. Cheers.”

Speakers

Louisa Ziane

Co-founder of Toast Ale

Paul Lindley OBE

Founder of Ella's Kitchen

More Events

Inspiring Entrepreneurs: High street heroes


High streets are the beating heart of our local communities. Having a presence on the high street gives businesses a unique opportunity to connect with their customers, and the responsibility to meet their needs as these change and evolve. What additional service could you offer to those who interact with your brand in person? What extra impact could you generate by sharing your spaces with neighbours and fellow makers?

We have brought together a panel of three loved and respected local businesses, our high street heroes. Their founders will share practical tips through their inspiring stories and tell us more about their individual journeys.

Mary Otumahana, award-winning musician and founder of The RecordShop; a grassroots independent organisation based in Wood Green, that focuses on making an impact with a multipurpose music space located on the high street. By providing access to a recording studio and music career training, Mary is leading a mission to educate, inform and inspire inner-city youths to connect to their community through music.Hellen Stirling-Baker, founder of children’s store, Small Stuff, has led her business from an experimental pop-up shop to a successful, eco-friendly bricks and clicks model at the heart of her high street in Crookes, Sheffield. A perfect example that being a small shop doesn’t mean you can’t have big values; Hellen is a local leader who champions ethical suppliers and supports other retailers, often sharing her shop for community-building events. Hellen is the deserved winner of this year’s High Street Hero for the Small Awards 2022.Carolynn Bain, founder of Afori Books, the first Black-owned bookshop in Brighton. Carolynn almost did the opposite of most during the pandemic; inspired to stock only Black authors in response to the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, she started her business as an online shop. Demand was so high however, that Afrori Books was approached to open a physical bookshop in Lighthouse, a local Arts-based charity, with fit-out costs successfully crowdfunded.

We are running this event with the British Independent Retailers Association (BIRA) who are also champions of high street businesses and are here to help, all year round.

Inspiring Entrepreneurs: Gaming for Business


In a world driven by innovation and customer engagement, businesses are constantly seeking fresh approaches to captivate their audience and elevate their performance. As an industry that has always harnessed the power of technology, the recent growth of tools such as artificial intelligence and increased online connectivity have contributed to the growing influence the gaming industry is having on the business world.

From the creative minds behind engineering, designing and developing games, to the gamification of business tools for customer acquisition and marketing, the integration of gaming with the business world has reached new heights of significance and legitimacy.

As online technologies continue to evolve, their ever-growing influence on society – particularly on the next generation of entrepreneurs – has become undeniable.

Join a panel of gaming and design industry experts, as they explore how the fusion of game mechanics, psychology, cutting-edge design and technology can breathe new life into traditional industries, invigorating employee engagement, customer loyalty and overall business success.

On the day, guests and attendees can expect to join an engaging and thought-provoking panel discussion where they will:

Get into the spirit of gaming by joining us for a free gaming and chill session in the afternoon before the event. Gaming equipment including PlayStation 5’s, Oculus Quest 2 VR headsets and a variety of games to choose from will be available in the Knowledge Centre’s Eliot room from 14:00. Come along and get involved! All equipment will be provided by Bryght.Learn about the role that gaming is playing in today’s business landscapeGain a deeper understanding of the power of gaming influencers in marketing strategiesExplore the various business models within the gaming industryLearn about the platforms and resources connecting the gaming industry with the broader business realmUncover the strategies used by our panellists to navigate challenges in their workJoin discussions about the importance of diversity and inclusivity in the gaming world, and how these entrepreneurs actively engage with this.

Following this there will be a Q&A. For those joining us in person, the event will be followed by a networking reception with drinks meeting with other attendees, as well as the speakers.

For those joining us online, the event will run from 18.30 – 20.30

Start-up Day 2021

The Business & IP Centre’s Start-up Day is back for 2021, during Global Entrepreneurship Week, with involvement from over 30 libraries around the UK and over 50+ speakers.

10.00 – 10.04 Lord Parkinson
10.05 – 10.15 Introduction from Dr Joanna Abeyie MBE
10.15 – 10.55 How to understand sustainability trends in the UK right now
11.00 – 11.02 2 minute silence
11.05 – 11.50 The Remakery - Surplus materials, workspace and ecosystem
11.10 – 11.55 BIPC Glasgow – Making a difference – starting and running a business with environmental impact
11.15 – 12.05 Introduction to intellectual property
11.55 – 12.40 Sustainable in the City
12.00 – 12.25 BIPC Norfolk – The Regenerative Business Revolution – Entrepreneurs wanted!
12.10 – 12.45 Getting started with sustainable photography
12.30 – 13.05 Lunch and learn – swap skills for starting-up
12.45 – 13.30 Santander - The Business of Sustainability
13.00 – 13.30 How to put sustainability at the heart of your business
13.10 – 13.55 BIPC Liverpool City Region – The power of sustainable business
13.35 – 14.20 The Sustainable Start-up: building climate conscious principles into your business from day one
13.45 – 13.55 Santander key notes
14.00 – 14.45 BIPC Cambridgeshire & Peterborough - Getting real with sustainability
14.25 – 15.15 Circular Economy Panel: prosperity in a world of finite resources
14.40 – 15.15 BIPC Northamptonshire – Doing good and making money
15.00 – 15.45 Community as a service
15.20 – 16.05 A guide to sustainable business with the British Library
15.25 – 15.55 BIPC Greater Manchester – Is a co-operative business model right for your business
16.00 – 16.50 Sustainability oh so white
16.00 – 16.45 BIPC North East – Developing a sustainable/green brand

You only need to register once to get access to the full day of events. You can then choose which sessions you attend.

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Select your head shot photograph.
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Don’t forget to follow #BIPCStartUpDay across social media to keep updated on what all of our speakers have to say throughout the day.

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