Matt Clifford: The Architect of UK's AI Strategy

"The same qualities that make entrepreneurs valuable — critical thinking, international connectivity, system-building mindset — eventually make them dangerous to authoritarian control." So say Anastasiya (Nastia) Khamiankova and Tania Marinich in this powerful new piece in EIX | Entrepreneur & Innovation Exchange. https://lnkd.in/g7uhE7F6

Lately, I’ve been having lots of conversations with our partners about how AI is reshaping the world of business support - and how people are starting businesses differently as a result. 🤖 Founders today can find more answers for themselves than ever before. AI is speeding up the startup process - from generating ideas to writing plans - and that’s an incredible thing to witness. But what’s becoming clear is that while information is now easier to access, understanding of the logic and strategy behind the information is another story. That’s where the real value of human support lies. We're recognising a need at Welsh ICE to complement this - helping founders make sense of the information they’re gathering and translate it into real world, sustainable and strategic business models, with fluidity to adapt as they grow. When you combine that insight with the sense of belonging that comes from a connected community, the results are genuinely life changing. 🤝✨ It’s why our ICE Academy, led so brilliantly by Hope Eckley, continues to have such transformational impact regardless of the impact of AI 💬 Founders who arrive uncertain but leave confident, strategic, and part of something bigger. 💬 Businesses that grow not just faster, but stronger. 💬 People who build with purpose and resilience - not just pace. And it works. ✅ 77% of the businesses we support are still trading after 3 years (compared to a UK average of around 40%) ✅ Over 2,000 entrepreneurs supported to start or scale ✅ £53 million in net GVA benefit to the Welsh economy AI may be changing how people start businesses - but human connection, knowledge, and community will continue to define why they succeed. 🌍💡 #Entrepreneurship #Leadership #AI #Innovation #InclusiveGrowth Admiral Group Plc Cardiff Capital Region University of South Wales The Open University Business News Wales Cardiff University / Prifysgol Caerdydd Chambers Wales South East, South West and Mid Pen y Cymoedd Wind Farm Community Interest Company Cwmpas I would love to hear your insights on this: Aled Nelmes Kieran Hooper-Warren Richie Turner Jane Ryall Kate Breeze Martin Downes FRSA Sally Harvey Kim Carter Owen Williams Tracy Rees Sarah Jones Georgina Moorcroft Hannah Willis

I watched John Elkann, the chairman of Stellantis and Ferrari, interviewing Jeff Bezos at "Italian Tech Week", and it made me optimistic about technology benefitting society. But I had some second thoughts too. Bezos and Elkann talked enthusiastically about entrepreneurship, inventing, AI and robotics, providing gigantic benefits to society, impacting every company. Bezos said we could be in an AI bubble, where both good and bad ideas get funding. But contrary to the credit bubble of 2008, AI would be an "industrial bubble" which similar to the internet bubble in 2000, even when bursting, would lead to many companies surviving, creating economic progress supported by fundamentals, not hype. "AI is a tool creating abundance for society, like the plow did in in the past". I shared my enthusiasm about the interview with two Italian friends, and both were a bit party poopers, seeing Italian bureaucracy and tax structures as a constraint for tech entrepreneurs and not being favorable about Elkann. This doesn't help of course: "Elkann has reached a plea bargain to perform a year of community service and pay €183 million to settle a tax dispute related to his grandmother's inheritance". It seems to confirm Italy's private wealth and public poverty. Despite the Agnellis' contribution to Italy, this kind of stuff rightfully causes anger among ordinary people. I only read it after my friends' comments and it made me think a bit longer about the Bezos/Elkann interview promoting entrepreneurship, and others promoting a slowdown and reset of capitalism. Earlier this week The Dutch Council for Public Health & Society reported that "We live in a hyper-nervous society where performance pressure has gone too far threatening people's well-being". Their message is: "Pull the brakes and work together towards a more relaxed society!", endorsed by the degrowth promoter and head economist of Triodos Bank. The Chair of the Council has never worked in the private sector and dusted off the ideas of the former chair of her Labour Party in the Dutch Senate, who also said a few years ago that "the Netherlands needs peace and quiet." A social liberal member of the Dutch parliament, who never worked in the private sector either, wrote in the Dutch FT that "capitalism needs a reset" and that "young people are flirting with communism and socialism". Bezos and Elkann are business leaders, and their companies provide employment for millions of people directly and indirectly. But they are detached from the lives of ordinary people. And those promoting economic slowdown are detached from the reality of a global economy, and many ordinary people across the globe willing to work very hard to reach the Dutch, Italian and American level of welfare, which is established by entrepreneurs, inventors, risk takers, and companies in the private sector, not by politicians and regulators. We need capitalism and a thriving private sector but with more integrity.

I was privileged to be part of Invest2Scale earlier today - Scotland’s key showcase event about scaling up We had a line up of amazing speakers - seasoned CEO’s, NXD’s and investors in scale ups - all giving up their time to help out 👏 My takeaways from the day were that: ✅ you can attract funding and scale up into an international business from Scotland (Quorum Cyber, The Craneware Group and Score Group are great examples) ✅ our scale up companies are world class and do compete against much larger companies globally at the same level ✅ there are massive opportunities for AI companies (3 exciting companies were showcased: Wordsmith AI , Speech Graphics and Malted AI) to level up through borderless innovation ✅ The Scottish Government, through its chief entrepreneur, Ana Stewart is open to challenge and change, with the aim of really helping our scale ups - it’s new survey for entrepreneurs is something we need to get behind to help them shape what is needed - less red tape, less tick box and more joined up entrepreneurial thinking ✅ you can change things, where Innovate UK have looked at the scale up gaps and now increased their loans from up to £2m to £5m ✅ it is hard to raise funding but you can do it and the funding is available for companies who can successfully demonstrate they have a great business, scale up plan and team ✅ leadership and a strong board is essential, and like investment, if you need to get the best directors round you (c-suite and NXD) then be prepared to source them from elsewhere - and do a regular “hot-wash” on board skills & capability! ✅ the Scottish Ecosystem Platform, powered by Edinburgh University and Dealroom was launched today: https://lnkd.in/eq98A-gD ✅ the top sectors getting investment are health and fintech - plus expect defence to feature next year - but 30% are all in AI (is this a bubble?) ✅ the UK is no 3 globally for investment and VC investment in the UK has increased tenfold in 10 years. - but US deal terms are still more founder friendly and we need to look at this (more on this coming soon!) ✅ let’s focus less on unicorns and look harder at the thoroughbreds - whilst having a razor sharp focus on non-discretionary customer spend models and looking at places and sectors with unfair amounts of growth opportunity 🤞scale ups could do so much more if we can reduce UK energy costs (US energy costs are 25% of UK) and change the tax regime to bring in more top talent and founders (eg look at Spain) ✅ investors invest in people: this starts in every boardroom, where we all need to set the bar high - think big & be ambitious 🚀 My thanks to everyone involved, too many to individually thank - but v. well done Susan Donald, Eden Scott, CT: Accountants Advisers, Cazenove Capital, HSBC Innovation Banking, British Business Bank, The Scottish National Investment Bank, Innovate UK, MBM Commercial LLP, ScaleUp Institute, Federico Charosky, Keith Neilson, Nick Dunn, David Farquhar FRGS

Defense & Space are ready for a renaissance, however capital needs discipline Mark Cuban recently reminded founders at the Clover × Shark Tank ABC Summit in Las Vegas: raising money isn’t the win, it’s the obligation. Customers, discipline, and sales passion matter more than term sheets. His call to “bootstrap longer” and even use AI to red-team your own company hits especially hard in defense and space, where the stakes are higher and the timelines longer. These sectors are on the cusp of a renaissance as budgets shift and national priorities evolve. But capital alone won’t build the future. That’s where corporate venture arms, emerging managers, and traditional VCs come in: ➡️ Corporate venture brings domain expertise, customer access, and integration pathways — turning capital into relevance. ➡️ Emerging managers move fast, specialize deeply, and find overlooked niches in autonomy, propulsion, and on-orbit servicing. ➡️ Traditional VC provides scale and follow-on capital, but must adapt by leaning into domain expertise, patient timelines, and partnerships with corporates and operators to succeed in deep-tech sectors. The lesson from Cuban is clear: discipline + specialization win. Corporate VCs should recruit domain talent and pilot early deals. Emerging managers should double down on government ties and strategic LPs. Together, they can bridge Cuban’s ethos with the realities of deep-tech growth. The defense and space renaissance won’t be fueled by hype or headlines — it will be built by investors who bring rigor, alignment, and an operator’s mindset. #defensetech #emergingtech #startups https://lnkd.in/gRRn9cuW

𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘆, 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝗲 𝟮𝟴𝘁𝗵 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝟭. 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗽𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 Startups and scale-ups are Europe’s engines of innovation, jobs, and competitiveness. They deliver solutions to global challenges and create high-quality employment. Yet Europe’s share of global leading firms has fallen from 40% to 10% in a generation - largely because legal fragmentation prevents founders from treating the Single Market as one home market. 𝟮. 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗡𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝟮𝟴𝘁𝗵 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗺𝗲 Today, entrepreneurs face 27 different company laws. Incorporation, investment, and employee ownership vary across borders, creating costly delays and pushing founders to “flip” abroad. A single, optional EU-wide company form would cut red tape, boost investor confidence, and finally make the Single Market real for startups: one company, one registry, one market. 𝟯. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝟮𝟴𝘁𝗵 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗕𝗲 ✅ Uniform: A Regulation under Article 352 TFEU, directly applicable across all Member States. ✅ Digital & Fast: Online incorporation within 48h, one central EU registry, seamless recognition of company actions EU-wide. ✅ Startup-Ready Tools: Flexible share classes, EU-wide venture instruments, model shareholder agreements, and a baseline framework for cross-border ESOPs. ✅ Second-Chance Friendly: Efficient exit and failure procedures that let founders try again. 𝟰. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝟮𝟴𝘁𝗵 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗕𝗲 ❌ A Directive or “27+1” patchwork of national variants. ❌ Overloaded with unrelated tax or labour harmonisations. ❌ Captured by incumbents instead of built for high-growth companies. ❌ A half-measure that leaves fragmentation intact. 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻: Europe has a once-in-a-generation chance to build a genuine 28th Regime. Only a bold, uniform company form will keep talent, capital, and innovation in Europe. Anything less is not a 28th Regime - it is 27 new problems. 👉 Read Allied For Startups’ full position here: https://lnkd.in/ewpwzRHG

𝐄𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲, 𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐭-𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐞. Walk into any major AI conference, and you'll hear the same conversation, all chasing the 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝟓𝟎𝟎. But while Big Tech is fighting to automate the enterprise, they're missing the largest entrepreneurial explosion in American history—the 𝟗𝟗.𝟗% of small businesses, creators, and freelancers who power the real economy. Read our latest blog post on why the future of AI belongs to the builders, not the bureaucrats, and how we're building a 𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐀𝐈 to help the 99.9% thrive. Link in comments 🤍 #AIforSMB #Entrepreneurship #RealEconomy #AugmentationNotAutomation #CuriouserAI

🌍 Rebuilding Global Bridges for the Next Generation of Entrepreneurs Today’s young people face unprecedented challenges. Across the globe — from Asia to North America — many graduates struggle with unemployment, limited experience, and a lack of guidance. Beyond economic pressures, they also face societal expectations, political uncertainty, and a world increasingly divided by nationalism and xenophobia. As a result, countless talented individuals feel directionless, unsure how to make meaningful contributions or pursue their ambitions. At the same time, the rapid rise of AI is reshaping the landscape of opportunity. Too often, it seems young people have only two choices: either harness AI to create value, or risk being replaced by it. But the world needs more than just operators or followers of technology. We need innovators — people who can create practical solutions and opportunities that improve industries, communities, and the lives of individuals everywhere. Entrepreneurship offers a powerful path forward. It allows young people to take ownership of their lives, develop practical skills, and generate real-world impact. By mentoring, providing industry resources, and fostering cross-border collaboration, we can help them navigate uncertainty, refine their ideas, and gradually move toward meaningful and sustainable careers. In this context, building “new bridges” becomes essential — connecting young talent across countries, industries, and disciplines. These bridges are not just about networking; they are about creating ecosystems where multiethnic, visionary, and socially-conscious young leaders can exchange knowledge, collaborate on projects, and collectively address global challenges. The time is now to empower young people to think beyond borders, to equip them with practical skills, and to support their entrepreneurial journeys. By doing so, we are not just helping individuals succeed — we are cultivating the innovators the world desperately needs, and investing in a better, more connected, and sustainable future for all. ZIHAO Kaku Armaan Chugh #GlobalEntrepreneurship #YouthEmpowerment #NextGenLeaders #InnovationForGood #AIandFutureSkills #EntrepreneurshipEducation #CrossBorderCollaboration #SocialImpact #FutureOfWork #StartupEcosystem #GlobalMindset #MultiEthnicInnovation #SustainableInnovation #BuildingBridges #LeadershipDevelopment #SPACE9 #TokyoMiniLand

Recent shifts in global technological and geopolitical landscapes have significantly influenced international entrepreneurship research. A new Perspectives article in JIBP identifies four major transitions—digitization, ecosystems, geopolitical fractures, and sustainability—that are reshaping the international activities of startups in advanced countries. Niron Hashai and Shaker Zahra explore these transitions, collectively termed the DEFS framework, focusing on how these changes impact public policy related to startups’ international activities. They highlight how digitization has evolved from merely enabling startups to becoming a strategic intangible asset. They also emphasize the shift towards an ecosystem-centric approach, where platforms and networks play a crucial role. Additionally, the paper discusses the impact of fractured geopolitics on market contestability and underscores the growing importance of sustainability in international entrepreneurship. These insights suggest a need to redefine startups' international activities from a market opportunity-based perspective to one focused on connectivity. View the full paper here: https://lnkd.in/eAPyBwcf