Leading business academic Professor Dylan Jones-Evans has been appointed as a non-executive director of the Welsh Innovation Centre for Enterprise (ICE) it has announced.
Based on Caerphilly Business Park, Welsh ICE, of which Caerphilly Observer is a member, is a start-up business hub home to around 80 firms.
Professor Jones-Evans said: “Welsh ICE has become the ‘go to’ place for aspiring entrepreneurs in Wales and opened up the world of commerce to a whole new generation of business leaders that are invited to get involved at any time – in that sense it is the place Wales has been waiting for.
“We know that start-ups create the net majority of new jobs in an economy so we have got to create more in Wales.
“Even though young people are most likely to want to start their own business, the conversion rate is still quite low, so they need a robust support structure in order to succeed.”
Professor Jones-Evans, who is the founder of the Fast Growth 50 list, continued: “The eco-system at ICE enables young people to be in an innovative environment that is supportive and encourages them to have conviction in their ideas and turn their imaginations into reality – it’s the training, support, relationships, mentoring and funding advice that really matters, and this is where the ICE project comes in.”
Gareth Jones, Welsh ICE CEO, said: “We are delighted to have forged this new partnership with Dylan for the sake of our member businesses and in further support of the start-up scene in Wales as a whole.”