An event designed to empower founders and showcase how to leverage inclusivity to ensure and drive your start-up’s success.
Secure your spot by registering here
Please note this is an in-person event only
Date: Tuesday, 25 March 2025
Time: 08:30–12:30
Location: The Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership, The Entopia Building,1 Regent Street, Cambridge, CB2 1GG (https://maps.app.goo.gl/KaGczCutseskgH2LA)
What’s in Store:
Breakfast & Networking: Start your day with a warm welcome and the chance to connect with fellow founders.
Keynote & Panel Discussion: Gain valuable insights from our panel of experts and guest speakers, hosted and moderated by leaders within the University of Cambridge’s Institute for Sustainability Leadership.
Interactive Workshop: Participate in a session designed to help you pinpoint biases and build your personalised roadmap for inclusive leadership.
Agenda:
09:35-09:40 Welcome
09:40-10:00 Keynote Address by Dr Kayla Friedman: Embracing Diversity - A Key to Leadership and Team Success
10:00-10:40 Panel Discussion: Building Inclusive Businesses - Challenges and Opportunities from Founders, Mentors, and Investors
10:40-11:00 Coffee Break
11:00-12:30 Workshop: Inclusive Leadership - Strategies for Founders
12:30 Conclusion
Event contributors
Dr Kayla Friedman, Programme Director, Postgraduate Portfolio, CISL
Kayla is the Course Director for CISL’s Master and Postgraduate Certificate in Sustainability Leadership for the Built Environment (SLBE) and Programme Director of the Graduate Portfolio. Kayla is a US licensed architect with 10 years of professional experience; including exploring the challenges of improving sustainability in the built environment at multiple scales, and engaging diverse stakeholders in vision creation and implementation in both the US and UK. In addition to built environment expertise, she teaches on the skills needed for effective teamwork in professional contexts. Kayla will be sharing some of her insights around valuing diversity as a critical skill for leadership and effective teamwork and collaboration in professional contexts.
Zoë Loughlin, Programme Manager, Canopy (CISL)
Zoë manages the Canopy, CISL’s Cambridge workspace and global community for impact-driven startups, small businesses and entrepreneurs. Zoë has over a decade of experience in sustainability across the public, third sectors, and innovation ecosystems, specializing in waste reduction, recycling, and sustainable food systems. She has worked with organizations such as Sustain, WasteWatch, Glopolis, and Green Alliance, and co-founded a social enterprise focused on food waste reduction. Zoë has also held voluntary leadership roles with Cambridge FoodCycle and Cambridge Sustainable Food. Zoë will be moderating the panel discussing the challenges and opportunities of building inclusive businesses.
Cosmin Diaconu is a fashion designer and entrepreneur committed to sustainability and ethical fashion. He founded Retrogusto, specializing in pre-loved resale and upcycled clothing, with pop-ups in Grand Arcade, Cambridge, and London. Through fashion shows, workshops, and community collaborations, he promotes clothing repair and conscious shopping, showcasing upcycled pieces at London Fashion Week and beyond.
Recognizing a demand for denim repairs, especially among Cambridge’s cyclists, he launched Repair My Denim, offering expert restorations to extend the life of jeans. His mission is to make fashion more circular, responsible, and long-lasting.
Lin Yue is a senior executive at Goldman Sachs Asset Management. She is a thought leader in delivering the intersection of behavioural science, diversity and leadership within Goldman Sachs and across the broader business community. She is recognised by multiple awards for her work including HERoes 100 Women Future Leaders by Yahoo Finance for 2022, 2021 and 2020, a finalist for Asian Women of Achievement Award and Women in Finance Award in 2021. She is one of 50 Most Inspirational Women in the City of London by Brummell, a top Ethnic Minority Future Leader by EMpower/Financial Times, and the winner of the Chinese Business Leaders Award. Ms Yue holds an Msc in Experimental Psychology focusing on Behavioural Finance, from Oxford University.
Yumi Tsoy is the Head of Operations at BGV, where she supports early-stage tech for good startups in scaling their businesses and creating positive impact. She leads BGV’s Tech for Good programme, overseeing its design, selection, and delivery to provide founders with the best foundation for launching their ventures. Yumi also manages BGV’s mentor network, connecting founders with the wider tech for good community of founders, investors, and industry experts.
Dr Lívia Ribeiro de Souza is Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer at Mimicrete, a Cambridge University spin-off pioneering self-healing construction materials. As a chemist with extensive research experience, including a PhD in autonomic self-healing cementitious materials and postdoctoral work at Cambridge, Lívia brings valuable insights on transitioning from academic innovation to commercial success. Her expertise in scaling manufacturing platforms and extending product lifespans demonstrates the vital intersection of sustainability and inclusive leadership in tech entrepreneurship.
Secure your spot by registering here
Please note this is an in-person event only
Help Us Spread the Word:
If you know someone who would benefit from this event, please forward this email or share our event details with your network. Together, we can build a more inclusive startup ecosystem. If you have any questions or need further assistance, feel free to reach out at acclerator@cisl.cam.ac.uk.
N.B. Spaces are limited to just 60 participants. We reserve the right to review all registrations to ensure we can accommodate as many suitable participants as possible. Given limited space, we may prioritise attendees whose interests align closely with the focus of the event. If for any reason we cannot confirm your registration, we will notify you promptly.We appreciate your understanding and your enthusiasm for advancing sustainability innovation.
