Entrepreneur’s Blog: Simon Daniel
Article Date: Oct 03 2008A week can sometimes be a long time in politics or finance, but for the entrepreneur, each week is always long, diverse and challenging.
My last one concluded with a rare day off – visiting the Buckminster Fuller exhibition at the Whitney Museum in New York. Bucky, as he was known, was a leading American inventor, scientist and architect, who created the Geodesic dome, making dome-shaped structures stronger and easier to construct. He also pioneered thinking about a sustainable world. Following the Great Depression, he set out challenges such as improving the design of products while using less energy and resources – something my company, Moixa, strives to emulate. He also kept what he called a ‘Chronofile’ – a diary of key events – which provides a good way to summarise the past fortnight.
Tuesday 9 September: Moixa Energy wins the Barclays Green Leaders in Business awards in the small business category. Innocent, the smoothie brand, picked up the prize for big business. It’s nice to win at home, having scooped numerous awards internationally including an iF Gold product design award alongside Apple. Awards lunch followed by a board meeting and strategic update.
Wednesday-Friday: Predictably, following our award, there’s a surge in spam. I’m fielding calls by people presenting themselves as journalists but in fact selling full-page ads. They’re assuming we’re cash-rich like other battery brands – not yet, although our goal is to put bunnies out to pasture, helping rid the world of rubbish in the process. (Single-use alkaline batteries could create a column of battery waste to the moon and back each year). Between interruptions, I’m involved in ongoing negotiations with global partners and supermarkets, and confirming a Halfords UK Christmas promotion.
Saturday: After several nights spent editing and reviewing our latest patent update on energy technologies I manage to file it at the patent office by 9pm.
Sunday: Fly to San Francisco to speak at a US AlwaysOn Going Green conference of green companies and VC technorati. Sometimes you need to spend carbon to save carbon (as with money). Stay and dine with San Francisco inventor Maurice Kanbar.
Wednesday: Talk on Moixa batteries and home energy technologies that help monitor your energy use. Other talks cover topics as widespread as genomics and material innovations – all this against a backdrop of Blackberries reporting the Wall Street crash, which only adds to the intensity. Overnight flight to New York.
Thursday: Channel meetings with segment partners. Meanwhile, back in the UK, The Guardian/Library House announce Moixa as a leading European Cleantech 100 company.
Friday: Review and edit a licensing contract on a patent. Evening visit to Buckminster Fuller exhibition, and read Buckminster Fuller’s explanation of E=MC2.
Saturday: A rare day off – walking around Manhattan, Soho House pool/Pravda bar – reflecting on Fuller and Einstein.
Sunday: Flight back to London at 7.30am, in time for dinner with my wife.
Simon Daniel is founder and CEO of Moixa Energy, a European Cleantech 100 company that develops eco-friendly renewable power for homes and mobile applications, such as the USBCELL re-usable battery.
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