Brent Hoberman and his mentee discuss how to build a successful business

We catch up with tech entrepreneur Robert McInerney and his mentor in Progress 1000 and Invisalign pairings

Beer and Artificial Intelligence might not immediately go together, but Robert McInerney did just that when he used his PhD in Machine Learning to create the beer brand Intelligent X. “We brewed four beers, and each recipe was based on the customer feedback received by an algorithm,” he explains.

Intelligent X became the pilot project from his tech start-up Intelligent Layer, which uses learning AI algorithms to allow companies to experiment in real-time with their customers, products and services.

Robert McInerney, tech entrepreneur

“It’s early days and we’re making some big decisions about who we are as a business,” says Robert, right. “We’re doing something that’s never been done before so we’re working out what our first products should be and who we are trying to reach.”

This is where Brent Hoberman steps in. He started LastMinute.com in a “broom cupboard” at the back of his office in Portobello Road in 1998 and subsequently sold it for £577 million. “At the time everybody thought we were nuts doing everything online, but it was about keeping the faith,” he says.

In 2006, Brent launched Founders Forum: a global network of digital and technology entrepreneurs, CEOs and investors. A subsection of this is Founders Factory, a tech start-up accelerator which nurtures early-stage tech firms across a number of sectors to help them become viable and sustainable businesses.

“My first impressions of Brent were that he was incredibly experienced and knowledgeable about start-ups and how to grow them,” says Robert. “As we’ve got to know each other better he seems warm and genuinely interested in what I’m doing. He’s already introduced me to some very influential and helpful people.”

So what is the key to building an innovative and successful business? “It’s a combination of tenacity and passion,” says Brent. “I would just advise any entrepreneur to make sure you adore what you’re doing and make sure that’s infectious because that will enable you to build a world-class team.”

Robert is currently growing his own team and the recruitment process is something Brent has advised him to take slowly. “Patience with our early hirings shaped the DNA of LastMinute.com and made it a success,” explains Brent.

For Robert, this mentorship has come at a crucial time. “I feel like rather than just learning as I go along, Brent is helping me and stopping me from falling down the standard first-time founder pitfalls,” he says. “Together we’ve created a roadmap of where Intelligent Layer is now, and how we can reach our vision.”

Brent Hoberman, founder of LastMinute.com and executive chairman of Founders Factory

Brent Hoberman: What I've learnt

• Keep the faith. When times are tough, stay determined and enthusiastic.
• There are no short cuts to success. It takes both tenacity and passion.
• Be patient when hiring your team. Take this process very slowly.

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