The spirit of innovation and enterprise is still alive in the UK

Chris Blackhurst sees plenty of positives during a pitching and networking event for entrepenuers

Networking can be crucial when you are seeking to grow an idea into a business (iStock/Getty Images)

On a wet, cold night in Barnes, London, more than 100 people are gathered in an upstairs room at the former Olympic recording studios.

The Olympic is a wonderful building, now converted into an art cinema, members club and cafe. We’re in its new rooftop recording studio. There’s a bar, which is doing brisk business. We’re here for the 10th round of Silicon Pond, a not-for-profit networking event that sees business start-ups pitch for mentoring and funding.

It’s the brainchild of Simon Stewart, a former investment banker who lives locally. Stewart, whose day job is CEO of The Growth Stage, a regulated global digital marketplace that connects private growth stage companies with institutional investors, wanted to help budding entrepreneurs.