51Âþ»­

It was standing room only for the launch of the first Asian Founders community meet, a new network to support and champions entrepreneurs and business owners.

Award-winning entrepreneurs and founders shared their time and expertise with a packed audience at 51Âþ»­ Leicester (51Âþ»­)’s Innovation Centre which is home to the region’s only Barclays Eagle Lab.

Asian founders speakers

With places at the event being snapped up in just 48 hours, the turnout delighted founder Poonam Sharma, manager of Leicester’s Eagle Lab.

She said: “The support we have had since we announced that we were going to launch this network has just been incredible. The whole evening was full of positivity and brilliant business conversations. I am really excited to see what we can do together as we build this community and empower our Asian entrepreneurs on their journey to business growth.”

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The network aims to create authentic connections and create impact by bringing together founders to share their knowledge and expertise, and create networking opportunities.

The Leicester event was the first in a series of Asian Founders Community Meets being held across the UK. Poonam and the team will travel to Manchester and then Glasgow.

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Helen Donnellan, director of Research Business and Innovation at 51Âþ»­, said: “We believe that diversity fuels innovation.
“Success doesn't occur in isolation. It's cultivated through the exchange of insights, mentorship, and collaboration. By fostering this network, we provide a platform for shared learning and growth that can accelerate your journeys as entrepreneurs.”

Hosted by Poonam and Nimesh Kanani, the event was supported by Jaspal Minhas, president of Leicester Asian Business Association and Natalie Ojevah, who founded the Black Founders network at Barclays.

The main event was a panel discussion with Tanjinder Banwait, founder and MD of , Ashraf Attia, of ; Mital Thanki of ; and Anuuj Ashar of who talked about the challenges and opportunities they have faced.

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Tanjinder’s company Urban Apothecary was awarded the Queen’s Award for Enterprise and her luxury candles and products  are stocked around the world.

Asked where she saw the Asian entrepreneurial ecosystem heading she said: “Asians by nature are very entrepreneurial because of the support systems available. We rely on family a  lot so if you are starting a business one of the first places to seek reassurance and funding is family.

“This will never change but what is different is that upcoming Asian entrepreneurs are not relying on family so much and instead look to banks and other ways of funding to finance their ventures.”  

“I’d say events like this are critical,” said Anuuj, who at just 22 is involved in five businesses. “Without them and without these networks you would not be able to find the people who can support you, who you can talk to about new ideas and lift each other up.”

Ashraf, whose company Predictiva is working with the Department for International Trade on plans to export around the world, said: “This has been a great event and I think something like this, in Leicester, has the potential to be very powerful.

“Starting your own company is not an easy journey and to hear other people’s stories and learn from their ups and downs is so important.”

•    Want to know more about Asian Founders community meet and how to get involved? Email businessservices@dmu.ac.uk