Overview
In this session, Roland Harwood will be in conversation with Miranda Weston-Smith, founder of BioBeat, exploring the role and journey of the people who start ecosystems: those unusual individuals who connect founders, investors, institutions, corporates and communities early enough, and often persistently enough, to turn fragmented activity into shared momentum. Drawing on his work across innovation, systems design and community building, Roland brings a practical perspective on what it really takes to catalyse an ecosystem and help it grow with purpose. He is currently Community Lead at Milestone Systems, where his work sits at the intersection of technology, trust and collaboration. He has also helped build and activate the Climate Tech SuperCluster, a cross-border effort to connect talent, technology and investment around climate innovation, and he connects the Net Zero Living network of 59 towns and cities working towards Net Zero.
The talk will reflect on the people behind ecosystems: not only entrepreneurs, but also conveners, translators, brokers and champions who create the conditions for others to succeed. It will consider how these ecosystem starters spot patterns, assemble unlikely alliances and sustain energy over time, especially in complex fields where innovation depends on coordination as much as invention. This promises to be a thoughtful discussion about leadership beyond hierarchy, and about how ecosystems begin, evolve and endure because certain people choose to make connection, trust and collective progress their life’s work.
Speakers
Dr Roland Harwood is a compulsive connector of people and ideas, working at the intersection of smart cities, climate-tech, and ethical AI. He is currently CEO of Liminal, a certified BCorp convening the Net Zero Living community of practice across 59 towns and cities, and co-founder of the Climate Tech Supercluster, a multi-country collaboration accelerating climate innovation. He is also the Community Lead at Milestone Systems (part of the Canon Group), focusing on ethical, generative AI and video-based insights through Project Hafnia. Roland is also Trustee of Participatory Cities, a Design Council Expert, and an HBR Advisory Board member. He hosts the On The Edge podcast, wrote the book of the same name, and previously co-founded the global open-innovation agency 100%Open. He holds a PhD in Physics, and is a proud father of three.
Miranda Weston-Smith is an Expert in Residence at the London Institute for Healthcare engineering at King’s College, London and Business Mentor for entrepreneurship programmes in the University of Cambridge. She is a member of the Department of Zoology Alumni and Fundraising Committee of the University of Cambridge. She brings experience as a Technology Transfer Manager at Cambridge Enterprise, University of Cambridge, where she assessed and marketed life science technologies, negotiated licences, and spun-out companies. She was responsible for technology transfer at the University of Cambridge for the Cambridge-MIT Institute. In her five years at the seed capital firm, Cambridge Research and Innovation, she identified and invested in early stage technologies. Miranda worked with Dr Hermann Hauser KBE FRS on the founding of Cambridge Network.
Details
This event is open to all and free to attend - please book your place.
This event is organised in collaboration between Wolfson College Research Networks and the Innovation Ecosystems Network.
Access
This event will take place in the Lee Hall which has step-free access and an accessible toilet.
Contact
If you have any questions, please contact our events team - events@wolfson.cam.ac.uk
Wolfson College Research Networks
The Wolfson College Research Networks are the College’s central hub for research activity, fostering excellence in learning, critical thinking, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Organising and curating a diverse programme of academic events, the Research Networks support the College’s research hubs and initiatives, and facilitates knowledge exchange by connecting scholars across disciplines within Wolfson, the wider University, and industry.
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Innovation Ecosystems Network
The Innovation Ecosystems Network aims to be a convening hub for exchange and expertise-building in four domains:
- Venture Builders and Entrepreneurship Support Organisations (ESOs)
- Innovation Hubs
- Technology Transfer and Commercialisation
- Talent Development for Innovation
