Failing Forward: Lessons from Start-up Setbacks

Belinda Roberts MBE

Founder & CEO of WeDO Scotland

Belinda Roberts is an award-winning entrepreneur and founder of WeDO Scotland, a leading peer-to-peer learning and support organisation supporting and championing established, high growth entrepreneurs. Having previously exited a company she founded within 3.5 years of inception, and overcome her fair share of challenges on her entrepreneurial journey, her passions are business and people. She was awarded an MBE for services to business and entrepreneurship in 2019.

Onyinye Igbokwe

Head of Regional Partnerships at Codebase

Onyinye Igbokwe is an entrepreneur and ecosystem builder with over a decade of experience in engineering, tech and startups. She has founded multiple ventures, including Fotopool and Spyce Social, and successfully exited Poshmunda, an Interior Architecture Company that she built while living in Nigeria, giving her deep insight into what it takes to build and grow a business. Not every venture succeeded, her experience building Ujali, which did not work out, was a pivotal moment that taught her hard but invaluable lessons about resilience, adaptability, and the realities of entrepreneurship.

Today, Onyinye brings this lived entrepreneurial experience into her role leading strategic partnerships at Codebase for Scotland’s Techscaler programme, as well as in her role as Programme Director at Knowvate Hub, a global community for Ethnic minority founders. She is passionate about empowering underrepresented founders, building inclusive startup communities, and helping others navigate both the opportunities and the setbacks that come with entrepreneurship. With a track record in stakeholder engagement and programme design, she works to transform ecosystems so that founders have the support they need to thrive.

Karis Gill

Co-Founder Social Stories Club

Karis Gill is a multi-award-winning social entrepreneur, speaker, and storytelling coach. She co-founded Social Stories Club, a social enterprise gifting company that has introduced over one million people to social enterprise through corporate gifts and partnerships with leading global organisations.

With more than seven years’ experience building a business from scratch, Karis has mastered the art of storytelling as a tool for influence, connection, and growth. She has delivered over 100 keynotes and workshops to accelerators, corporates, and universities, teaching teams and leaders how to craft powerful stories that drive sales, win investment, and create lasting impact.