Member Article

Obama and Zuckerberg-led summit the ‘opportunity of a lifetime’ for Northumberland entrepreneur

A Northumberland business owner has returned to the region with renewed business inspiration following an entrepreneurship exchange initiative in Silicon Valley, America.

27-year-old Alex Hurst, managing director at Northumberland-based Phoenix Taxis, was the only entrepreneur selected from the UK to take part in the Young Transatlantic Innovation Learners Initiative (YTILI).

As part of the agenda he attended the 2016 Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Silicon Valley, which was hosted by President Obama along with Mark Zuckerberg, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, and Google Co-Founder Sergey Brin.

Alex, who operates the largest electric and hybrid taxi firm in the UK, has trebled the company’s turnover from £1.6million to £4.2million in the four years he’s been at the helm.

He said: “I was absolutely delighted to be nominated by the United States Embassy in London for inclusion in this initiative – it was an opportunity of a lifetime.

“As well as meeting a wide range of inspiring and high-profile figureheads and other young entrepreneurs, the ideas and knowledge I have gained are extraordinary.”

The initiative, took place during June and brought together 47 young entrepreneurs from 42 countries. Its aim was to help them understand and make the most of entrepreneurship and innovation and create opportunities for investment, partnership, and collaboration.

ALex added: “I’m excited to now take these ideas back to the North East of England to not only continue to growth of my business but to also develop a plan to help other businesses reach success.”