In today’s 40 Minute Mentor episode, we’re joined by the Co-Founder of Entrepreneur First and Code First: Girls, Alice Bentinck MBE. Frustrated by a business landscape that found latent talent shackled by predetermined career paths, Alice set out to challenge cultural norms when she co-founded Entrepreneur First in 2011 – an accelerator that celebrates and invests in talented, ambitious individuals, and looks to match-make Co-Founders to launch successful businesses. Almost 10 years later, Entrepreneur First has launched over 300 companies with a value of well over £2billion, which is testament not only to their passion for the work they do, but also to their tenacity in the face of adversity in those early years. During our conversation we cover some really interesting and insightful areas, including: The most important traits to look for when you’re investing in talent and how to shift culturally pre-determined career paths. The many benefits of having a Co-Founder with a different skill set to you and how you can make the most of this relationship. And the importance of diversity in the workplace, and what businesses need to do to get through to diverse candidates. It was such a pleasure talking to Alice. She talks so openly about the importance of learning from your mistakes and always moving forward. If you’re thinking about launching a startup from scratch or are looking to attract a more diverse talent pool, you won’t want to give this episode a miss. We’d love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please do get in touch at james@jbmc.co.uk If you want to find out more about Alice, take a look at his LinkedIn profile - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alicebentinck/ If you want to find out more about Entrepreneur First, head over to – https://www.joinef.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices