In this episode of the Scottish Business Network Podcast, we sit down with Charles Kergaravat, a New Yorker with Breton roots who has built a remarkable career bridging cultures, business, and innovation across the Celtic nations.
Charles shares his journey from Wall Street to Brittany, France, where he left behind a finance career to embrace a new life focused on tech, entrepreneurship, and community building. At the heart of his story is the Interceltic Business Forum, an initiative born out of the famous Festival Interceltique de Lorient, now connecting entrepreneurs, investors, and diaspora communities from Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Cornwall, Brittany, the Isle of Man, and beyond.
Listen in for a powerful blend of heritage, innovation, and opportunity—with a Braveheart-style invitation for Scotland to step forward onto the inter-Celtic stage.
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In this episode of the Scottish Business Network Podcast, we sit down with Charles Kergaravat, a New Yorker with Breton roots who has built a remarkable career bridging cultures, business, and innovation across the Celtic nations.
Charles shares his journey from Wall Street to Brittany, France, where he left behind a finance career to embrace a new life focused on tech, entrepreneurship, and community building. At the heart of his story is the Interceltic Business Forum, an initiative born out of the famous Festival Interceltique de Lorient, now connecting entrepreneurs, investors, and diaspora communities from Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Cornwall, Brittany, the Isle of Man, and beyond.
Listen in for a powerful blend of heritage, innovation, and opportunity—with a Braveheart-style invitation for Scotland to step forward onto the inter-Celtic stage.
Neil McInnes: The Edinburgh entrepreneur challenging Scotland's start-up culture
Scottish Business Network
40 minutes 29 seconds
3 years ago
Neil McInnes: The Edinburgh entrepreneur challenging Scotland's start-up culture
When Edinburgh-raised Neil McInnes and his childhood friend Andy Whitmey were still in their 20s, they spotted an opportunity in the residential lettings market. Having both experienced poor service from letting agencies as tenants, they believed that the fusty image of solicitors in pin-striped suits was due a shake-up, with much greater care and attention paid to the way that both property owners and tenants were looked after. 15 years on, Umega Lettings has around 50 staff and, in December 2021, it was voted UK Letting Agency of the Year.
Neil, who was once literally the poster boy for Scotland’s Entrepreneurial Spark initiative, also has some very interesting views on the eco-system for Scottish start-ups and what he believes to be a misplaced emphasis on encouraging young entrepreneurs to sell equity and plan for an early exit, rather than organically growing the sort of long-term, Scottish-owned businesses that are the lifeblood of our economy.
Interviewed by Fraser Allen on 21 September 2022.
Scottish Business Network
In this episode of the Scottish Business Network Podcast, we sit down with Charles Kergaravat, a New Yorker with Breton roots who has built a remarkable career bridging cultures, business, and innovation across the Celtic nations.
Charles shares his journey from Wall Street to Brittany, France, where he left behind a finance career to embrace a new life focused on tech, entrepreneurship, and community building. At the heart of his story is the Interceltic Business Forum, an initiative born out of the famous Festival Interceltique de Lorient, now connecting entrepreneurs, investors, and diaspora communities from Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Cornwall, Brittany, the Isle of Man, and beyond.
Listen in for a powerful blend of heritage, innovation, and opportunity—with a Braveheart-style invitation for Scotland to step forward onto the inter-Celtic stage.
