Entrepreneurs Evening
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June saw the belated and much anticipated return of the Keble Entrepreneurs’ evening. Alumni and friends gathered in London over drinks and nibbles at the King and Spalding offices in Bishopsgate, kindly hosted by Kabir Bhalla (2009). We were treated to three distinctive and insightful presentations given by Keble Alumni Zoe Flood (2002 Modern History and Politics), Fizel Nejabat (2008 Jurisprudence) and Varun Sarna (2009 Jurisprudence).
To kick us off, Zoe, an independent filmmaker and journalist, focusing on conflict, gave us a fascinating presentation about creative entrepreneurship in journalism and media production. She focused on lessons learnt and the challenges of building a business in a competitive and fast-moving sector across challenging jurisdictions. Zoe has previously been based in Nairobi for over a decade and has reported major global news events, including the overthrow of Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe and the Westgate shopping mall attack in Kenya. If you wish to read more about Zoe and her work, please see her biography in our Portraits of Keble photo exhibition or visit her website.
Our second speaker, Fizel, spoke about Performr: a wearable aiming to deliver real-time, continuous, and non-invasive health insights, similar to those of a blood test, right on your phone. By monitoring small molecules like glucose, lactate, uric acid, and alcohol, as well as detecting ions and macromolecules, Performr aims to help people better understand and respond to their bodies’ needs. Aligned with the NHS's ten-year plan, this wearable technology shifts the focus from treating illness to preventing it, and from hospital-based care to community-based support. Although still in development, Performr is definitely one to watch. You can read more about Fizel in his Portraits of Keble profile.
Varun, the final speaker of the evening, treated attendees to a sampling of his delicious exotic ginger liqueur, Kaveri. With a smooth, warm and slightly spicy flavour, Kaveri was much-enjoyed by the attendees, so much so that several people went straight online to purchase a bottle. Lawyer-turned-entrepreneur Varun has endeavoured to make his mark in the liqueur business and make Kaveri a household name associated with ginger liqueur in the same way that Kahlua is a familiar name for a coffee liqueur. Already dominating the market in high end venues such as the Four Seasons, NOBU, The Ivy and the Dorchester Collection, Kaveri is a must-have for cocktail lovers. If you wish to try Kaveri, or learn more about the brand please visit the Kaveri Drinks website.
Thank you to our excellent speakers this term. If you are an alumnus/a with entrepreneurial experience, and would like to present at one of our events, please get in touch via alumni.events@keble.oc.ac.uk: we would love to hear from you. Our next Entrepreneurs’ evening will be held in London in October 2025 (Venue TBC).
