Episode 43: Founders4Schools and Scale Up Institute – Meet Sherry Coutu CBE, a Serial Entrepreneur and Angel Investor Turned Philanthropist.
Sherry Coutu CBE is a serial entrepreneur, former CEO, angel investor and non-executive director based in Cambridge, UK but originally from Canada. She is best known for investing in Lovefilm, Zoopla and for sitting on the advisory board of LinkedIn.
A self-confessed techie, Sherry has now turned her hand to philanthropy, having learned first hand that the number one problem for scaling businesses is finding great talent with the necessary skill sets, to enable startup businesses to grow.
Sherry’s resume is as lengthy as they come. She founded Interactive Investor International (III) in 1994 which she ran until 2000 when it floated on the London Stock Exchange. She then swapped entrepreneurship for angel investing, because it afforded her a better work/life balance.
For 15 years she was a serial angel investor working with hundreds of entrepreneurs. But now she focuses her efforts on charitable endeavours via Founders4Schools.
Join us today as we talk to Sherry about:
The inspiration behind Founders4Schools
Why she decided to start the Scale Up Institute
The number one thing holding businesses back from scaling up
What appeals to her as an angel investor
Her top tips to entrepreneurs
What she’d wished she’d known growing up
The best advice she’s ever received
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