Jeremy Parsons taught himself programming at the library, some years before coming face-to-face with actual computers. ‘Beebsoft Enterprises,’ founded with sixth form friends, sold literally several cassettes of software by mail order. He didn’t make his fortune, but he did get hired by one of the pioneers of the PC industry to hack out software as the first employee of someone else’s startup.
Shifting to the dark commercial arts led to a corporate career, a failed management buyout and success in raising a nine figure sum for a UK startup. Since when he has founded and co-founded businesses, worked with mobile operators in four continents, mentored startup founders and opened two startup centres in Cambridge. He helps leading Cambridge software company Red Gate Software buy and build new lines of business, and in his life as an ‘ordained entrepreneur’ works with a number of groups to make Cambridge the best place to start great tech businesses.
