Business & IP Centre

Tickets are selling fast! Have you secured yours? 👀

Let's see who else is joining us at the British Library and online on Monday 15 June for our Inspiring Entrepreneurs: Against the Odds event...

🌟 Alison Cork MBE 🌟

An entrepreneur, author and broadcaster, Alison has been building businesses since her student days and is the founder of National Women's Enterprise Week. Her latest venture, LEKA LEKA, reflects her continued focus on innovation and adapting to changing consumer needs. Alison will open the evening by sharing what she has learned from decades of entrepreneurship.

🌟 Leanne Pero MBE🌟

Leanne founded The Movement Factory at 15, growing it into a Nike London partner and raising over £500,000 to deliver dance programmes for young people across London. After her breast cancer diagnosis at 30, she founded Black Women Rising, supporting over 800 women of colour affected by cancer and raising over £1.1 million. She was awarded an MBE in 2023 and a Pride of Britain Award in 2025, and will be our moderator for the evening.

Don't miss out! Book your ticket now: https://lnkd.in/eQZ7EyYa

Next up on our speaker line-up... 🥤

We are delighted to welcome Yandis Ying, founder and CEO of Dot Dot Bubble Tea.

Founded as a small café in North London, Dot Dot has grown into the UK’s first premium low sugar ready-to-drink bubble tea brand, now stocked nationwide.

Yandis will share her experience of building a fast-scaling FMCG brand that blends culture, functionality and community

🎟️ Secure your ticket today to hear Yandis's story! Tickets available here: https://link.bl.uk/BIPC_IEAgainstTheOdds

Have you booked your ticket yet? 💥

At our next Inspiring Entrepreneurs event on 15 June, we're spotlighting women who have overcome barriers to build extraordinary businesses.

Find out more about our next speaker: Victoria Jenkins is the founder of accessible fashion brand Unhidden.

Drawing on her lived experience and extensive career in fashion, Victoria has built an adaptive clothing brand that challenges industry norms and centres accessibility from the start.

Victoria was recently a guest judge on The Great British Sewing Bee and launched a global partnership with Primark to bring adaptive design to the high street across 10 countries and 96 stores.

🎟️ Join us to hear Victoria share her journey - tickets on sale now: https://link.bl.uk/BIPC_IEAgainstTheOdds

Speaker highlight!

We can’t wait for our Inspiring Entrepreneurs: Against the Odds event on 15 June. Meet one of our incredible speakers who will be sharing her journey as an industry disruptor, sustainability champion and woman founder.

Esh*ta Kabra-Davies, founder and CEO of By Rotation, joins the panel to share her journey from side project to leading platform in the circular fashion economy. Esh*ta founded By Rotation, the social network for renting lifestyle premium goods, as part of her mission to transform global consumption through community-led, sustainable fashion.

Recognised by Forbes and Drapers 30 Under 30, Esh*ta’s work explores how innovation, community and sustainability can reshape established industries.

Tickets are going fast – don't miss out! Get yours today: https://events.bl.uk/events/inspiring-entrepreneurs-against-the-odds

📢 New event announcement 📢

Celebrate National Women's Enterprise Week with our panel of Inspiring Entrepreneurs on Monday 15 June at the British Library and online.

Be part of the conversation with women who have challenged conventions and built impactful businesses on their own terms, learn what it takes to turn an idea into a thriving enterprise and leave with fresh perspectives and meaningful connections to support your own entrepreneurial journey.

Speakers include:

⭐ Alison Cork MBE, founder of LEKA LEKA and National Women’s Enterprise Week, entrepreneur, author and broadcaster
⭐ Esh*ta Kabra-Davies, founder and CEO of By Rotation, the social network for renting lifestyle premium goods
⭐ Victoria Jenkins, founder and CEO of Unhidden, an adaptive clothing brand reshaping fashion through inclusivity and design innovation
⭐ Yandis Ying, founder and CEO of Dot Dot Bubble Tea, the UK’s first premium ready-to-drink bubble tea brand for retail and foodservice
⭐ Leanne Pero MBE, founder and CEO of Black Women Rising UK and The Movement Factory, an award-winning social entrepreneur, speaker, breast cancer survivor and your host for the evening

Whether you’re at the very start of your business journey, looking to grow or simply seeking inspiration from those who have paved the way, this event promises real-world lessons, plus the opportunity to put your questions directly to our speakers and connect with fellow entrepreneurs over drinks and networking afterwards.

Don't miss out! Secure your ticket now: https://lnkd.in/egBntfc6

The countdown continues to World IP Day this Sunday! This year’s theme focuses on IP and sport, and we’re diving into our patent archive where bold ideas have shaped the future. ⚽👟

From an 1893 concept using air-filled rubber balls to boost movement, to M. Frank Rudy’s 1977 design that gave birth to Nike Air and, eventually, the iconic Nike Air Force 1, these early ideas evolved into global game-changers.

At the Business & IP Centre, your idea could be the next breakthrough. Patented concepts have the potential to become industry-defining successes. With our workshops and one-to-one support, we’re here to help you turn your idea into something extraordinary.

Check out our programme of free workshops and start your IP journey today: https://lnkd.in/e8vxuSp7

Someone could copy your work if you don’t protect it 👀

We're still counting down to on Sunday 26 April. Not sure how to protect your business? Start here ⬇️

There are four main types of intellectual property every business should understand:
• Copyright
• Patents
• Registered designs
• Trade marks

The Business & IP Centre offers free guides and workshops for each type, helping you understand what protection is right for you.

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📖 Book a FREE workshop or 1-2-1 for IP support: https://lnkd.in/e8vxuSp7
👉 Explore our FREE guides to IP: https://lnkd.in/esy5pZNv

Ever wondered who actually owns what artificial intelligence creates? 🤔

As we continue our count down to we’re diving into this pressing question with an insightful blog by our Research and Business Development Manager Jeremy O'Hare. He unpacks the complex world of intellectual property rights and explores how the rise of AI is reshaping the rules.

Read now and share your thoughts: https://bit.ly/3QSwlf9

Intellectual Property Office UK

This week, we're counting down to with everything and anything intellectual property related!

We're starting the week with the story of Mandy Haberman's anywayup® cup 👶

Mandy protected her design for a non-spill infant cup after visiting the British Library's Business & IP Centre for intellectual property guidance.

Mandy's genius invention quickly became a huge success and was, unfortunately just as quickly, copied by another brand. Fortunately, as she had patent-protected her product successfully, Mandy won her case and the rival brand was forced to stop selling their product and pay her damages for profits lost.

Mandy's business journey is a perfect example of how protecting your intellectual property early and securely can not only save you money but make you money.

At the Business & IP Centre, we're here to help you protect your IP with the UK's largest collection of intellectual property information and information specialists on hand to help. Find out more about how you can protect your business on our website: https://www.bl.uk/bipc/intellectual-property