On 25th January 2024, the E-Lab welcomed Adam Swerksy of Social Finance to a fireside chat at King’s College to discuss how to Design, Fund and Scale Better Solutions to Challenging Social Problems. In conversation with Mansa Shroff, Adam addressed some of the key challenges that those interested in impact investing must consider and talked through how some of his experiences brought him to where he is today.

I decided to participate in the E-lab because I’ve always been passionate about entrepreneurship. Since elementary school, I have sold rainbow loom bracelets or Taylor Swift merch, and always looked for different ways to start businesses. It turned out to be the perfect opportunity to learn about the fundamentals of business, strengthen the foundation I had already established and engage with a wide variety of passionate students, many of whom I now consider friends.

A common interest for aspiring entrepreneurs interested in tech-oriented start-ups is how to weave AI into business design. A part of this revolves around securing Intellectual Property (IP) in order to reap the lucrative rewards of a temporary monopoly on a particular idea. However, the nuances of IP are hard to align with the messy realities of software development. This disconnect is amplified in the context of artificial intelligence. Is it possible that these two formidable acronyms are, practically speaking, incompatible? And does it even matter that it’s hard for AI-based start-ups to weave the protective cloak of intellectual property around their creations?

The theme of ‘entrepreneurship’ has the potential to inspire people working in different fields on innovative ideas. Mindsets hopes to provide a space to share a brief glimpse into the range of interesting individuals brought together by the Kings College Entrepreneurship Lab.