Catherine Young's Linkedin Analytics

With a passion for unlocking the potential of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), Catherine Young founded Thinkroom in 2014 with the aim of making a significant impact on entrepreneurial ecosystems worldwide. Her African heritage, coupled with her extensive experience as an entrepreneur, gives her a keen understanding of the challenges faced by both business owners in starting and growing companies and large corporations needing to accelerate innovation. As the co-owner of the Grindstone Accelerator and the Grindstone Venture Fund, Catherine is deeply involved in incubation and acceleration programs and startups ecosystem development. Through her consultancy, she provides large corporations and digital tech entrepreneurs with high-quality consulting services leveraging her in-depth insight and expertise. For more than ten years, Catherine and her team at Thinkroom have been helping businesses develop customised SME programs, including the implementation of these systems through a carefully curated training program called Thinkubate. They teach SMEs management best practices and the latest technologies to boost efficiency, expand into new markets, and effectively reach existing and new customers. As a renowned authority on entrepreneurship, start-up training, and ecosystem development, Catherine is also a public speaker and thought leader in the industry. She shares her insights with others through keynote presentations, workshop facilitation, and by chairing ecosystem events. Before starting Thinkroom, Catherine held various senior and executive positions in companies such as Deloitte, Chevron, and SAP Ariba. Her experience in the corporate world directly contributed to her understanding of business operations and helped her develop the necessary skills and knowledge needed for recognising what it takes to become a successful entrepreneur.