Alex Hurst, managing director at Northumberland-based Phoenix Taxis, has taken inspiration from President Obama and Mark Zuckerberg as part of an entrepreneurship exchange initiative.
27-year-old Alex was the only entrepreneur selected from the UK to take part in the Young Transatlantic Innovation Learners Initiative (YTILI).
As part of the agenda he attended the 2016 Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Silicon Valley, which was hosted by President Obama along with Mark Zuckerberg, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, and Google Co-Founder Sergey Brin.
Alex, who operates the largest electric and hybrid taxi firm in the UK, has trebled the company’s turnover from £1.6million to £4.2million in the four years he’s been at the helm. He said: “I was absolutely delighted to be nominated by the United States Embassy in London for inclusion in this initiative – it was an opportunity of a lifetime.
“As well as meeting a wide range of inspiring and high-profile figureheads and other young entrepreneurs, the ideas and knowledge I have gained are extraordinary. I’m excited to now take these ideas back to the North East of England to not only continue to growth of my business but to also develop a plan to help other businesses reach success.”
The initiative, took place during June and brought together 47 young entrepreneurs from 42 countries. Its aim was to help them understand and make the most of entrepreneurship and innovation and create opportunities for investment, partnership, and collaboration.
A spokesman said: Alex was a pleasure to have on the programme as a representative of the UK. His professionalism and eagerness to be an active member were evident from the first day and his initiative has contributed to the scheme’s true success by creating connections among entrepreneurs and businesses in the United States and Europe.”