Shilen Patel, Author at Elite Business Magazine

Shilen Patel

Patel is a co-founder of Independents United and CEO of Distill Ventures, the world’s first alcoholic beverage accelerator in partnership with Diageo. Shilen started in strategy consulting working in an early-stage startup that scaled fast and was eventually sold for over £500m. He then worked in strategy at Guinness as it merged with Grand Metropolitan to form Diageo – the world’s leading spirits company. He left Diageo to start his own successful consulting business and then co-founded IU with Frank Lampen. He is now an investor in, and mentor to, numerous technology startups such as Osper. He’s great at asking provocative questions, helping develop brilliant propositions and compelling strategies and coaching high-performing teams to deliver great results.

Five startups taking the food revolution forward

Shilen Patel

Jan 24 '18

With an evolution in consciousness taking place around food production, provenance and supply chains, startups are emerging that are changing the way we think about food

Why we need to tackle the innovation generation gap

Shilen Patel

Nov 20 '17

Innovation is often pitched as a young person’s game but overlooking senior audiences and neglecting older entrepreneurs is a huge missed opportunity

The importance of finding your game changer

Shilen Patel

Sep 20 '17

Innovation has become a major focus for business leaders looking to unlock new growth – you just need to find the game changers within your team who hold the key

A corporate venture: to be or not to be?

Shilen Patel

Aug 9 '17

Partnering with a corporate brand can prove invaluable for an ambitious startup that’s eager to grow. But identifying the best brand to work with is worth giving some thought

Don’t be fooled – innovation isn’t all about tech

Shilen Patel

Feb 3 '17

From fashion to food, there’s a host of industries in Britain that are worth backing