Ian Stevenson

I specialise in supporting early stage technology companies on the journey from idea to customer.

I help to shape the product and offering, gain market knowledge and feedback, and make contact with (and sales to) early adopters. Very often this activity needs to be funded, and I have experience of preparing business plans and pitches for investors. I can also assist with everything from building the team and board to producing marketing materials and attending trade shows.

I have nearly 20 years experience in commercialising technology as an engineer, consultant, executive, founder, and working on behalf of investors. This ideally places me to contribute to all aspects of building and growing young companies, and especially to help bridge the gap that often exists between a core technology and market needs.

For more information see my LinkedIn Profile or CV

Education and Training

Saltire Fellowship	The prestigious Saltire Fellowship is producing a new generation of Scottish business leaders. It included five months intensive MBA style education at Babson College (rated best in the world for entrepreneurial education), and three months with Sun Microsystems in California delivering new lead management and measurement systems worldwide, improving targeting of marketing spend.
University of Edinburgh	First Class Honours in Computer Science and Electronics Won Class Medal, Prizes for Best Project and Best Performance in 3rd and 4th years.
Institute of Directors	The Role of the Non-Executive Director (2014) The Role of the Company Director and the Board (2008)
Future Sales Factory	Presentation Skills (2014) Sales Skills(2014)
Other Training	Life's a Pitch, Bill Joos, "The Pitch Doctor" Consulting with Clients Solution Selling
Memberships & Accreditations	Member of the Institute of Directors Member of the Institute of Engineering and Technology Chartered Engineer FEANI Registered Engineer (Eur. Ing.)

Career History

Managing Director at Salient Point Current	I have built a thriving business helping high-tech start-ups achieve commercial success, with a network of expert associates who bring additional skills and capacity as required.
Non Exec Director at Forth Sector Current	Forth Sector is a leading social enterprise, helping people suffering long term mental ill health and social exclusion back into work. As a member of the board and chair of the finance committee I have played a key role in financial restructuring of the organisation to achieve long term sustainability, which made possible the £2.3m development program now taking place.
Non Exec Director at Contemplate Current	Contributing to good governance and providing additional support in planning marketing and sales activity.
CTO at CHIL 2005-2009	CHIL offered a range of telecommunications applications based on a proprietary platform technology. I led successful delivery of the first major application to a customer (Orange UK), driving repeat business critical to company growth. Built the team (both technical and sales staff), managed outsourcing (reducing a 15 strong team in Ukraine as relative costs changed over time) and helped to develop the market offering. Key Customers:
Senior Consultant at Scientific Generics (now Sagentia) 2000-2004	Led major strategy projects for global companies including Vodafone. Carried out due diligence on third parties on behalf of potential investors. Led product development and rapid prototyping projects in areas including enterprise software, telecommunications, retail security, medical devices, FMCG, consumer electronics, payment systems, product authentication and imaging. Commercial activity including prospecting, pre-sales, proposal writing and client briefings Key Customers:
Senior Engineer at VLSI Vision / STMicroelectronics 1997-2000	Professionalised software development, originally a problem area, making it a key asset. Built cross-team communications to ensure smooth integration of system components. Key Customers: