hire OUR CEO for speaking engagements, PITCH COMPETITIONS & panel events

​Kay Kukoyi CSM FITOL is the multi-award-winning CEO and Founder of Purposeful Group. Kay is on a mission to help tech entrepreneurs to start and run their businesses the SMART way - designing and delivering specialist workshops and programmes that help tech startup founders and digital entrepreneurs avoid pitfalls and challenges as they build their businesses from scratch. Kay also supports digital upskillers and people seeking to improve their employability in today's digital economy.

​She was named on the Financial Times Top 100 Most Influential BAME Leaders in UK Tech in 2019, and one of Brummell Magazine's Inspirational Women in 2023. In 2022 she won Digital Women's Digital Entrepreneur of the Year and Role Model of the Year Awards, and the BTA Lifetime Award for individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to the technology profession.

You may wish to hire Kay to speak at your event, or conference, share opinions as a member of a discussion panel, or to moderate, facilitate or host an event. 
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​Kay also judges at local and national business competitions and startup pitch events.

Kay commonly covers a range of topics related to entrepreneurship, taking a tech startup venture from "idea through to product launch," or about any of the topics covered in her books, or the topics outlined below.

Options include:

• What is innovation? Intrapreneurship, entrepreneurship and simple, yet effective ways to innovate
• Deep Tech & Emerging Tech: understanding the latest advances (including talks about AI, Blockchain, XR, Web 3.0.)
• Talks for young (16-25 years old) entrepreneurs
• Talks for women, BAME, diverse and underrepresented groups on careers and "getting into tech / STEM"
• Digital skills, employability and the modern workplace
• Early-stage startup / tech startup challenges and the entrepreneurial journey
• ​Tech for non-technical people
• Business productivity for entrepreneurs through the use of business software and digital tools
• Gathering market research, and developing and validating business ideas
• Creating MVPs, prioritising features and creating paper, or code-based prototypes (low code and no-code apps)
• Hiring and managing developers / tech staff and managing the build of software applications
• Implementing Agile practices within your business​
• Technology, software and tools for business productivity

​If you have a specific topic in mind, let us know and we'll do our best to accommodate you!

Kay's short talk, Product Development for Startups delivered at the TechGenez Startups Expo 2022.

Kay Kukoyi is the keynote speaker at Lincoln University's Student Enterprise Conference, 2024

Kay Kukoyi CSM FITOL spoke at the first national Help to Grow conference in November 2023.

Kay delivering a talk entitled: "Digital tools for effective leadership: organising yourself & your team."

Panel member on the Digital Adoption and Transformation stream at the conference.

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​PITCH COMPETITION JUDGE / AWARDS PRESENTER

Kay has judged at the finals of local and national startup and business pitch competitions covering a diverse range of industry sectors and business types from apps and tech, to fashion, industrial and consumer products.

Her duties as a judge have included selecting winner(s), ranking runners up and allocating prize funds as a panel member at live "grand final" pitch competitions. She has also reviewed and shortlisted written award entries to decide who will reach the grand finals of pitch competitions as part of a multi-stage selection process.

Competitions include:

• MSDUK Innovation Challenge (2023). National competition
• London College of Fashion - LCF Enterprise Challenge (2023)
• London College of Fashion - LCF Hack (2023)
• Brunel University Venture Competition (2022, 2023)
• Hustle Awards (2022). National competition
• TATA Varsity Pitch Competition (2019, 2022). National competition
• Queen Mary University. Q Incubator Finals (2022)
• Brunel University Venture Competition (2022)
• King’s College University. Idea Factory (2020, 2021, 2022)
• Westminster University. Big Idea competition (2020)

Awards have been presented at:

• The EY Foundation's Virtual Impact Awards (2023)
• Startups Magazine's Hustle Awards (2022)

Get in touch if you'd like to hire Kay to judge at your competition.

CONFERENCE SPEAKER, PANEL MEMBER, PANEL HOST

Kay has spoken at a number of entrepreneurial gatherings, events and conferences, delivering presentations, and discussing entrepreneurship, technology, and the progression of young people, women and minorities in the workplace and as entrepreneurs.


Speaker

• Speaker and guest on the leadership and technology panel at the 2023 national Help To Grow Conference
• NACUE entrepreneurship conferences (2020 and 2021)
• A large number of talks have been given at accelerator events, both on and offline
• Kay has been a guest on a number of Podcasts, including the Equal Inspired Podcast, and Lead to Succeed

Panel host / Facilitator / Moderator
This included preparing interview questions for panelists, and ensuring that sessions were engaging and kept within the specified time limits.

2023

• British Library. "She's in Ctrl" book signing event for Dr Anne Marie Imafidon. Interviewing a panel of female tech entrepreneurs and academics, discussing their achievements and experiences as women in tech. 

2020

• Enterprise Nation's annual Startup Saturday event. Hosted a panel called: "How to start a tech business", interviewing a panel of tech entrepreneurs.

Get in touch to hire Kay for your event.


Panelist / Panel Member
2023

•  Help To Grow Conference. Tech and Digital Transformation stream. Digital adoption for business owners
• Space4 workspace event. International Women's Day event. "The state of inclusion in tech."
• Brunel University's annual showcase on entrepreneurship. The making of an entrepreneur - inspiring perspectives"

2022

• British Library International Women's Day event. Sharing stories, experiences, and career, and business advice on a panel of female entrepreneurs.
• Capital Enterprise. International Women's Day event. Topic "Can women have it all?"

2021

• General Assembly. "Where the Buck is my money?" Event for freelancers discussing how to start, run and build a freelance business.
• University of Westminster Careers Fair. "Cutting Through: Building a Successful Career in Tech & STEM." I joined a panel answering questions and discussing career paths, insights and strategies

2019

• Somerco London Hi Tech Festival. "Opensource tech and society."
• Afford. "Unlocking women in tech." Joined a panel of women discussing challenges with women entering the tech space and advancing their careers.

Contact us to discuss your event.

British Library panel event - Inspiring Entrepreneurs, She's In Ctrl, 2023. Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon's book signing event. (Audience - 180+).
Kay was the panel host and facilitator for this event, also managing the Q&A with the audience.

​Startup 2020 entrepreneur's conference, 2020.
​Kay hosted a panel of tech entrepreneurs at the Startup 2020 Conference in London entitled: "How to start a tech business." (Audience - 100+)

Kay was a judge for the TATA Varsity Pitch Competition in 2019 & 2022.

Kay on the panel at the London Hi Tech Festival, speaking about open source tech and its pros and cons

Kay Kukoyi, International Women's day panel hosted by OneTech, 2022

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​"Kay - Really enjoyed this afternoon’s panel on how open source boosts society (Tech for All). Appreciated your contributions - taking us through some of the most interesting use cases, commercial considerations and dev frameworks."
Hi Tech Festival attendee - sent to us via LinkedIn

"Thanks for sharing your insights on open-source software and practical, structured guidelines for start-ups! Really informative and engaging."
Hi Tech Festival speaker - posted on LinkedIn

Kay Kukoyi, International Women's day panel hosted by The British Library, 2022

Kay Kukoyi CSM FITOL speaking at the SEC conference for entrepreneurs.

​​We also deliver our own tech startup workshops for incubators, accelerators and enterprise organisations, and create bespoke workshops and entire tech startup programmes from scratch to order, based on your specific requirements, including budget, duration, content, and core objectives. 

To learn about our mentoring, workshops and programmes, take a look at our list of Services.

Kay can also be hired to judge competitions and hackathons, and to mentor and provide support and guidance to founders at programmes and events. 
Please scroll down to see video footage, and photos from past events.
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To get in touch, send us a message using the contact form below, drop us a line via the web chat on this page, or visit our contact page.

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Speaker biography
(Please feel free to use this bio for your printed, and online materials when booking with us).
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Kay Kukoyi (K.N. Kukoyi CSM FITOL)
Kay Kukoyi CSM FITOL is a multi-award-winning entrepreneur and the CEO and Founder of Purposeful Group, an entrepreneurship, technology, digital skills & employability training company offering more than 40 popular workshops and training programmes to clients.
She is global startup mentor, speaker, and the author of 5 books for entrepreneurs and SMEs, including the Amazon international bestseller, Don't Hire a Software Developer Until You Read this Book. 
Kay is a local and national startup competition judge, and works with several top startup accelerators, including the NatWest Accelerator and Startupbootcamp.
She is a tech Expert-in-Residence for two leading London university enterprise hubs, and has been recognised by the Financial Times and Inclusive Boards as one of the 100 most influential BAME leaders in the UK technology sector, and was named as one of Brummell Magazine’s Inspirational Women in 2023.

Kay's mission is to continue to simplify and demystify tech and entrepreneurship and to support:
- Entrepreneurs, giving them a solid foundations to grow their tech and digital businesses the SMART way
- Digital learners, increasing their confidence, digital skills and employability so they can succeed in the workplace
Kay on Crunchbase. 
Kay on LinkedIn. 

Awards and recognition (10):

• Brummell Magazine Inspirational Women 2023
• ​Top 50 Digital Women to Watch, 2022

• Financial Times #IB100 - 100 Most Influential BAME Leaders in the UK Technology Sector, 2019

Award Winner

• BTA Awards - Lifetime Award, 2022
• Winner - SME Awards - Best Digital & Technology Skills Training Service, London, 2022
• Digital Entrepreneur of the Year, 2022
• Role Model of the Year, 2022

Award Finalist
Small Awards:

• At your Service Award, 2022. Best Small Service Based Business
• Sole to Sole Award, 2022. Best Small Business Owner

Digital Women Awards:

• Digital Woman of the Year, 2022

To book Kay for podcasts, keynote speaking, panel hosting, bespoke workshops, training or all other inquiries contact us at courses[@]purposefulgroup.com.

​You can email us, arrange a chat with us, or contact us using the enquiry form below.Kay Kukoyi CSM FITOL is a multi-award-winning entrepreneur and the CEO and Founder of Purposeful Group, an entrepreneurship, technology, digital skills & employability training company offering more than 40 workshops and training programmes to clients.
She is the author of 5 books for entrepreneurs and SMEs, and is a local and national startup competition judge.
Kay works with several top startup accelerators, including the NatWest Accelerator and Startupbootcamp, and is a tech Expert-in-Residence for two leading London university enterprise hubs. She has been recognised by the Financial Times and Inclusive Boards as one of the 100 most influential BAME leaders in the UK technology sector and was named as one of Brummell Magazine’s Inspirational Women in 2023.

Information about Kay's books
Kay is the author of 5 non-fiction / business books, and 4 of which are Amazon international bestsellers, including Develop Your Idea! and Don't Hire a Software Developer Until You Read this Book, the software survival guide for entrepreneurs and tech startups looking to build commercial software from scratch in order to start, or expand a business.

Her third and fourth titles are: Don't Buy Software For Your Small Business Until You Read This Book: A guide to choosing the right software for your SME & achieving a rapid return on your investment and Entrepreneurial Espresso: 450+ business-boosting and productivity enhancing tools to take the hard work out of running your enterprise. 
Between them, the books have been best-sellers in multiple book categories in 9 countries - the UK, the US, France, Japan, India, Germany, Brazil, Canada and Australia.

Find out more about our books, and review our past events. 

You can also find out more about Kay here.