Innovating Tomorrow
Born to Disrupt: The Playbook for Surviving Entrepreneurship with a Rock Star Mindset
Born to Disrupt
Tim Harper: Pioneering Innovation in Technology and Sustainability
Get an unfiltered look at how launching a business is more like headlining a punk show than an MBA lecture.
Born to Disrupt is packed with real stories—from blowing up drum kits to blowing up old-school business norms—and hard-won lessons from the front lines of innovation. You’ll discover:
• Why half-baked ideas can beat perfect plans—if they grab the world’s attention
• How to keep your edge in a boardroom full of suits
• The art of calculated risk: learning when to amplify the volume and when to pull back
Business? – It’s Just Rock and Roll
Whether being a rock star, an entrepreneur, being in a band, on a board or even being the lawyers hired to clean up the eventual mess, the parallels between the rock world and business are uncanny.
Born to Disrupt
Tim Harper: From Rock and Roll to Rocket Science
Tim Harper is a former rocket scientist, DJ, serial entrepreneur, strategist, and communicator who has spent his career turning ideas—both his own and others’—into successful businesses. Known for his sharp wit and rebellious spirit, Tim has been described as both the ‘enfant terrible’ and the ‘Jeremy Clarkson’ of nanotechnology. His journey is a blend of scientific precision, entrepreneurial grit, and a passion for music that infuses his approach to leadership and innovation.
After starting his career as an engineer at the European Space Agency—developing space technologies by day and hosting a radio show by night—Tim took the leap into entrepreneurship armed with little more than a fax machine and an ISDN connection. Since then, he has founded and led successful ventures such as Element 2, Evove, Nanosight, and Cientifica, with each company bridging the gap between groundbreaking science and real-world impact. Along the way, he’s navigated the exhilarating chaos of startups, scaling businesses across nanotechnology, advanced materials, and sustainable innovation.
Beyond boardrooms and business plans, Tim is a storyteller and communicator, known for engaging keynote speeches, thought-provoking blogs, and candid insights into the highs and lows of entrepreneurship. His unique perspective blends the creativity of rock and roll with the strategic mindset of a serial entrepreneur, offering lessons in leadership, resilience, and turning disruptive ideas into scalable success.
