Caroline Gorski, an entrepreneur and innovation leader from Rolls-Royce, will join Capital Enterprise, one of the UK’s leading startup support organisations as CEO from September 1.
Non-profit Capital Enterprise has bases in London and South Yorkshire and is among the most prolific supporters of early-stage tech startups in the UK. It supported the delivery of 48 distinct accelerators and training programmes in 2022 alone, and has served 5,500 businesses which have gone on to raise more than £2 billion in investment, in the process creating more than 6,500 high-value jobs.
With over 25 years’ experience in emerging technologies and digital transformation, Caroline Gorski is known for her leadership of R² Data Labs, Rolls-Royce’s Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence Division, and as the former CEO of the R² Factory which brought industrial AI capability to highly regulated businesses. Previously, she served as Head of IoT and Digital Manufacturing at the Digital Catapult.
Gorski’s leadership and innovation experience “uniquely position her to spearhead Capital Enterprise’s ambitious vision for the future.” The government has committed to supercharging the UK’s startup ecosystem, harnessing the country’s R&D leadership in biotech, AI, quantum computing and green technology. Capital Enterprise will continue to support and nurture groundbreaking startups, empowering them to achieve their full potential and create lasting impact.
Gorski said, “I’ve spent my career working in the interface between technological change and societal change – either in the commercial world, the public sector or through our communities. We are living through the most extraordinary phase of technological development, genuinely a once-in-250-year cycle of transformation, and we are lucky enough to be in one of the world’s top three innovation centres.
“For us all to benefit from the future we can see and nearly grasp, we need to make sure that we help innovators from all walks of life, from diverse backgrounds, to thrive. I believe Capital Enterprise has an essential role to play in helping innovators shape a future that our children will want to live in. I hope that by working closely with our membership, funders, and delivery partners, not to mention the thousands of startups and entrepreneurs we support, we can help to deliver that future.”