Alix Leroy, founder of Auyan LTD

Alix Leroy photo

Alix Leroy, a DPhil student of Biology at Jesus College, is the founder of Auyan LTD, a startup working on remote sensing to bring intelligence to the mining sector. He took part in the 2023 cohort of the Oxford Venture Builder organised by Oxford Saïd Entrepreneurship Centre and EnSpire, and joined the monthly StartUp Huddle event at the Oxfordshire BIPC. 

What is your background? What made you decide to become an entrepreneur?  

I have a MEng in Mechatronics from the ESTIA Institute of Technology as well as an MSc in Machine Leaning and Computer Vision from Cranfield University. I always wanted to try the entrepreneurial journey to give a chance to my ideas to benefit a larger audience whilst working on something I love. 

What is your personal definition of entrepreneurship? 

Entrepreneurship is the dedication of one’s energy, time, and resources to create and grow an idea into a successful business. 

How and when did you know your idea was good enough to develop it?
Auyan Ltd logo - white staked square shapes on dark background

After talking to 5 different organizations needing a similar solution. 

What would you say are the top 3 skills that needed to be a successful entrepreneur? Why?

At first, perseverance – entrepreneurship is hard and cannot be abandoned on the first obstacle. Then communication – entrepreneurship is all about people, whether it is to hire a team, talk to customers, or find partnerships. And also, the leadership – the entrepreneur is the person driving the business. He is the one showing the direction and supporting his team to take the best out of each individual composing it. 

What is your favourite part of being an entrepreneur?  

Every day is different and is an opportunity to learn. In addition, you cannot move forward without doing a little bit of everything (marketing, tech, legal, sales, etc.) which forces you to go out of your comfort zone. 

What has been your most satisfying or successful moment in business?  

Pushing in production our solution and having the first feedback from our users. 

What would you say have been some of your mistakes, failures or lessons learned as an entrepreneur?  

Start by identifying your customers and listening to their need. No matter how great your technology is, it cannot succeed without a great user experience. 

How have you funded your ideas?  

With my own resources. 

What is good about being an entrepreneur in Oxfordshire? Bad?

In Oxford, one can enjoy being in a science and business environment. We are surrounded by incredibly smart people that define the technology of tomorrow. Oxford also shares very good connections with London-based funding organizations that are eager to support great businesses. 

If a new entrepreneur or startup came to you looking for entrepreneurship resources, where would you send them?

Have a look at the Oxfordshire BIPC. They are fantastic to help you with your business, at any given stage. 

Any last words of advice?  

Trust in time, which usually gives sweet exits to many bitter difficulties. 

Related links