Renee Watson, founder and Head of Explosions at The Curiosity Box
Renee is the Founder and Head of Explosions at The Curiosity Box. Having discovered a love of science early in life, Renee has been on a mission to make Science, Tech, Engineering and Maths (STEM) awesome and accessible to ALL children. She established her first company, WATS.ON in 2008 and in 2016 launched The Curiosity Box, the UK’s first STEM subscription box. Since then Curiosity Box has grown to a team of 5 and has just closed its first funding round.
I was born about 100 years too late for my dream job as an explorer but then I discovered science and realised it was basically the same thing. From the ripe old age of 6 I became driven by a desire to explore the world through the lens of science. I don’t find it surprising that a lot of people think scientist are weird because I grew up in a small town, knew no one who had been to University and science was a dirty word, especially for a girl. It was probably this start in life that set me on my mission to make science real and relevant to as many people as possible. While studying Biochemistry and Molecular Biology I worked in a mortuary assisting with autopsies and setting up a museum of body parts for the public to visit. It was hugely popular and gave me my first insight into the power of science as a tool for inspiring people to be curious about life and the world. Since then I worked at The University of Oxford, in the team starting up the National Translational Cancer Research Network and MalariaGEN. I loved the startup environment and felt it was the perfect way to rapidly and flexibly push forward on my mission, in a working environment that fit around family.
Entrepreneurship is just a fancy word for having the courage to take your wildest dream and make it a reality.
After I had done some competition analysis and market research. Though in a way I had been gathering that information over the decade of growing WATS.ON so it wasn’t a snap decision.
Resilience
Creativity
A proper honest love of what you are trying to achieve
Just one thing!? It would have to be creating a working environment that attracts the most awesome people and helps them to be motivated and happy.
David Attenborough. He is an internationally recognised and trusted “brand” who is incredibly successful whilst always giving back to the community and generally making the world a better place.
I would want to know what he felt he has done that has made the biggest impact, why and how he balanced a desire to do good with commercial pressures.
Oh where to start!?I have made so many mistakes, luckily none of them have been completely disastrous. I think the biggest lesson I have learned, particularly pertinent here in Oxford, is that qualifications
WATS.ON was a service based business that was profitable from day 1 so it helped having that stability when I launched Curiosity Box. I was offered some seed funding prior to launch of CB, received a bank loan and have just closed our first funding round.
We have won a women in business award, the WOBA 2017 Innovation Award and the WISE Toy of the Year award. We are applying for a grant at the moment.
It is brilliant to be a STEM business in Oxfordshire to have access to amazing science and tech happening here, to the bright minds at the Universities and the support from local organisations like OBS. The down side is that it is a very expensive place to live so can be hard to get the best talent if they can’t afford to live here. It is also much harder to access the high net worth networks that are abundant in London.
I would send them to the FAB accelerator, OBS and get them to find a really good mentor.
Make sure you are completely clear about WHY. That will keep you going through the tough times and bring people along with you who share your values and buy into your vision.
