A day of inspiration at the Hunter Foundation Founders Conference: Craft Prospect Managing Director Steve Greenland shares his experience

by Steve Greenland

On Friday, 7th November, I had my first taste of what is fast becoming one of the most remarkable days in the Scottish business calendar — or, as Sir Tom Hunter described it, 'his favourite day of the year.' It didn’t take long to see why.

For months, I’d been hearing whispers from others who spoke almost reverently about their 'golden ticket' to the annual Founders Conference at the labyrinthine Gleneagles Hotel. As a founder still very much in the thick of the scaling journey, I’d never visited the hotel myself — but thanks to Craft Prospect’s own progress, I now had a ticket of my own (though alas, I neglected to book a room… a mistake I won’t repeat next year).

So it was an 5:30am start for me, driving up the motorway from Glasgow through the clearing mist and wondering whether this was the best use of my time with our next — and highly critical — integration review for the OPS-SAT VOLT mission only a week away. Within the first five minutes of arriving, I had my answer: yes it was, absolutely.

What followed was an extraordinary and humbling day of creativity, entrepreneurship, and philanthropy, meticulously curated by the Hunter Foundation team. The energy and passion of the speakers made the next ten hours fly by in an exhilarating rush — and looking back over cocktails before dinner, it felt like a kind of shared business fever dream induced by collective excitement and the strange, liminal world of Gleneagles.

The day opened with a breakfast session featuring leaders from Scotland’s political parties, each pitching their vision for the nation ahead of next year’s elections. Their manifestos — on energy, AI, economics, and more — were ably hosted by Laura Kuenssberg and counterbalanced by the thoughtful contributions of a young student leader whose perceptive insights highlighted gaps in the clarity and rhetoric of these political leaders.

Then came David Yarrow. I only knew the Scottish photographer’s name from brief wanderings through art galleries during work trips, but his presentation was a masterclass in creative entrepreneurship. He carefully outlined the astonishing financial costs of producing his work and the precision, foresight, and decisiveness required to set up the perfect shot — with each image requiring a rock-solid conviction that it would not only result in a fantastic artwork but also prove to be an lucrative business decision. His emphasis on access, teamwork, and compensating his collaborators fairly was a key takeaway for me.

The day’s momentum continued: a stark yet hopeful vision of an economic future shaped by AI; insights into building billion-dollar groups through acquisitions while balancing family life; and an inspiring argument for empowering agile teams from Octopus Energy CEO Greg Jackson. I found myself captivated by the interconnectedness of the themes under discussion: if AI reshapes the economy as dramatically as predicted, energy could become the true currency of the future — with access, scarcity, and ownership determining who thrives in an increasingly energy-intensive era of machine intelligence.

Every break buzzed with conversation. At lunch, I found myself sitting next to a pioneering figure from the early web era — a founder and investor in more than 50 companies — who shared a fascinating backstory of intellectual property battles that shaped today’s tech giants. Throughout the day, every person I met was driven, humble, smart, and emotionally intelligent. I wished I’d brought more business cards.

We were treated to a lively conversation between the wonderfully ‘banterful’ Sir Brian Souter and his fellow South Weegie Greggs CEO Roisin Currie, sharing stories of climbing from supermarket shop floors to FTSE boardrooms. We also heard from the Scottish National Investment Bank, the Hunter Foundation, and Scottish EDGE about their support for Scotland’s entrepreneurial ecosystem — an exemplary network of support that many other regions could surely learn from.

The day closed with a remarkable talk by Nile Rodgers — founder and guitarist of the band Chic and producer and songwriter for Diana Ross, David Bowie, Daft Punk, Madonna, and many others. He shared stories from his beginnings in 1950s Greenwich Village, the backstories behind the composition of some of music’s most iconic riffs, and the creation of the We Are Family Foundation, which empowers promising young people all over the world to fulfil their potential. It was inspirational, generous, and deeply human.

We left the day full of ideas, stories, and inspiring conversations — with a renewed and hopeful sense of what’s possible along with a sober understanding of how much work is left to do. Sir Tom Hunter’s reach and commitment to Scotland is extraordinary, and the generosity behind this conference is something truly special. Through his Scale-Up programme, I’ve been fortunate to meet so many of his ‘good folks’ who are striving to build and strengthen this country. What an experience to see that community come together in one place.