Young entrepreneurs winning out with web skills

A new generation of young entrepreneurs is causing a stir by using the internet to get ahead in business.

Adam Hildreth, young entrepreneur and CEO of software maker Crisp Thinking, said this is upsetting more traditional business people and leading to "a lot of annoyed grey hair out there".

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Hildreth won the CBI Young Entrepreneur of the Year in 2006 for Crisp Thinking - which develops software to protect children online.

The ability to distribute software applications over the internet - in the manner of Google Apps, for instance - means new software businesses no longer see cost as a major barrier to entry.

Speaking at a Microsoft-sponsored event on the generational issues facing business, Hildreth said: "Gradually, the rest of the business world is realising this."

James Crowley, a computer science graduate, agreed with Hildreth. "I think the internet has been an amazing thing for people setting up business," said Crowley.

He is now working for a web design agency while also running his own web development company, Developer Fusion.

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But good, old fashioned business skills are still important too, the entrepreneurs said.

Hildreth emphasised the importance of networking. "It's who you know basically," he said.

Dr Andrew Tuson, senior lecturer from the Department of Computing at City University, added that to have a vibrant business environment "you need an entrepreneurial culture" - although for many people in the UK, starting a business remains outside their comfort zone.