Entrepreneurial Minds with Lord Kamall and Karen Davies
8 April 2026, 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm
Location: Institute of Economic Affairs, 2 Lord North Street, London SW1P 3LB
Think tank: Institute of Economic Affairs
This event hosted by UK think tank the Institute of Economic Affairs explores the challenges and triumphs of enterprise.
About the Speaker
Karen Davies is the founder and chief executive of Purple Shoots, a charity which tackles poverty, unemployment and social isolation through enterprise. It provides microfinance (small ethical loans to enable people to start a business) to people on the margins of the economy and enables people further away from work to take positive steps forward towards income generation and work through self-reliant groups and other wrap around support. Prior to setting up Purple Shoots 12 years ago, Karen’s experience included a number of years working in the financial sector in the City of London, ten years with a national lending institution and ten years in small businesses; a graduate from Oxford University, her academic attainment includes masters degrees in both geography and economic development.
Purple Shoots’ model combines patient finance with relational support to create new possibilities for entrepreneurs locked out of mainstream finance but not lacking capability or ambition. They work with people whose lives don’t fit standard financial models, not because they are high risk but because those models are too narrow to accommodate disruption. By backing small-scale enterprise, Purple Shoots believes they are restoring access at the point where economic growth actually begins, enabling effort to become income and early enterprise to become sustainable livelihoods.
About the Series
This series features conversations with pioneering entrepreneurs hosted by Lord Kamall. The series explores the challenges and triumphs of enterprise, offering inspiration and practical insight for aspiring innovators.
