Sam Clarke, Co-Founder and CEO of Zero Emissions Logistics Company Gnewt Cargo to Speak at Fast Growth Entrepreneurs Club

The Fast Growth Entrepreneurs Club is delighted to announce that Sam Clarke, CEO and co-founder of zero-emissions logistics company Gnewt Cargo, will be the guest speaker at Fast Growth Entrepreneurs Club on Tuesday 24th February. The Club will be a drinks and canapés reception, taking place from 6 until 8.30pm at Rocket Holborn, a perfect escape from the City to have drinks, dinner, business meetings and more.

Sam studied Business and Technology at OxfordBrookesUniversity. His dissertation was on electric vehicles; little did he know he would be using this information to build a multimillion pound company in the years to come…

After leaving University, Sam found himself working briefly for England Rugby. Whilst working at Twickenham, his first bite at entrepreneurship kicked in; he saw an opportunity to utilise the parking lots that were seldom used throughout the year and set out on importing and selling Christmas trees.

With a basic business plan, a couple of credit cards and extended credit terms, the business was an instant success. Ten years on the business continues to grow and now sells over 3000 trees a year. Outside of the Christmas tree season Sam visited trade shows and events looking for the next big idea. On his travels in China he was almost run over by a silent electric scooter; the 'go to' vehicle for the masses, so why not for the UK too?

He was hopeful that this mode of transport would take off in the UK and he invested, through family borrowing, in shipping several container loads, but after a struggle and despite selling all stock, found himself significantly out of pocket. The aftercare and quality of the product was not financially sustainable especially given a looming recession.

Unperturbed, he teamed up with a new business partner Matt Linnecar. Together they decided to change tact and create a last-mile delivery service using electric vehicles as a logistics solution rather than simply selling them. Gnewt Cargo was born.

Gnewt began trading in November 2009 and has enjoyed exponential growth ever since. Turnover has increased 50% year on year and has always been profitable, growing 100% last year alone. Having gone from an Angel invested start-up in 2009, it was recently part-bought in 2014 by a DX PLC having agreed a valuation of £3.5m.

Gnewt is multi-award winning and accredited by Transport for London's FORS scheme. On February 6th 2015 Sam was elected as a Fellow into the National Institute of Couriers at the House of Lords. Sam and his team now aim to take Gnewt nationwide through 2015 as well as continue to grow in Central London.

If you are a high net worth private individual investor seeking fast growth opportunities, or a CEO of a fast growth company then this is the club for you. The Fast Growth Entrepreneurs Club is for innovative leaders of growing businesses and has a strong belief in face to face networking and relationship building, it is the perfect environment to share ideas, provide inspiration and mutual support. Past speakers include the entrepreneurs Russell Hall of Hailo the taxi app, Luke Johnson, James Averdieck of GU Puds, Chairman of Invest UK Rupert Gather, co-founder of SNOG Pure Frozen Yogurt, Rob Baines, Kevin Byrne of Checkatrade.com, David Hathiramani of A Suit That Fits, Dessi Bell of Zaggora, Laurence Kemball-Cook of Pavegen Systems, Martyn Dawes of Coffee Nation, Paul Currie of The Lakes Distillery, Arjun Panesar and Charlotte Summers from Diabetes.co.uk and Ross Marshall of Your Golf Travel.

Supported by GrowthAccelerator and by media partner Squaremile.com.

Admission to the events is by invitation only. Please register atwww.fastgrowthentrepreneurs.com.

For more information or to arrange an interview with Sam Clarke contact Ali Currey ali@loveprlondon.com

Editors Notes:

• GrowthAccelerator is now part of the Business Growth Service, a government backed service offering support to businesses with the potential to improve and grow. To date, they have supported over 20,000 small and medium sized businesses across England through coaching, mentoring, training and access to finance. They work with you to understand your business challenges, discuss your needs and identify the areas of support that are right for your business. www.ga.businessgrowthservice.greatbusiness.gov.uk
• Rocket Holborn is a brand new venue situated in the vibrant Holborn area, 2 minutes from Holborn tube station. With a lively bar and 2 private dining areas in the restaurant, it is the perfect place to go for after work drinks, dining and private parties for up to 180 people. They have two conference rooms available for hire 7 days a week for any type of event; parties, conferences, meetings and product launches. www.rocketrestarants.co.uk
• www.gnewtcargo.co.uk
• For more information on the Fast Growth Entrepreneurs Club or to register please visit www.fastgrowthentrepreneurs.com twitter: @FGEntrepreneurs
• Fast Growth Entrepreneurs Club is brought to you by Lily and Piper and Love PR & Communications