A YOUNG entrepreneur from Kingsbury who runs a social enterprise won a place at an exclusive conference of some of the world's most influential people.
Sebastian Thiel, of Doreen Avenue, is one of only five UK-based winners of a competition to find the next generation of 18- to 24-year-old pioneers in Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
As his prize, the 20-year-old, who was born in Zambia and moved to the UK at the age of three, will attend Google's three day long Zeitgeist conference to discuss global issues and rub shoulders with business leaders, inventors, bloggers, activities, royalty, popstars and politicians including the Mayor of London Boris Johnson.
Sebastian, who by day works as a graphic designer and video editor, was invited after impressing a judging panel with a one minute long web video about his social enterprise 'It's Upshot'.
“It's a brand to educate, empower and inspire young people. We have different strands – an online TV channel, one-off projects and events, workshops and mentoring,” he said.
“I started in 2008 as a T-shirt brand and it grew. I won three funding competitions and I felt T-shirts wasn't really enough and I needed to do something bigger.”
The business began after the Barnet schoolboy dropped out of a studying psychology, sociology, and media studies at Hackney Community College when his dream of obtaining a basketball scholarship in the United States fell through.
He said: “It's going to take a bit longer for It's Upshot to have an impact. It's not a 'hands-on' charity with outreach work. We're more indirect.
“At the moment I'm focusing on building the brand as I feel young people prefer brands.
“My broad aim is to create a culture that is an alternative to destructive sub-cultures like gang culture, and one of my biggest aims to have an 'Upshot City' with a basketball court, offices, music studios – a whole area, like Chinatown, but for young people.”
Zeitgeist will be held at The Grove resort in Watford from May 16 with Professor Stephen Hawking as guest speaker.
Sebastian said: “This will be great as you don't get this type of opportunity all the time.
“There isn't anything specific I'd like out of this like money, as I already have the resources and equipment, but new contacts would be good.”
