Ben Last

Entrepreneurial Engineer and Technology Consultant

What am I?

An entrepreneurial engineer. I understand technology from a business point of view. I don't blindly believe that technology is the beating heart of the business, but I know how it can work for a business and I've proven how it can make entrepreneurial ideas a profitable reality.

In short, I'm the technical / operations director who can develop an idea, pitch it in business language and make it pay. A rare breed indeed. I'm the geek who can speak.

Where am I?

With the right hardware, sense of flexibility and attitude, location is irrelevant. However, for the record and for tax purposes...
I am based in Cheshire, England, but I work where my skills are needed. Distance has never posed a problem whether developing mobile content solutions for the Far East market or console games for global release.

What do I do?

I help turn ideas into products.
I bridge the gap between the technical and business requirements of an organisation.
Innovative and entrepreneurial software development teams are a fantastic asset - but their output must have a market focus - I do that.
Businesses are brimming with market led, potentially lucrative ideas - but they can't manage the technological development - I do that.
"We know we need a powerful online strategy in order to compete - but where should we invest our time and money?" - I do that.
Small and medium size organisations often have limited resources and budgets - they need innovative solutions to use what they have to best effect - I do that.

Experience in information technology and business enables me to work on many different levels and deliver targeted and managed solutions. Whether managing the design and development of a data processing system with records running into the millions or the implementation of a customer relationship management programme for a small business through the use of text messaging - I do it.

What have I done?

• I was part of a three man team that did the (virtually) impossible.
  We took a strong idea for a console game, solved the impossible problems that meant it had never been done before, developed the business model and prototypes that allowed us to successfully pitch the idea to Sony, and then saw the project through to completion.
  It's in the shops for Christmas 2005. Go buy it. It's fantastic. I may even see some royalties from your purchase.

• I developed an innovative SMS-based ordering, content management, delivery and billing system for mobile phone content to support Floofs. Floofs is a new concept in mobile messaging, best selling image category on the 3 network and sold by Vodafone and O2 (as well as many other places worldwide)

• I took breathe.net from their starting point on a single webserver to running their own datacentre

• I developed the first generations of Volkswagen's Zoon online youth marketing site

• I developed the very first UK online motor sales website

Who have I done it for?

Amongst many others, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, Volkswagen, BSkyB, O2, GWR Group, BBC Online, Oxford University Press