HUNGRY. Tech Billionaire Owner of UK’s Most Famous Italian Restaurant Thinks Differently About Business
15 snips
Dec 15, 2025 David Cleevely, a technology entrepreneur and co-owner of a renowned Italian restaurant, shares his unique approach to hospitality through systems thinking. He highlights parallels between running a restaurant and a tech business, emphasizing the importance of infrastructure, patience, and culture. Cleevely discusses scenario planning, the significance of understanding root causes, and the value of authentic relationships in business. He also touches on the role of diverse experiences and networks in fostering innovation and sustainable growth.
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Write A Future Story To Guide Decisions
- Imagine your business five or ten years ahead and write a story about how you got there to clarify choices today.
- Use that narrative to spot mistakes you might make and plan corrective actions before they happen.
Use Physical Walkthroughs As Digital Twins
- Build physical or experiential models (digital twins) to rehearse customer journeys before launch.
- Humans experience products in the physical world, so design walkthroughs reveal real usability issues.
Abcam: Tech Meets Biology
- Abcam started by combining Jonathan Milner's antibody expertise with web systems David already had.
- Early automation (robot fridges) cut fulfilment from 26 minutes to eight seconds and scaled the business.
