After spending the first 4 months of 2009 at Babson, and then the summer in the centre of Silicon Valley, it's been great being back in Scotland over the last 6 months.

For the second Externship I joined an Edinburgh University research project looking to spin-out with some exciting technology for the pharmaceutical industry.

It's been a whirlwind of a 6 months where the project became Actual Analytics Ltd and are in the final stages of securing a first round of funding. After graduating from the Saltire Fellowship I took up an offer to join the team on a full-time basis to head the marketing side of this really exciting and high potential young company.

I applied for the Fellowship while working for a large consultancy in London on the basis that if I was going to work hard and do well I wanted it to be for an organisation where I'd play a crucial role in it's success. Through a combination of hearing from leaders of some of the world's leading companies; being taught by the inspirational collection of Babson Professors; experiencing the entrepreneurial eco-systems of Boston and California; meeting many of Scotland's business leaders; and working with a group of Saltire Fellows who taught me more than I thought possible, there's not a day that I don't use the skills I've developed over the last year.

We're at a crucial stage with Actual, using the momentum we've built up spinning out of the university and working with investors to make sure we have the right product at the right price and we find ourselves the right customers.

It's been a helluva ride since leaving London - but it's only just getting started.

If anyone has questions about the Fellowship feel free to get in touch.