MERCEDES-Benz Vans UK has set the wheels in motion on a ground-breaking study seeking to explore the entrepreneurial genetic profile of the nation, taking one of the deepest dives yet to discover the role that DNA can play in entrepreneurship.
The brand is calling on the entrepreneurs and leaders behind thousands of SME businesses in the UK to participate in the Entrepreneur Gene Project, a genetics study which seeks to spark a wider debate about what makes UK business, and the environment in which it operates, so unique.
The new DNA-based study has been commissioned on the back of preliminary research that explored the nation’s perception of entrepreneurs. Of the 2,000 respondents interviewed, 55 per cent believed that individuals are born with the skills to become entrepreneurs, with only 21 per cent claiming that nurture and upbringing is the most important factor.
Other key findings included:
– 77 per cent of those interviewed would not class themselves as an entrepreneur
– Nearly two thirds (65 per cent) believe the United Kingdom is inherently entrepreneurial
– Over a quarter (27 per cent) of those who class themselves as an entrepreneur believe that they knew had this trait before the age of 20, and five per cent knew so before the age of 13.
To put these views to the test, Mercedes-Benz Vans UK has teamed up with some of the foremost leaders in genetics research to better understand the entrepreneurial genetic make-up of the UK. The Entrepreneur Gene Project is being conducted by principal investigator Thomas Roos (MSc Biology & MSc Clinical Research from Stanford University), in conjunction with scientists from Liverpool John Moores University, and award-winning genetics company DNAfit.
The study will set out to explore the genetic makeup of entrepreneurs and non-entrepreneurs alike, investigating the potential genetic contribution to different kinds of entrepreneurism using a method known as Genome-Wide Association
Whether they consider themselves an entrepreneur or not, participants can get involved by signing up at entrepreneurgeneproject.com/
The Entrepreneur Gene Project is the latest embodiment of Mercedes-Benz Vans’ commitment to ‘keeping businesses moving’, and celebrates the SMEs who employ over 50 per cent of private sector workers in the UK.
Avi Lasarow, CEO of DNAfit, said: “We are excited to be working with Mercedes-Benz Vans on the fascinating Entrepreneur Gene Project. So much of the energy and drive within the UK business landscape is generated by SMEs and businesses in the private sector, led by the business owners and entrepreneurs who drive them forward. I’m thrilled that DNAfit is providing the science behind the project, and to play our parts in the journey towards a better understanding of the genetic profile of entrepreneurs.”
Visit entrepreneurgeneproject.com/ to take part in the study.
