Israel needs a new way of banking if it is to progress beyond its position as a start-up nation. Such a sentiment is sounded by Michael Freedman, founder and executive director of Asquith Israel Merchant Bank, a new addition to the Israeli banking scene.

The participants:

MS: Sir Martin Sorrell, founder and chief executive of WPP
LF: Lord Fink, chief executive of ISAM fund manager and Conservative Party treasurer
SG: Stephen Grabiner, former head of global media at Apax Partners;
LD: Lloyd Dorfman, founder and chief executive of Travelex
NL: Nick Leslau, chairman of Prestbury Group and director of Max Plc

Oded ran left his role as head of consumer marketing for Windows Phone UK at Microsoft to join start-up Touchnote because, he says: "I thought: 'Why didn't I think of that?'"

Touchnote, founded in 2008 by Raam Thakrar and Paul Burdin, enables users to create and send printed personalised postcards across the world via their mobile phone, tablet or computer.

Balfour Beatty's Peter Zinkin is not a fan of the word "construction" - at least not when referring to the company he has worked in for more than three decades.

The planning and development director prefers to use the term "global infrastructure business." He explains: "We are not just a construction company.

Talk about handy. Techno buff Robin Landy has created a real-time internet tool that automatically finds the lowest prices, without using a price comparison website.

Called InvisibleHand, the free download informs you when and where there are lower prices available on the product or service you are searching for.

Stephen Marks last appeared in the JC in 1961. He was a schoolboy tennis champion who could barely afford to join his local tennis club.

Not many businessmen can claim to have attended a conference with Margaret Thatcher and spoken alongside US Republican Condoleezza Rice and Lord Stern, the influential climate-change expert. Metal expert Robert Voss can.

Mr Voss is the founder and managing director of metal traders, Voss International.

Many of the world's most serious traffic-law violations are difficult to enforce says computer expert Yaniv Alon.

'We want to be world class," says Errol Damelin, talking about his high-profile start-up, Wonga. "And I don't mean bigger than Barclays. I mean like Facebook, Amazon and Apple."

Fantasy? Well, the smart-talking South African entrepreneur is certainly making a strong case.

Who would have thought it? Lego could be the key to improving global economies.

According to Israeli entrepreneur Amir Asor, the popular children's building brick is integral to training the next generation of engineers, who will in turn play an increasingly important role in solving some of the world's financial difficulties. So convinced is Mr Asor that he has set up a business based on it.

It is every venture capitalist's dream: invest in a young company and watch it grow on an unprecedented scale in a short space of time. And that is exactly what leading VC firm Greylock has managed to do - again and again.

It counts US-based Facebook, LinkedIn and Groupon among its successful investments.

In 2004 entrepreneur Rob Keve had a pivotal moment. The former venture capitalist realised there were changes afoot for customer service and came up with a concept to enable businesses to receive consumer feedback in real-time.