Sebastien Powell is a 23-year-old entrepreneur and co-founder of three organizations: Flavrbox, Redefine Us, and Seeducation. After studying abroad in Poland, he returned to the UK with a passion for entrepreneurship. Flavrbox was created in 2011 and combines Sebastien's interests in communications and sustainable local food production by connecting consumers to independent food producers. Sebastien feels mentorship could help him clarify Flavrbox's strategy, focus on long-term goals, and provide an outside perspective to help drive the business forward.

1. The Mowgli Foundation UK
South West: Entrepreneur Mentee Case Study
Sebastien Powell : Co-Founder and Director at Flavrbox, Redefine Us and
Seeducation; Voluntary Director at the Community Farm.
Sebastien is 23 and holds a BSc in Business Administration from The University of Bath and is studying a GDL
from the Bristol College of Law. He grew up and studied in Luxembourg, gaining a European Baccalaureate,
and speaks both French and English fluently. After the first year of his business degree, Sebastien felt that
he needed a new challenge and travelled to Poland with his friend and business partner Ruben Kostucki,
having heard that there were business opportunities there. At the age of 19, Ruben and Sebastien were
relatively experienced- “looking back on the business plan we wrote,” says Sebastien, “I’m actually
embarrassed!”- but still managed to get venture capitalists to seriously consider their startup business plan
(an online voucher initiative similar to Groupon), while financing their stay through English teaching,
although eventually the idea didn’t take off.
The two returned to the UK with a new thirst for entrepreneurship, and while Sebastien finished his degree
and started a placement as the marketing manager for outdoor gear and clothing startup Webtogs.co.uk,
they kicked around ideas for new businesses along with Ruben’s brother Noam. In 2010 they took the
plunge, launching the charity Seeducation, an organisation which provides resources and training to
educate and develop social entrepreneurs- and a business, Redefine Us, a creative agency which works with
clients to reshape communications both internal and external. However, Sebastien was nurturing another
passion, which was re-ignited when he went to spend some time on an organic farm project in Italy.
Flavrbox was born in 2011, a project which combines Sebastien’s interest in communications with his
passion for sustainable local produce. Flavrbox is a platform to champion independent food producers
through e-commerce, giving people an opportunity to connect with the high quality food available in their
communities. The team of Sebastien, Noam, Ruben and Simon Bos, another partner, aim for Flavrbox to sell
products through the site, benefiting local producers; allowing them to create jobs, and making Flavrbox
financially sustainable. With a healthy start in sales and a new website launching soon, they are well on the
way already- while they all continue to spend time on the other two projects.
Sebastien feels Mowgli mentoring could be of most benefit for him in his role at Flavrbox. His aim for 2012
is to work with a mentor developing this project, clarifying the strategy and helping him focus on long term
goals. “I know that I could really benefit from the expertise of someone who’s developed businesses in the
food sector,” he says. Sebastien also feels that he could do with someone to help keep him focused on his
priorities. “I believe that Flavrbox has the potential to be something big- but I’m not always sure what I
should be spending my time on in order to be most productive and to drive Flavrbox forward. I’ve never
worked with a mentor before, and I’m very close with my partners, but we see each other all the time and I
need a new perspective. Objective advice, some personal motivation and confidence, and also some
specific sector knowledge and support are what I’m in need of if Flavrbox is to take off. I hope that the new
networks available through the Mowgli programme will help make this happen, and that I find a mentor
who will encourage and support me in my ambitions. ”