Tech Disrupt Transform Founder Award

London Business School and the school’s Institute of Entrepreneurship and Private Capital (IEPC) warmly congratulate LBS MBA candidate, Courtney Laing MBA2026, for being declared the inaugural winner of the ‘Tech Disrupt Transform Founder Award’.

Courtney won the award of £50,000 for Avid, “a global book club for the social media generation”.

Founded by LBS alumnus Jason Schretter MBA2005, the Tech Disrupt Transform Founder Award was started earlier this year, offering an award of £50,000 to help an outstanding candidate turn a startup idea into a reality.

Mr Schretter said that he was hugely impressed by the vision for Avid and is now so excited to see “where your journey leads next”.

“Avid is an app that retrains our brains to unlearn what social media has taught us and helps the world to enjoy reading again,” explains Courtney.

“Technology companies are investing billions to shorten our attention spans with the result that many people who previously loved reading now struggle to finish a long-form book.”

Avid is a networking and connection app that combines access to curated long-form content with the power and scale of technology to retrain our brains to enjoy reading again.

"I'm so grateful to Jason for believing in my vision and I'm excited to get to work building Avid," says Courtney.

A former management consultant with a body of experience across a wide range of businesses, including five years working in venture capital and PE-backed technology companies, Courtney is excited to take Avid to the next level in terms of business development.

And of course, Courtney is an avid reader!