IXcellerate , one of the leading Russian Tier III commercial data centre operators in Moscow , is attracting global hypercloud operators into Europe ' s largest internet market

W hat are the prerequisites for a successful entrepreneur ? The ability to gain the confidence of investors is up there . Before he ventured into the Russian market in 1998 , Guy Willner had already raised seed capital and subsequent funding for his first data centre company IXEurope , floating it on the LSE , surviving the burst of the dotcom bubble and eventually selling to Equinix for £ 555m . That ’ s a story in itself , however by 2008 , having walked away from the job of European President for Equinix , he was looking for a new challenge . Another characteristic common among entrepreneurs is drive , ambition . Willner comes over more laid back than driven – in his case the driver is creativity . Both his parents were artists , and though their four sons all chose engineering , he says that in his case the creative gene has been a major asset , giving him the imagination to think differently and not to be daunted by entering uncharted territory .