Ed Molyneux is the CEO and co-founder of Edinburgh-based FreeAgent, who provide the UK's market-leading online accounting system for small businesses and freelancers. After spending a decade flying military fast-jets in the RAF, Ed took the plunge into freelance IT consultancy in 2002. However, he found that trying to balance his books with a spreadsheet provided by an accountant was a painful process - and decided that freelancers needed a simpler and more intuitive way to manage their accounts. He co-founded FreeAgent in 2007 with a view to “democratising accounting” for micro businesses and making people feel smart, not stupid, about their finances. The award-winning system - which allows users to send invoices, track time and expenses, analyse bank statements, calculate tax bills and build real-time, jargon-free accounts - is now used by more than 35,000 freelancers and small business owners across the globe.