In this special live-recorded episode of FoundHER, we sit down with Connie Nam, the visionary behind global jewellery brand Astrid & Miyu, for an intimate fireside chat hosted at the London School of Economics. What began as a single idea during her time at London Business School has now grown into a community-driven brand with 32 stores across the UK, Europe, and the US, and a cult following that continues to redefine the modern jewellery experience.

She shares how “unscalable” early actions (like hand-delivering orders and inviting customers to her flat) shaped the brand’s warm, personal culture, and how that now lives on through experiential retail: ear stacks, piercings, welded bracelets and more. We also explore her bold pivot from investment banking into entrepreneurship, the moment she knew the “safe path” wasn’t for her, and what it really takes to make that leap.

Chapters:

• 0:00 Introduction to the Fireside Chat
• 03:10 Connie's Journey to Entrepreneurship
• 06:07 Building a Community Around the Brand
• 08:59 Creative a Positive Working Culture
• 11:51 Marketing as an Experiential Journey
• 14:59 Transitioning from Banking to Entrepreneurship
• 18:07 Insight from her own podcast 'UNBOXED'
• 21:10 Challenges Faced as a Female Founder
• 26:48 Overall Setback and Building Resilience

In this episode of FoundHer, Helen Sampson, founder of Encouple®, shares her journey from a corporate career to entrepreneurship, emphasizing the importance of mindset shifts, overcoming doubt, and the concept of Mesotrauma®. She discusses how stress can be reframed as a superpower and offers valuable advice for aspiring female entrepreneurs, highlighting the significance of authenticity, connection, and personal values in defining success.

Takeaways:

- Empowerment comes from sharing authentic journeys.

- Mindset shifts can turn perceived disadvantages into advantages.

- Mesotrauma® highlights the cumulative effects of daily stressors.

- Building trust is essential for credibility in business.

- Stress can be reframed as a superpower for growth.

- Success is subjective and should align with personal values.

- Networking and authenticity are key to building connections.

- Overcoming doubt requires strong belief in one's vision.

- Mistakes are part of the entrepreneurial journey; learn and adjust.

- Self-care and managing stress are crucial for founders.

Chapters:

• (00:00) Introduction
• (01:36) Mindset Shifts in Entrepreneurship
• (08:03) The Leap of Faith
• (11:19) Skills Transfer from Law to Entrepreneurship
• (16:03) Understanding Mesotrauma®
• (20:28) Applying Frameworks to Personal Journey
• (23:41) Resilience in the Face of Challenges
• (26:13) Reframing Stress as a Superpower
• (29:00) Defining Success on Your Own Terms
• (32:32) Navigating Bias as a Female Founder
• (34:36) Advice for Aspiring Female Entrepreneurs
• (45:40) Unexpected Joys of Entrepreneurship
• (49:33) Trusting the Process and Energy Attraction

The Bits & Bytes Series - Tunde Adekeye

Hosted by Danilo Dukanovic

Starting with a background in law, Tunde took a leap into the world of investment banking at Credit Suisse, where he navigated the intricacies of Telecom media mergers and acquisitions on the media and tech side. 💼📡

But here's where it gets interesting – Tunde then ventured into the startup realm, cold emailing his way into an agriculture tech startup in Berlin during its Series A phase. Fast forward to Series B, and the startup turned into a unicorn, marking Tunde's initiation into the world of unicorns and disruptive innovation. 🦄

Equipped with startup experience, he made a pivot to the world of venture capital, working with two seed funds – Local Globe VC and Icebreaker VC. The latter, a pre-seed fund, made early investments in the likes of Spotify and Tunde supported 13 startups in their pre-seed stages during his time there. 🏃🚀

Currently, Tunde is now in the space of advising founders on nailing their pitches and developing his own startup that does this with an AI model called Pitch Doctor:

https://thepitchdoctor.tv/

I, myself, have been fundraising for my startup for the last couple of months and some time ago, I hit up Tunde for a mock pitch. His feedback improved my pitch but also dished out some real insights on what VCs truly value. I believe this helped me achieve positive results. 👨‍⚕️

Hear all about Tunde’s journey, the green and red flags of pitches, and how to execute a short pitch minute-by-minute. Whether you’re pitching yourself for a job or your startup for investors, you don’t wanna miss out on this one!

Major thanks to Myra Stok for editing this (her first) episode! 🕺

The Artistpreneurs Series - Marion Carré 🖼

Hosted by Ksenia Kutuzova 🎙

Today we speak to the extraordinary Marion Carré - AI entrepreneur, teacher, speaker, author, and artist!

Marion co-founded Ask Mona, a company that uses AI to develop experiences for more than 80 cultural institutions across the world. 🏛️🗿

Why don't you Ask Mona?

https://www.askmona.fr/en/home/

Marion also works as an expert evaluator for the European Commission and teaches courses at Sorbonne, Sciences Po, and other universities where she explores the intersection of art and artificial intelligence. Her insights come alive in her book, "Talk about art and artificial intelligence. Artist in the making?". 🤖🎨

Forbes honored her achievements by naming her to their "30 Under 30" list.

Check out Marion Carré:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/marion-carre-ask-mona/

Thanks to Jessica Ge for producing this episode. 🥂

The Bits & Bytes Series - Ahana Banerjee

Hosted by Ksenia Kutuzova

Today we are speaking to the extraordinary Ahana Banerjee - the founder of the Clear skin social app, which assists you with your skincare routine. Clear was featured under Best Apps in App Store. 📈🌟

Join the skincare social scene!

Check out Clear

At just 21, Ahana embarked on her entrepreneurial journey while studying at Imperial College London. Ahana's remarkable achievements include being accepted into Y Combinator and being named in Forbes 30 Under 30 for 2023. 😉

Produced by Jessica Ge 🎧

The Bits & Bytes Series - Sam Marchant

Hosted by Ksenia Kutuzova ❤️

Today we are speaking to Sam Marchant. From founder to investor, Sam thrives as an Investment Associate at the global investment firm, Hambro Perks where he helps companies build products that matter. 👷‍♂️💰

Before his journey as an investor, Sam graduated with a degree in Sports and Exercise Science and became the Youngest National League hockey coach. 🏒

Now he's not only a successful investor but also a LinkedIn sensation, sharing invaluable insights. Today, we will dive deep into his mind, asking him all the most intriguing questions, from industry trends to the anatomy of successful founders, don’t miss out! 🌟😉

Check out Sam Marchant:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-marchant/

Shoutout to Jessica Ge for producing this episode! 🎧

The Beyond Profit Series

Hosted by Udbela Escanero

In this episode, we speak to Johannes Weber. Johannes is a passionate entrepreneur, pioneering impact investor and a father of three children. After a successful IPO in his mid-twenties, Johannes followed his dream to tackle some of the world’s biggest challenges by harnessing the power of entrepreneurship. Johannes co-founded Ananda Impact Ventures in 2009 and was recognized as a ‘Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum’. The company has since become one of the largest impact venture capital firms in Europe. 🚀🌍

Check out Johannes' Ananda Impact Ventures:

https://ananda.vc/

We discuss start-ups, sustainability, responsible investing, impact, and accountability and more about the European VC sphere. You don’t want to miss out on this one! Tune in now on all our platforms! 🙇🏻‍♀️

Special thanks to the talented Udbela Escanero for self-producing this episode! 🎧

The Bits & Bytes Series - Simona Xu

Hosted by Sia Sha

The Oh Collective is a sexual wellness startup launched in 2021. It has been featured in several media outlets, including the Economist and Elle magazine. Simona Xu, one of four co-founders, has previously worked for companies such as Zalando and Nike across cities such as Amsterdam, Berlin, and Shanghai. Tune in now to hear all about it!

Check it out:

https://www.theohcollective.com

Timestamps:

1:05-What is Oh Collective?

1:57- Discussion of sexual wellness

4:00-Why is sexual wellness important?

11:20-Discussion of Simona's mom's opinion on sexual wellness.

16:10-Discussion of what it is like to operate Oh Collective in an environment like China compared to the West.

25:00-PWC studies on sexual wellness, and the biggest market in Asia.

32:58-discussion of stigma surrounding sex toys.

49:15-What makes Oh Collective different and unique?

54:48-Discussion of raising money for Oh Collective and how it progressed in the sexual wellness industry.

1 hour 10 minutes-What is the worst and best advice Simmons has ever received?

1 hour 15 minutes: Outro

The Artistpreneurs Series - Mirijam Trunk

Hosted by Udbela Escanero

Today, we are speaking to Mirijam Trunk: after working as a journalist for Bayerischer Rundfunk and reporter for ARD, Mirijam decided to make her journey from the writer’s room to top-level business management.

In 2019, she became CEO of the Bertelsmann Audio Alliance and built the company's podcast business. She has grown the production company Audio Alliance into the largest private-sector provider of podcasts, launching around 150 formats that reach over 7 million unique users per month.

She has been part of the first management level of RTL Deutschland since 2022 and, as Chief Crossmedia Officer, is responsible for brand, content and talent development. She also heads the Sustainability and DE&I (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion) departments.

Mirijam is a passionate supporter of equality and diversity initiatives and works as an author and speaker to raise awareness of structural inequality in Germany. Don’t miss out on this exciting episode!

Mirijam Trunk

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mirijam-trunk/

Timestamps:

1:28 Introducing Mirijam

2:42 Overview of Bertelsmann

3:00 Miriam’s trajectory - classical singing to journalism to business management?

4:24 Structural issues noticed within journalism

6:57 The current media and business landscape and its fast changes

7:27 About Bertelsmann’s podcast company (Audio Alliance) 

10:33 Power of storytelling - podcasting as as medium?

11:57 People as the amazing experience or component of her career

17:05 Networking - gender differences!

21:11 Sustainability, diversity, equity, inclusion challenges

25:20 How did Mirijam end up at RTL Germany?

27:58 How much did Miriam’s journalism education help her get into creative management?

30:52 Tips on starting out - learning to understand yourself! “Who are you?”

35:35 If you could change one thing about society, what would it be?

36:29 Chaos as Miriam’s unconventional truth to success

38:13 If you could invite anyone in the world for a podcast interview, who would you invite?

The Bits & Bytes Series - Joe Cross

Hosted by Olivia Coletti

Today we have the pleasure of talking with the insightful Joe Cross. Joe is now an angel investor who invests and advises in early-big stage ideas. As previous VP of brand marketing and communication and member of the senior leadership team at Wise money services, he has lots of experience and expertise on marketing and startups. Joe is a Digital masters award winner who is interested in growth marketing, go to market moves, communication and workplace culture. His market segment and philanthropic interests reflect that. 📈🤩

Angel Investor: Advising and investing in early-stage big ideas.

Award Winning: 2020 Digital Masters Winner - Excellence in Marketing.

Interests: Growth. Marketing. Go-to-market. Comms. Culture.

History:

Joined TransferWise (WISE) as employee #12 in 2012. Stepped off the rocketship 8 years later, waving g'bye to an awesome team of 2,300 people. Member of senior leadership team throughout, as Head of Marketing (Start-up stage) >> US General Manager >> Head of (VP) Brand Marketing & Comms (Scale-up stage).

2008 Masters in media and comm. at LSE.

Check Joe Cross out:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/joemcross/

Timestamps:

1:40 What does the company do and why do you find it inspiring?

5:25 Are there any specific sectors that you are interested in?

10:10 How do you assess founders?

15:45 What does sustainable investing mean to you?

20:30 What are your thoughts on the ESG industry?

27:15 What are you involved in in your free time?

Shout out to Humzah Rahman for producing this episode! 👏

The Unwrapped Series - Virginia Stagni

Hosted by Anastasia Baklushina ⭐

Ever wondered how you can bring your ideas to life within the already established corporations? 🤔

Our today’s guest, Virginia Stagni, Head of Business Development at the Financial Times, proves by her own example that it is indeed possible to become an intrapreneur at the one of the world’s leading global business newspapers, and even more - shows that these companies are actually willing to offer space to young creative and entrepreneurial minds. 🙌🏻🪄

Alongside her main role, Virginia is the Founder and Director of FT Talent Challenge programme, which she launched back in 2018 to invite youth with diverse experiences to change the future of media. 📰 She was previously named as the youngest Business Development Manager in the 135-years history of the FT, and is in Forbes Italia 30 under 30 list (2021) & Fortune 40 under 40 list (2021).

Virginia’s entrepreneurial path has started long before her current role at the FT. As Bocconi university student, she had an experience of founding digital editorial platform Revolart and Bolognadasballo tour guides project. One of her most recent ventures was GoodSaints, a fairtrade sustainable start-up. 💫

Virginia graduated from MSc in Media and Communications from the London School of Economics (2016) and BSc in Economics and Management for Art, Culture and Communications from Bocconi University (2015). 🎓

Become the next digital news revolutioniser: ⚡

https://www.fttalent.ft.com/

Timestamps:

1:36 - Who is Viriginia Stagni?

1:54 - Virginia’s start at LSE

2:19 - Landing in front of the Financial Times office

5:06 - Entrepreneurship vs. intrapreneurship

9:33 - Shifting your mindset from employee to entrepreneur

10:59 - Virginia’s ethical mental health startup

13:43 - How did Viriginia’s LSE masters help her journalism career?

17:40 - The power of good journalism

18:26 - How a newspaper led to a full merit scholarship

20:58 - Carving your niche

21:25 - Creating a new role at the FT

22:20 - A typical day in Virginia’s life

26:35 - Reading through thousands of CVs

29:03 - Why the younger generation is the future of journalism

32:20 - The inspiration behind Virigina’s book: COVID?

34:12 - A higher-level look: why specialists have to help each other

38:04 - Virginia’s advice for LSE students

Shoutout to Jessica Ge for producing this episode! 🕺

The Artistpreneurs Series - Antoni and Alison

Hosted by Olivia Coletti

Today we have the pleasure of talking with the wonderful Antoni Burakowski. Antoni, with his best friend Alison Roberts co-created the fashionable “Yin Yang” clothing brand “Antoni & Alison”. The brand radiates the individualistic art that they pioneer to the world through joy, love, and positivity.

Continuously working together for 32 years, Antoni and Alison aim to create their work by changing the way we view fashion. They have never followed trends, an ongoing motto of theirs is “just because fashion is the way it is, doesnt mean to say it has to be the way it is.” Their brand represents consistency, happiness and art. 🖼

They currently have a store and many stockists worldwide, the first 10 years of their wardrobe has been acquired by the Victoria Albot Musiem & the second installment is being prepared.

Their pieces are worn by celebrities and artists that include: Bella Hadid, Nicole Kidman, Katy Perry, Clare Danes, Chloe Sevigny, Beth Ditto, Lilly Allen, Kiki Smith, and more. 😎✨

Check out Antoni and Alison's store (from the coolest website ever):

https://www.antoniandalison.co.uk/

Timestamps:

2:00 - How did you meet Allison?

12:50 - How do you build your brand?

24:20 - What was your pricing strategy?

26:40 - Do you advertise your clothes on runways?

35:20 - Who are the craziest people that walk through your door?

37:50 - What are the things that you are most inspired by?

Thank to Humzah Rahman for producing this ep! 👏

This conversation is a masterclass in building enduring companies that not only succeed financially but also serve a greater purpose. Mark shares his personal playbook on the art of winning trust, the strategy of raising “synthetic capital,” the nuances of negotiating with regulators, and the importance of measuring a company's total impact beyond the balance sheet. From co-founding Europe's #1 independent M&A firm with just a single telephone to launching an Africa-focused fund, his journey provides invaluable lessons on resilience, ethical leadership, and the power of entrepreneurship as a force for good.

Key Takeaways

• ​Train Before You Leap: Mark emphasizes that two years of rigorous, top-tier training can be far more valuable for an aspiring entrepreneur than rushing to claim a “founder” title prematurely.
• ​Master "Synthetic Capital": In the absence of traditional funding, align equity with salary sacrifice and sweat equity. This method, which Mark terms synthetic capital, allows founders to build a credible and committed team.
• ​Win with Respect: Mark’s philosophy of “English plus 20%” confidence—being polite, clear, and slightly more assertive than you might naturally feel—is a powerful tool for building relationships that extend beyond the boardroom.
• ​Embrace Rejection as Data: Expect to hear "no" frequently. The key is to persist and treat rejection as a stepping stone, not a roadblock.
• ​Measure Your Full Impact (ERR): The External Rate of Return (ERR) is a framework for mapping both the positive and negative externalities of a business, from job creation and taxes to environmental effects. By focusing on maximizing the net positive, companies can build greater resilience and long-term value.
• ​Translate Value for Policymakers: To gain support from regulators and governments, it is crucial to frame your business’s value in terms of outcomes for voters.

Chapters & Timestamps

• ​(00:00) Introduction: Host Jenn Zeng introduces Mark Florman, framing the conversation around the theme of “entrepreneurship as a force for good.”
• ​(03:01) From LSE to Chicago: Mark explains his deliberate choice to pursue rigorous training in the United States before embarking on his own entrepreneurial ventures.
• ​(05:30) The Pivotal Moment: Discover how a failed bank merger became the unexpected catalyst for a nine-month quiet planning phase and a business plan famously sketched on a paper tablecloth.
• ​(08:02) Building a Founding Team on Trust: Mark delves into the critical importance of cultural alignment, the creation of “synthetic capital” through salary sacrifice, and the art of projecting a professional image on a minimal budget.
• ​(11:20) Securing the First Major Client: A lesson in confidence and execution, this is the story of the pivotal call from Volvo and the subsequent restructuring of Sweden’s KF.
• ​(15:19) Why Good Business is Profitable Business: Mark introduces his External Rate of Return (ERR) concept, a powerful management tool for measuring a company’s total impact and building a competitive moat.
• ​(17:21) Case Study: The BBC Purpose Report: Mark provides a concrete example of impact reporting, showing how the BBC created £11 billion of public value from a £4 billion cost, fundamentally changing the conversation about its role.
• ​(31:31) Navigating the Intersection of Business, Government, and Society: Learn how to effectively communicate value to regulators and voters, with insights from Mark’s experience with the AIFMD regulations and the development of Nigeria’s private equity framework.
• ​(36:26) Essential Advice for Founders: Mark shares practical wisdom on why gradual evolution often triumphs over revolution, the simple power of a thank-you note, and the absolute necessity of disciplined focus in meetings.
• ​(53:23) The Psychology of Resilience: Mark reflects on the importance of setting medium-term goals and cultivating the ability to bounce back daily as key components of entrepreneurial happiness and success.

The Unwrapped Series - Sebastian Mallaby

Hosted by Sia Sha

Sebastian Mallaby is the Paul A Volcker Senior Fellow in International Economics at the Council on Foreign Relations. He spent thirteen years at the Economist and has contributed to various outlets such as the New York Times, FT, and Washington Post. 📝

His book, The Man Who Knew, won the 2016 Financial Times and McKinsey Business Book of the Year Award. He has recently published The Power Law: Venture Capital and the Art of Disruption. 📚🤩

Timestamps:

0:45 - Introduction of Sebastian.

01:39 - What is venture capital?

04:11 - Discussion of Mark Zuckerberg and his unique approach to getting venture capitalists to invest in the company.

10:50 - VCs from a geopolitical perspective.

20:16 - Why is everyone not following Sequoia's practices?

30:00 - Discussion of Sebastian's published book.

36:55 - Discussion of Sebastian's literary diet, including his review of the Economist.

46:57 - Looking for a niche to excel in.

Special thanks to Valli Vikram for producing this episode! 🎧

The Bits & Bytes Series - Guglielmo Schenardi

Hosted by Jessica Ge

Whenever you use an app, access a website, or do anything in the virtual space, you create data. But do you actually know where your data is going? And who’s using it? ❓🤔

Today’s guest, Guglielmo Schenardi, along with his co-founder, created Rita Personal Data - an app with over 100,000 members and a 4.5-star rating from almost 2,000 reviews. Rita allows users to view, control, and earn rewards from their own data. And founded only 3 years ago, Rita has already secured €1 million in pre-seed funding. 💸

Alongside a successful startup, Guglielmo has also recently launched the first start-up program offering a double university Masters called Genoa Entrepreneurship School (GES). GES is a joint initiative between Georgetown and Genoa university so that you can build or work in a venture whilst attending a masters. 🏫🚀 This way, you don’t have to choose between pursuing a startup career or pursuing education, you can do both.

In this episode, we will focus on two key topics- the importance of data privacy in an increasingly data-driven world and how education and entrepreneurship can co-exist. ✌

Manage your personal data:

https://ritapersonaldata.com/

Build your next venture from school:

https://www.genoaes.com/

Timestamps:

2:05 - Who is Guglielmo Schenardi?

2:46 - The conception of Rita Personal Data

3:40 - Why should you use Rita?

4:50  - Trusting Rita with your data

6:01 - Building a tech product from a non-tech background

8:18 - How to raise €1 million in preseed funding

10:34 - You need an advisor!

12:20 - Guglielmo’s life-changing experience

14:04 - MTV’s documentary on Guglielmo’s daily life

16:43 - Creating a university startup program from scratch

20:20 - How to build the dream team

21:41 - Building a venture whilst pursuing two masters, how?!

28:15 - What’s one thing Guglielmo would change about society?

29:58 - Guglielmo’s unconventional truth that helped him achieve his success

31:46 - Reflect, reflect, reflect

34:14 - Guglielmo’s dream interview guest

Shoutout to Jessica Ge for self-producing this episode! 🕺

The Bits & Bytes Series - Amai Ganjam

Hosted by Humzah Rahman

Join us on this episode as we dive into the story of Amai Ganjam, an LSE student who created a social networking app called Buzz during the pandemic. We'll learn about his journey as a student founder and how he navigated the challenges of being non-technical. Along the way, we'll also explore what venture capitalists look for in pitch decks, and how to break into the VC industry as a student. Plus, we'll get insights from Amai's experiences interning at True Altitude and his current role at Tomorrow Capital, a boutique VC firm investing in credit-led models across emerging markets. 📈

Don't miss out on this exciting episode filled with tips and inspiration for anyone interested in startups, VC, or entrepreneurship. 🎯🚀

🌃🕺 Explore and interact with London’s nightlife in a completely re-imagined way:

https://buzzsocialapp.com/ 

Timestamps

1:10 Why don’t you go ahead and introduce yourself?

2:00 What’s the founding story behind Buzz?

4:35 How did you prove product market fit?

5:55 What type of person should use Buzz?

7:15 How does Buzz differ from the rest?

8:45 How did you push your product out to market?

10:25 Buzz’s national and international expansion

11:15 What’s your business model?

13:20 How do you build a tech product as a non-technical cofounder?

14:45 How did you vet your first few technical hires and were they successful?

16:55 Where do you want Buzz to be in the next five years?

18:25 What was your defining moment?

19:45 What do True Altitude and Tomorrow Capital specialise in?

22:10 What are some of your responsibilities at Tomorrow Capital?

23:40 How does Tomorrow Capital invest?

25:15 How did you go about finding work experience at a VC?

25:55 What advice would you give to a student trying to break into the VC industry?

28:00 What’s the key to writing good pitch decks?

29:15 What’s a common red flag you see in pitch decks?

30:00 If you could change one thing about society, what would it be?

31:49 If you could interview anyone, fictional, dead or alive, who would you interview?

Thank you Humzah Rahman for self-producing this ep! 😎

The Beyond Profit Series

Hosted by Laura Calle

María Clara Mesa is a Colombian entrepreneur that fell in love with technology and healthcare. ❤

She is a partner of Alternova, a software development company focused on digital health, specialising in developing digital therapeutic video games and gaming-inspired digital products. 🎮👩‍⚕️

Alternova has become an essential player in the health tech industry, having clients such as Stanford, MIT, UCSF, Brain Balance Centers, Children National, DoD, and Takeda. They create digital therapeutics (which includes video games), patient monitor apps and platforms, and platforms to collect and process healthcare. 🏫

María Clara, besides having a full-time job in Alternova, is also a startup mentor to provide qualified autism innovators with the resources they need to scale their ideas. Besides this, she is a baby angel investor, a diversity and women in tech advocate and has recently been interested in using psychedelics for medicinal purposes. 💰🍄

María Clara has a high educational background as she is a lawyer, studied business administration and has a master’s in International Business and Business Analytics. 👏

Check out Alternova:

https://www.alternova.co/

Timestamps:

1:35 - Who is María Clara?

2:10 - Alternova’s transition from VR construction to healthcare and gaming

4:00 - Realising your company has no real purpose

4:59 - Finding your company’s purpose

5:48 - Shifting your employees into a completely different industry

7:35 - Feeling the impact

9:43 - Video games that help diagnose mental disabilities

11:20 - Why use video games in healthcare?

12:18 - How training athletes with cognitive VR helps them perform better and earn scholarships

12:32 - Games that help people with autism read

13:48 - A game that helps with ADHD, a possible replacement for focus drugs like Ritalin?

15:25 - Do you find visiting your GP fun? No, it’s probably sh*t.

17:40 - María’s vision for healthcare

18:43 - The intersection of psychedelics and tech

19:50 - Near-death family VR therapy, replacing your VR body with a ball of energy!

23:24 - What got María into neurodiversity work?

24:57 - María’s (and a lot of other entrepreneurs’) superpower: ADHD

26:54 - Women in science and tech

30:17 - Key to growth: forming relationships in key countries like the US

33:04 - How to maintain a work-life balance? Say no

35:18 - The power of music, meditation, and water

37:26 - María’s unconventional book recommendations

43:05 - María’s dream interview guest

Special shoutout to Jessica Ge for producing this episode! 😼

The Bits & Bytes Series - Paul Miller

Hosted by Sia Sia

Paul Miller, OBE, is the CEO of Bethnal Green Ventures, an early-stage tech-for-good VC. The VC was established in 2012 and has invested in 166 ventures since then. Previously, Paul was a Co-Founder of the School of Everything, which has raised over £350,000 in seed funding in 2008. 🏫🤑

Check out BGV:

https://www.bethnalgreenventures.com/

Timestamps:

2:00 - Introduction

3:00 - What is venture capital?

4:20 - Terminology: General Partners and Limited Partners

6:40 - Discussion of the Economist’s view on Venture Capitalists

20:53 - Strengths and weaknesses of operating in London vs Europe

29:55 - As interest rates are high, is deployment of capital affected in the venture capital business?

39:00 - Challenges of raising money as a venture capitalist

42:09 - Discussion of ‘Bad Blood’ and Theranos, and accounting for deception

49:27 - Importance of passion for a startup to succeed

57:18 - What is the difference between a successful and non-successful startup?

Special shoutout to Valli Vikram for producing this episode! 😍

The Bits & Bytes Series - Micol Hafez and Annabel de Gheldere

Hosted by Sarah Baek

Micol and Annabel, the co-founders of Womco, both suffered from severe hormonal imbalances since their first period, which greatly affected their daily energy, mood, and activities. However, they were able to take control of their health by researching and understanding how to live and eat in alignment with their menstrual cycles. 👩💘

Alongside Jacopo, a PhD scientist with a background in biotech endometriosis research, he brings a wealth of scientific knowledge to the team. Together, they are committed to helping all women achieve their highest potential through personalised nutrition aligned with the latest research in the field of hormonal health. 🩺👩‍⚕️

Annabel: Meet Annabel, responsible for crafting Womco’s vision, strategy, and ambitions. Annabel has a BA in International Business, MSc in Sustainable Development and MBA from Tel Aviv University. She has prior experience working in foodtech in the alternative proteins sector at Aleph Farms. 👩‍🌾

Micol: CPO Micol focuses on developing product ideas and features to enhance user experience. Micol has a BA in Biochemistry from Columbia University and MRes in Bioengineering from Imperial College London. She has previous experience working at Halma Life Sciences and runs a food blog with >30k subscribers. 🤩

Maximise your hormones through the power of food:

https://www.womco.co.uk/

Timestamps:

00:54 - Who are Annabel and Micol?

2:29 - The birth of Womco

4:30 - Womco’s defining moment: seeing a real need

6:45 - Not just another health tech…

11:35 - Can friends become reliable co-founders? Spoiler: Yes!

14:08 - Fundraising, not an easy feat

15:06 - Overcoming rejection, keep it flowing!

16:45 - Getting investment for a women’s health app from male investors

17:52 - Is Womco the future of women’s health?

20:10 - Embracing failure is the key to success

22:28 - BYOB? Be Your Own Boss

24:06 - That ‘right’ moment is now!

24:31 - Secret to success: fake it till you make it

27:58 - Being bold to get stronger

Thanks to Jessica Ge for producing this episode! 😼

The Bits & Bytes Series - Justin Kolbeck

Hosted by Udbela Escanero

Justin Kolbeck is co-founder and CEO of Wildtype, which is on a mission to create the cleanest, most sustainable seafood on the planet. 🐠 Before Wildtype, he spent nearly five years as a consultant at Strategy& helping companies develop and launch products, grow into new markets, and operate efficiently. Justin started his career as a Foreign Service Officer, serving in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Australia, and Washington DC. 🌍 He is a graduate of the Yale School of Management, L’Institut d’Études Politiques de Paris, and UC Berkeley. 🤓🚀

Come build a better food system:

https://www.wildtypefoods.com/

Timestamps:

1:30 - Who is Justin Kolbeck?

3:30 - What was your defining moment?

6:30 - The state of the commercial fishing industry and its implications for the environment

14:20 - Why did you choose salmon?

18:30 - Outlining the cellular agriculture industry

22:40 - When will this technology hit the market?

24:40 - What are the biggest challengers you’re facing and what have been the best experiences so far with Wildtype?

28:30 - How did you go about raising money?

32:00 - How did you get into the startup world and how did your education help you?

34:50 - If you could change one thing about society what would it be?

37:22 - What is an unconventional truth you believe in and what advice would you give to students?

40:10 - If you could choose anyone to interview (dead, alive, fictional) who would it be?

Special shoutout to Udbela Escanero for producing this episode and Humzah Rahman for supervising! 💃🕺

The Bits & Bytes Series - Tessa Clarke

Hosted by Sia Sha

OLIO is an app helping neighbours to share food and other items to reduce waste. ♻️ Tessa is the co-founder and CEO of OLIO. A University of Cambridge and Stanford graduate, Tessa has previously worked at BCG and Dyson. OLIO has raised $43m in its recent series B and has 6m users. 🧑‍💻🤯

Check out Olio:

https://olioex.com/

Timestamps:

3.50 - How to educate the market about the importance of waste management

9.00 - Global waste trends: how much do we waste everyday? How does it differ between different countries and cultures?

16.44 - Main operational challenges

26:36 - Venture capital industry and the challenges of getting funding as a women founded business

32.00 - Is there a market for the business in China?

43.09 - Monetisation of the business

Special shoutout to Valli Vikram for producing this episode! 🙌

The Bits & Bytes Series - Jamie Heywood

Hosted by Laura Calle

Jaime Heywood is passionate about human and social development and has a wide range of international experience as a businessman in both regulated industries and scaling fast-growing businesses. Jamie studied Philosophy and Psychology at Oxford University and is the former Uber Regional General Manager for Northern and Eastern Europe, where he covered more than 70 cities and 12 countries including the UK. 🌏🧳

In Uber Jaime is credited with repairing relations with Transport for London after the regulator refused to renew Uber’s licence. And also, was the prime mover behind the acquisition of dispatch systems provider Autocab and the launch of the successful Local Cab service, through which Uber has expanded into more than 40 UK towns and cities by allocating jobs to private hire operators that use Autocab’s iGo network.👷‍♀️

Before joining uber Jamie was working for Amazon as the Director of their Electronics division in the UK responsible for both the Retail and Marketplace businesses.

And before joining Amazon in 2014, Jamie spent 15 years in telecoms, where he was Managing Director of Virgin Mobile in the UK (2011-14) and launched Virgin Mobile in India and Orange in Thailand. 📞

He was also CEO of Virgin Mobile in China for three years and started his career in Asia working for the Swire Group.

Timestamps:

2:20 - Who is Jamie Heywood? Jamie’s upbringing in Asia

3:42 - Leaving Uber and writing a book

4:15 - Technology shift -> society shift

5:50 - From top-down to bottom-up leadership

7:15 - Jamie’s talk at LSE, leading with principles

9:43 - The secret to Amazon’s scaling success

11:40 - Effort vs. results in leadership

14:00 - Swim, don’t sink! The reality of running a company

14:58 - Cultural differences from leading in Asia vs Europe

19:16 - How to maintain work-life balance

21:22 - Monkey management?

23:04 - Stop inheriting work from others!

24:20 - Virgin Mobile’s failure in China

27:36 - Take off your rose tinted glasses

28:34 - When failure hits your ego

31:45 - We’re all in this together!

33:33 - Life-changing books for Jamie

36:38 - What actually matters in life? Spoiler: it’s not just work

40:05 - Are socially aware introverts secret weapons?

41:37 - Prioritise riding the tech wave

43:26 - Who is Jamie’s dream podcast guest?

Special shoutout to Jessica Ge for producing this episode! ❤️

The Bits & Bytes Series - Erol Hoke

Hosted by Olivia Coletti

Erol Hoke, is an entrepreneur with a passion for finding ways of using technology to improve

society at large. Erol does everything from using machines to better understand the climate

impact of various businesses to making it easier for companies to drive value for all of their

stakeholders. 📚 Erol got his masters at LSE and believes that we need to leverage every tool we

have to make a better future. 🌍

What is Apiday?

https://www.apiday.com/

Apiday is a leading sustainability reporting platform helping investors easily prepare their ESG

reporting, drive change across their investments, comply with SFDR and boost their fundraising

efforts with LPs. 🤑🤝

From ESG data collection to reporting and certification, they help companies achieve their

sustainability goals. The Apiday platform helps companies easily collect all ESG data in one

place, automate ESG reporting and certification processes, and collaborate with third parties,

such as specialized ESG consultants, to improve ESG scores or make specific ESG

improvements.

Apidays Mission: to make sustainability easy, measurable and affordable for companies.

The world is changing. Focusing exclusively on financial performance is not enough for

companies anymore. Tracking and reporting on environmental, social and governance (ESG)

metrics is now a must-have. 🚀

Timestamps:

1:45 - How did you find your time at the LSE?
3:00 - Why did you choose the LSE and choose to pivot away from finance?
4:40 - How did you come to create Apiday?
7:20 - What services does Apiday offer?
10:15 - ESG framework fragility and Elon Musk
14:00 - Greenwashing and the reality of ESG
17:30 - How hard is it to gage a CEO’s ESG intentions from the outside looking in?
20:45 - What have you learned from Apiday?
26:40 - The significance of de-growth
35:10 - ESG online backlash 
37:05 - The importance and future of ESG

Special shoutout to Humzah Rahman for producing this episode! 👏

Episode #1 FoundHER – Jasmine Tagesson (Hormona)
Guest: Jasmine Tagesson, Co-founder & CEO of Hormona

Interviewer: Our wonderful collaborators from Women in Entrepreneurs at LSE

Guest Introduction

Jasmine Tagesson is the co-founder and CEO of Hormona, a femtech startup revolutionizing women's hormone health with AI-driven at-home urine testing. With a unique blend of business, finance, and creative expertise, Jasmine’s career journey has deeply influenced Hormona’s mission: bridging the gender data gap in medicine to empower women. The startup was inspired by her co-founder Caroline’s prolonged struggle with undiagnosed hormone imbalances and the hurdles she faced in seeking proper medical care.

Core Topics & Highlights

The Personal Mission Behind Hormona
Hormona was sparked by Caroline’s three-year battle with hormone-related symptoms dismissed as stress by doctors. A specialist in Brussels eventually identified the hormone imbalance, revealing a critical issue: 80% of women suffer from hormone issues, yet traditional healthcare often overlooks their needs. Hormona’s core aim is to empower women through accessible hormone data, transforming empathy into actionable healthcare solutions.

Operationalizing Empathy: Data-Driven Decisions
Hormona prioritizes equity and user-centric design in every decision. When beta user data contradicted historical norms, Jasmine’s team expanded their research rather than dismiss anomalies, ensuring diverse representation. The product encourages proactive health management—guiding users to test on strategic days aligned with their cycles to accurately capture hormone fluctuations.

Hormona’s Tech: AI Meets At-Home Testing
Hormona’s innovation relies on two key technological advances:

• Quantitative Testing: Proprietary urine test strips detect precise hormone levels across the clinical spectrum.

• Smartphone Analysis: Using AI and camera tech, the app instantly translates test-strip visuals into accurate hormone data.

In collaboration with SpaceX, Hormona proved its tech functions effectively in extreme conditions—even space—though adequate lighting remains crucial, leading to further app refinements.

Why Subscription Matters
Hormona’s subscription model isn’t merely a revenue choice but integral to its health-driven mission. Hormone levels vary daily, rendering single tests ineffective. Continuous monitoring over 3+ months allows women to build reliable hormone baselines, accounting for life’s variables (stress, travel, irregular cycles). Initially focused on direct consumer engagement (B2C), Hormona strategically utilizes B2B partnerships to expand reach while remaining dedicated to empowering individual women to advocate for their health.

Brand Trust Through Creativity
Jasmine’s creative background shapes Hormona’s approachable brand identity. By simplifying complex science into clear language and maintaining consistent visual aesthetics (soft colors, friendly typography), Hormona feels like a trusted friend rather than a clinical device, building confidence and accessibility.

Entrepreneurial Realities: Overcoming Self-Doubt
Jasmine candidly addresses entrepreneurship's emotional challenges, particularly imposter syndrome. Reminding each other, "If it were easy, anyone would do it," keeps the founding team grounded. Hiring passionate individuals who share personal hormone stories sustains Hormona’s heart-centered culture as the company scales.

Fundraising Challenges in Femtech
Raising capital for femtech poses unique difficulties. Many male investors struggle to relate, and the "femtech" label sometimes narrows investor interest. To date, Hormona has raised $7M primarily from women investors who inherently understand the mission, complemented by consumer investors with expansive networks for strategic growth.

The Bits & Bytes Series - Robert Barrow

Hosted by Sia Sha

Robert Barrow is the CEO of MindMed, a psychedelic biotech company founded in 2019. MindMed was the first psychedelic company that was listed on the Nasdaq and is currently in clinical trials - for example, for exploring the efficacy of LSD on generalised anxiety disorder. 🧠📚 The company has a market cap of roughly 700m and has received investment from individuals such as Kevin O’Leary. 🏋️‍♀️

Rethink your brain health:

https://mindmed.co/

Timestamps:

1:35 - What are psychedelics?

2:45 - Why are psychedelics controversial? Is the controversy based on valid concerns? 

7:25 - Has depression, anxiety, and disconnection been on the rise in recent years? Why is therapy not enough?

17:12 - Rob talks about his journey through MindMed, from a consultant to CEO, and the potential he saw in the company. 

31:39 - Rob discuss development of psychedelics and how they plan to take it to market.

32:05 - Are there any adverse effects of the usage of psychedelics? How does MindMed test for them? 

45:19 - How do psychedelics work on anxiety disorder?

1:00:00 - Rob discusses the end goal and vision of MindMed, and who he would like as colleagues in the company.

01:01:47 - Why did MindMed go public?

1:10:07 - Rob discuss planning for distribution channels

The Bits & Bytes Series - Emma Ridderstad

Hosted by Udbela Escanero

Emma Ridderstad is Co-founder and CEO of Warpin, the Stockholm-headquartered virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and extended reality (XR) company, helping clients including H&M, Disney, and Ferrari, train staff, market products, and enter the metaverse. 👾 With demand for immersive technology solutions to corporate issues on the rise, Emma is helping businesses bring their strategy into 4D through innovative AR, VR and XR programmes. 🚀🧑‍💻

Dive into the world of metaverse business integration:

https://www.warpinmedia.com/

Timestamps:

1:36 Who is Emma Ridderstad?

2:19 Warpin and the metaverse

3:34 The start of Emma’s tech trek

4:50 Moving into the metaverse

8:28 Warpin’s H&M x Moschino AR Fashion Show

11:34 On rights and ethics in the metaverse

13:02 Bullying in the metaverse vs in real life

15:00 Reconnecting with people online

18:53 What are the limits of technology?

24:24 The art of storytelling

25:44 Advice to aspiring female entrepreneurs

26:52 Just go for it! There’s no better time than now

28:29 Feel your worth

29:00 The importance of school for business

31:09 We. Need. Women.

35:50 What would Emma change about society?

39:04 Unconventional truths

40:42 Starting Warpin after a divorce and whilst raising 2 kids

41:55 Who is Emma’s dream interview guest?

Thank you Udbela Escanero for editing this episode! 🕺

The Bits & Bytes Series - Jessica Alderson

Hosted by Sia Sha

Soscyncd is a dating app launched in 2021 that matches people based on personality types. 💏 The startup has currently 10 employees and has recently raised $1m in pre-seed funding. 🕺🚀

Find your perfect match:

https://www.sosyncd.com/

Timestamps:

1:20 - Jessica’s background and why she chose to work in Equity Research?

5:50 - How did you get your internship at Morgan Stanley?

8:05 - Are there any parallels between finding a job and building a successfully startup?

9:20 - The importance of networking

12:00 - Favourite entrepreneurship book and blog

14:20 - Why did you quit banking and start SoSynced?

20:50 - How and when did you build and launch SoSyncd?

22:20 - Developing the platform as a non-technical founder

27:50 - Scaling and growing SoSyncd

30:00 - Proving product market fit

31:25 - Raising seed funding

36:00 - How do you market SoSynced?

31:30 - How do you leverage your network?

Thank you Humzah Rahman for editing this episode! ❤️

The Unwrapped Series - Eojin Yang

Hosted by Sarah Baek

In today’s episode, we interview a mountain-climbing, marathon-running, adventurer, Endless Jin! With a world record in climbing Breithorn mountain (4,164 meters tall) in Switzerland with 80 other women from 25 different countries, hear how Jin joined the first-ever all-female rope team in the world! 🧗‍♀️🏃‍♀️

Whether you care about sports or not, Jin’s inspiring journey and outlook on practising gratitude daily is one to marvel at. Joining us all the way from South Korea, the talktank is honoured to have Eojin with us live here in London! 🇰🇷

Follow Jin’s superhuman escapades:

https://www.instagram.com/endless_jin/

Timestamps:

00:55 Why are you called “Endless” Jin?

1:36 Jin’s record breaking mountain climb

2:10 Gender in athletic world records

3:02 What would Jin change about society?

5:03 “Just do it”

6:24 Stop blaming your failures on luck

7:01 Overcoming the fear of mountain-climbing

9:32 Travelling outside of your comfort zone (literally)

10:55 How a flight issue became an adventure

12:19 Jin’s advice to her younger self

13:29 How to become an adventurer

14:43 Sports: life’s best medicine

16:12 On running 8 marathons every weekend

16:45 Becoming an athlete model and influencer

18:10 No pain, no gain!

Thank you Valli Vikram for editing this episode! 🎧❤️

The Bits & Bytes Series - Matt McMullen

Hosted by Sia Sha

Matt is the CEO of Realbotix, a technology firm based in Las Vegas, the aim of which is to integrate robotic components and AI into high end silicone dolls. 🤖 Specifically, Realbotix has created Harmony, a companion robot that has been featured on Vice News, the New York Times, and Forbes. Realbotix has recently raised $3m. 🤑🚀

Make a new friend! 👯

https://realbotix.com/

Timestamps:

2:44 Have we made ourselves lonely?

4:02 Cave syndrome: we actually like isolating ourselves

7:55 What do people talk about with a robot?

12:09 Replicating consciousness in AI

15:00 In the eyes of AI, are humans viruses? Parasites to the Earth?

17:10 Robots do it better!

21:05 Robot vs. human therapy

22:30 Do people treat robots worse than humans?

26:30 Improving social skills by talking to dolls

29:20 Matt’s takeaways through the years

31:40 Why put bad human traits in robots? Why jealousy?

33:55 Trekking through the VC industry

38:04 Why crowdfunding didn’t work for Realbotix

40:20 The future of robot companions

Thank you Jessica Ge for editing this episode! ❤️

The Unwrapped Series - Sa'ad Shah

Hosted by Sia Sha

Sa'ad is the co-founder and managing partner of Noetic Fund, a venture capital firm with over $150m in assets focusing on psychedelic startups and the wellbeing space generally. 💆‍♀️ Prior, Sa'ad was a Managing Director at Carlyle Group, and a Director at the Royal Bank of Canada. 💼🚀

For all things well and swell, check out Noetic Fund!

https://noeticfund.com/

Thank you to Jessica Ge for editing this episode! 😜

The Bits & Bytes Series - James Lo

Hosted by Sia Sha

James is the Co-founder and CEO of mana.live, a content-sharing platform that democratises access to knowledge. 🗣 James is an ex-LSE student and has previously worked at McKinsey, Softbank, and Unicef, and Mana has raised a total of $1.5m in pre-seed investment. 🤑

Thank you to Jonas Eu for editing this episode! 🎧

The Bits & Bytes Series - Eugenia Kuyda

Hosted by Sia Sha

Eugenia is the Founder and CEO of Replika, a San-Francisco-based startup providing an AI companion. 🤖 Eugenia was a former journalist, completed and MBA from LBS, and is a Y Combinator alumnus. Replika launched in 2017 and has raised about $11m. 🚀🤑

Thank you to Jessica Ge for editing this episode! 😘

The Bits & Bytes Series - Charlie Wells

Hosted by Sia Sha

Charlie is the Founder and CEO of HelloSelf, an online therapy and life coaching service that synergistically uses therapists and AI. 🤖

Charlie has a BSc in biological sciences from the University of Oxford, and was a director at Ogilvy as well as CMO and COO of JustGiving. HelloSelf has raised so far $11.3m. HelloSelf’s mission is to help everyone be a better version of themselves. ✌️

Take a look at HelloSelf:

https://www.helloself.com/

Thank you to Konrad Dabrowski for editing this episode! 😊

The Bits & Bytes Series - Josh Luber

Hosted by Jia Qi Lin

Josh is the co-founder and Chief Vision Officer of Fanatics Trading Cards and the founder of zerocool, the company’s pop culture, art, and entertainment vertical. 🎨🖼

He is also a co-founder of StockX, the world’s first ‘Stock Market of Things’, where he led the rise from idea to billion-dollar company in less than three years, cementing StockX as the world's leading marketplace for sneakers, apparel, and collectibles. 🥾🤟

In 2019, Josh stepped down as CEO to focus on StockX’s ‘startup within a startup activities’, including leading the nascent trading cards vertical. A year later, he left StockX to return to his entrepreneurial roots with the goal of revolutionizing the trading card industry as he’s done for sneakers. 🤑

Before StockX, Josh founded and ran four other startups and, in between each, had varying corporate jobs ranging from IBM strategy consultant to Alston & Bird bankruptcy attorney. He has an undergraduate BBA and joint JD/MBA from Emory University.

He is @joshluber on social media.

Jump on the latest trends by looking at Josh's work:

https://stockx.com

https://www.fanaticsinc.com/fanatics-collectibles

https://zerocool.com/

In this episode, Dr. Guohao Li, founder and CEO of Camel.ai, discusses the vision behind his open-source project aimed at developing multi-agent systems.

Last year, Camel and Microsoft AutoGen were involved in an academic "conflict" due to AutoGen quoting their early works on Multiagent yet didn't give enough credit to the Camel team. It would be possible to say, that Camel is the earliest organization and research team to step into multiagent systems, almost half a year ahead of Microsoft.

About Dr. Li,

Guohao Li is an artificial intelligence researcher and an open-source contributor working on building intelligent agents that can perceive, learn, communicate, reason, and act. He is the core lead of the open source projects CAMEL-AI.org and DeepGCNs.org.

Guohao Li was a postdoctoral researcher at University of Oxford with Prof. Philip Torr. He obtained his PhD degree in Computer Science at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) advised by Prof. Bernard Ghanem. During his PhD studies, he was fortunate to work at Intel ISL with Dr. Vladlen Koltun and Dr. Matthias Müller as a research intern. He visited ETHz CVL as a visiting researcher. He also worked at Kumo AI and PyG.org with Prof. Jure Leskovec and Dr. Matthias Fey as a PhD intern. His primary research interests include Autonomous Agents, Graph Machine Learning, Computer Vision, and Embodied AI. He has published related papers in top-tier conferences and journals such as ICCV, CVPR, ICML, NeurIPS, RSS, 3DV, and TPAMI.

Now, he is building his startup to continue the research to find the scaling laws of AI in the multiagent system, listen to his story in the new TalkTank podcast!

00:00Introduction to Dr Guohao Li and Camel.ai

02:47The Vision Behind Camo.ai and Open Source

05:58Open Source vs. Closed Source: A Business Perspective

09:06Building a Community: Contributors and Users of Camel.ai

11:51Use Cases of Camo.ai in Startups

15:13Challenges in Building Reliable AI Agents

18:02The Importance of Multi-Agent Infrastructure

22:04Timeline for Multi-Agent Infrastructure Development

24:54The Future of AGI: Perspectives and Predictions

30:11Scaling Laws and the Role of Multi-Agent Systems

33:50Camel.ai's Initiatives and Achievements

37:06Balancing Research and Commercialization

40:51Collaboration with Mosaic ML and Competitive Landscape

43:04Academic Influences: Learning from Professor Philip Tull

48:56Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs

54:01Closing Thoughts and Future Aspirations

The Bits & Bytes Series - Dan Tang

Hosted by Sia Sha

Dan is a recent graduate from Imperial College and the co-founder of Sow Foods, a startup providing plant-based meat alternatives. 🥦 Prior, Dan co-founded Curie London, which is a TechStars alumnus company and has raised $120k in funding. 💸 Dan has also been an intern at Huawei and Deutsche Welle.

Come grab a bite!

https://sowfoods.com/

Shoutout to Konrad Dabrowski for editing this episode! 🙇🏻‍♂️

The Unwrapped Series - Jack Butcher

Hosted by David Murugasu

“Signal in a world of noise”

Today’s guest is none other than Jack Butcher, founder of Visualize Value. The brainchild of Jack’s decade long experiences as a Creative Director in Fortune 500 advertising, Visualize Value was born in 2019 and has since grown into an extremely successful product and consulting business. 🚀 Today, Visualize Value boasts a combined social media following of over 800k people across Twitter and Instagram (@visualizevalue). 🌎📲 Armed with his signature monochromatic and minimalist design cues, Jack Butcher is leading the field of visual storytelling towards the digital renaissance - one design at a time. 👾

Timestamps:

1:33  Introduction.

3:30  Jack moving to NYC early in his career.
7:32  Biggest difference between working for clients and being your own boss.

10:44  Agency work culture and environment.
17:00  What led Jack to start Visualize Value after two years of running his own ad agency, and the lessons learnt in that span of time.

22:18  Jack shifting his attention towards Visualize Value full time and the intuition behind that pivot.

28:30  Visualize Value design cues and branding.

32:16  Concept inspiration and notable influences.

35:19  Defining moment behind Visualize Value’s virality.
39:19  The fundamental differences between audiences on Instagram and Twitter.

43:00  Twitter’s effect as a platform for aggregating attention.

47:21  Grappling with the idea of centralised platforms posing a risk to one’s work.

50:18  The importance of Communities vs. Customers.

56:36  Visualize Value’s main product line.

1:01:31  Jack’s thoughts on how to scale Visualize Value.

1:08:02  Exploring NFT’s as a medium.

1:13:56  Understanding why ‘on-chain’ storage is so important for creators.

1:19:38  Luck or Skill?

1:25:20  Jack’s final piece of advice.

Check out Visualize Value!

https://visualizevalue.com/

Shout out to Konrad Dabrowski for producing this episode. 😉

The Bits & Bytes Series - Grant Canary

Hosted by Sia Sha

Grant Canary is Founder and CEO of DroneSeed and its subsidiary Silvaseed. DroneSeed is the largest vertically integrated reforestation startup on the West Coast, has recently raised $36m in its Series A, and is a Techstars and Elemental Excelerator alumnus company. 🚀

Grant has focused his entire career on sustainability—working at Vestas in China, the US and Denmark, and for the US Green Building Council. 🌎  He spent close to a decade founding and building a prior green company in Bogota, Colombia, which was later acquired. 💸

Check out DroneSeed:

https://droneseed.com/

Special thanks to Konrad Dabrowski for producing this episode! 😎

The Bits & Bytes Series - Philip Marais

Hosted by Jessica Ge

As you may have already noticed, this year, at the beginning of every talktank episode we shout out our sponsor, the OVHcloud Startup Program. 🙇🏻‍♂️

Well, today you’ll actually get to meet our generous supporter, Philip Marais, who is the leader of OVHcloud’s global startup program. An accelerator that has scaled up over 2,500 startups around the globe. 😵🌍

With 20 years in the startup space and experience in software development, consulting, business coaching, and creating his own university incubator, hear the startup expert’s advice for aspiring entrepreneurs! You might wanna take notes for this one…😉

Have a startup or thinking of creating one? Check out the OVHcloud Startup Program:

https://startup.ovhcloud.com/en-gb/

Special thanks to Konrad Dabrowski for producing this episode! 👋

The Beyond Profit Series - Roy Baumeister

Hosted by Sia Sha

Roy Baumeister is the President-Elect of the International Positive Psychology Association and Professor of Psychology at the University of Queensland, Australia. 🦘🧠 He completed his undergraduate degree and PhD at Princeton, and has worked at institutions such as Stanford and the Max-Planck Institute. He has published over 40 books and his work has been widely featured in outlets such as Dateline NBC, PBS, the New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal. 🙇🏻‍♂️

Special thanks to Jonas Eu for producing this episode! 🎧

The Bits & Bytes Series - Lisa Makarova

Hosted by Jessica Ge

Today we speak to our fellow beaver, Lisa Makarova. 🐻 Lisa is the head of LSE Generate’s GAP, a 12-week accelerator programme designed for early-stage startups to reach new heights. 🏔🏃‍♀️

Bringing insights from all over the world (Russia, Germany, America, and the UK to name a few), we hear from the woman who co-founded ZebraFarm, a resource hive for startups, and who is a visiting lecturer and entrepreneurship coach at Imperial- indeed living up to her status as a Top 25 Under 25 Entrepreneur in the Netherlands. 🌍🎯 With more degrees, scholarships, and achievements than I can count, it is my honour to give a warm welcome to our guest, Lisa. 🚀

Check out LSE GAP!

https://info.lse.ac.uk/staff/divisions/research-and-innovation/generate/lse-acceleration

And ZebraFarm! 🦓

https://www.zebrafarm.co/books/closing-your-first-investment-round

Special thanks to Jonas Eu for producing this episode! 👏

The Bits & Bytes Series - Glen Moriarty

Hosted by Sia Sha

Glen Moriarty is a clinical psychologist who founded 7 Cups after attending Y Combinator in 2013.🧠 7 Cups is a free website that connects those in emotional distress with trained volunteer listeners as well as professional therapists. 7 Cups has reached over 60 million people in 189 countries and collaborated with institutions such as Harvard. 🌍🏫

Check out 7 Cups:

https://www.7cups.com/

Special thanks to Konrad Dabrowski for producing this episode! 🎧

The Beyond Profit Series - Matt Griffiths 

Hosted by Elissa Chung 

It is officially in with the old, out with the new! The fun new way to shop now is by kilo! 🛍🤑

Today’s guest is Matt Griffiths, founder of we are., the company on a mission to redefine fashion forever. 🤯There is a good chance you might have heard of we are., as they have been taking over the UK with their second-life fashion pop up events from London all the way to Edinburgh.

Matt is your go-to guy when it comes to anything retail. From being part of the team responsible for scaling TK Maxx in the UK to today, helping brands with their merchandising presentation and working together with private equity firms and banks to close retailers all over Europe, it is safe to say that Matt knows a thing or two about getting a good deal. 

we are. Is playing a huge role in revolutionising fashion for a sustainable future, by taking the UK, and my Instagram feed, by storm.

**LSE students get free entry into any we are. events when they show student ID! 

Tune in to find out more! 🎧💥

Special thanks to Jonas Eu for producing this episode!! 😆

The Bits & Bytes Series - Mehran Sahami

Hosted by Sia Sha

Mehran is the James and Ellenor Chesebrough Professor in the School of Engineering and Associate Chair for Education in the Computer Science department at Stanford. 🖥🤓 He is on the advisory board of various startups and prior he was a full-time Senior Research Scientist at Google. He has recently published his book “System Error: Where Big Tech Went Wrong and How We Can Reboot”, which has been praised by the CEO of Netflix and President of the Ford Foundation. 🙌

Check out Mehran's book!

https://politicalscience.stanford.edu/publications/system-error-where-big-tech-went-wrong-and-how-we-can-reboot#:~:text=System%20Error%3A%20Where%20Big%20Tech%20Went%20Wrong%20and%20How%20We%20Can%20Reboot,-2021&text=In%20no%20more%20than%20the,%2C%20and%20job%2Ddisplacing%20robots.

Special thanks to Konrad Dabrowski for producing this episode! 🥳

The Bits & Bytes Series - Alison Darcy

Hosted by Sia Sha

Woebot Health operates at the edge of technological innovation in digital therapeutics, providing an app in which individuals can have conversations with a sophisticated chatbot that uses artificial intelligence. 🧠🤖 The startup has roughly 70 employees and has recently raised $90m in its Series B round from prestigious investors such as BlackRock or Andrew Ng’s AI Fund. 💸

Alison is the Founder and President of Woebot Health as well as a clinical research psychologist, who has held various teaching positions at University College Dublin and the Stanford School of Medicine. She is a rare academic who has managed to transform her deep clinical expertise into a timely, scalable solution for the growing mental health crisis whilst impressing investors along the way. 🎯

Check out Woebot Health!

https://woebothealth.com/

Shoutout to Jonas Eu and Konrad Dabrowski for producing this ep! 🎧

In this engaging conversation, Kevin Jiang, founder of Mangusta Capital, shares his journey from growing up in the Bay Area to becoming a prominent figure in venture capital. He discusses his experiences at SoftBank Vision Fund, insights on Masayoshi Son, and the investment strategies that guide his current work at Mangusta Capital. Kevin emphasizes the importance of relationships in venture capital, the transition from late-stage to early-stage investments, and the unique challenges and opportunities that come with starting his own fund. He also highlights the impressive performance of Mangusta Capital in its early months. In this conversation, the speaker discusses the intricacies of building relationships with limited partners in venture capital, highlights intriguing portfolio companies like Tax GPT, and delves into the challenges of developing vertical AI applications. The speaker emphasizes the importance of key traits in successful founders, shares personal philosophies regarding work-life balance, and outlines future plans for Mangusta Capital.Chapters

00:00Introduction to Kevin Jiang and Mangusta Capital

03:54Experiences at SoftBank Vision Fund

08:37Insights on Masayoshi Son

09:39Investment Strategies and Market Dynamics

12:19Evaluating Companies: Shipbob and Flexport

14:50Transitioning from Late-Stage to Early-Stage Investments

21:04The Decision to Start Mangusta Capital

25:49Unique LP Relationships and Fund Performance

26:30Building Relationships with Limited Partners

28:44Spotlight on Portfolio Companies

33:05Understanding Tax GPT and Its Applications

35:00Challenges in Developing Vertical AI

38:07Key Traits of Successful Founders

43:53Personal Philosophy and Work-Life Balance

47:08Future Plans for Mangusta Capital

The Bits & Bytes Series - Mike Quinn

Hosted by Jessica Ge

Today’s episode is all about purpose.

Mike Quinn is the co-founder and CEO of Boost, with a mission to power growth for the 100 million underserved entrepreneurs in Africa's informal economy who are creating sustainable jobs and income for the future. 🏃🏿‍♂️

Prior to Boost, Mike was the co-founder and CEO of Zoona, one of Africa's earliest Fintechs. During his 10-year tenure, Zoona processed $2.5 billion of transactions, generated $26 million in income for 3,000 micro-entrepreneurs, and raised $35 million in investment.

Also a masters alumni from LSE, Mike has written the highly rated book: “Failing to Win: Hard-earned lessons from a purpose-driven startup”. With startup insights from all over Africa, tune into today’s purpose-driven episode! 🌍

Check out Mike's book:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Failing-Win-Hard-Earned-Purpose-Driven-Start-Up/dp/B09C91P95D

Shoutout to Konrad Dabrowski for producing this ep! 🙌

The Bits & Bytes Series - Iris Ten Teije 

Hosted by David Murugasu 

Today on the show, we have Iris Ten Teije, co-founder and CEO of Koia. 

Koia is an alternative investments platform that allows anyone, with just 50 dollars, to invest in their favourite luxury goods and collectables, from fine wine all the way to rare Pokemon cards. 🔥This is all made possible through fractional ownership, which Iris envisions, will make future buying and selling a fraction of a Rolex as easy as buying shares of your favourite stocks. Koia closed an initial angel investment round securing investors such as Gary Clarke, ex-Head of Global Equities at Blackrock, Gary Dolman, co-founder of Monzo and André Mohamed, co-founder of FreeTrade. Prior to founding Koia, Iris has had extensive experience in growing startups, having worked in multiple early-stage companies across Hong Kong and London. Since our recording, Koia has newly announced a $1.4 million pre-seed round. Investors in the round, who will be joining the existing group of backers, include Seedcamp, RTP, and Portfolio Ventures. 💸

A big thank you to Jonas Eu for producing this episode ✌️

The Bits & Bytes Series - Martin Schilling

Hosted by Jessica Ge

Most startups begin their journey treading through years of trial and error, but what if there was a way to fast track through it all? 🏃🏻‍♂️

Martin Schilling who is now the managing director of Techstars Berlin, received his doctorate from LSE, was the COO of N26 (a German mobile bank valued at $9 billion), was the Managing Director of McKinsey’s consulting subsidiary, and the co-creator of 5 ventures who wrote a step-by-step manual on how to scale a startup to a unicorn. 🦄💸 Through his latest book, The Builder’s Guide to the Tech Galaxy, Martin details every aspect of scaling a business, from pinpointing your ‘North Star’ to precise errors you should avoid when negotiating employee stock options. 📚

With over 100 industry professionals and unicorn founders contributing to this startup handbook, join us in today’s episode as we explore the tech galaxy together. Welcome aboard the spaceship Martin! 🚀

Check out The Builder's Guide to the Tech Galaxy!

https://buildersguide.org/

Major thanks to Konrad Dabrowski for producing this episode. 👏

Artistpreneurs Series - Samanah Duran

Hosted by Elissa Chung

This week we have a conversation with Samanah Duran - this Forbes 30 under 30 honouree is a British entrepreneur, TV personality and podcaster with a fierce emphasis on inspiring individuals to embrace their own identity and take pride in their individuality through BEYOUROWN 🔥

First known for the crafting of indulgent streetwear brand Critics Clothing back in 2012, today, Samanah is best known for her work within female entrepreneurship and digital media through the launching of her own digital media and news company BEYOUROWN, dedicated to supporting entrepreneurs by giving them access to tools and relevant resources that are often hard to find. 

Listen to how Samanah successfully brought BEYOUROWN’s from a not-for-profit organisation to, today, having an estimated value of £1 million!

Check out BEYOUROWN:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samanahduran https://www.instagram.com/beyourownuk

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Samanahduran https://twitter.com/beyourownuk

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beyourownuk/ https://www.facebook.com/samanah.duran/

Website: www.beyourown.org

A big thank you to Jonas Eu for producing this episode 😎