Invest in Progress – Details, episodes & analysis

In this bonus episode of Invest in Progress, hear from the company revolutionising global money movement.

With international payments a profitable afterthought for the banks, it’s been left to a newcomer to build the best way of moving money around the world. Meet Wise.

Wise's chief executive and co-founder, Kristo Käärmann, and Scottish Mortgage deputy manager Lawrence Burns, discuss the fintech's remarkable rise, which offers low-cost, faster cross-border transactions for millions.

Check the podcast description to ensure this content is suitable for you. Your capital is at risk. 

Credits:

Presenter: Claire Shaw

Production manager: Niamh Kidd

Production team: Baillie Gifford

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hear how this company has a 9-year head start on utilising AI.

David Jones, founder of digital-only marketing agency The Brandtech Group, tells Lawrence Burns how his company makes marketing better, faster and cheaper.

The offering is simple. Brands need help maintaining their identity amid the noise of the digital world. They also need help keeping up with ever-increasing complexity and ever-changing trends on a global scale.

The Brandtech Group provides end-to-end digital solutions to help global brands stay ahead of the curve, from in-house content creation, to hyper targeted digital campaigns, to influencer marketing.

And the company has always had technological development at its core, meaning the recent craze around artificial intelligence comes as no surprise. In fact, they’ve been utilising AI for almost a decade.

Because of this, Brandtech is now the leading generative AI marketing group – ‘not only can we create content 10x faster but we're seeing 2x the performance on it’. But Jones also cautions ‘we are in mile one of the marathon’ as ‘the rule of modern marketing is it will just get more complex.’

Brandtech’s willingness to embrace technology and make strategic acquisitions not only gives it a substantial head start. But it also increases the likelihood of the company remaining a key player in a $750bn per year global industry, making it an attractive position in the Scottish Mortgage portfolio.

Check the podcast description to ensure this content is suitable for you. Your capital is at risk.

Credits:

Presenter: Claire Shaw

Audio production agency: Listen

Producer: Shannon Delwiche

Executive producer: Suzy Grant

Production manager: Niamh Kidd

Editorial lead: Malcolm Borthwick

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We speak to Recursion Pharmaceuticals about its use of artificial intelligence, data science, and robotics to create medicinal drugs more efficiently than before and at a lower cost.

In this episode, Recursion’s co-founder and CEO Chris Gibson tells Scottish Mortgage’s manager Tom Slater how the firm uses cutting-edge technologies to create novel insights about biology and chemistry that can lead to potential treatments. They discuss why Recursion’s methods mean it can target rare diseases, which might not make financial sense for more traditional drug companies to explore. In addition, they discuss the importance of company culture and taking time to onboard new recruits.

Recursion Pharmaceuticals was founded 10 years ago. It performs millions of experiments every week using high-precision robotics. Researchers then analyse the results using machine learning techniques to home in on promising drug candidates.

The company already has five drugs in clinical trials. One of these is a potential treatment for cerebral cavernous malformations, which are abnormally shaped brain or spinal cord blood vessels. These can cause seizures and problems with balance and walking. As its technology improves over time, Recursion hopes to tackle a broader range of diseases, potentially improving millions of people’s lives.

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Read more:

Recursion provides business updates and reports fourth quarter and fiscal year 2022 financial results

Credits:

• Presenter: Claire Shaw
• Audio production agency: Listen
• Producer: Phil Sansom
• Executive producer: Suzy Grant
• Production manager: Niamh Kidd
• Editorial lead: Malcolm Borthwick

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We speak to Ocado about how its futuristic technology and platform have cut the cost of preparing home deliveries and unlocked vast opportunities in the grocery market.

In this conversation, Ocado’s co-founder and CEO, Tim Steiner, speaks with Scottish Mortgage’s deputy manager, Lawrence Burns. They discuss the enormous complexities involved in delivering groceries, how the firm stays innovative by avoiding complacency, and the origins of Ocado’s name.

UK consumers often characterise Ocado as being ‘upmarket’, given that they have been able to order Waitrose and Marks & Spencer’s goods from its site. But the firm also provides behind-the-scenes automation to the supermarket chain Morrisons in the UK and other brands across the world. Ultimately, Ocado aims to drive efficiencies that will reduce the price of the goods sold by all its partners.

With AI and robotics at its core, Ocado is one of the most exciting companies in Scottish Mortgage’s portfolio. From swarming ‘hives’ of robots within its fulfilment centres to its constantly-updated ‘smart platform’, the firm’s technology makes deliveries ever faster and more efficient, reducing food waste and making shopping a smoother experience for all involved.

Check the podcast description to ensure this content is suitable for you. Your capital is at risk.

See the robotic hives in action:

Ocado - A company with artificial intelligence and robotics at its core - YouTube

Credits:

• Presenter: Claire Shaw
• Audio production agency: Listen
• Producer: Phil Sansom
• Executive producer: Suzy Grant
• Production manager: Niamh Kidd
• Editorial lead: Malcolm Borthwick

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We speak to Denali Therapeutics about overcoming the challenge of the blood-brain barrier to treat devastating neurodegenerative diseases.

In this episode, Denali’s founder Ryan Watts tells Scottish Mortgage’s manager Tom Slater why he thinks his company can succeed where big pharma has failed to develop effective treatments for neurological disorders. The two discuss why the biotech company is not only targeting Alzheimer’s but Parkinson’s and the motor neurone disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), among other conditions. In addition, they cover the importance of giving the firm’s staff a strong sense of mission and the need to be prepared for failures along the way.

Denali is tackling one of the greatest medical challenges of our time. Every day in the UK, 600 people develop dementia, and roughly one in 14 people over the age of 65 currently live with its effects. Alzheimer’s is the most common form of the condition, and no cure or treatment currently slows it down.

Denali’s development of a technology that effectively sneaks large molecules through the biological shield protecting our brains from toxins addresses a factor that has frustrated previous efforts to design viable drugs. It has already developed a promising treatment for Hunter Syndrome, a condition in which the body doesn’t break down sugar molecules causing damage to the brain, and it has candidate drugs for several other diseases in its pipeline.

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Read more:

Denali Therapeutics announces key anticipated 2023 milestones for its therapeutic portfolio for neurodegeneration and lysosomal storage diseases

Credits:

• Presenter: Claire Shaw
• Audio production agency: Listen
• Producer: Phil Sansom
• Executive producer: Suzy Grant
• Production manager: Niamh Kidd
• Editorial lead: Malcolm Borthwick

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We talk to MercadoLibre about squaring up to Amazon and the need for constant innovation.

In this episode, MercadoLibre’s chief financial officer, Pedro Arnt speaks to Scottish Mortgage’s deputy manager Lawrence Burns. The conversation covers the company’s early days, how it keeps Amazon at bay, and the firm’s role in shaping the future of the Americas.

Meaning ‘free market’, its online marketplace lets smaller businesses sell to the masses. In addition, the firm delivers reliable, low-cost financial services to all via mobile apps. That includes many who don’t have a separate bank account. In doing so, it allows millions of people to pay and be paid, to borrow, lend and invest. In a region often beset by political and economic turmoil, the firm has the potential to generate huge long-term value for society and its shareholders.

Check the podcast description to ensure this content is suitable for you. Your capital is at risk.

Read more:

MercadoLibre: the fintech liberating financial services and ecommerce

Why we own MercadoLibre

Credits:

• Presenter: Claire Shaw
• Audio production agency: Listen
• Producer: Phil Sansom
• Executive producer: Suzy Grant
• Production manager: Niamh Kidd
• Editorial lead: Malcolm Borthwick

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We talk to Zipline about building the world logistics system of the future.

In this episode, Zipline's founder Keller Rinaudo Cliffton talks to Scottish Mortgage's manager Tom Slater. They discuss the benefits of working in Africa; how a mission can give a company its competitive edge; and their vision for approximating teleportation with instant delivery.

Founded in 2014, Zipline’s first contract was with the government of Rwanda to deliver blood to its hospitals. Since then it’s expanded to Ghana, Japan, Nigeria, and the US, and moved beyond medical supplies to everyday shopping and groceries. While they’ve received attention for their innovative, clean-energy drones, it’s also their software infrastructure, organisational competency, and inspiring vision that has enabled their extraordinary growth.

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Read more:

Effect of unmanned aerial vehicle (drone) delivery on blood product delivery time and wastage in Rwanda: a retrospective, cross-sectional study and time series analysis

Leapfrogging for Last-mile Delivery in Health Care

Credits:

• Presenter: Claire Shaw
• Audio production agency: Listen
• Producer: Phil Sansom
• Executive producer: Suzy Grant
• Production manager: Niamh Kidd
• Editorial lead: Malcolm Borthwick

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What drives the world’s most innovative and exceptional companies? Scottish Mortgage invites you behind the scenes to witness the extraordinary conversations that are driving the future forward.

In this fascinating series, we go from ecommerce to Alzheimer’s treatments, drone delivery to cultivated meat, to discover the real secrets behind visionary entrepreneurs – as well as what makes them potentially great cases for investment.

Invest in Progress is a Listen production for Scottish Mortgage. The producer is Phil Sansom, and the executive producer is Suzy Grant. Mixing and sound design by Jonathan Last. From Scottish Mortgage, the presenter is Claire Shaw, the production manager is Niamh Kidd, and the editorial lead is Malcolm Borthwick.

Check the podcast description to ensure this content is suitable for you. Your capital is at risk.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pioneering a potential trillion-dollar industry, Climeworks removes CO2 from the air and stores it underground.

In the latest episode of Scottish Mortgage’s Invest in Progress podcast, Climeworks co-founder Christoph Gebald explains the role the company hopes to play in mitigating those emissions that cannot be reduced by other means.

Climeworks’ dedication to its mission, its innovative direct air capture technology, and its commitment to scaling carbon removal make it a key player in the fight against climate change. As the first company to establish commercial-scale operational plants, its Iceland plant is the only one with third-party verification of its carbon removal capabilities.

Scottish Mortgage invests in Climeworks as an early pioneer in an industry addressing a global issue – climate change – where the company could become a significant presence over time. Within 25 years, direct air capture facilities could be as commonplace as wind or solar farms are today, and the industry an equivalent size to today’s oil and gas industry.

Although still early in its journey, if the company succeeds in scaling, it has the potential to create a multi-billion-dollar revenue stream.

If you're interested in using Climeworks’ service as an individual, visit: https://climeworks.com/subscriptions

Check the podcast description to ensure this content is suitable for you. Your capital is at risk.

Credits:

Presenter: Claire Shaw

Audio production agency: Listen

Producer: Shannon Delwiche

Executive producer: Suzy Grant

Production manager: Rachel Kay

Editorial lead: Malcolm Borthwick

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Stéphane Bancel believes Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine success could be the tip of the iceberg for its mRNA technology.

In the latest episode of the Invest in Progress podcast, Moderna’s chief executive talks to Scottish Mortgage manager Tom Slater about the company’s remarkable achievements to date and what that means for its future potential.

Moderna’s mRNA technology, which instructs cells to create proteins, allows it to develop effective solutions faster than traditional pharmaceutical approaches.

The versatility of the company's mRNA technology means it can potentially address some of the biggest unmet health needs of our time. That includes respiratory illnesses, cancer and infectious diseases, offering hope for millions of patients worldwide.

Bancel explains why the technology’s adaptability, along with Moderna’s innovative approach to scaling up manufacturing, could revolutionise how we treat disease and secure future revenues.

The company's commitment to research and development and its relentless focus on science and innovation positions it as a leader in mRNA-based medicines. That, along with the many potential uses of mRNA earns it its place in the Scottish Mortgage portfolio.

If successful, Moderna could have a significant impact on healthcare, preventing millions of deaths and improving access to healthcare worldwide.

Check the podcast description to ensure this content is suitable for you. Your capital is at risk.

Credits:

Presenter: Claire Shaw

Audio production agency: Listen

Producer: Shannon Delwiche

Executive producer: Suzy Grant

Production manager: Niamh Kidd

Editorial lead: Malcolm Borthwick

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.