Gary Reeman - Podcast Details

Shows

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanThinking big - aiming to change the world!William Tunstall-Pedoe's claims to fame include, in his first startup, Evi – which he sold to Amazon - creating the AI technology that now powers Alexa in 100s of millions of devices globally, coding the AI software behind the anagrams in the Da Vinci Code, and calculating that April 11th 1954 was the most boring day in history! William’s latest venture – Unlikely AI – who’ve recently raised a $20m seed round led by Amadeus & Octopus - is his most ambitious venture yet & could radically change the future of software & AI development We explored: why does the world n...2022-09-3019 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanBlockchain: game-changing technology or marketing hype?Ambre Soubiran is the CEO at Kaiko – a cryptocurrency market data provider who in June ‘22 raised a $55m Series B led by Eight Roads. Kaiko aims to become the Bloomberg of the blockchain & cryptocurrency worlds! We explored: Why Ambre gave up a successful banking career to build a blockchain startup How blockchain data services will empower decision-makers across many industries Why being too early can become a competitive advantage in a data-centric market Why successful entrepreneurs should obsess less about fundraising- it's not how about raising money, it's how you spend it! How to ensure a dive...2022-09-2633 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanBuilding a European SaaS unicornBastian Karweg is the Group CEO at Echobot & Leadfeeder – these 2 saas ventures were recently acquired & merged by Great Hill Partners to create a ground-breaking sales intelligence & go-to-market platform & appointed Zoominfo's former CEO, Derek Schoettle, as their Chairman. We explored: the strategic thinking & ambition behind the Echobot & Leadfeeder "arranged marriage" the opportunity to combine PLG with sales-led growth in an impactful go-to-market strategy key challenges & opportunities of unifying the 2 brands & the platforms the "unfair advantage" of having Zoominfo's former CEO as your Chairman! how to build a culture of trust throughout your business the ways in which the...2022-09-0823 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanThe future of software & the future of work!Tariq Rauf is the Founder & CEO at Qatalog - backed by $18.5 million in funding from VCs like Atomico, Mosaic & Salesforce Ventures - whose digital work hub enables organisations to scale fast with transparency, automated knowledge flow, & tightly aligned teams & projects. We explored: How Tariq started coding when he was 6, built his 1st software business when he was 12, developed software for major corporations throughout his teenage years & then chose to re-train as an architect! How architects learn to anticipate, & accommodate in their designs, rapid growth in user numbers unlike software designers who typically fail to plan for t...2022-08-2230 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanStravito: building a winning enterprise Saas businessThor Olof Philogène is the Co-Founder & CEO at Stravito who've sold their AI-driven saas research & insights platform directly to blue chips like Mcdonalds, Electrolux & Pepsi Lipton. We explored: Applying the Eric Ries concept of “validated learnings” when launching a SaaS business How a small European venture can sell enterprise SaaS directly to blue chips like McDonalds Why focus is your best friend - and how to retain that focus as your business grows The advantages of front-load your hiring How to build an effective autonomous culture For more Stravito insights check out https://www.stravito...2022-08-0322 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanHow to go as fast as possible without the wheels coming off!Alex Mifsud is the CEO & Founder at embedded finance disruptor Weavr – who recently raised a $40m Series A led by Tiger Global. Other investors include QED, Anthemis, LocalGlobe, Mubadala Capital and Seedcamp. Alex walked me through his: journey from academia to tech entrepreneurship learnings - including "how to go as fast as possible without the wheels coming off"! product philosophy: "put yourself in the shoes of customers and start designing the solution you would love to have if you were them" views on hiring & diversity: “the danger of cloning versus the danger of lone wolves” perspectives on the...2022-07-2723 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanDeepStream – the saas startup helping companies handle supply chain disruptionJack Macfarlane is the CEO at DeepStream Technologies. DeepStream's SaaS solution delivers a seamless, visible & automated procurement experience to clients like Maersk and BritishVolt. DeepStream was originally backed by TechStars and angel investors - before raising a Series A, led by Beringea, in 2021 Jack discussed: Switching from investment banking to become a tech entrepreneur Ensuring your employees develop a shared winning mentality & contribute to the company's vision Navigating the path from your startup dream to the reality of scaling your business Diversity – building an eclectic mix of people from the outset Why Pr...2022-07-1230 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanBuddy: SaaS startup helping hospitals to improve the patient experienceJussi Maatta is CEO & Founder at the Finnish health tech disruptor, Buddy Healthcare. Buddy's platform helps healthcare providers reduce their huge waiting lists & enhance the patient experience. We explored: implementing agile processes right the way across your organisation how a company's name can encapsulate the company's culture and ethos the pandemic's impact on the demand for virtual care solutions and better patient experiences how Russia's invasion impacted the team's Ukrainian developers staying fit & healthy to cope with the stresses & strains of leading a SaaS startup hiring a dynamic team of diverse individuals to...2022-07-0422 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanSastrify: how to hyperscale & have a lot of fun at the same time!Sven Lackinger is the co-founder & CEO at Sastrify - a rapidly scaling SaaS venture who’ve raised $23m dollars from major VCs like HV Capital and FirstMark for their SaaS procurement solution. We explored: Why 4 co-founders is too many - you're better off with 2 co-founders who then hire “experts” for the other c-suite roles The benefits of hiring world class talent anywhere in the world & how to build a completely remote team & culture Why Sastrify has launched so many virtual cultural initiatives like Friday Checkouts – where people thank a colleague for something they’ve done and sh...2022-06-1819 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanTransforming customer engagement & loyaltySampo Parkkinen is the CEO & founder at Revieve whose SaaS platform uses AI, AR & computer-vision to help brands and retailers like Number 7, Superdrug & JC Penney personalise the customer experience and build long term customer relationships. We explored: Why scaling yourself - as a leader - is the hardest thing to do as an entrepreneur “The Power Focus” – learning not to chase every opportunity and not to try to put out every fire How & when to transition your SaaS business from focusing on SMBs to winning large enterprise clients Why e-commerce is moving from transaction driven to relationship driven - shak...2022-04-0427 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanHow to develop a utopian culture in a rapidly scaling SaaS venture?Jonas Thordal is the Co-founder & CEO at Weld – funded by VCs like Frontline Ventures & Cherry Ventures Weld aims to build the world's most customer-centric data company - empowering customers to unlock the full potential of their data. We explored: Building a utopian culture – how to eliminate politics, tedious decision process & hierarchies Why one of your earliest hires should be a People Ops person to prioritise your cultural values Recognising that, even if you've a great product, people are what will make or break your company Developing a company-wide mindset of getting product out there, failing...2022-03-2226 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanCan algorithms remove bias & improve quality in recruitment?Malcolm Burenstam Linder is the Founder & CEO at Series A funded Alva Labs whose digital hiring platform helps organisations improve the quality & diversity of the talent they recruit. We explored: why combining data-driven AI & machine learning with psychometrics helps companies improve the quality and diversity of the talent they hire as we struggle with a global pandemic & a horrific European war, should companies behave like elite sports teams & provide their employees with personal coaches & therapists? the challenges of transitioning from being a hands-on but chaotic entrepreneur - who tries to wear every hat - to a c...2022-03-1127 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanNethone - Polish scale-up disrupting the global enterprise cybersecurity marketHubert Rachwalski is the CEOat Nethone who in 2021 were named Poland’s fastest-growing company in the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Nethone provides machine learning-based fraud prevention solutions to online retailers and financial institutions We explored: the arms race that pushes software innovators like Nethone to continue to develop advanced technologies and AI to keep pace with the criminals the importance of educating banks & merchants on the risks they face from fraud how a European SaaS startup can sell to international enterprise clients from Day 1 how Nethone has successfully hired strong senior talent remotely but faces inc...2022-03-0934 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanInvesting in start-ups helps you learn how to launch & lead your own business!Simon Bird is the CEO & co-founder at RevLifter who combine AI, hyper-personalization, data, algorithms, and cutting-edge UX and design to enable retailers to personalise their online offers. Revlifter raised their Series A from Gresham House Ventures & Maven Capital Partners - they’ve rapidly scaled to $10m ARR and sold to online businesses of all shapes & sizes including blue chips like New Balance, Harvey Nichols, Staples and AT&T. Simon discussed: How he formulated a successful SaaS business concept on the back of a napkin in a London café! Learning the good, the bad and the...2022-02-2825 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanTo become a unicorn, you’ll need multiple product-market fits!Arthur Nobel is a Principal at Knight Capital, having previously worked at Rocket Internet & co-founded Flexpat where he went through both the startup hype and the trough of disillusionment! Arthur wrote the best-selling book “Leaders of Growth” and hosts the Leaders of Growth Podcast. We explored why: The concept of a single product-market fit needs to be re-configured as a continuous journey of multiple product-market fits Arthur's goal - as a VC - is not to make money but to help others succeed & achieve their vision Market-timing is crucial - pre-pandemic, Arthur launched a comp...2022-02-1728 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanGain.Pro: SaaS start-up with a clear path to profitability!Nicola Ebmeyer is the co-founder at Gain.Pro - a 3 year old European SaaS fintech looking to become the Bloomberg of the private finance market! Gain.Pro already has a stellar list of loyal clients like Bain, Mckinsey, 3i and BCG - their ARR has consistently grown at well over 100% YoY and they've delivered exceptional NRR & NPS Nicola explained how Gain.Pro was established from the get-go with a clear understanding of unit economics & a clear path towards profitability. We also explored: how a large consultancy like McKinsey provides an excellent career f...2022-01-3125 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanCan an AI startup help get 1 million people back to work?Dr Shay David is the CEO at retrain.ai – a startup developing the world’s leading AI talent intelligence platform to unlock talent insights and optimize the hiring, retention, & upskilling of their employees. Shay’s previous venture was Kaltura which he took from inception to $100m+ in revenue – Kaltura ipo’d in 2021. Shay discussed: why he wanted to build a software venture to address a global societal problem how retrain.ai will solve the generational skills gap & help get 1 million people back to work key tenets of building a successful software startup: customer centricity, data centr...2022-01-2427 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanTeenage entrepreneur shaking up the world of AI & ecommerce!Oliver Edholm is a teenage entrepreneur shaking up the world of AI & ecommerce! Oliver launched the ecommerce SaaS startup "Depict" - funded by Northzone & EQT - after a spell at Klarna Depict uses AI to deliver Amazon-quality product recommendations for any e-commerce store enabling small & medium-sized retailers to compete on a level playing field with their largest competitors. Oliver explains how he: dropped out of school after having his worldview transformed by Nick Bostrom's book “Super Intelligence” became the youngest AI researcher in the world at age 15! 1st met his co-founder Anton, & seeded...2022-01-0425 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanFounder’s privilege: surround yourself with wonderful human beings! Neta Meidav is the CEO of Vault Platform. In 2017, inspired by the #MeToo movement and her own experiences with harassment, Neta left her job as a climate adviser to found Vault. Vault is a Series A scale-up pioneering TrustTech - a new category of ethics-enabling workplace technology helping companies address compliance, risk, and HR challenges. Neta explained how Vault helps with a range of work issues - including ethics, bullying, racism & sexual harassment. By giving people a voice, "you help them to speak up...you automatically create a more diverse environment". We discussed...2021-12-2728 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanWho gives a damn about TAM?!Jan Andriessen & Mick Mackaay are Partners at HenQ - a Dutch-based VC investing in European B2B software startups addressing "unexplored problems" & "defining their own markets". They've an exceptional track record backing unproven leadership teams who've subsequently scaled massively e.g. SendCloud - who now have 400 employees, 23,000 ecommerce clients & in September 2021 raised a follow-on round of $177m! We explored HenQ's refreshing approach to VC investing. For example, HenQ: are dismissive of the metrics that VCs & startups typically obsess over - who gives a damn about TAM?! are a fully remote VC firm - deal-sourcing is...2021-12-0635 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanMigration – a powerful driver of sustainable growth?Judith Dada is a General Partner at La Famiglia - a European VC investing in early stage digital disruptors like buynomics and y42. We explored a wide-range of topics including: “Learning the craft of VC” is more important than a business school education Migration should be viewed as a powerful driver of growth - hence society's perceptions need to change Migration and remote working can help startups overcome some of their talent scarcity & diversity challenges Augmentation may have more long-term impact on productivity than automation technologies Ethical & philosophical considerations are important for the future of AI - the...2021-11-1729 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanCan AI overcome human bias in VC decisions?Eva-Valerie Gfrerer is the founding CEO at MorphAIs - the pioneer in AI-driven VC investment. MorphAIs uses a data and technology driven approach to reduce human error & bias & make investments more accurate, transparent and inclusive. Eva discussed many data-driven VC topics including: ❇️ entrepreneurial talent is equally distributed – it’s the access to capital that isn’t ❇️ AI-led decisions can drive more inclusive VC investments and enhanced returns ❇️ data-driven behavioural science may help investors evaluate even subtle criteria like passion & perseverance For more insights into Morphais head over to https://morphais.com/ And f...2021-11-0721 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanCreating a culture where people will have the best 5 years of their working lives!Niels Brochner is a co-founder at Contractbook who provide document & contract automation to 150,000 users across more than 100 countries. Contractbook, based out of Copenhagen and now also NYC, have raised $43m – mostly from US VCs Tiger Global, Gradient & Bessemer Venture Partners Niels discussed: How to create a culture where people actually want to come to work – where they’ll have the best 5 years of their working life! Why US VCs are more supportive & impactful than European VCs How to identify talent with “StartUp IQ” even if they are not proven rockstars! The lessons business leaders can learn f...2021-10-2926 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanCamels versus unicorns - which type of scale-up are you?!Henry Alty, Investment Director at Gresham House Ventures, invests in process & workflow automation software, digital transformation, & scale-ups looking to improve the use of data & analytics We explored: the opportunity to build profitable, sustainable, scale-ups - "camels" - that many investors overlook in their search for unicorns how to scale from 3m-5m ARR to 10m-20m+ ARR - founders must be prepared to invest in expensive leadership talent, & to relinquish control of key functions, to build a genuine scale-up how Gresham's combined PE & VC expertise delivers value to growth companies seeking investors in an increasingly crowded...2021-09-2429 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanWorkvivo: speed + creativity = global successJohn Goulding is the CEO at Workvivo - an employee engagement and communication platform venture he co-founded in 2017 to create an engaging virtual workplace & replace the intranet. Workvivo’s growing 200% year-on-year & has over half a million users across more than 80 countries with 100% customer retention! Workvivo is backed by Zoom founder Eric Yuan, Frontline Ventures & Tiger Global. We explored how: effective CS & strong customer retention fuels great product ideas & makes companies a better, more enjoyable, place to work in a culture that focuses on speed enables you to outmanoeuvre much larger competitors creative emp...2021-09-0236 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanPurpose-driven culture & brand: vital for future market leaders?Gary Brotman is the CEO at Secondmind - a UK start-up who've raised $51m from VCs like Amadeus, Atlantic Bridge & Passion Capital to help companies achieve sustainability through machine learning. We explored: Is building a purpose-driven culture and brand crucial for any business looking to become a market leader? How does Secondmind leverage ML to help automotive innovators meet future environmental and regulatory challenges? How can you find the signal in the noise to solve business problems? Why are usability and trust...2021-08-3122 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanHow can we help startup founders & investors resolve their mental health challenges?Yusuf Ozdalga is a Partner at QED Investors and a Board member at Fidel API, Wayflyer, GetGround, Capitalise, Weavr, and Rest Less. He’s also a Jiu Jitsu bronze medalist! During our interview we delved into mental health and addiction issues and the Operation Lighthouse initiative: After 1 of their Partners, Greg Mazanec, died from opiate addiction, QED researched the mental health challenges faced by startup investors and founders. They discovered that – due to the huge pressure founders and startup investors are exposed to, they are many times more likely than most to suffer from depression, suicidal thoughts, ADHD or bipolar...2021-02-2427 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanWhy scalable culture & strong ESG standards will drive post-pandemic success storiesEmil Gigov, Partner at Albion VC, has been involved in 30 early stage & growth investments during his 2 decades as a VC. We explored: How Europe's VC ecosystem has evolved in the past 2 decades The metrics Albion use to track the ESG (environmental, social, governance) performance of their investments The 3 long-term growth themes that underpin Albion's investment decisions: technology, education and demographics How scalable culture and people processes impact on a startup's ability to grow and raise further rounds of funding Why the VC sector must better communicate the important role they can play in bringing back post-pandemic prosperity For...2021-02-2015 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanIf your message sucks - you’re just farting in the wind!Parry Malm is the co-founder and CEO at Phrasee – a scaleup who combine natural language techniques with AI and deep learning to optimize marketing across all digital channels in over 20 languages. Funded by Albion VC, Galvanize Capital and Next 15 Communications, Phrasee’s solution is truly revolutionary and delivers major ROI for blue chip clients like Ebay, Virgin Atlantic and Superdry. We explored the underlying problem that Phrasee set out to address - lots of companies focus on optimizing the operational efficiency of a marketing campaign: "You click a button and a million messages go out to a...2021-02-1425 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanForever changing how organisations succeed - scientifically!Pierre Lindmark is the CEO at Winningtemp – 1 of Europe’s fastest growing B2B SaaS scale-ups Winningtemp’s vision is to provide the science behind successful organisations - to forever change how organisations succeed! The company serves 700 clients in 23 countries leveraging advanced AI and providing science-based insights to dramatically reduce employee turnover and sick leave. We explored: Why founders and entrepreneurs need to train themselves to sell from Day 1 – even if they don’t feel comfortable selling How to create the mentality in your organisation to ensure that everyone is selling Why...2021-02-0722 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanCreating a billion dollar story for your investors!Eugene Kruglov is co-founder at AppFollow – a European scaleup who help businesses review and analyse their mobile app user sentiment, streamline customer support, and automate competitor and customer analysis to strengthen product roadmaps. Appfollow have more than 70,000 global clients — from small and medium-sized businesses to blue chips like McDonald’s, Disney, Sky and Sony – and they recently raised a Series A led by Nauta Capital. We explored: How AppFollow's founders switched from their initial idea of a quick profitable exit to creating a new market category and a billion dollar global story for their investors W...2021-01-1033 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanTookitaki: creating a new product category in financial & regulatory complianceAbhishek Chatterjee is the CEO at Tookitaki – a disruptive AI scaleup looking to shake up the world of financial and regulatory compliance. Tookitaki raised $20m in funding from the likes of Viola, Nomura and Illuminate Financial - and they’ve deployed their solution at a number of Tier 1 banks in Asia, Europe and North America. In 2019, The World Economic Forum recognised Tookitaki as a Technology Pioneer for its ability to shape the industry and society in new and exciting ways. We explored how Tookitaki is creating a modular "compliance-as-a-service" category along with an ecos...2021-01-0621 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanHow Emburse are creating a culture of inclusion and diversityEric Friedrichsen is the CEO at Emburse - who humanize work by empowering business travelers, finance professionals and CFOs to eliminate manual, time-consuming tasks. Emburse has 14,000 customers for their AP and expense management solutions - from start-ups to global blue chips like Grant Thornton, Telefónica, Lufthansa and Toyota. We explored Emburse's determination to create a culture of inclusion and diversity: "If we aren’t part of solving the problem we are perpetuating the problem!" We discussed their core values "SEEIT": Sincerity, Empowerment, Empathy, Individuality, Teamwork and some of their specific D&I initiatives. For example, E...2020-12-2631 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanHow to build a data-driven SaaS scaleup, a learning culture, & a new product categoryRoope Heinila is the CEO at Smarp – a saas scaleup disrupting the global market for employee engagement and communications. We explored Roope's learnings during a difficult first 18 months as an entrepreneur a decade ago, when only his Granny's loan enabled the company to survive! We examined the rationale for Smarp's pivot from edtech to employee engagement and advocacy. And we discussed how Smarp has developed and prioritised a learning culture across the entire organisation. Finally, we discussed the dramatic changes resulting from the covid pandemic - with organisations needing to find an effective an...2020-12-1418 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanIs Europe's VC Ecosystem Closing The Gap on The States?Erin Platts heads up Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) in EMEA and she’s led their growth across the region for over a decade. We discussed the huge transformation in the European ecosystem in last 5-6 years in terms of: Number of repeat entrepreneurs Depth and sophistication of capital Local aspiration & skillset to create global category leaders Diversification of business sectors being served by startups We also explored Erin's concerns that Europe's B2B saas ventures - many of whom appear robust despite the pandemic - may be over-optimistic especially if churn in Q4 2020 and Q1 2021 is higher tha...2020-11-2925 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanCEO's - Do You Really Understand The Difference Between a CRO & a VP Sales?!Pete Crosby is Chair of the Manchester Revenue Collective, founding member of the London Revenue Collective, and non-exec at Kluster, a revenue analytics platform. Previously Pete led revenue growth at Ometria and Triptease – 2 successful B2B SaaS scaleups – and he drove commercial operations at Viadeo from Series A to IPO. In a hard-hitting interview, we explored: DIVERSITY "Leaders should lead – even when it’s difficult to do so" Diversity is one of the tough challenges business leaders are failing to tackle Putting a black square on your linkedin profile does not demon...2020-11-2015 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanNikola Mrksic: 1st-time CEO challenges & learningsNikola Mrksic is CEO at PolyAI – a Cambridge University spinout who raised $14m in VC funding for their automated customer service solutions We explored why: society will be so much better off once fully automated CS solutions replace tedious customer service roles true conversational AI is so much more impactful than the "glorified chatbots" most organisations deploy being a 1st-time CEO with a technical background is such a joyful experience of personal growth recruiting your initial senior hires is so tricky - yet so crucial for business success and CEO sanity! the US market is so far...2020-11-0823 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanDawn Capital: Evaluating CEOs on Their Ability to Build a Kick Arse Team!Mina Mutafchieva is a VC at Dawn Capital – 1 of Europe’s largest venture capital firms who recently raised their 4th fund - a $400m fund investing in Europe’s most promising early stage B2B Saas ventures We explored why: Dawn Capital's #1 criteria in evaluating a CEO is "can they build a great team around them – can they inspire & attract talent they do not yet deserve?" resilience is becoming the #1 personality trait you need as an entrepreneur business leaders need to realise they are there to build a company & not to try to fix everything themselves it was a...2020-11-0222 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanNihal Mehta, Eniac Ventures - you learn the most from epic failures!Nihal Mehta, General Partner at Eniac Ventures, experienced the pain of building a tech venture that failed during the dotcom collapse. He's subsequently founded & exited several successful tech ventures - Nihal was also an early investor in the likes of Uber and Admob – so he’s got a pretty strong track record spotting disruptive companies with unicorn potential! We explored: the resilience of New York city - despite covid lessons learnt from the dotcom collapse that today’s tech entrepreneurs can leverage the need for tech founders to be able to answer this question: “Are you 1 of the ve...2020-10-1835 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanTech scaleups: making a difference to society & to the environmentEmily Bremner heads up operations & scaling at Signal – a UK scaleup who’ve raised $52m in funding from the likes of Redline Capital, MMC Ventures, Hearst Ventures, GMG Ventures & Frontline Ventures. Signal’s solution uses machine learning to help their clients track the competitive landscape & monitor their reputation & key regulatory changes — empowering them to make smarter, faster, business decisions. We explored: Why ESG - Environmental, Social and Governance - objectives are crucial for tech ventures & for society How Signal's solutions help their clients embrace ESG The initiatives Signal has implemented to strengthen diversity & inclusivity including: diversity shortlis...2020-10-1620 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanHow can founders prove to investors they'll be hiring machines?Ricardo Sequerra is a Partner at Point 9 Capital in Berlin. Point 9 invests in early stage b2b SaaS ventures & they’ve backed several unicorns including Zendesk and Typeform! We explored how & why early stage venture founders should: convince VCs of potential product market fit prove to investors they'll be hiring machines hire a Head of People long before they start scaling rapidly expand into The States to access proven scaleup leadership talent We also chatted about Ricardo's most amusing investment pitch experience - when a Brazilian entrepreneur pitched Ricardo moments after he'd finished praying at the...2020-10-0524 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanHow to fund your Saas startup with superstars like Thierry Henry instead of VCs!Gareth Capon is the CEO & Founder at Grabyo – a cloud-based video platform working with over 70 premium broadcasters, sports properties & digital publishers including FOX Sports, The Premier League, FC Barcelona, BT Sport and Sky. We explored how Grabyo: raised their funding from soccer stars Robin Van Persie, Thierry Henry & Cesc Fabregas and NBA star Tony Parker have maintained better control of destiny during the pandemic than many of their VC-funded peers are lowering their clients' carbon footprint – & helping them during lockdowns - as content can now be created from events without the need to be physically present We...2020-09-2828 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanHow to launch your own VC fund & shake up the old boys networks!Matt Penneycard is co-Founder at Ada Ventures, a $34m London-based venture capital fund investing in overlooked founders. Ada Ventures launched in December 2019 to shake up the “old boys networks” & unconscious biases that dominate the VC world With humility & candour, Matt describes: Ada's desire to invest in founders who are consumed by the need to effect change and create massive ROI How true early stage VC investing in the UK trails other markets especially the US The lack funding for under-served markets e.g. female-led companies The challenges of raising and running your 1st VC fund How Ada...2020-09-2032 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanWill AI make us all superhuman?Dennis Kayser is the founding CEO at Forecast who raised $5.5m in 2019 for their SaaS solution which leverages artificial intelligence to transform project management & professional services. We explored: Having launched the business in Copenhagen, why Dennis chose London for Forecast’s commercial HQ Overcoming Covid’s challenges through flat structures & autonomous teams used to working remotely How Forecast, from its inception, was created with a diverse workforce reflecting their diverse target customers - their 60 employees comprise 18 nationalities and a 50-50 gender split How and why AI will make all of us superhuman! Why Dennis decided to accep...2020-09-1419 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanBrad Feld: helping CEOs overcome covid's psychological challenges & build diverse leadership teamsBrad Feld has been an early stage investor & entrepreneur for 30 years. He co-founded Foundry Group, Mobius Venture Capital, Intensity Ventures & Techstars. Brad’s also a published author & a long-distance runner who’s completed dozens of marathons! We discussed: Brad's new book - "The StartUp Community Way" - and explored why the theory of complex systems is so crucial for startup & scaleup leaders The psychological challenges Brad has faced during his career as an entrepreneur and investor The importance of regular emotional, physical and intellectual resets The steps Brad has taken to help his portfolio CEOs overcome the psychological/emoti...2020-09-0634 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanThe Infinite Era of Marketing: how to outperform your competitorsMathew Sweezey, Director of Market Strategy at Salesforce, has developed a radical view of the Future of Marketing with huge implications for ambitious tech ventures. We explored: the crucial differences between the "Infinite Era of Marketing" and the Digital Era why purpose-driven businesses have significant competitive advantages in the Infinite Era why B2B ventures who create experiences will outperform those who merely create messages the increasing importance of AR, VR & "XR" for B2B marketers why companies need to create a new C Suite leadership role, & change their structure, to optimise for customer experience across the e...2020-09-0321 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanThe downside of accepting TOO MUCH funding from VCs!Marlon Nichols is Managing General Partner at MaC Venture Capital – a West Coast VC investing in technology companies that create infectious products benefiting from shifts in cultural trends & behaviours in an increasingly diverse global marketplace. Marlon’s also on the Board of Directors of Kauffman Fellows, is an Adjunct Professor at Cornell, and was previously Director of Investments at Intel Capital. We discussed: The challenges facing BAME VCs & BAME entrepreneurs trying to raise funding for their funds & their startups Why it is a financial as well as a moral imperative to invest in diver...2020-08-2727 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanEntrepreneurs: Please Do Not Stalk VCs Via Their AirBnb Listings!William McQuillan was the youngest Partner of a European VC fund when he co-founded Frontline Ventures in 2012. An early stage venture capital fund with €110m under management, Frontline has made over 40 investments across Europe. We explored: Frontline Ventures “platform” offering - the 1st to be launched by a European VC firm How the platform enables Frontline to track everything they do to add value to their portfolio The shocking stats Frontline uncovered on gender & ethnicity in dealflow The specific steps VCs can take to improve their ability to support diverse businesses The criteria Frontline evaluate when investing...2020-08-1926 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanFaisal Galaria: How to Innovate Your Way Out Of A Crisis!Faisal Galaria is the CEO at Blippar – a high profile augmented reality venture. Faisal previously held leadership positions at some of the world’s most disruptive technology companies including Spotify, Kayak & Skype. We explored how: Blippar is innovating its way out of the pandemic Faisal decided to join Blippar after the formerly high profile AR scaleup was rescued from administration Technology adoption trends and covid's impact on society are generating huge opportunities for augmented reality Blippar created a truly revolutionary product launch for OnePlus when their Nord 5G smartphone was launched entirely via AR & livestreamed globally to 0.5m p...2020-08-1819 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanOyster: The Tech Venture Determined to Reduce InequalityTony Jamous is the CEO at Oyster - a talent platform that enables companies to hire great people anywhere on the planet. Previously Tony co-founded Nexmo – a cloud communications platform – & led them to a $230m exit! We explored: How Nexmo grew from 10m to 100m ARR in 6 years & how leadership style & organisational structure evolved at each stage of growth Why Nexmo chose to exit via M&A in preference to the IPO route chosen by their US competitor Twilio How Oyster reduces inequality by lowering the barrier for companies in any country to hire talent in any cou...2020-08-1426 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanThis is The Perfect Time To Be Bold & Disruptive!Pontus Noren pioneered the "cloud-native" approach as CEO at Cloudreach, the scaleup he founded in 2009 – just after Lehman Brothers collapsed - & led to an exit in 2017. By the time Blackstone acquired the business, Cloudreach was a Leader in the Gartner Magic Quadrant, ranked top 25 in The Sunday Times Hiscox Tech 100, & ranked by the FT as one of Europe’s fastest growing companies Pontus is now the Chair of Tyk – an opensource API platform startup - & an advisor to several tech startups & scaleups We explored: The huge opportunity for startups to sell to large c...2020-08-1024 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanA model for diversity & inclusion in VC & techJanneke Niessen is a serial entrepreneur, investor, board member & mentor for startups and the co-founder of CapitalT, a VC fund investing in software startups using proprietary technology to evaluate entrepreneurial teams. She’s also the co-initiator of InspiringFifty - which aims to increase diversity in tech by making female role models more visible. Janneke’s won many awards for her contribution to tech and society including EY Entrepreneur of the Year in 2014 & Harper’s Bazaar Women of the Year in 2019 We explored: Why VCs need to be more dive...2020-08-0221 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanDon’t Hire Someone from IBM to Ramp Your Startup Revenues!Bethany Ayers, CCO at Peak.ai, has a track record leading high-growth SaaS businesses in GTM strategy, rapidly scaling their sales organisations, delivering profitable partnerships & fundraising from VCs. Peak - who raised a $19m Series A from MMC & Praetura - have deployed their enterprise AI solution at bluechips like PepsiCo & Asos to accelerate growth, profitability & sustainability. We discussed: hiring proven scale-up sales talent to ramp ARR from $1m to $10m! changing organisational structures & incentives to align outcomes in sales, marketing & customer success implementing ideas from brilliant thinkers like Patrick Lencioni to c...2020-07-2634 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanHussein Kanji: don't waste time with VCs unless you're a hyperscale startup!Hussein Kanji - Hoxton Ventures co-founder - is a US-born, London-based VC who's funded scaleups like Deliveroo, Darktrace & Behavox & was named by The Daily Telegraph as Europe’s most inﬂuential technology investor! Hussein explains why: Entrepreneurs should only approach VCs if they've a hyper-scale startup! Lack of talent with genuine scale-up credentials cripples the growth of European tech ventures European startups should quickly scale their sales & marketing teams in The States VCs, despite their high-achieving backgrounds, must learn how to be the dumbest person in the room! Partners at small VC firms must be prepar...2020-07-2440 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanLeanne Kemp: How will blockchain make the world a better place by 2030?How will the blockchain & the "circular economy" create a better world by 2030? Leanne Kemp is the CEO @ Everledger – an award-winning scale-up who use blockchain, artificial intelligence, intelligent labelling & IOT to increase transparency in global supply chains. Leanne is also Chief Entrepreneur at The Office of Queensland Australia and an Advisor to the OECD and the World Economic Forum We explore: Why blockchain technologies are a force for the good in terms of supply chain transparency & trust How blockchain will transform the World Wide Web into the World Wide Ledger The circular economy & why will this change the...2020-07-1322 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanSakari Pihlava: have 18 months runway when you pivot - or your business is doomed!Sakari Pihlava is a General Partner @ Vendep Capital investing in European B2B SaaS ventures. We explored: The advantages of product-led growth strategies versus marketing-led strategies How to identify consumer-like customer segments who can help generate hockey stick growth for B2B Saas ventures How to pivot effectively: Pivots should never be incremental - they must be significant strategic shifts Whenever you pivot, you must ensure you've 18 months runway - otherwise your business is doomed! For more insights into Vendep Capital head over to https://www.vendep.co...2020-07-1016 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanMark McDermott - would you like to deliver 6x revenue ramp & transition from SME to blue chip clients?Mark McDermott is Co-Founder & CEO at ScreenCloud, funded by Point 9 Capital, who supercharge the way companies display, interact with, & act upon key news & insights. We explored: How to deliver a full platform rebuild whilst ramping your revenues 6x! How to recruit a distributed team across 3 continents & how to flex the culture locally without sacrificing your core organisational values Why scale-ups must hire leaders who’ve rapidly scaled small businesses previously: neither early stage startup nor blue chip experience prepare you for the unique challenges of a scale-up How teaching fitness & gym classes has grown Mark's confidence in public speaking...2020-07-0741 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanAndre Francois: How to effectively evaluate WFH employee engagement & motivationAndre Francois is the CEO & co-founder at Happy at Work who's digital solution helps organisations measure & monitor their well-being and create sustainable work environments - rather pertinent in 2020 when people, businesses and society are suffering immense health and wellness challenges! This episode was recorded in late April 2020: Andre was in lockdown in Budapest – where he relocated before the COVID19 pandemic to join Design Terminalʼs startup accelerator Key insights from our conversation include: How to evaluate employee engagement levels & motivation in remote work environments Routines are crucial for remote teams - how to get the bes...2020-07-0520 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanRav Dhaliwal - there's no such thing as post-sales!Rav Dhaliwal, now a Venture Partner @ Crane Venture Partners, has 20 years of leadership positions in hypergrowth enterprise software ventures like Slack, Zendesk & Yammer. We explored why enterprise technology CEOs & leadership teams must: ensure customer success is everyone's priority - hence there is (or should be) no such thing as post-sales! change their hiring processes to ensure they hire for customer-success behaviours update remuneration models to incentivise customer success behaviours prioritise change management expertise across all leadership roles implement hiring processes that enable them holistically to understand the behaviour of candidates before they are hired For more...2020-07-0131 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanMark Roberge - The Science of Re-establishing Growth: Where, When & How?Mark Roberge is the MD @ Stage 2 Capital, Prof @ HarvardHBS, former CRO @ HubSpot & author of best seller "The Sales Acceleration Formula" We explored: Lessons from the 2008/2009 crisis & the bold decisions business leaders must make in 2020 The premature obsession with revenue growth versus go-to-market fit & customer retention How to hire a CRO with the ability to deliver SUSTAINABLE revenue growth The data required to ascertain if you truly have go-to-market fit How “group film reviews” can help businesses uncover strategies to navigate the COVID19 crisis How to deliver sustainable differentiation through network effects, algorithmic differentiation & an ecosystem of deeply...2020-06-2149 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanAlun Baker - disrupting the cybersecurity market @ Clario TechAlun Baker, CEO of Clario Tech – a disruptive cybersecurity venture - has decades of experience building & leading to exit tech ventures across a diverse range of industries including cybersecurity, ERP & IT infrastructure. We discussed: Why the COVID19 pandemic has massively increased our vulnerability to another pandemic: cybercrime threatens each and every one of us! Why the cybersecurity industry is not delivering on its promises - and how Clario is radically disrupting this industry Remote working strategies to ensure effective collaboration, productivity & strong team spirit Top tips for hiring virtually Why and how business leaders should aim to ut...2020-06-1633 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanAlston Zecha at Eight Roads: building a funding roadmap & using capital as a competitive advantageAlston Zecha is a Director at Eight Roads - a global VC who’ve invested $6bn in the past 12 years. Formerly with Apax Partners, Alston also founded & led the mobile payments venture Payleven who merged with SumUp 5 years ago. Alston reflected on: The resilience & focus he's seen from experienced entrepreneurs in the portfolio who’ve taken tough decisions during the COVID19 pandemic to support subsequent growth The importance of being human & remaining "in the moment" - especially during such troubling times Why capital as a competitive advantage was a blindspot for Alston when he was...2020-05-1336 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanAlexandre Pelletier, Cap Horn VC: Why profitable will become sexy againAlexandre Pelletier is a Partner at the French B2B VC fund Cap Horn. He invests in enterprise software & SaaS ventures like Powell Software, Reach Five & Saagie Prior to becoming a VC, Alexandre had leadership roles at Tata Communications and Microsoft. We discussed: The advice Cap Horn is giving to their portfolio to help them survive the COVID19 pandemic The vitality of unit economics - too often overlooked by startups Why "partnering with influencers” is a vital go2market strategy for enterprise software startups & scaleups Why Cap Horn don’t believe in unicorns, they believe i...2020-04-2238 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanMikael Johnsson, Oxx VC - intense focus to scale-up enterprise SaaS winnersMikael Johnsson co-founded Oxx VC in 2016 to help bridge the gap for European B2B software companies who have great traction but need capital to scale up. On 11 Feb 2020 Oxx closed a further $133m in funding to back Europe’s most promising SaaS ventures. Mikael's completed over 30 equity transactions and sits on several boards including the potential unicorn - Funnel.io. We discuss: Too much VC investment going into B2C startups hence many potential B2B ventures are left behind The viability of creating successful B2B ventures with slower initial revenue growth - typically overl...2020-03-1121 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanEyal Malinger: Investing in Rhinos – the unicorn’s ugly, but real, cousin🦏Eyal Malinger, Investment Director at Beringea - a transatlantic early stage tech VC - invests in B2B Saas, VR/AR & blockchain. He sits on the boards of Poq, Zoovu, Festicket, Aistemos, Papier & MPB.com. We discussed: Why VCs should consider investing in rhinos - the unicorn’s ugly, but real, cousin🦏 The potential environmental benefits of the next wave of enterprise AR/VR solutions🌊 Why startups should aim to polarise investors rather than please everyone they pitch to😄🙁 Brexit's impact on tech talent & investment in London👨‍💻 For more insights into Beringea's portfolio check out https://www.beringea.co...2020-02-0418 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanMartin Adams, CEO @ CODEC - The Hero's JourneyMartin Adams is the CEO & Co-Founder at Codec who’s Audience Intelligence Platform enables marketing decisions to be driven by data & evidence, rather than instinct. Codec were the winners of the Best Artificial Intelligence Product in Marketing at CognitionX 2019 and they’re backed by some of the world's largest investors including 500 Startups & Telefonica. Martin discusses: Leaving his 1st startup to immerse himself in IP law & social networking at Harvard, the birthplace of Facebook His obsession for using social data to drive creative and strategic decisions Consistently taking a contrarian approach to the market - even...2020-01-1219 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanPaul Coggins, CEO @ Adludio - Sunday Times Tech Track "Ones to Watch"Paul Coggins is the CEO at Adludio who's revolutionary 'Sensory Ad Science' technology delivers 10x results for blue chip clients - like Unilever, Nestle & PayPal - compared to traditional mobile advertising solutions. Adludio is 1 of the UK's fastest-growing B2B software scale-ups: having quickly launched in 3 continents, delivered ad campaigns in 70+ countries, & grown revenues 40% month on month, Adludio qualified for the Sunday Times 2019 Tech Track "Ones to Watch". In a candid wide-ranging discussion, Paul explains: that Adludio's founders were inspired by the lack of memorable mobile ad campaigns to create a unique solution to enga...2019-12-1027 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanThomas Davies: The CEO Decathlete - building a team of Olympians!After 20 years in the tech sector - including running Google’s European Enterprise Business Thomas - Thomas Davies founded Temporall to disrupt cultural analytics & help businesses unlock & measure the true value of their people. Since launching in 2017, Temporall have deployed their solution at dozens of blue chips including Rakuten, Google, Dyson & Arup. In this episode, we explore: The role of an entrepreneur - the CEO decathlete building a team of Olympians The behaviours & values you, as a leader, need to consistently demonstrate to attract employees who’ll make a real difference to your organisation & to your client...2019-12-0823 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanSampo Hietanen - Creating a Revolutionary New Product CategorySampo Hietanen - the founding CEO at MaaS Global - is delivering a revolution in transportation! MaaS Global - who’ve raised €50m in funding from various VCs and corporate investors including Nordic Ninja, Mitsubishi & Toyota - are the world’s first “mobility as a service company” offering a paradigm change in transport services. Sampo discusses The challenges of creating a category from scratch - especially when your product is dependent on your partners How MaaS Global is overcoming resistance from powerful incumbents Why persuading people to give up their car is the biggest qu...2019-12-0226 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanSonal Puri, CEO @ Webscale - disrupting the market for cloud hosting & cloud servicesSonal Puri is the CEO of Webscale – her 4th B2B SaaS startup. Webscale is disrupting the multi billion dollar market for cloud hosting & cloud services. Sonal talks about: Using deep tech to turn the cloud into a utility Replacing her talented, humble & self-aware founding CEO The potential dangers of pursuing a freemium pricing model How she learns each & every day from other startup CEOs & mentors Webscale's impact on $billion clients like Puma, Unilever & Tommy Hilfiger For more insights into Webscale check out https://www.webscale.com & for advice on hiring world class talent for B2B s...2019-08-1923 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanMark Roberge, Stage 2 VenturesMark Roberge is a senior lecturer at Harvard Business School, former CRO at Hubspot, Author of Best Seller "The Sales Acceleration Formula" and Founding Partner at Stage 2 Ventures – a new VC fund leveraging go-to-market expertise from the world's most successful software/SaaS ventures to support sustainable revenue growth in B2B start-ups. Mark’s also a regular on the conference circuit - his session was the highest-rated talk at SaaStr 2019! Mark discusses in detail: His framework to drive sustainable SaaS revenue growth comprising 3 stages: product-market fit, go-to-market fit and – finally – “growth and moat” His belief that...2019-07-2232 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanAmar Hanspal, CEO at Bright Machines - 1 of the hottest AI/robotics start-ups in the world!Amar Hanspal is the founding CEO at Bright Machines - a startup combining intelligent software with flexible factory robots & machine learning to meet the demands of the next generation of manufacturing - who recently closed a $179 million Series A. Amar discusses: The “happy collision” that brought the Bright Machines founding team together to address a $60bn-$100bn market opportunity The adventurous & disruptive profile of Bright Machines’ employees: “missionaries & mountaineers” How Bright Machines' exceptional leadership team - addressing a huge market opportunity with an aggressive business plan - raised their impressive Series A For more insights into Bright...2019-01-0332 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanChristian Owens, CEO @ Paddle - The UK's fastest growing software scale-upChristian Owens is the founding CEO at Paddle - the UK’s fastest growing software startup - who've raised $25m in VC funding, tripled revenue every year for 6 years & tripled headcount in the past 9 months. Christian discusses: How to scale your team from 50 to 150 people in 9 months How to ensure your company is the employer of choice The CEO’s day2day challenge: keeping 150+ bosses happy How to raise smart VC funding For more insights into Paddle check out https://paddle.com & for advice on hiring world class talent for start-ups and scale-ups head over to ht...2018-12-1225 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanAngelique Mohring - how GainX raised funding & prospered in the male-dominated tech startup sectorAngelique Mohring is the founding CEO at GainX: a machine learning platform that helps corporates accelerate global restructuring, transformation & growth. Angelique explains The challenges she’s faced as a female founder/CEO raising money in a male-dominated industry Why she chose to launch her global HQ in the UK - despite Brexit... How to conceive & launch your business during a strategic retreat at a 5* resort! How she reduced the GainX sales cycle from 18 months to 3 days For more insights into GainX check out https://www.gainx.com & for advice on hiring world class talent for soft...2018-11-2629 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanViviana Faga & Doug Landis, Emergence CapitalEmergence Capital is one of the world’s leading enterprise Saas VC funds – with 7 exits in excess of $500m including Salesforce, SuccessFactors & Box. Doug and Viv joined Emergence - as Growth Partner and Operating Partner respectively - to share their expertise in delivering successful go-to-market and growth strategies at companies like Salesforce and Box. They discuss: How to prioritise & dominate your target verticals Why you should hire a marketing lead before you invest in sales expertise How to create a new software category for your business How to build harmony & efficiency between your sales & market...2018-11-0739 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanCarles Ferrer - Nauta Capital investing in capital-efficient disruptors Carles Ferrer is a General Partner at Nauta Capital – a European enterprise software VC fund - and he’s invested in companies like BeMyEye, Brandwatch and ChannelSight. Carles discusses: Nauta's philosophy of investing in capital efficient disruptors How Nauta’s regional hub focus within Europe, combined with their sector focus, differentiates them from other VC funds When expanding from Europe to The States – how to get the timing & the talent right! Future themes Nauta are prioritising including the massive disruption of the Retail sector both online and offline For more insights into Nauta's investments...2018-10-2527 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanScott Belsky: insights from his new book "The Messy Middle"Scott Belsky is an entrepreneur, author, and investor, and currently serves as Adobe’s Chief Product Officer. Scott’s also a Venture Partner with Benchmark and an early advisor and investor in a number of fast-growing companies like Pinterest, Uber, and Periscope. He is the author of "Making Ideas Happen" and in early October 2018 published his new book "The Messy Middle": The product or company launch gets cheered, the finish line gets celebrated, but the rocky terrain in between is woefully underestimated and misunderstood! Scott discusses his research & provides business & product leaders with tangi...2018-10-0224 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanEamonn Carey - Managing Director, Techstars UKEamonn Carey – once upon a time a TV producer and presenter - is now the Managing Director at Techstars London. He’s also founded and exited 2 startups and invested in over 25 companies globally. Eamonn discusses: The path he took from media exec to entrepreneur to investor Why enterprise software companies need to build character & mischief into their products to mimic the user engagement of B2C products Some of the key societal & technology trends he’s excited about - and believes could have huge potential for future Techstars cohorts For more insights into Techstars check out https://www.techstars.c...2018-06-2138 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanUsman Shuja @ SparkCognition - AI, IOT & Moneyball 2.0Usman Shuja is the GM & Head of Industiral IOT at SparkCognition – the leading provider of AI solutions for IOT - who recently closed a $57m Series B with Verizon Ventures, Boeing, CME Ventures, Brevan Howard Investment Holdings and Invenergy Future Fund. Usman is a thought leader in machine learning, cognitive computing, security, and industrial IoT – he sits on Forbes Technology Council - and also an international cricketer. Usman discusses how he made the journey from international cricketer to GM at a leading AI scale-up using AI to create the mind of a data scientist the “Mone...2018-06-0424 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanDavid Ratner, CEO @ Realm: “the enemy of best is not worst…the enemy of best is good enough”David Ratner is the CEO at Realm - the data management platform and solution that seamlessly handles connectivity, latency, transport and other backend details for mobile, IOT, and other connected apps.David’s previously had successful exits at Carrier Access and Openwave. Realm has a roster of high profile investors including Andreesen Horowitz, Greylock Partners, Khosla Ventures and Y Combinator. David discusses: Why “the enemy of best is not worst...the enemy of best is good enough” How and when to launch a 2nd product - when your initial product is a big success - and how to b...2018-05-2229 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanKjartan Rist - Founding Partner at Concentric PartnersKjartan Rist, Founding Partner at Concentric Partners, has spent the last 18 years focusing on the technology start-ups and scale-ups as a founder, advisor, Board member and investor. He’s been involved in over 50 transactions and founded or co-founded 2 successful VC funds and a merchant bank. Kjartan discusses: The valuable lessons he learned in his early days in VC from experienced investors - like Nenad Marovac & Steve Schlenker at DN Capital - and also Steve Papa, the founder-CEO at Endeca The value a local VC firm can provide to a tech venture developing an international footprint – in terms of strate...2018-04-1229 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanSteve King - DJ turned enterprise software CEOSteve King is the co-founder & CEO at Black Swan Data. Funded by Mitsui, Blackstone & Albion Capital - Black Swan Data creates better outcomes through technology, prediction & data science. Steve discusses: his journey from DJ to enterprise software CEO Black Swan’s preference for talent “approximately 10% crazy”! Black Swan Data’s failed US strategy – the lessons they learned and the turnaround...The US now contributes 50% to Black Swan’s revenues the story behind the data science insights that diagnosed Steve’s sister’s rare illness & led to Steve establishing The White Swan charity For more insights into Black...2018-04-0420 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanMagnus Gaarder - Co-Founder @ Cidron VenturesMagnus Gaarder is a co-founder at early stage tech VC fund, Cidron Ventures, having previously spearheaded Nauta Capital's investment initiatives in Northern Europe. Magnus discusses How and when enterprise software ventures should embark on international expansion Building a winning sales/marketing team in international markets Capital efficiencies for start-ups: B2B versus B2C Why integrity & "ESG" are key criteria for Cidron in choosing which start-up teams to invest in For more insights on Cidron Venturs, head over to http://cidronventures.com - and for guidance on scaling enterprise software ventures, check out http://alpinasearch.com 2018-03-3033 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanChristian Hernandez, Managing Partner @ White Star CapitalChristian Hernandez is a co-founder & Managing Partner at White Star Capital, where he draws on his extensive experience in developing and scaling products and platforms internationally. Prior to co-founding White Star Capital, Christian worked at Facebook and led the led the international expansion of the company’s Business Development, Platform and Gaming Partnerships groups. He previously held leadership roles at Google & Microsoft having started his career at MicroStrategy, a start-up he joined prior to their 1999 IPO. Christian discusses: How regulation and regulators, rather than being a challenge to overcome, can be a huge opportunity for start-ups to cre...2018-03-1231 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanPietro Bezza, Connect Ventures – "perpetual learnability" is vital to the success of any scale-upPietro Bezza is a tech founder turned venture capitalist. Pietro co-founded Connect Ventures, an early stage VC fund, in 2011 and the fund has invested in companies like Citymapper, Typeform and Soldo. Pietro discusses: Why he decided to invest in Typeform after having become a delighted user of their product How Typeform decided the time was right to expand into the States The vital role “perpetual learnability” plays in a company’s ability to scale-up The unique challenges of hiring talent during the scale-up stage in terms of both cultural & skillset diversity Head over to http://www.conn...2018-02-2228 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanZack Urlocker: ZenDesk, Duo Security & MySQL - successfully scaling your US enterprise software venture into EuropeZack Urlocker helped grow a number of software companies to billion dollar exits - including Active Software, MySQL, Zendesk and most recently Duo Security. And he’s been an advisor and board member for many other successful venture-backed software companies including HubSpot and SugarCRM. He’s also written a rock opera! Zack’s worked with many Tier 1 VCs including Benchmark Capital, CRV, Index Ventures and Matrix Partners and he now lectures at the University of Michigan on Entrepreneurial Leadership. Zack discusses: Why product management is a great career path for any budding enterprise sofrtware entrepeneur The importan...2018-02-1931 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanSteve Hoffmann, Captain & CEO @ Founders Space discusses an innovation toolkit for your start-upSteve Hoffmann AKA “Captain Hoff” is a serial entrepreneur, angel investor, partner at Founders Fund, An LP in August Capital, and author of the book "Make Elephants Fly". Steve is also the Captain & CEO of Founders Space, one of the world’s leading incubators and accelerators, with over 50 partners in 22 countries. Steve's trained hundreds of startup founders and corporate executives in the art of innovation. Steve discusses: His long and winding road into the world of technology accelerators and incubators The traits he believes, even in really early stage businesses, signpost a likely unicorn The toolkit of proce...2018-02-1329 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanSteve Collins – Partner at Frontline VenturesSteve Collins is a Partner at Frontline Ventures - a VC fund investing in early stage B2B software ventures across Europe. Prior to becoming a VC, Steve founded Havok, an animation middleware company for console game development, Kore, developer of the Kore Virtual Machine, and most recently Swrve, the mobile marketing automation platform used by some of the world’s leading brands including Disney, Conde Nast and Ryanair. Steve discusses: How and why he switched from the life an entrepreneur to being a VC The importance of instinct and gut feel when VCs evaluate early stage i...2018-02-1137 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanFrederic Halley, NextWorld Capital: How to ensure success when your software venture expands internationallyFrederic Halley is a London-based Partner at NextWorld Capital, a leading Venture Capital fund from Silicon Valley focusing on early revenue investments across the US and Europe. He has a long track record of success in the technology sector both as a senior manager/executive and as an advisor/NED. Frederic discusses: How and why he switched from an executive leadership career into the world of venture capital How US software scale-ups can effectively expand into Europe Which countries/regions to prioritise for your sales & biz dev strategy The ideal talent profile you need to hire to scale your...2018-02-0727 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanJan Quant, CEO at Screendragon - how to scale your UK software venture & crack the US market...with zero VC funding!Jan Quant is the Co-Founder and CEO of Screendragon a UK headquartered enterprise software scale-up who, soon after inception, successfully entered the US market and have continued to expand internationally despite having zero VC funding. Jan explains How he transitioned from a financial and operational background in the music sector to becoming an enterprise software CEO Why and how UK and European software startups should quickly and effectively target US markets The importance of customer centricity – how to delight your customers and leverage customer revenues instead of VC funding to scale your business How corporate procurement prac...2018-02-0626 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanNeil Ryland, CRO @ Peakon - StartUp, GrowUp, ScaleUpNeil Ryland is the CRO at Peakon - funded by EQT Ventures, Sunstone Capital, IDInvest and Tommy Ahlers – who's SaaS platform helps companies maximise their employee engagement, retention and productivity. Prior to Peakon, Neil was the Chief Revenue Officer at Huddle, one of Britain’s most successful VC funded enterprise software ventures - Neil re-located to San Francisco to spearhead Huddle’s US market entry. Neil explains: How he’s overcome a sense of “impostor syndrome” at various stages during his career Why it’s crucial, for any European enterprise software business expanding to The States, to relocate a key i...2018-01-1633 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanAlex Dunsdon - Partner at SAATCHiNVEST, Co-Founder at The Bakery Alex Dunsdon has a portfolio of different roles – he’s a partner at early stage investor Saatchinvest where he’s invested in successful startups like Citymapper and also a co-founder at The Bakery who describe themselves as “a pioneer in accelerating open innovation” Alex explains: the fundamental requirement for any enterprise software venture to demonstrate that their solution addresses clearly defined user needs how The Bakery helps start-ups solve fundamental problems for, and close multi-million dollar deals with, global blue chips how Saatchinvest assesses the DNA of CEOs pitching for investment how founder-CEOs need to evolve their be...2017-12-3137 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanJon Prideaux, CEO @ Boku scaling a UK enterprise software venture globally to a £125m valuation at IPOJon Prideaux is the CEO at BOKU who, on 20 November 2017, went public on AIM at an initial £125m valuation and quickly popped to £160m. Boku’s platform brings merchants and mobile operators together to transform 5 billion mobile phone subscribers into the world’s largest pool of customers. That's more users than Visa and Mastercard combined! Jon provides the following insights: How to smoothly transition out of - or indeed into - the role of CEO How to plan and execute an IPO Why he believes company leaders need to view their IPO as an “entrance” not...2017-12-1328 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanHow to raise $20m for your blockchain startup: with the co-founders @ Aventus SystemsAlan Vey & Annika Monari are the Co-Founders at Aventus Systems, a pioneer in blockchain technology that’s been dubbed “the bitcoin of ticketing”. They closed one of the largest cryptocurrency funding rounds outside of The States just over 12 months after Aventus was founded: their $20m “Initial Token Offering” - led by Global Advisors Bitcoin Investment Fund - was sold out in just 7 minutes! Alan and Annika discuss: Which types of business can best leverage blockchain technology How to go about raising a cryptocurrency funding round How a company funded with cryptocurrency engages with employees and suppliers who might p...2017-12-0325 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanLuca Pagano - CEO @ BeMyEyeLuca Pagano is the CEO at BeMyEye, Europe’s leading crowdsourced in-store data as a service provider who closed a $10.5m Series C funding round in late November 2017. Previously Luca held leadership roles at Glamoo, Electronic Arts and Buongiorno. Luca discusses: The tricky challenge of replacing both the founder-CEO and his co-CEO at BeMyEye Successfully leading Buongiorno into a diversity of mature and emerging markets and aggressively launching BeMyEye in 20 new countries As a soccer aficionado, how he recruits “passionate employees who wear the jersey with honour” Why you'll never be an exceptional company or an exceptio...2017-11-2823 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanTom Bradley - Partner & Head of Ventures at Oxford CapitalTom Bradley is Head of the Ventures Team at Oxford Capital. Tom, previously a partner at both DFJ Esprit and DN Capital, has been involved with successful scale-ups like Performance Horizon, Shazam and Neteconomy. The Oxford Capital Ventures portfolio includes promising startups and scale-ups like import.io, Ultrasoc and Redsift. In this week’s episode you’ll hear about: The mindset that the founders of European enterprise software startups must have if they are to succeed globally Tom’s key criteria for investing in enterprise software ventures Advice for pre-product and pre-revenue start-ups on how to engage wi...2017-11-2040 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanWolfgang Allisat - CCO @ UnbabelWolfgang Allisat is the Chief Commercial Officer at Unbabel - "The World's Translation Layer". Unbabel - funded by the Notion Capital, Google Ventures, Faber Ventures, Matrix Partners, Schilling Capital and Caixa Capital - utilizes artificial intelligence to enable translations between companies and their customers. Wolf has previously held international sales leadership positions at a number of successful software scaleups including Omniture where he was the first international employee and grew the European business to more than 1,100 customers and 200 employees. Wolf discusses how enterprise software ventures can successfully expand their sales and marketing teams internationally including: ...2017-11-1329 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanJoshua Wohle - Co-Founder @ SuperAwesomeJoshua Wohle is the Co-Founder & Chief Product Officer at Series B funded SuperAwesome backed by Mayfair Equity Partners, IBIS TMT, Hoxton Ventures and a host of other VCs. SuperAwesome's technology powers the kids digital media ecosystem. Their products are used by hundreds of kids content companies and brands to provide kid-safe digital functionality, authentication and advertising. Joshua is a serial entrepreneur having founded several tech start-ups - since starting his 1st venture whilst at school - including Targetz: a mobile, real-time, location-based community marketplace for services. In today’s episode you will learn: How...2017-11-0530 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanHow to scale sales & marketing in your deeptech software venture and deliver an $85m exit, Shirin Dehghan - Arieso & OpenSignalShirin Dehghan was the Founder CEO at Arieso and is currently Chairwoman at OpenSignal. Arieso provided subscriber experience geo-location and network optimization solutions for wireless operators and service providers. Funded by Qualcomm Ventures and Oxford Capital Partners, Arieso expanded across EMEA, Asia Pacific and The Americas before being acquired by JDSU for $85m in 2013. Shirin now Chairs the board at OpenSignal, Funded by Passion Capital, O’Reilly AlphaTech and Qualcomm Ventures. OpenSignal crowd-source data on the performance and coverage of wireless networks around the world and use that data to produce independent and unbiased coverage ma...2017-10-2636 min

The StartUp to ScaleUp Game PlanRory Stirling - BGF VenturesRory Stirling is an early stage investor with BGF ventures who’s invested in high growth UK technology companies like NewVoiceMedia, Masabi and Reevoo. BGF Ventures invests in early-stage entrepreneurs with bold ambitions and is an influential new entrant to the VC market with a $200m debut fund. In just 2 years BGF have concluded over 18 investments building a portfolio that includes the likes of Triptease, Aimbrain and NewVoiceMedia. In this week’s episode you will learn: • Which types of company, and indeed which types of people, VC funding is most appropriate for • How to go ab...2017-10-1640 min