Looking For Growth Podcast

Will and Becca welcome George Simm DCM, former Regimental Sergeant Major of 22 SAS, to the Looking For Growth Podcast. George discusses the discipline of SAS selection, leadership under pressure and his experiences in Oman and Northern Ireland, the lawfare dragging soldiers through the courts, and the changes he wants to see via the proposed Military Operations Bill.

Keith is the Founder and CEO of Cassi AI, an AI strategy start-up. He spent eighteen years as an RAF intelligence officer, served in No. 10 as Expert Adviser to the Prime Minister on Science and Technology, and led the Centre for Cognitive Technologies at Fujitsu. In this episode, we cover the state of the global AI race, the problem Cassi AI was built to solve, the social, psychological and syste...

Will and Becca welcome Dr Jonathan Bean and Edward Ebbern to the Looking For Growth Podcast. Jonathan, co-founder and CEO of Materials Nexus (MatNex), is using AI and quantum modelling to discover the critical materials the UK can't afford to run out of. Ed, a former Army officer and co-founder of national-security fund MD One, explains why Britain's procurement is 'fundamentally broken'.In the ep...

James and Becca welcome James Dunn and Richard White, co-founders of Backpedal, to the Looking For Growth podcast. Backpedal is a private bike and e-bike theft recovery service. Customers pay a subscription, Backpedal fits a tracker, and when a bike is stolen the company dispatches a network of recovery agents. James is an aerospace engineer by background, with a stint in defence and banking. Rich...

James and Becca welcome Stephen Fitzpatrick and Eva Barboni to the LFG Podcast. Stephen is the founder of OVO Energy, as well as Vertical Aerospace and Kaluza, and the Co-Chair of Enterprise Britain.​​Eva has spent 20 years running political and policy campaigns all over the world; she’s the founder of Atalanta and Executive Director of Enterprise Britain.​​In this episode, they discuss their new...

James and Becca welcome Giacomo Skeate, co-founder of The Pint, a Gen Z-first business and news publication with an impressive social media following. In this episode, they discuss how the "Westminster bubble" is finally waking up to the power of social media, Giacomo's entrepreneurial past, a comparison between Italy and the UK, and why Giacomo remains optimistic about Britain die t...

James and Becca welcome Joe Reeve and Shiv Malik to the LFG Podcast. Joe co-founded LFG; now he works full-time at Eleven Labs and on running Forest City. Shiv is a former investigative journalist, tech entrepreneur, and co-author of Jilted Generation: How Britain Bankrupted Its Youth. In this episode, they discuss the housing problem in Britain, why they decided to try to build a new city, and th...

James and Becca welcome Simon Miller, Director of Public Affairs & Regional Affairs, Virgin Media O2 to the LFG Podcast. In this episode, Simon breaks down the hidden infrastructure problem beneath the UK's digital economy, why telecom share prices are lower today despite demand increasing, and why the UK must fix its digital foundations to convert its AI ambitions into reality.

James and Becca welcome Curtis, Rhys and Beavis, the local heroes in Tunstall who are cleaning up their community and sharing videos on Social Media. In this episode, they discuss what motivated them to start cleaning, the growing impact it has had on their local community, and why they are optimisitc about the future.

James and Becca Welcome Lord David Frost to the LFG Podcast. He was the Chief Brexit Negotiator and Europe adviser to Prime Minister Boris Johnson. He spent most of his career prior to this as a professional British diplomat. In this episode, we cover how British trade deals work, why the Foreign Office fails at negotiating, and how the UK ended up agreeing to follow EU regulations, without a seat...

James and Becca welcome Will Hodson, new COO of Looking For Growth, to talk about his journey as an entrepreneur from being a YC-backed founder to his record breaking deal with Dragons' Den. Will details why he's decided that Looking For Growth is what will make a difference in Britain.

James and Becca welcome Danny Kruger MP to the LFG Podcast. Danny is the Reform MP for East Wiltshire and former political secretary to Boris Johnson. In this episode, we cover Reform's plans for radical civil service reform, why ministers have lost control of their own departments and how dysfunctions arise (including in the Ministry of Defence and the Department for Works and Pensions).

James and Becca welcome Saul Klein to the LFG Podcast. Saul is one of Europe's most respected entrepreneurs and investors. He is the co-founder Phoenix Court, home to venture funds LocalGlobe, Latitude, Solar and Basecamp. In this episode, we cover Saul's remarkable career, how British pension funds chronically underinvest in private ventures, and his case for British optimism.

James & Becca welcome AI safety expert and adviser to ControlAI, Gabriel Alfour to the LFG Podcast. They discuss the existential risk AI poses to humanity, why our institutions are failing and how civic duty extends far beyond voting.

James & Becca welcome Labour MP Sarah Coombes to discuss ghost plates - number plates invisible to speed cameras. Sarah discusses her successful campaign for tougher penalties, as well as the UK's manufacturing future.

James & Becca welcome ex-CFO of Sky and Shadow Secretary of State for Business and Trade, Andrew Griffith MP to the LFG Podcast to discuss how to reboot British businesses and attract top talent back into government.

James and Becca welcome Benjamin Barnard (Former Policy Advisor to the Deputy PM and Minister for the Cabinet Office) to the LFG Podcast. He discusses his experiences in the Cabinet office and his insights into its inner workings.

James & Becca welcome Ben Warner, Founder of Electric Twin to discuss how government works and how to make Britain more startup friendly.

James & Becca welcome Shreya Nanda, Co-chair of Labour YIMBY to the LFG Podcast to discuss Private VS Public housing and rent Controls.

James & Becca welcome Phoebe Arslanagić-Little to the LFG Podcast to discuss Baby Booms, Growth and Decline.

Our first ever LIVE PODCAST happened at our LFG: Make or Break event at O2 on October 23rd, 2025. James and Becca speak to the team behind FOUNDATIONS: the defining blueprint for reversing Britain’s decline. An insightful and inspirational discussion with Ben Southwood, Samuel Hughes and Sam Bowman, in their first ever public appearance together to discuss the essay.https://ukfoundations.co/

James & Becca welcome Joe Hill (Policy Director of Re:State) and Julia Willemyns (Co-founder of the Centre for British Progress) to the LFG Podcast to discuss systemic problems in the civil service.

James & Becca welcome Founder & Entrepreneur Max Buchan to the LFG Podcast.

James & Becca welcome Labour MP for the Vale of Glamorgan - Kanishka Narayan.

Join James & Becca in welcoming Scarlett Maguire - founder & Director of Merlin Strategy and the co-creator of the LFG Growth Opinion Tracker. They reflect on the government’s failures earlier in the week, how Scarlett came to found her own polling company, and the disconnect between what politicians think and what people think. Upcoming Events After the success of our first Women in Growt...