Tech Startup Stories

Karen Somal has spent much of her career working across HR, recruitment and recruitment technology, giving her a close understanding of the challenges businesses face when their systems do not quite fit the way they work. In Season 4 Episode 3 of Tech Startup Stories, Natalie Binns sits down with Karen, founder of Athena CRM, to explore how that experience led her to build a recruitment CRM and AT...

What happens when a serial entrepreneur sells his company, steps away from an industry he loves, and has to figure out what comes next? In Season 4 Episode 2 of Tech Startup Stories, Natalie Binns speaks with Vincent, founder of ZenRise, about his journey from building video games and board game companies to exploring what AI could mean for the future of business growth and marketing. Vincent shar...

Season 4 of Tech Startup Stories kicks off with serial founder Jim Edmondson, co-founder of PressWhisper, to explore the problem that led him to rethink traditional PR. After experiencing first-hand the high cost and lack of transparency involved in working with PR agencies, Jim saw an opportunity to give founders a more direct and accessible way to build relationships with journalists and secure...

How do you build an AI company when the technology changes every month? In this episode of Tech Startup Stories , Natalie Binns speaks with Eli Portnoy, founder and CEO of BackEngine, about the realities of building AI-powered enterprise software during one of the fastest-moving periods in technology. The conversation explores: Building AI products in a rapidly evolving market Why solving real bus...

What does it take to build a company in an industry where the rules change every week? In this episode of Tech Startup Stories , Natalie Binns speaks with Aditya Jain, co-founder and CEO of Passionfruit, about scaling an AI-native marketing company during one of the most transformative periods in technology. The conversation explores: Building a profitable startup in the AI era Turning services in...

How do you turn scientific research into a company capable of improving millions of lives? In this episode of Tech Startup Stories , Natalie Binns speaks with Dr. Georgia Fleet, founder and CEO of Zonova Technologies, about her journey from antimicrobial materials research to building a venture-backed medtech company. The conversation explores: Preventing hospital-acquired infections through medic...

In this episode of Tech Startup Stories , Natalie Binns reconnects with Paul Barnes, founder and CEO of Overe.io, to explore the realities of scaling a cybersecurity startup over the last year. The conversation covers: Building revenue foundations after early traction The challenges of scaling through channel partnerships Why saying yes to every opportunity can become dangerous Refining ICPs and c...

What happens when an AI recruitment platform evolves into something much bigger? In this episode of Tech Startup Stories , Natalie Binns speaks with Dr Ali Raza, founder and CEO of ByteSpark.ai, about the realities of building an AI startup over the last 12 months. The conversation explores: The challenges of product-market fit and pricing perception Why founders must protect themselves in busines...

What if saving money felt as natural as spending it? In this episode of Tech Startup Stories , Natalie Binns speaks with Richa Gupta, founder of GoodBreach, a fintech startup helping young adults reduce impulse spending and build healthier financial habits. Richa shares how a personal experience with her younger sister led to the idea behind the company, and how behavioural psychology, user resear...

In this episode of Tech Startup Stories , Natalie Binns speaks with Burak Karakan, co-founder and CEO of Bruin, about building a data and AI platform shaped by real operational frustration. Burak shares how years of working with complex data workflows led to the creation of Bruin, a product designed to simplify how organisations access, manage, and act on their data. The conversation explores how...

How do you simplify one of the most complex areas in technology? In this episode, Natalie Binns speaks with Kevin Callahan , founder of Uniblock, about building a platform designed to make Web3 infrastructure easier to use. Kevin shares how Uniblock brings together multiple blockchain providers into a single interface, helping developers reduce complexity and focus on building. He also discusses t...

How do you build a cybersecurity company in a world where AI is changing the rules? In this episode, Natalie Binns speaks with Sandy Kronenberg, founder of Netarx, about how deepfakes, avatars, and AI-driven threats are reshaping the security landscape. Sandy explains why the human layer is now the biggest vulnerability, how identity verification needs to evolve, and what organisations must do to...

How do you build an AI company in a market full of noise? In this episode, Natalie Binns speaks with Ashu Dubey, founder of Alhena, about what it takes to stand out in a crowded AI space. Ashu shares his journey from his first startup to building Alhena, including lessons on monetisation, pivots, and finding product-market fit. He explains how the company evolved into an e-commerce AI platform foc...

How do you bring structure to something as complex and human as partnerships? In this episode, our host, Natalie Binns speaks with Mick Gosset, founder of JointFlows, about building a platform designed to simplify and scale B2B partnerships. Mick shares the realities of building in a space that is still evolving, where workflows are often fragmented and difficult to manage. He talks about the impo...

How do you build a product that enhances creativity without replacing it? In this episode, Natalie Binns speaks with Polina Sali, co-founder of First Concepts, about her journey from architecture to building an AI-powered platform for creatives. Polina shares how global events reshaped her path, why creativity and technical thinking are more connected than we think, and what it takes to build a pr...

In this episode of Tech Startup Stories , Natalie Binns reconnects with Mike Adams, founder of IntroStars, to explore how the business has evolved over the past 12 months and what it takes to scale a platform built on human connection. Mike shares how IntroStars is transforming the way business introductions are made, tracked, and rewarded, creating a structured ecosystem where relationships drive...

What does it really take to build a startup in the age of generative AI? In this episode, Sophie Carr , founder of GAIO Tech , joins Natalie Binns to share her journey from failed startup attempts to building a platform focused on generative AI optimisation. They talk about: Learning to fail (and why it matters) Pivoting when the market says no Building a product from real-world experiments Findin...

What really changes after you raise funding, and what doesn’t? In this episode, Natalie Binns is joined again by Tom Rudnai , co-founder of Demand Genius , one year after his first appearance on Tech Startup Stories . Tom shares what the last 12 months have actually looked like, from raising a pre-seed round to navigating the pressures that come with it. He opens up about the reality of startup ex...

What does it really take to build a biotech startup from scratch? In this episode, Natalie Binns speaks with Georgia Witchel , founder of Mantis Biotech , about her journey from early programming to launching a company focused on biomedical infrastructure. Georgia shares how she identified a gap in the biotech space, why she prioritised sales from day one, and how cold outreach helped her secure e...

How do you build a successful ad tech company in one of the most fragmented industries in marketing? In this episode, Natalie Binns sits down with Mike Hauptman , founder of AdLib , to explore how he’s spent over a decade simplifying programmatic advertising for agencies and brands. From early experimentation and late-night building sessions to surviving a sudden platform collapse, Mike shares the...

A year on from Season 1, Tom Bright returns to Tech Startup Stories to reflect on how Bright Evolve has evolved over the past twelve months. The conversation explores what happens as a business moves beyond early momentum, where growth starts to depend on structure, clarity, and the ability to step back from day-to-day delivery. It covers the shift from doing everything personally to building a te...

In this episode of Tech Startup Stories, Natalie Binns speaks with Hudson Liao , founder of AI go-to-market platform The Hog . Hudson shares his unique journey from being a student firefighter to working in finance, then biotech, and eventually becoming a startup founder. He explains how these experiences taught him to think in frameworks, adapt quickly, and always ask the right questions, lessons...

In this episode of Tech Startup Stories , Natalie Binns is joined by Chloe Scott , founder of Trust Verified , to discuss building a credibility and verification platform in a sector where trust is often assumed rather than proven. Drawing from her experience in the property investment space, Chloe explains how misinformation, weak oversight, and social-media-driven credibility create real financi...

In this episode of the Tech Startup Stories podcast, Natalie Binns speaks with Rina Galperin , CTO and co-founder of PVML , about turning a real enterprise privacy problem into a venture-backed deep-tech company. Rina shares her journey from Microsoft to founding PVML, including the early mistakes technical founders make by over-indexing on technology instead of customer pain, and how the team ref...

In this episode of the Tech Startup Stories podcast, Natalie Binns sits down with Sofia Hamilton , co-founder and COO of Souk , to explore how partnerships can become a powerful and scalable go to market channel when they are treated as core infrastructure rather than a side motion. Sofia shares Souk’s early journey from Antler accelerator to revenue, rapid customer traction, and ISO 27001 certifi...