The Start-Up Diaries Podcast

Join us as Tim Chong, Co-founder and CEO of Yonder, talks through the creation of a revolutionary lifestyle credit card designed for the modern city dweller. Discover how Yonder is breaking barriers by offering credit based on cash flow, not just credit history. Dive into Tim's journey from his tech beginnings to the M-Pesa projects in Kenya, which inspired a credit solution that's breat...

For the dog lovers, this one's for you. This man has found a way to *potentially* expand your dogs life by 32 months with his innovative product, Tuggs. In today’s episode we have Harry Bremner , Founder of Tuggs. Tuggs is an award-winning pet wellness startup creating freshly-prepared dog food in a sustainable way.  But there’s a twist - their secret super power is insects, providing a susta...

In this episode of the Startup Diaries co-host Livvie Holt sits down with Rajiv Tanna, co-founder and Chief Product Officer of Birdie , a global home healthcare technology company. Birdie is a technology partner for homecare, with mobile and desktop software for managing care delivery, rostering and invoicing. Rajiv shares Birdie's mission to revolutionise the ageing journey for care recipien...

In this episode, we're excited to welcome Mike Jones, the CTO of loveholidays . loveholidays are not only the fastest growing travel agent in the UK, but also one of the UK's fastest growing businesses in the last five years (2019). They're on a mission to open up the world to everyone. They offer unlimited choice, unmatched ease and unmissable value, and are harnessing tech to be t...

In this episode we have Ben Leonard, a three-time founder/ co-founder and entrepreneur with a journey packed full of success. Ben built up his sports equipment business, Beast Gear to be a 7 figure business and exited the ‘holy grail’ exit of 3 years. He then co-founded Ecom brokers , in the midst of going solo as an e-commerce consultant (Ben Leonard Pro) , and writing his book 'Quit Stallin...

In this episode, we're joined by Joshua Spriggs, Founder and CEO of Enferm , and is a must-listen for aspiring entrepreneurs, leaders, and anyone interested in the intersection of technology and personal development. Packed with real-world lessons on leadership, personal growth, cultural adaptability, and the art of building a successful tech-driven business amidst evolving market demands. En...

In this episode, we're joined by key members of the eComplete team - Anna Graham, Managing Director and Les Yates, Strategy Director. They bring a wealth of experience to the conversation, honed by their individual paths in e-commerce and startup environments. eComplete is a talent led and data-driven eCommerce growth partner and capital investor. They scale eCommerce businesses through the p...

In this short mini-clip we welcome new London co-host, Livvie Holt to The Start-Up Diaries. We feature a short 2023 'wrapped' of the podcast this year, shouting out a handful of our most listened to episodes and most importantly thanking all of our listeners, and guests, for supporting the podcast in it's third year. This year we tripled our listenership - and it's all thanks t...

In this episode, we chat with Phil Denton, CEO and founder of Evaluate-Ed - a school improvement solution that streamlines self-evaluation and school improvement planning through the software. Phil made a career transition from being a head teacher to becoming an entrepreneur in the ed-tech start-up world. He shares insights about his journey, including how he got the taste for the ed-tech busines...

In this insightful episode of Startup Diaries, we welcome Daniel Yubi, CEO and (co)-founder of Payable - a successful fintech platform that helps businesses manage their financial transactions more efficiently. Daniel offers a deep dive into his journey, from his diverse career path that led him from being a lawyer in Mexico, to building a huge Youtube following, to becoming a tech entrepreneur in...

In this episode we have George Lineker, the Co-Founder of YourBusinessNumber a service that provides users with a second virtual UK mobile number, enabling them to use both WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business on the same phone. George is widely known as the son of the famous Gary Lineker OBE , the English sports broadcaster and former professional footballer. But in this episode, we delve into how Geor...

In this episode we have Mat Ilic, the Co-Founder and CEO at Greenworkx - a new climate EdTech startup tackling the green skills emergency, and are building the net-zero workforce. Their mission is simple, to get 10 million people into green jobs in 10 years, through building an app to be the talent portal for green jobs with green job discovery, opportunity-matching, and social community. Did you...

In this session, we get the low down from Darren Westall, CEO and Co-Founder of Paiger. Paiger helps recruiters build personal brands, identify new business opportunities, attract candidates, and have better conversations. Paiger was born when co-founders Darren and Rohit Kapoor noticed a shift in the way people prospected, communicated & built their businesses. Much like the beginnings of any...

In this session, we feature Harry Hubble, Founder of Pally . Pally connects social messaging, planning, and relationship management to help you build stronger relationships, supercharged by AI.  In this episode, we introduce a remarkable guest, a 25-year-old London-based founder with a unique journey. He skipped the traditional academic route, diving into the professional world at just 14 and esta...

Tomorrow’s Journey is an award-winning platform that helps fleet operators launch pay per use mobility businesses in rapid time. In this episode, Co-Founder and CEO Chris Kirby talks through his jump from the corporate world to founding a start-up and shares his views on the glamorisation of tech entrepreneurship and how it actually compares to his experience as a technical founder.  Chris shares...

In this episode we have Zally, a Manchester-based deep tech company on a mission to confirm you are you, continuously. They offer e-commerce stores a simple and secure way to authenticate visitors, resulting in happy customers, higher conversions and increased revenue. Overall, they’re on a mission to abolish passwords. In this episode, CEO of Zally, Patrick Smith, talks to us about the mission of...

In this session we have Active Profile, an integrated Marketing and PR agency like no other, who also run the well known 'Tech Climbers' initiative, of which Burns Sheehan partner with. In this episode we  delve into Tech Climbers, the exciting initiative, which supports scaling tech businesses in the Liverpool, Yorkshire regions swell as launching more recently in Manchester. Tech climb...

Red Flag alert are the UK's leading provider of business data intelligence and analytics to predict growth, global compliance risk and insolvency, based in Manchester.  In this episode, Richard West talks to us about working his way up in Red Flag alert from sales operations to Managing Director and share holder, how he helped build a start-up from a PLC to a powerhouse with the mission of be...

Slinger is a job platform offering fun and fair hospitality shifts to side-hustlers, students and hospitality professionals around the UK.  In this episode, Founder & CEO Theo Lee Houston talks us through how he has built  business entirely self utilising his network, already acquiring over 5000 workers and 600 businesses as users of the app. Theo shares his thoughts on the power of the ‘netwo...

MyoMaster is a sports tech company created by athletes and is the only recovery brand in the world in which every single product created is rigorously tested by their community of elite athletes and physiotherapists. In this episode, Co-Founder & CEO Lottie Whyte talk us through the story behind MyoMaster, how she envisions the industry to evolve and how MyoMaster will stay ahead of the compet...

Piper is the manager enablement platform that is committed to empowering anyone to be a great manager. Piper combines state of the art technology with expert led coaching to create the next generation of managers. In this episode, Founder Sathya Smith shares her story from spending 11 years rising through the ranks at Google, and what is was like to leave that journey, to ‘reluctantly’ becoming a...

Sharesy is a venue hire platform for local communities where venues can finally take control of their earning potential, hiring out their spaces with a hassle-free solution.  In this episode, Founder & CEO Felix Atkin, who talks us through his journey from working in the corporate world for the likes of PlayStation and BT to why he founded his own business during the first COVID lockdown. Feli...

Bubble is the UK's #1 trusted family support platform and childcare app connecting parents with babysitters and nannies their friends already know, use and trust.  In this episode, we have Sarah Hesz, Chief Commercial Officer of Bubble discussing the story behind Bubble and her background in parent tech, and the challenges around building a product in such a high trust area.  Aș a parent hers...

ufurnish is search and comparison website for home furniture and furnishings that brings 110+ furniture retailers and all of their products into one place. In this episode, we have Co-Founder & CEO Deirdre Mc Gettrick, who talks us through what made her take the plunge and leave a six-figure salary in banking to start her own business.  She talks us through the interesting dynamic of co-foundi...

Numan provides healthcare for men to treat common health conditions through personalised plans. They offer integrated care - including diagnostics, medication & supplements, 1-1 clinical care, and digital programs - in one digital platform, to help patients take control of their health. In this episode, CTO Jamie Smith Webb discusses how Numan transitioned from an e-commerce business, into a s...