Ventures

Raffi Salama, CEO and co-founder of Passionfruit, is building the AI operating system for marketing departments while launching their second product focused on combating marketer information overload. A believer in the compound company model inspired by Rippling, he discusses how distribution now equals 50% of business success versus the previous 10%, arguing that taste—knowing what "the blob...

Dan Bolland, (CCO of Nudj), reveals why traditional loyalty programs are dying and how AI will automate purchase decisions, forcing brands to compete for attention in micro-moments. A 25-year financial services veteran turned startup advisor, he explains Nudj's "material between the tentpoles" philosophy—filling engagement gaps with 30-90 second hyper-casual interactions that create...

Yunsu (鄧潤雪) Tang, CEO of Synchro, is building a stakeholder intelligence platform that synchronizes data from policy announcements, news, and social media to generate actionable insights. A two-time founder and TEDx speaker who moved from Hong Kong's growth-obsessed startup culture to London's detail-oriented product focus, she discusses how her background in financial communications at...

Ivan Suhinin, CTO of wcard & malagastartups, has assembled the largest English-speaking tech community in Andalusia with 1,400+ members while organising 110+ events annually. Originally from Belarus with 20 years in IT, he's working with co-founder Dan Marquez to transform Spain's Costa del Sol into a startup hub by connecting Malaga's talent pool with Marbella's capital and go...

They'll watch anything that provides value from the start - whether it's street interviews or Wimbledon mic'd up content. What they won't tolerate is the same boring corporate ads everyone else is making. Erifili, founder and CEO of The Z-Link, operates a global Gen Z-focused agency with 30,000 members across 50+ countries, helping brands from Pepsi to IKEA authentically connect wi...

Rami, co-founder and CEO of Querio, has developed an AI data analytics SaaS that enables teams to query databases without SQL knowledge while pioneering breakthrough strategies in AI Engine Optimization (AEO). Lebanese-born and London-based, he recently gained ChatGPT recommendations for his platform through systematic manipulation of search algorithms, understanding that different AI models prefe...

Becky is part of the talent function @ ElevenLabs, one of the UK's leading frontier AI companies, where she's building world-class teams at the forefront of voice AI innovation. With extensive experience scaling talent functions from Facebook's structured corporate environment to high-growth AI startups. She's passionate about transforming traditional hiring practices through syste...

🎯 On the Docket: 00:00 – Breaking News & Analysis 01:22 – Meta's Billion-Dollar AI Talent Raid and Zuck's Leadership Crucible 06:00 – The Soham Parekh Scandal: Serial Engineer Moonlights for Multiple YC Startups 11:00 – UK Innovation Surge: AI Drives 30% of Venture Capital to Record Highs 13:00 – Wimbledon's AI Controversy and OpenAI's Security Crackdown 28:43 – Yunsu (鄧潤雪)...

Moises Barbera, founder of Drill Surgeries and theoretical physicist, builds "Google Maps for the operating room" solving 80-year-old broken bone surgery problems. Growing up in OR lobbies while his father sold medical equipment, he used ML software & mixed reality for 87% drilling time reduction. He reveals the personal toll of 200+ doctor interviews while sleeping in train stations...

🎯 On the Docket:00:00:00 – Breaking News & Analysis00:02:00 – Lovable's Record $2B Valuation and the AI Coding Revolution00:08:00 – Apple's AI Strategy: Why Claude Might Power Siri00:12:00 – Grammarly Acquires Superhuman in Billion-Dollar Productivity Play00:16:00 – Anthropic's Failed Experiment: Can Claude Run a Business?00:23:00 – UK Policy News: EU Blocks Britain's Trade Bloc Attempts00:38...

Most SaaS products aren't technological marvels. The real moat isn't in the code It's in solving problems well in ways that are hard to replicate. Don't confuse vibe coding with actual engineering. In this episode, we sit down with Rami, co-founder of Querio, for an in-depth exploration of AI-native data analytics, the future of business intelligence, and the surprising journey from Amazon warehou...

Most companies are still buying Google ads like it's 2010. Meanwhile, AI platforms with half a trillion dollars invested are building commerce models that completely bypass traditional advertising channels. Kieron and Andrew are weekly regulars on Ventures, bringing decades of business strategy and marketing expertise to dissect how AI will reshape commerce forever.🎯 On the Docket:00:48 - Ripping...

AI adoption fails when you focus on the tech instead of the humans using it. Middle managers are the key to successful implementation, not executives. Show people how it solves THEIR problems, and they'll sell it to themselves. Jo is an Enterprise Customer Success leader at Microsoft, where she guides some of the world's largest organisations through their AI transformation journeys with C...

Every solution we create becomes tomorrow's problem. When Google solved search, they created monopoly concerns. When telecoms solved communication, they created customer experience nightmares. When AI solves thinking, it creates cognitive dependency. This isn't a bug it's human nature. Today, we're venturing into what appears to be innovation is actually an endless cycle of problem...

Most brand YouTube channels fail because marketers demand immediate ROI and micromanage creators into mediocrity. Chloe at JD Sports flipped this script with a talent-first approach that increased views by 230% and engagement by 125% since 2023, proving that authentic creator partnerships build something far more valuable than quick metrics: actual culture worth watching. Discover how she went fro...

People don't buy drills. They buy holes. When pricing your services, focus on the outcome you deliver, not how you achieve it. Especially with AI - the moment you mention automation, people expect to pay less. Talk about value, not process. Today, we're venturing into the psychology of value creation and pricing strategy, exploring how what appears to be a simple discount model is actually...

In this episode, we challenge everything you think you know about building businesses with Jonny Davies, a talent manager who discovered that creators are flipping the traditional playbook. Forget building products first—learn why smart entrepreneurs now build audiences first, why stealth mode is dead, and how a 20-year-old with a camera can build the next generation of unicorns. 🎯 On the Docket:...

The best communities aren't built on transactions but on curation and forward-giving. Sigma has 1,000 founders across 35 countries who've raised $2.7B with no fund attached, just genuine connections and support. When you remove commercial incentives, people build deeper relationships that create more value. In this episode, we sit down with Assen Plevneliev, Chief of Staff at Sigma, for an...

In this episode, we sit down with Johnny Inglis, Co-founder of WineDrops, for an unfiltered exploration of entrepreneurial resilience, the wine industry's hidden realities, and the surprising strategies that turned a pandemic pivot into a £20 million business. Discover how scrappy tactics built wine databases, implementing counterintuitive waiting lists, and choosing the right co-founder became th...

Brand Integrations on YouTube aren't about interrupting content, they're about enhancing it. The best integrations feel invisible, maintaining viewer retention while delivering for brands. Creative concepts must come first, with the brand woven in naturally. Too many, still don't get this fundamental truth. In this episode, we lock in with Sammy, Calfreezy's brand partnership powerhouse, for a fra...

Tech companies are obsessed with their technology instead of solving actual customer problems. They build products that engineers love but customers don't understand. Then they incentivise salespeople to push whatever makes the most commission this quarter. No wonder 80% of software features are never used. In this episode, Kieron and Andrew dissect the fundamental challenges plaguing technolo...

In this episode, we sit down with Chris J Smith, the "Ari Gold of Creators," for a deep dive into creator partnerships, YouTube strategy, and the new landscape of brand integrations. With over 1,000 deals closed in just three years, Chris shares his unique perspective on how brands and creators can build mutually beneficial relationships that deliver real value. Discover how the industry has shift...

Product management isn't about building features. It's about orchestrating the entire lifecycle from idea to withdrawal. The technical build is the easy part.  The real challenge is changing organisations, processes, and people to deliver something customers actually want. In this episode of "A Few Good People,"  we venture into a masterclass on the product development lifecycle...

In this episode, we sit down with Cory Johnson from Synthesia for a candid exploration of content creation, email marketing psychology, and the surprising evolution of LinkedIn. Discover how his unconventional "anti-LinkedIn" approach has made his feed one of the most engaging on the platform and the strategies behind successfully sending 14 million emails last year. 🎯 On the Docket: 00:00:00 - L...

Product management isn't just about building something new. It's about managing the entire lifecycle from idea to obsolescence. Most technology vendors obsess over creation but forget to plan for death. The best ones eat their own children before someone else does. In this episode of A Few Good People, we dive deep into the world of technology productisation and the complete product lifecycle. And...