Startup Scaleup People

40% of Executive Transitions Fail, Navid Nazemian on the Leadership Gap. Navid Nazemian, executive transition coach and author of Mastering Executive Transitions, has coached 350+ senior leaders across 7 industries over 26 years and the data is stark: 4 in 10 executive transitions fail. In this startup and scaleup leadership masterclass, he reveals why technical skills get you promoted into the C-...

In this episode of Startup Scaleup People, Mario speaks with Cory Blumenfeld, serial entrepreneur, founder, investor-backed startup builder, and entrepreneur with multiple successful exits. Cory shares lessons learned from launching businesses in industries where he had no prior experience, raising millions in funding, building startups from scratch, and eventually creating systems that allow foun...

Amanda Groom Built the Bridge Between South Korea and Global TV Amanda Groom, founder of The Bridge, has spent 20 years helping broadcasters, streamers, and production companies expand internationally, turning South Korea into a benchmark for global media scaleup and now unlocking Brazil and India for the world stage. In this episode, she breaks down the structural collapse of the $3 trillion TV m...

Tomás Bercovich, founder & CEO of Global66, scaled a Latin American fintech startup to $1.4B in Q1 2026 transaction volume, on just $20M raised. In this episode, he breaks down the scaleup strategy, capital-efficient growth model, and AI-first transformation turning Global66 into one of LATAM's most important financial platforms. Global66 is now processing $550M in a single month across B2C an...

In this episode of Startup & Scaleup People, Mario sits down with Coen Jonker, Co-Founder of Tyme Group, one of the world's fastest-growing digital banking businesses. Tyme Group operates across South Africa, the Philippines, Indonesia, Hong Kong and Singapore, serving more than 22 million customers and reaching a valuation of $1.5 billion. Coen shares the journey of building a digital bank fr...

In this episode of Startup and Scaleup People, Mario sits down with Karen Prado, founder of ChimiLove, the award-winning South American sauce brand now stocked in more than 500 stores across the UK and Canada. Karen shares how a homemade chimichurri recipe became a fast-growing FMCG business, the realities of scaling a food brand, and the lessons learned from building a premium product in a highly...

What does it really take to build resilience as a startup founder in high-pressure environments? In Episode 32, we explore mental fitness, emotional intelligence, neuroscience, and founder performance with Sasha Cayward — ex-VC, former elite tennis player, founder coach, and Head of Community at Hubble. Hosted by Mario Rivas, this conversation dives deep into nervous system regulation, startup str...

In this episode of Startup & Scaleup People, Mario sits down with Tessa Clarke, Founder & CEO of Olio, the climate-tech platform fighting food waste through hyperlocal sharing. Olio has grown into a global community with nearly 10 million users, redistributed more than 140 million meals, and built a network of over 100,000 volunteers helping businesses and local communities reduce waste. T...

What happens after a founder exits a company… and realizes the next big opportunity is even bigger? In this episode, Mario sits down with James Weiss, former bartender turned entrepreneur, inventor, and startup founder, to unpack the journey from building a 7-figure cocktail business to inventing the world’s first self-cooling can. From living in his in-laws’ spare bedroom while bootstrapping a st...

£900K Pipeline From a £20K Bet: Bilal's SaaS GTM Masterclass Most SaaS founders think go-to-market is broken — but the real problem is chasing shiny objects instead of mastering fundamentals. In this episode, Mario Rivas sits down with Bilal, a GTM strategist and operator whose scaleup leadership at UserPilot redefined what modern outreach, ABM, and demand generation look like for B2B SaaS growth....

What if you could clone yourself, and build an AI team that works for you 24/7? In this episode of Startup Scaleup People, Mario sits down with Cien, founder of LaunchLemonade, to break down how AI agents are transforming the way businesses operate, and how anyone can start building them today. From bootstrapping her startup to 10,000 users and 20,000 AI agents, Cien shares the real story behind b...

What’s really happening behind the AI boom? In this episode of Startup Scaleup People, we sis down with Tim Daines, an enterprise AI expert working across the UK, Europe, and Dubai, to unpack the gap between AI hype and operational reality. From billion-dollar investments to failed implementations, this conversation breaks down why most AI projects don’t deliver ROI, and what companies must do dif...

In this episode, we dive deep into corporate governance, board dynamics, and the real role of non-executive directors with Kelly Kuhn, an experienced independent board director, chair, and former global C-suite executive with 30+ years of experience. Kelly shares practical insights on what boards actually do, how governance differs from execution, and how to start a board career, including what mo...

How Mathilda Strom Is Scaling AI in Healthcare In this new episode, we explore how leadership and AI are transforming the future of healthcare and drug discovery. Mathilda Strom shares how foundation models are reshaping clinical trials, improving patient outcomes, and redefining business strategy in biotech and AI. With $76M raised at Series A and over 1 million model downloads, Bioptimus is at t...

Want to scale your company from $100M to $500M? The secret isn’t just strategy, it’s culture. In this episode of the Startup Scaleup People Podcast, Mario sits down with Sharon Parmar, CEO of Humanity Works Consultancy, to reveal how culture, leadership, and trust drive exponential business growth. Sharon has helped global companies scale revenue, reduce churn, and build high-performance teams, an...

How Beth Crosier Helps Startups Become Investor-Ready | Startup Scaleup PeopleStartup and Scaleup founders often struggle with leadership, financial clarity, and funding strategy. In this episode, Beth Crosier explains how strong financial discipline transforms early-stage startups into scalable businesses, and what investors really look for when backing founders in today’s competitive startup eco...

Startup and Scaleup leadership today increasingly intersects with AI transformation, digital strategy, and operational change. In this episode, Rujuta Singh explains how enterprises should actually approach AI adoption, data strategy, and process automation without wasting millions on tools that don’t solve the real problem. With more than 20 years of experience in data and digital transformation,...

In episode 21, Mario sits down with Melissa Dewar, founder & CEO of The Modernist, a tech‑enabled membership platform connecting premium venues with “modern members” across cities like London, Paris and New York. ​Melissa explains how she’s building a kind of “ClassPass for private members’ clubs” a global operating system that aggregates social clubs, co‑working and wellness spaces into one p...

How Paul Burnett Built & Exited a £50M Energy Scaleup | Startup Scaleup People Startup and scaleup leadership in the UK energy transition market demands strategy, resilience, and execution. In this episode, Paul Burnett shares how he built Asset Plus into a £37M revenue decarbonisation business before exiting for ~£50M to Johnson Controls. This is a masterclass in energy performance contractin...

How Matias Acosta Is Scaling AI HVAC to Transform Buildings | Startup Scaleup People Startup and scaleup leadership in the AI energy sector requires bold decisions and deep technical vision. In this episode, Matias Acosta shares how he built an AI-driven HVAC optimization startup transforming commercial buildings through intelligent automation, real-time data, and sustainable innovation. This is a...

How do you scale a healthcare SaaS from Chile to LATAM and beyond?   In this episode of  Startup Scaleup People , we speak with  Tomás Maremaa , co-founder and CEO of  Encuadrado , a practice management platform now used by over 6,000 healthcare professionals. Tomás shares his journey from Y Combinator and Silicon Valley to launching a tech company in Chile — and how Encuadrado scaled across Latin...

Why do so many startup founders feel lost or burned out after reaching success? In this episode, we uncover why some startup companies feel "flat" or emotionally collapsed after major milestones like scaling or exit. We explore the hidden startup struggles that emerge when momentum slows — and how founders can avoid spiraling. You’ll learn powerful startup tips and the Realignment System...

How do you go from zero to 20,000 founders, investors & builders in just 2 years — without raising a cent?   In this episode of  Startup Scaleup People , we speak with  Vasily Alekseenko , founder of Rare Founders — one of London’s largest and most consistent in-person startup and investor communities. From Christmas parties with 1,500+ people to demo days where 40+ startups raised funds, Vasi...

What does it really take to evolve from COO to CEO? Or from startup founder to strategic enterprise leader? In this episode of Startup Scaleup People, we sit down with Simon Stibbs, an executive coach who has advised 1,000+ CEOs and coached over 30 leaders into top roles across Australia and beyond. From working with first-time founders to enterprise CEOs managing thousands, Simon reveals the real...

From scaling SaaS to multiple private equity exits and now building AI-powered cybersecurity, David Rajakovich shares what it takes to lead, exit, and build again. This episode features his journey from the US Army to leading Acuity Risk Management and Skill Dynamics, scaling ARR past $10M and navigating two major exits before launching a new AI platform tackling enterprise threat intelligence. 🎧...