Big Risk Energy with Roei Samuel

When it comes to starting and selling businesses, Ben White’s done it all. From founding and exiting 3 companies for a combined total of £800m to co-founding a VC Notion Capital with 5 unicorns in their portfolio, it’s clear he was born for this 💪 You can get lucky once, but you can’t get lucky three times. Ben joins our founder Roei Samuel in one of the most insightful and open conversations we’...

When Oliver Yonchev was 16 pursuing a professional footballing career at Barnsley, he would've never have thought 10 years down the line he'd be Managing Director at a globally recognised marketing agency, The Social Chain, helping to take them from startup to a $750m+ revenue business 👏 Now it's 2023, and he's co-founder of Flight Story, a new marketing and comms agency founded alongside well kn...

Did you know Laura Price was one of the first social media managers in the UK? 👀 Back in 2010, a time where social media feeds were chronological and filled with pixelated images of friends doing the cinnamon challenge, Laura was already making huge steps in the game leading Honda's European social media strategy Fast forward to 2023, she's now a Partner at Pagefield, an international communicati...

You can't speak about Connectd without mentioning Alex Rose. He risked it all after leaving university and joining an early stage startup that was made up of only six people sitting around one table, figuring out how to shake up the investor ecosystem. Fast forward to today and he's now Director of Founder Acquisition and Partnerships after helping to grow Connectd ten-fold. Alex joins us in this...

Who'd have thought a simple camera capturing the raw emotions of university students would be a game-changer for co-founder of Word On The Curb, Ndubuisi Uchea? Initially immersed in the world of science, he now leads a platform that provides brands with first-hand insights into minority, millennial and Gen-Z audiences. In today's episode of #BigRiskEnergy, Ndubuisi shares his unique switch from L...

Who knew how life changing an unexpected internship in a tech startup would be for Claudia Stankler. Originally studying towards a PhD in Psychology, she's now COO of #Connectd and recently featured on the Forbes '30 Under 30' after years of relentless hard work and excellence. In this episode of #BigRiskEnergy episode, she shares more about her amazing journey that took her from waitressing to he...

Whilst his friends were taking huge steps in their career, Gabriel Isserlis was sat in his room depressed and just about getting by. But during one of his lowest lows came this life-changing idea which we know today as Tutti - the 'AirBnb of creative spaces' Gabriel joins us in this episode of #BigRiskEnergy to talk on his life-changing journey, from wanting to be an internationally renowned celli...

When Alice dropped out of school at 17 to become an entrepreneur, she had so many doubters. Now at the age of 25, she's worked with over 500 clients helping them to level up their marketing strategy and also has her own business 'On Paper' as well as chart-topping podcast 'Starting The Conversation' - safe to say those doubters turned into believers! Alice joins us in the latest #BigRiskEnergy epi...

We're still a long way from reaching a fully diverse and inclusive environment, but progress is being made thanks to individuals like Aisha Suleiman Founder of The Inclusive Culture, Aisha joins us in the latest episode of #BigRiskEnergy to speak on the challenges in implementing DEI strategies within companies, creating Amazon's Black Employee Resource Group and more #DEI #TheInclusiveCulture #Co...

Once a teenage international swimming sensation, Thomas Panton has had a colourful journey so farJoin us in this episode of #BigRiskEnergy as I sit down with the founder of Canopey who walks me through his mission in making ethical consumerism easy to adopt, being an elite athlete at a young age, converting to Islam and more

Have you ever thought of looking at your customers as your best innovators, rather than just numbers on the board? In this latest instalment of #BigRiskEnergy, we spoke to customer growth expert Janice B. Gordon on applying a human-centred sales strategy, the importance of founders tapping in to their key customers, the dynamics of racism within the UK and more

How did you keep ahead of the competition & stay relevant? One word - data. In this episode of Big Risk Energy, I speak with Candice Ren, former head of anayltics at Bumble. We speak about how and why Bumble invested into this area and how she began to tackle this challenge with hundreds of thousands of new users every month! In this conversation we re-visit, Candice's journey to the UK and ar...

From managing the Nike ACG ski and snowboard team to leading the operations team at Boomtown Fair, Graham MacVoy puts his success down to following his gut and being resilient. In this episode of #BigRiskEnergy, I caught up with Graham to speak on his journey so far that covers everything from snowboarding incidents to co-founding Bristol Life Awards 2023 Platinum Winner, Wake The Tiger.

When marketing and sales can be life and death for an organization's success, it can be a hugely daunting task to assess the right marketing strategies to deploy; particularly when moving from startup to scaleup. In this week's conversation, I sit down with marketing and branding expert Stephanie Melodia to explore the most important aspects founders must consider when scaling. Steph has been rank...

Executive coaching is becoming more and more prevalent in corporate life. In this latest candid conversation with industry expert and masters-qualified coach Tom Ungi, we discuss how and why coaching is on the rise across the globe. We discuss the concept of "one conversation at a time" and why Tom decides to share his own personal stories of trauma whilst coaching. The neurological and historic a...

Ben Williams is hands down one of the most interesting individuals I have ever met. His journey to entrepreneurship is fascinating and in this conversation, we delve into Ben's past as a bouncer and how this lifestyle spiraled into destruction; culminating in a nightclub incident marked with huge sadness. We discuss Ben's journey to turning his life around and becoming an Elite Commando in the Roy...

Managing your side hustle during maternity and transitioning this venture into a full-time business! This transition is certainly no easy feat and in this most recent podcast episode, we discuss Lottie Whyte's journey from DIY tools to product market fit. We follow Lottie's and her ex-professional rugby partner's story as they launched Myo Master, in a bid to revolutionise the sports recovery mark...

When it comes to mastering sales strategies in Tech & SaaS solutions it can be difficult to block out the noise and find the right knowledge to help you succeed in today's hugely competitive landscape. What are the key components you must know for sales in 2023 and how much of sales success is defined by mentality. In this 40-minute conversation between Tom and I, we discuss the answers to the...

This week I am blessed to be joined by the one and only Timi Merriman-Johnson aka MrMoney Jar as we discuss some of the key principles associated with saving money in 2023. Alongside these educational tips, we dive deep into Timi's journey and where his passion comes from in inspiring young people to become more educated in personal finance. We touch upon Timi's own journey into podcast creation a...

In this episode of Big Risk Energy, I spoke to Economist & Professor Stephen Scruton. As well as Stephen's work at Oxford University & Hult, he is an Angel Investor, Chair & Non-executive Director so well informed to discuss some heavy topics which included, the BOE, recessions, inflation and wage rises. We dive into Stephen's thoughts and experience across his career to uncover his ti...

How did you obtain a rating of London's best pizzeria by industry titans Sorted Food? In this episode of Big Risk Energy, I speak with Thom Elliot, Co-founder of restaurant and takeaway Pizza Pilgrim. Thom and his brother's story is an incredibly inspiring listen for any entrepreneurs. In this conversation we visit, Thom's motivations to starting the company and why he didn't deem this as a risk a...

In this episode, I sit down with ex-England U19 & Kent professional cricket player, Simon Cusden. Simon shares his journey to elite sport, and the challenges he faced during and after his professional cricket playing days. Simon shares his personal experience of addiction and recovery, whilst bringing a unique perspective and understanding to the issues that many people face in sport or in the...

Where do you start when it comes to angel investing in startups? What are the key components you must know in 2023? Listen in to this 40-minute conversation between Andy Ayim and I, as we discuss the answers to these important questions. As well as covering some amazing insights around the world of angel investing and it's origins dating back to the 1800s, it was great to discuss Andy's journey in...

In this episode of Big Risk Energy, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Natalie Ojevah MBE, the youngest black woman to receive an MBE to discuss career tips in banking & finance and her meteoric rise to Vice President. Natalie's ambition stood out the most, rising from a cashier at a Barclays local branch to Vice President of Eagle Labs Diversity & Inclusion. Her passion for equity an...

How did Otta survive the SVB tech crash? What makes a great workplace with great people? What are the benefits and downsides of a 4-day work week? What is the employer value proposition? In this episode of Big Risk Energy, I speak with Sam Franklin, Founder of Otta, the leading recruitment agency for tech startups. It was great to discuss how founders build a great culture, hire great people and r...