Founder Stories

Most first-time founders start by building a product. Marcello nearly did too. He came to DQventures with an idea for a social listening platform — another piece of software in a space he already knew inside out from 15+ years in pharma and biotech, including roles at Novartis and Biogen. What he left with was something different: a business built on the real-world patient insight he already had,...

Caroline Sandqvist spent 15 years in HR before building CLVR Benefits — and her biggest advantage was simple: she was the customer she was building for. In this Founder Stories episode, James Green talks with Caroline about why understanding your customer that deeply changes everything. Because she'd lived the problem — employees who couldn't tailor benefits to their life stage, payroll...

A 35-year career at Ford took Anoop Chaudhuri from the factory floor to Chief People Officer across four continents. Then he tried building his own venture — while still employed. In this Founder Stories episode, James Green and Anoop unpack common issues founders face when launching new businesses, illustrated by Anoop's first startup idea - My Hero In Me (which failed validation) and the co...

Rachel Crampton never dreamed of being an entrepreneur, but she built a B2C tech platform without raising a dollar from investors and while still working full-time. In this episode of Founder Stories, host James Green sits down with Rachel, founder of Juurnee, a marketplace connecting long-haul travellers with companions who will fly cheaply or freely in exchange for helping out on the journey. Fo...

Rob Bryson left a 20-year career to build a recruitment agency in Asia.  He still earns less than he did before he made the leap, and he still wouldn't change it for a second. If you're a senior professional toying with the idea of going out on your own, this is the conversation you don't hear on startup podcasts. In Episode 01 of Founder Stories, James Green, co-founder and General...