Virgin StartUp

Founder to Founder

Business EN ↓ 7 episodes

Welcome to “Founder to Founder,” the brand-new podcast series from Virgin StartUp. This is where real conversations happen – founder to founder – as we dive into the crucial role that mentorship and community play in the journey of building a business. Each episode, we sit down with inspiring founders to uncover the lessons they’ve learned, the guidance that shaped them, and the people who helped them along the way. Join our host, Luke Johnstone , founder of PACK’D , Young Entrepreneur of the Year winner and Startup Mentor. Luke started and scaled his disruptive food business, generating over...

Author

Virgin StartUp

Episodes

The purpose behind Spabreaks.com: Changing wellness for everyone 24.07.2025 34:16

In this episode of Founder to Founder, Luke Johnstone sits down with Abi Selby, founder of Spabreaks.com , to explore how she built the UK's leading spa booking platform while staying true to a mission of making wellness more accessible, inclusive and meaningful. What began as a simple idea grew into a £36 million business that now sends more than 16,000 people to spas every week. Along the way, A...

The journey behind Pip & Nut: From kitchen blender to supermarket shelves 09.07.2025 42:38

In this episode of Founder to Founder, Luke Johnstone sits down with Pip Murray, founder of Pip & Nut , to explore how a simple idea born from marathon training became one of the UK's best-known challenger food brands. What started with homemade nut butter, a blender and weekend market stalls grew into a multi-million-pound business stocked in major supermarkets across the UK. Pip shares the r...

The leap behind Touch Stay: From Gucci to startup exit 25.06.2025 40:00

In this episode of Founder to Founder, Luke Johnstone sits down with Andy McNulty, co-founder of Touch Stay , to explore the journey of building, scaling and ultimately selling a SaaS business with no technical background. Before founding Touch Stay, Andy held senior leadership roles at brands including Gucci, Alexander McQueen and Victoria Beckham. But it was a frustrating holiday rental experien...

The grit behind D.LOUISE: Growing through grief 11.06.2025 32:15

In this episode of Founder to Founder, Luke Johnstone sits down with Olivia Jenkins, founder of D.LOUISE , to discuss how she built one of the UK's fastest-growing jewellery brands from scratch with no industry experience, no business background and a powerful personal mission. After losing her mother and facing a period of uncertainty during the pandemic, Olivia channelled her energy into creatin...

The grind behind GRIND: Lessons on luck and leadership 27.05.2025 42:00

In this episode of Founder to Founder, Luke Johnstone sits down with David Abrahamovitch, founder and CEO of GRIND , to explore what it really takes to build and scale a modern consumer brand. David shares how he transformed his late father's old mobile phone shop on Old Street into one of London's most recognisable coffee brands, before expanding into direct-to-consumer, retail, grocery and hospi...

The mind behind UNILAD: What I wish I knew about ADHD, anxiety and entrepreneurship 14.05.2025 35:00

What happens when an ADHD diagnosis helps explain your entire founder journey? In this episode of Founder to Founder, Luke Johnstone sits down with Alex Partridge, founder of UNILAD, co-founder of LADbible, host of the ADHD Chatter podcast and Virgin StartUp Mentor. Alex shares the highs and lows of building some of the UK's biggest media brands, the legal battle that nearly cost him everything, a...

Welcome to Founder to Founder 09.05.2025 0:20

Take a look at our lineup for our new podcast launching next week!   We’ve been behind the scenes with some of the UK’s boldest business minds - who all happen to be Virgin StartUp Mentors — David Abrahamovitch (GRIND), Pip Murray (Pip & Nut), Olivia Jenkins (D. Louise), Andy McNulty (Touch Stay), Abi Selby (Spabreaks.com), and Alex Partridge (UniLad & LADBible) — to talk growth, grit...