From the Factory Floor

Today on FtFF James and Aleksa catch up with David Foreman , MD and founder of Praetura Ventures . We discuss what is perceived by many as the dark arts of fundraising and discuss that it should be much more straightforward and how to approach fundraising from VCs ________________________________________________________________________ James Brookes can be found here: James is Head of Projects, a...

Today on FtFF James and Nyree catch up with  Ben Davies from Praetura Ventures. We discuss what is personal branding and why it's so important for startup founders to consider it as earlier as possible, with some tips on how to do it! ________________________________________________________________________ James Brookes can be found here: James is Head of Projects, a role that starts with the...

Today on FtFF James catches up with tsf.tech CTO Aleksa Vukotic. We discuss tsf.tech's new side project ' The Pragmatic CTO ' and what it is, who it's for and how it can help! Sign up for the event on Eventbrite here   ________________________________________________________________________ James Brookes can be found here: James is Head of Projects, a role that starts with the...

Today on FtFF James catches up with founders Ian and Lisa McCartney on their journey with their startup PLYtime . We discuss everything from getting into tech as non-tech people, the ups and downs of startup life, investment and what their next steps are! ________________________________________________________________________ James Brookes can be found here: James is Head of Projects, a role that...

A new year is a great time to start a new idea but what do you do once you've got a killer business idea? James and Austin discuss advice for potential founders and how tsf approach solidifying an idea into a reality For more info read Austin's blog here: https://thestartupfactory.tech/four-questions-which-help-turn-your-startup-vision-into-a-reality/ ____________________________________...

This is our thirty-fifth episode. Today we get an insight into the mindset of one of our founders Paul Coombes. Paul is the founder of Movvle which is one of the original projects we worked on at tsf.tech and has just launched his new app on the Apple and Google stores - https://www.movvle.com/ ________________________________________________________________________ James Brookes can be found here...

This is our thirty-fourth episode. Today we get an insight into the mindset and differences from being a student at manchester university to being an intern and then an employee with tsf.tech with our newest team member Lucas Diaz Fiol ________________________________________________________________________ Ian Brookes can be found here: The founding father of tsf.tech, Ian has spent the last deca...

This is our thirty-third episode. Today we get an insight into why coaching is so vital with insights from Lesley Calland, the founder of tsf.tech's client MyOnlineCoach!! ________________________________________________________________________ Ian Brookes can be found here: The founding father of tsf.tech, Ian has spent the last decade working as a co-founder, investor, and board member/advi...

This is our thirty-second episode. Today we get an insight into what it's like setting up a startup as a founder duo with our good friends at Fuzzy Labs : Matt Squire and Tom Stockton.  ________________________________________________________________________ Ian Brookes can be found here: The founding father of tsf.tech, Ian has spent the last decade working as a co-founder, investor, and boa...

This is our thirty-first episode. Today we get an insight into marketing in a startup with thestartupfactory.tech's newest team member and marketing whizz, Nyree Trimbel  ________________________________________________________________________ Ian Brookes can be found here: The founding father of tsf.tech, Ian has spent the last decade working as a co-founder, investor, and board member/advis...

This is our thirtieth episode. Today we get an insight into joining a FinTech startup from someone who has been there and done it - Rebecca Birt, the financial controller at Nivohub  ________________________________________________________________________ Ian Brookes can be found here: The founding father of tsf.tech, Ian has spent the last decade working as a co-founder, investor, and board membe...

This is our twenty-ninth episode. We get approached by many aspiring entrepreneurs looking for help and advice. Today Ian and I discuss what we look for in the people that approach us! If you think you fit the bill get in touch, and let’s unpack your thinking together and see where we can help turn your idea into a reality. Get in touch ! ___________________________________________________________...

This is our twenty-eighth episode. Today, myself and co-host Ian Brookes welcome Elliot Smith. Elliot is the founder and director of Streamline Accountancy, and shares some fascinating insights into cash flow and how to manage it. Wherever you are on your startup journey, get in touch, and let’s unpack your thinking together and see where we can help turn your idea into a reality. Get in touch ! _...

This is our twenty-seventh episode. Today, myself and co-host Ian Brookes welcome Gavin Bell. Gavin is the Senior Investment Partner at Maven Capital Partners, an independent alternative asset manager. Gavin discusses the importance of due diligence. It can play a massive role for companies and is a multi-layered area that can often take up months of time, so it is best to be prepared in advance....

This is our twenty-sixth episode. Today, myself and co-host Ian Brookes welcome Gavin Bell. Gavin is the Senior Investment Partner at Maven Capital Partners, an independent alternative asset manager. Gavin discusses the importance of due diligence. It can play a massive role for companies and is a multi-layered area that can often take up months of time, so it is best to be prepared in advance. Ga...

This is our twenty-fifth episode. Today, myself and co-host Ian Brookes are delighted to welcome Michael Common. Michael is the CEO of Nivo, a fintech customer service solution. Michael talks about his journey from corporate world to fintech start up; his surprise at how slowly established banking institutions have reacted to the fintech revolution; and what work still needs to be done in the futu...

This is our twenty-fourth episode. Today, myself and co-host Ian Brookes are delighted to welcome back Guy Remond. Guy is a founder and non-exec at thestartupfactory.tech - and in this episode, we talk about one of his personal entrepreneurial heroes, Elon Musk. Elon Musk is a controversial figure, but one who has propelled various organisations - including Tesla and SpaceX - to the top of their f...

This is our twenty-third episode. Today, myself and co-host Ian Brookes are delighted to welcome Aleksa Vukotic. Aleksa is the Chief Technical Officer at thestartupfactory.tech - and so we pick his brain about what makes an ideal CTO in today's entrepreneurial landscape. We speak about how the role of a CTO can often diverge into two distinct areas: leading the technological charge; and commu...

This is our twenty-second episode. Today, myself and co-host Ian Brookes are delighted to welcome Reece Douglas. Reece is the Founder of Social Plug, a social media agency helping to connect businesses with the right influencers - in order to drive traffic, sales and engagement. We speak about how his time as a noted child actor made him question the harsher realities of "the real world"...

This is our twenty-first episode. Today, I've got two guests, Ian Brookes and Ian McCartney. Ian McCartney is the director of PLYT, a numeracy board game he invented when recovering from Lyme Disease. We speak about how he made his transition from the corporate world to entrepreneurship; how different corporations inhibit or promote business-building skills; and the benefits of being the capt...

This is our twentieth episode. Today, I've got two guests, Ian Brookes and Elliot Smith. Elliot is the founder and director of Streamline Accountancy and shares some fascinating insights into the multiple ways the right budget can help an entrepreneur to thrive. We speak about how beginners can build a revenue budget; what some of the pitfalls might be; delve into the level of detail required...

This is our nineteenth episode. Today, I've got two guests, Ian Brookes and Tom McNamara of FreeUP, to elaborate on Tom's fascinating journey from 'Academia to Founder.' He explains how FreeUP started up and developed; what made Tom want to leave academia and venture into the world of entrepreneurship; and why taking such a bold step ended up being the best decision he had ever...

This is our eighteenth episode. Today, I've got two guests, Ian Brookes and Jon Davage, to speak about the vital issue of 'Startup Legals.' Knowing how to set up the legal structure from the beginning is incredibly important for entrepreneurs, and ideally should be handled by the right lawyer - not 'Google Law!' Wherever you are on your startup journey, get in touch, and l...

This is our seventeenth episode. Today, I've got Ian and Guy, to speak about the importance of finding a great Non-Exec, what they can bring to the table and how the relationship can be nurtured going forward. Wherever you are on your startup journey, get in touch, and let’s unpack your thinking together and see where we can help turn your idea into a reality. Get in touch ! _________________...

This is our sixteenth episode. Today, I am joined by Ian, Guy, Eric, and Aleksa! This is our Xmas Special and we will be talking about which is better Rugby or Football?  Wherever you are on your startup journey, get in touch, and let’s unpack your thinking together and see where we can help turn your idea into a reality. Get in touch ! _____________________________________________________________...