Open Equity With Thomas Cornwall

Vadim Fedotov, CEO of Bioniq, the leading personalised health supplement brand, learned brutal scaling lessons as Groupon Eastern Europe CEO in the fastest-growing company in history, then applied those insights to build a successful health company that caught Cristiano Ronaldo's attention. We’re diving into how Bioniq went from founder-led hustle to systematic scaling across 73 countries and...

Actor, entrepreneur and investor Mohammed Mostafa, known for his roles in international productions like Hijack and building Versatile Synergy, has mastered the art of ecosystem development in the UAE. Rather than pursuing traditional business approaches, he leverages his position as a prominent local figure to create partnerships with family businesses, government entities, and entertainment indu...

Callum Laing co-founded Unity Group along with Jeremy Harbour after discovering that most entrepreneurs are terrible at fundraising because they think like operators instead of investors – focusing on client value while ignoring shareholder value entirely. Most capital raising advice hasn't evolved in decades: build a deck and knock on a thousand doors. Callum's approach reverses this by building...

The difference between founders who build hundred-million-dollar companies and those who plateau isn't luck or timing - it's having a systematic approach to reverse engineering exactly what success looks like. This week on Open Equity, we're going over the four-step framework for reverse engineering success for building companies that buyers actually want to acquire. You'll hear why great companie...

Raoul Plickat scaled multiple companies by solving the creator economy's biggest problem , talented creators with massive reach who couldn't convert audiences into profitable businesses. Most digital brands plateau around $1 million because they're doing what everyone else does. Raoul's methodology starts with deep customer research to find the specific metaphors and language patterns that create...

This week on the Open Equity show, we’re doing something a little different. I’m joined by Jasper the founder of Nalu, our podcast production partner, and we’re breaking down the exact three-step plan to take his agency from $20K to $100K monthly and potentially position for exit within 12-24 months. You'll hear why moving from small business to enterprise clients unlocks scale, the specific h...

Shada Elborno has built a 29-year career at Standard Chartered, rising to Managing Director while maintaining a value-based leadership approach in an industry known for aggressive cultures. Join us this week on the Open Equity show, as we're discussing how she defied stereotypes as an Emirati female in investment banking, why kindness became her leadership superpower rather than a weakness, and he...

Building through acquisition seems intimidating, but it's often faster and less risky than organic growth. In today's video, we'll go over five simple steps to scale through acquisition. You'll hear how to structure deals with minimal upfront capital, the sourcing strategies that work better than traditional sales outreach, and why most founders already know their first acquisition targets but hav...

Jeremy Harbour has built and exited dozens of companies, taken multiple businesses public, and now trains thousands of dealmakers worldwide – all without using traditional investment banking or requiring massive upfront capital. This week on the Open Equity show, we're discussing his unconventional approach to M&A that bypasses banks and advisors, why most owner-operators get stuck at the bott...

Private equity firms routinely build billion-dollar companies with playbooks most business owners overlook. In today’s video, we’ll be going over three strategies to take your business to the next level. You'll hear the exact framework behind a $1.75 billion business exit, how to build value in the public markets, and the surprising way to 2-5x your enterprise value. Do you want to scale? We’re lo...

Obediah Ayton built the region's leading family office summit from scratch, creating a platform where multi-million dollar deals get done and emerging fund managers raise capital – all while running a growing accounting practice across the UK and UAE. This week on the Open Equity show, we’re discussing his framework for building authentic networks through giving rather than taking, why he mode...

We scaled a technology company from zero to $30 million revenue in 24 months while maintaining profitability and strong margins. Many founders assume rapid scaling requires perfect products, unlimited capital, or complex strategies. This episode of Open Equity breaks down the exact three-step system that delivered these results: picking markets with high demand and low competition, building standa...

Tarik Chebib took Capital.com from startup to regional leader in the UAE, scaling to 70 people in six months while cracking organic social growth in a way that established competitors still can't replicate. Rather than continuing to hire, Tarik paused to rebuild how the business operated. He's focused on creating processes that don't require constant human intervention – a mindset shift that's cha...

Less than 1% of companies break through $100M revenue. The majority of scaling companies stay stuck because they assume they need more capital, better products, or additional resources to reach this milestone. In Episode 2 of Open Equity , I’m breaking down the three critical levers that consistently drive breakthrough results: – Building genuine demand – Buying market share through strategic M&am...

Jamil Shinawi has built 24 companies over the last two decades, achieving multiple nine-figure exits and co-founding both deep-tech company AHOY and venture fund Actual VC . Most people assume that successful fundraising requires prestigious degrees and corporate credentials. This episode challenges that misconception head-on, as Jamil shares how he's repeatedly built valuable companies without tr...