Startup Blueprint

The next big trend for Venture Capital? DeepTech & Innovation.  Gus Badran has over 30 years' experience in DeepTech, innovation investing and manufacturing. We lift the lid on deeptech and cleantech investing, covering: his story from Imperial College to today, the historical interest in cleantech, case studies for how to analyse a deeptech investment, the future energy mix, and views on...

How to get new clients for your business?  Zoltan Vardy has 30 years of experience and has closed $2 Billion in B2B sales. His masterclass service, The Launch Code, will help you add 3-5 enterprise clients per quarter through his bulletproof framework: Focus, Build, Execute. 200 B2B founders from 25+ countries have already used his service to achieve success - you could be next!  Zoltan dives into...

Yogesh Gupta is CEO of Gaston - AI-powered food based on personal diet preferences straight to your door!  Yogesh shares a wealth of insight with us, not to be missed if you’re currently building a software startup - from his novel Go-To-Market strategy to the benefit of having your own proprietary database for machine learning. Connect with Yogesh here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ybgupta/ Connec...

Suzanne Noble launched Startup School for Seniors to empower less-conventional entrepreneurs to start a business.  She opens up about the barriers that seniors face when becoming founders, and the importance of venture inclusivity. Connect with Suzanne here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suzannenoble/ Connect with James here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-bannon/ Connect with Suraj here: https:/...

Deepak Shrivastava is a serial entrepreneur flipping biased credit checks on their head with Sunrise AI .  Deepak drops a bombshell on the real nature of the venture capital industry, his learnings from investment banking, and his experiences at the world famous AI fund . Connect with Deepak here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deepak-shrivastava-3baa12/ Connect with James here: https://www.linkedin....

Mounir and Steve are co-founders of Puulse (formerly Cappi) - an app that turns the traditional gig economy on its head by getting payments into the hands of workers immediately. We first discuss how to differentiate in a very crowded fintech landscape, before turning to the strong tailwinds behind temporary and freelance work. The founders give their insight into how to secure large clients who h...

AI can get more qualified leads, faster. Gautam founded OneShot on the back of decades of his own experience as a sales leader, having scaled international sales teams from $1m to $50m. His personalised prospecting tool saves salespeople hours of time and increases response rates - all while gathering data and improving itself in real time. Gautam outlines the inefficiencies with the sales outreac...

Blockchain is more than just a buzzword - it could be the future of commodities trading. Electra Coutsoftides is today’s guest - having worked in the waste industry all her career, she founded Techstars-backed XWorks that aims to create transparency and accountability around the trading of waste commodities. Electra begins with the real-life use cases of blockchain, before discussing why keeping y...

Artificial intelligence is more than just ChatGPT - it’s been working its magic in industry for years. We talk to Roey Mechrez - a seasoned vet in the world of AI - about his insights from a career as a founder to now Head of AI at Tulip . If you’re currently building: Roey’s takes from a founder’s #1 headache to where AI is headed next are not to be missed! Connect with Roey here: https://www.lin...

How do I stand out from the noise when it comes to fundraising? What makes a great piece of social media content these days? Will all jobs eventually morph into just giving prompts to ChatGPT? Join us and Rishabh Kaul - Head of Marketing of Appsmith , angel investor, and former Sequoia-backed founder - as we explore these pressing questions! Connect with Rishabh here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/r...

Strong salesmanship + deep sector expertise = a founder’s winning formula Meddy Ali discusses how he melded his professional sales skills with  his lifelong connection to the restaurant industry to launch his own  startup. We discuss: how to handle yourself on a sales call, how to  build trust with customers, and how to divide your time when you’re  running a business and a fam...

If you’re running your company on spreadsheets, 80% of your work can be automated. Marcin  Kierdelewicz, founder of Biami.io, adds rocket fuel to a company’s  scaling process through AI automation. ”Turning employees into managers”  is the name of the game, but how is this done?   Connect with Marcin here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcin3/ Connect with James here: https://ww...

Is bootstrapping the right choice for my business? What is a good framework for validating business ideas? What skills should I work on as a developer in today’s market? Pietro Saccomani, founder of 3 bootstrapped businesses, discusses all this and more. Connect with Pietro here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pietrosaccomani/ Connect with James here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-bannon/ Connect...

Not all entrepreneurs are built the same - it’s up to you to discover the right path for success. Cormac Finn launched SideTeams to inspire innovation through collaboration amongst young and hungry entrepreneurs. He got to where he is today by trying a wealth of stuff - from cleaning hotels to working as a manufacturing engineer in healthcare - to settle on what he truly wants to spend time on. Al...

If you’re passionate about launching a DeepTech startup, there’s never been a better time. Florian Richter’s robotics company, Muddy Machines , aims to solve farmer labour shortages and increase yield with precision harvesting. We cover his journey from finance to DeepTech, the problems facing farming, and why most founders start companies for the wrong reasons. Follow Florian here: https://www.li...

Wondering what the future holds for AI? Driverless cars? Energy? Join us for a fantastic discussion with Christopher Humphries, founder of cybersecurity startup Malizen, who loves to debate what the future might look like as much as we do. We explore everything from cultural differences in the Western World to the current startup fundraising climate. Not to be missed if you’re a founder, tech work...

What problems do female entrepreneurs face? How can I maximise my chances of success as a founder? How should I even go about fundraising if I don’t have a network? We discuss all this and more with Ahana Banerjee, founder of Clear skincare social app, who at just age 21 was accepted into Y Combinator while still at university. An inspirational story on the power of diligence, resilience and self-...

Tired of being rejected time and time again by investors? Nathan Beckord is the go-to guy for founders when fundraising - a startup advisor and former investment banker at JP Morgan, he now offers help via his platform Foundersuite . He also hosts his own podcast How I Raised It where he gives you a fundraising playbook direct from VC-backed founders! Listen to this latest Startup Blueprint episod...

Why do so many products flop? Ayo Onasanya - serial founder and product designer by trade - knows better than most how to make a winning product. If you’re keen to hear the number 1 tip for designers, how to craft an app consumers can’t live without, or the secret networking hack we used to meet Ayo - look no further than this episode! Ayo can be found on LinkedIn and Twitter .

In the current downturn, those with past experience of a recession certainly have an edge. Mayank Mathur joined the world of finance at the worst (or most interesting) time - right at the start of the millennium. His unique rollercoaster in over a decade in finance have armed him for his more recent exploits as a serial founder - and he’s currently solving a problem that’s gone under the radar in...

Another fantastic example of mitigating risk by buying a proven startup: Knowing the ins and outs of the startup world will 100% help you when buying a young company - Ranjit Bhinge is a serial founder who has this expertise in spades. We talk about his motivations for buying a company on the marketplace MicroAcquire , the future of no-code, and even explore the commercialisation of sports teams....

"New technology exists because someone didn’t give up." Kevin Martin is seeking to flip existing supply chains on their head with the bold, sustainable vision of Unspun . We unpack the stages of his masterplan, how his company incorporates deep technology, and the state of the climate in 2022. Kevin can be found on LinkedIn and Twitter .

"I have potentially a very scary answer - people got used to it.” The above is Ivan Kosyuk’s answer to how Ukrainians’ lives have changed since the Russian invasion. Meet a man driven by purpose: to drive technological innovation while providing jobs to his stricken country people. Tune in for a fresh perspective from someone invested in the ongoing situation that’s dominating headlines. Ivan can...

"You have to understand everything, but be a specialist in only a few things." General Partner at Pay It Forward VC , while running his own legal practice and building a startup on the side - Yair Udi is a busy man. We unlock his framework for finding the best companies, the power of in-person networking, and why the current investment landscape is broken. Yair can be found on LinkedIn and Twitter...

"You can't just have a brilliant product and expect it to fly off the shelves..." Jack Fullerton and Peter Gillan dissect the notoriously hard-to-navigate world of consumer apps. Their strength app makes gym progression fun and accessible for everyone (check them out here ). We talk about  the art of gamification, how to interact with your customer directly, and why your social media presence...