The Start-Up Diaries Podcast

AeroCloud is an airport management platform is built on leading-edge technology & uses predictive AI & machine learning. Combined with common-use passenger processing & self-service solutions, they deliver an innovative answer to the complex operational challenges experienced by airports across the globe. In this episode, Co-Founder & CEO George Richardson sits down with Chris to d...

Pharmacy Innovation Lab is working alongside pharmacists to develop new technologies aimed at solving real issues currently being faced in the pharmacy every day. Being over 50% owned by pharmacists, they provide a unique community working towards resolving shared problems within the industry. In this episode, Paul Billington, Founder of both Pharmacy Innovation Lab and it's powerhouse Projec...

Boodil is a cardless payments solution that offers merchants a more secure, cost effective payment proposition with instant access to funds whilst rewarding customers for every purchase they make.  In this episode, two of the four Co-Founders of Boodil - Dally Singh (CTO) & Harry Luscombe (CEO) - sit down with Chris to discuss their journey as an early stage start-up on the journey to disrupt...

Wejo is a data, analytics and software-as-a-service provider that analyses connected and electric vehicle data to create real-time insights. Founded in Manchester back in 2014, the business went public back in 2021 in a deal that valued the business at $800 million. In the first episode of Season 6, Chris sits down with Founder & CEO of Wejo, Richard Barlow, to hear all about his journey from...

Thinking about starting your own business? Or maybe you're considering taking the plunge from corporate to start-up life... In this season finale we've gathered a round-up of the best advice shared from start-up Founders & leaders across Season 5 of the show, detailing what you must consider if you're thinking about setting up shop on your own, or, if you're thinking about...

Onto is Europe's largest electric car subscription service. For a flat monthly fee, Onto customers get the latest electric cars with insurance, servicing, breakdown cover and free public charging at over 11,000 locations across the UK. In this episode CTO of Onto, Ben Brown, talks us through his journey at Onto and taking on the CTO position, discussing the challenges and adjustments that com...

PwC Raise helps  fast-growing, early-stage companies looking to raise between £1m - £30m in funding by providing support and expertise throughout their investment investment journeys.  In this episode, Raise Ventures Manager Lizzie Lord talks through everything the Raise Programme (£1-5 Million) and Raise Growth (£5 Million+) has to offer early stage start-ups, from getting you investor ready, to...

ZOE is a nutritional science start-up harnessing the power of scientific research, software engineering and artificial intelligence. Their mission is to help people eat with confidence by enabling customers to understand their unique biological response to food.  In this episode, VP of Engineering Julien Lavigne du Cadet shares how Zoe's app went from 0 to 1 Million users in just 36 hours... ...

Thirdfort protects life’s big transactions so businesses and their clients can move fearlessly. Powered by Open Banking and transaction specific data, Thirdfort rapidly informs professionals of any risks associated with verifying their individual and corporate clients.  In this episode, Chris is joined by Chief Technology and Product Officer of Thirdfort, Anna Keren. Anna discusses her journey to...

In this episode, Chris is joined by Hayley Roberts, CEO of award-winning cloud security distributor Distology. Having recently acquired Squareball, Hayley discusses her experience with acquisitions and shares her advice around what to expect and how to prepare.  Hayley also dives into her career path that led her to becoming CEO of Distology, and how coming from a non-technical background has impa...

The Start-Up Factory works with entrepreneurs, early stage startups and investors to help articulate, define and realise their vision, utilising a partial sweat equity model to help these start-ups get to the next stage of their journey, including Proof-of-Concept (PoC) and Minimum Viable Product (MVP) builds. In this episode, CTO Aleksa Vukotic discusses exactly what early stage start-ups can exp...

Ningi is the single, integrated tech platform that helps financial advisers work more efficiently and provide a more engaging experience to their clients by bringing everything into a single low cost tech platform. Founder & CEO Peter Ridlington joined Chris and dived into the challenges they've faced as an early-stage, remote first start-up. Peters talks through how to know if and when i...

Go City is the largest multi-attraction pass business in the world, with an estimated 65% market share and operating in 25+ cities and five continents. Their growing teams in London, Boston, Singapore and New York help millions of sightseers enjoy new cities, incredible attractions, tours, experiences, activities and great savings. In this episode, Chris is joined by both Michael Letchford, SVP of...

 In today’s episode we are joined by Simon Rohrbach, Co-Founder and CEO of Plain.com , an API-first customer service platform for modern companies. In this episode, Simon discusses why he decided to target the customer service market and many unique and interesting challenges it presents. He also outlines the maturity of the customer service market, and how from day 1 he’s been competing with the...

Glean is the leading learning technology business that helps to unlock students’ learning potential by helping them overcome information overload. In this episode, Founder & CEO Dave Tucker sat down with Chris to discuss his 13 year journey as Founder, starting back in 2009 alongside his father, through to the product’s re-brand as ‘Glean’ and how they utilised this to enter new markets &...

We're back with Season 5 of The Start-Up Diaries and its safe to say that we're back with a bang!  To kick things off, Chris sits down with Mark Mullen, CEO of Atom Bank, a Soonicorn & the UK's fist app-based bank.  In this episode, Mark talks us through Atom Banks decision to implement a 4 day working week: from the logistics & the trial period to the outcomes and why the b...

In this bitesize episode, Ryan Sorby - Head of North & Scotland for UK-based independent asset manager 'Boost&Co' talks through the difference between debt & equity, as well as exits & what they can look like.  Catch the full episode in Season 4. Follow The Start-Up Diaries Podcast on LinkedIn , Instagram , or find more free content from the Tech Recruitment Specialists p...

Sean Brown is a seasoned entrepreneur, starting out his career by founding Hatch. Social, then shortly after joining The Social Chain as Head of Product, along side Steven Bartlett. He then went on to found several other start-ups, from Meracto all the way to his current business venture, Versori.  Versori has developed the highly innovative Switchboard, a no-code automation platform for large bus...

In this bitesize Insights episode, Founder & CEO of Witco - Eliane Lugassy - talks through how they scaled their product globally, launching in the UK, Spain & Germany all at the same time! She discusses her key learnings from each country as well as the challenges she faced when hiring internationally.  Like what you hear? You can catch Eliane's full episode back in season 3! Follow...

Slalom is a global consulting firm focused on strategy, technology, and business transformation. 4 years ago they introduced Slalom Build, Slalom’s brand for builders that blends design, product engineering, analytics, and automation to create the modern technology products of tomorrow. In this episode, Chris is joined by Senior Director of Slalom Build, Cath Trotter. After openly discussing her n...

In this insights episode,  Rob Brockington - CEO of Financial Coaching App Claro Money - explains how despite a 3x increase in downloads of personal finance apps, they were able to market their product to get users onto the platform through unique positioning & marketing strategies, Want to hear more? You can listen to Rob's full length episode back in season 3! Follow The Start-Up Diarie...

Further are one of the newest crowdfunding platforms on the market, which allows consumers to discover, compare and back funds with cheques starting from “as little” as £1,000. They are working on making the process of investing in VC less complicated, less expensive and more “democratic” for individuals who can also afford to take the risks involved.  In this episode, Co-Founder & CEO Rob Tom...

In this episode Chris is joined by Issa Dasu Patel, Co-Founder & CEO of Connect Care, a young start-up using digital tools & insights to empower patients to manage their medications and enable carers and clinicians to optimise their patients’ treatment regimes in real-time. Issa discusses what it's like to work with the public sector and how he has gone about approaching the market an...

In this insights episode, Rob Black - Technology Director at Beauty Bay - talks through how he went about winning hearts and minds of an established team when he first joined Beauty Bay. He discusses how to build rapport and gain the ability to influence a team that is already high performing, and how to demonstrate real leadership skills that will allow you to make a real impact and take the team...

BOOST&Co are a UK-based independent asset manager, specialising in growth-lending solutions of £2m to £10m for high-tech, high-growth SMEs. Their goal is to empower creative, innovative and disruptive SMEs to accelerate their growth while preserving equity.  In this episode, their Head of North & Scotland - Ryan Sorby - shares in detail how you can get your business investment ready, as we...