The Unfounders

Emily Smith  is Head of Sales at  Mooncup  - pioneers of forward thinking, sustainable, plastic & chemical free period products. She is a powerful voice in the community - fighting for positive change when it comes to period care and menstrual health inclusivity. Emmy is a passionate yoga teacher, running classes alongside her sales role. This conversation was fascinating - especially as a mal...

Holleigh and I connected over her involvement on Zach Taylor's new incredible hard kombucha brand Stiff Tea as I was obsessed with the bran as soon as I saw it. We talked about the experience of bringing someone else's brand to life - and how she fell into the consultancy world (and accepting this title!) We dug into all her various experience in managing bars, working at music festivals,...

What if boxed and canned wine could be premium? Well that's exactly what LAYLO do - and boy do they do it well! Today's guest is the wonderful Daisy Larkan , BDM at Laylo and the co-owner of First Draft Bar & Kitchen with her husband. We dive into the stigma around boxed and canned wine, and why it's whats on the inside that counts! From sustainability & freshness of boxed wine...

Ready for a bonus episode? Here is the live recording of a panel that took place at the first ever YF Ops Fest event held at Candy Kittens HQ last month. I had the pleasure of chairing a stellar line to dive into the biggest supply chain problems and how to overcome them with: Georgia Riches - Liquid Death Daniel Hayward - Candy Kittens Ann Holt - GRUBBY This was SUCH a brilliant conversation - hu...

Today I have the honour of speaking with two incredible women at Virgin Atlantic - Beverage Development Manager, Shiada Drysdale and Inflight Food & Beverage Development Manager Hari Ghotra . Shiada has over 25 years working in Aviation (17 of those at Virgin) and now looks after 'anything that pours on board.' She is a huge champion for challenger brands, having helped onboard Trip, P...

Today I am joined by the brilliant Jack Simmonds , former Director at Hisbe (How It Should Be) and now Head of Operations & Finance at Gamely . From working in the finance world at Bank of England and Deutsche Bank, Jack joined the team at Innocent which clearly left a lasting impression. His next move was to Nestle, however missing that challenger buzz and energy, when the chance to join a so...

Today I am joined by not one, but two wonderful guests! Marking Director Adam Joe Parker and Sales Director Emma King aka 'Refounders' at Ocean Saver . We discuss what the term Refounder actually means, why it was important to distinguish and how it's helped bring a new life and personality into the Ocean Saver brand. (As well as those fishy puns!) And why the oceans need saving - and...

How does a product or recipe go from idea - to a supermarket shelf or cafe menu? Who actually helps craft those delicious drinks & foods we all know and love? Well Olivia (Lilly) Abrahmsohn is one of those people working behind the scenes in the product development world. She's been knocking up amazing products for the likes of Innocent, Rebel Kitchen and most recently Joe & The Juice...

In this episode, I sit down with Nadine Maggi , whose career journey is anything but typical. After 5 years in the armed forces, she kicked off her HR career at Hallmark, starting as a filing administrator and working her way up to International HR Director. From there, she jumped into the food and drink world, taking on roles as HR Director and transitioning to Managing Director at Hain Celestial...

Andy Allen is an absolute powerhouse in the FMCG industry and a brilliant ambassador for challenger brands too. From launching & selling his own brand of premium pork scratchings with Snaffling Pig. To leading and advising in brands such as Biffs, Oggs, Willicroft, Olly's and so many more. Andy has been instrumental in the creation of Bidfood Open Doors Program and now sits as an Entrepren...

Craig Jackson is Head of Foodservice at Wildfarmed and an absolute legend! Since we met on a panel this year at the Bread & Jam Food Service Summit, we've struck up a great friendship and I'm constantly learning from him. In this episode we dive into Craigs time at Wildfarmed, reflecting on lessons and learnings from previous experience at Lyreco, SG World, Tchibo, Coffee World and Min...

Today's guest is Ben Nagy - Head of Out of Home & Wholesale at Flawsome Drinks . We dive into his passion for the health and fitness space, leading to working for all sorts of great brands such as The Collectiv, For Goodness Shakes, MOJU, Plenish, Savse & more. Ben has had an incredible impact already in his time at Flawsome, winning foodservice listings left right and centre. He's...

Todays guest is Ruth Fittock Managing Partner at Tomorrow Brands who focus on helping purpose-driven brands of tomorrow launch & succeed in the UK. Ruth has a whole host of experience in a number of brilliant brands including Vitamin Water, Popchips and Simply Roasted - as well as being a Virgin Startup Mentor and advisor at Bold Bean Co. After helping launch and run Vitamin Water's field...

In this weeks episode, Mitch sits down to chat with the brilliant ⁠ Nicole Allison ⁠ - Head of Sales at ⁠ Boundless ⁠ . With a degree in Contemporary Theatre & Performing Arts, what made her make the switch to selling delicious gut friendly snacks? We dive into her time at Redbull, AG Barr and the transition from a corporate and 'being a number' to truly becoming part of a brand and ma...

Welcome to the FIRST episode of The Unfounders. I knew I had to kick the series off with a bang, and who better than the boy in green taking over LinkedIn - ⁠Max Jones⁠ . Max is a Sales Exec aka Energy Spreader over at Perfect Ted - THE fastest growing natural energy brand in the UK (as if they need any introduction). I LOVED speaking to Max, he's so full of infectious energy (obviously) and w...

Welcome to The Unfounders , Unwrapping Employee Stories In the Startup World Teams Make Brands - Not Just Founders I’m here to shine a spotlight on the often unsung heroes. The Unfounders is dedicated to amplifying the narratives of those unseen in the startup realm. Join us in celebrating the heartbeat of entrepreneurial success. The people behind the people behind the brand. Hosted by Mitch Lee