Virgin StartUp Changemakers

This week's interview is with Connie Nam, Founder and CEO of jewellery brand Astrid & Miyu. Connie was inspired by childhood memories to create something different in the stale high street jewellery space. She's since built an iconic brand, beloved by an ever growing community of admirers and - importantly - customers. 💐 Thanks to Virgin Money for making these events possible. Recorded at:&nb...

In this episode of  Changemakers , recorded live at Virgin HQ, Natalie Pearce sits down with Colette Laxton, co-founder of The INKEY List – the cult skincare brand on a mission to make skincare simple, affordable, and backed by science. Colette’s story is one of bold moves and big learnings. She shares how a failed pitch to ASOS taught her the power of selling the dream, how Reddit inspired T...

In this episode of  Changemakers , recorded live at Virgin HQ, Natalie Pearce sits down with Freddie Garland, founder of Freddie’s Flowers — the subscription flower service that brought fresh blooms, creativity, and colour into thousands of UK homes. Freddie’s story starts with a milk float and a dream. From door-to-door sales and DIY Excel Gantt charts, to building a beloved household brand,...

Host Natalie Pearce sits down with Harriet Hastings, the innovative founder of Biscuiteers—a luxury biscuit-gifting brand that transformed the food gifting space. Harriet shares how her entrepreneurial leap came after stepping away from a successful career in publishing and PR, seeking greater control and flexibility as a mother of four. Starting Biscuiteers in her husband’s catering kitchen, Harr...

Changemakers is back - and we're kicking off this new season with a bang (or should we say a dream!) Welcoming star of social media and serial founder, Simon Squibb. Find out how Simon went from homeless to selling his business for millions to PWC, and why he's dedicating his time to making other founders' dreams come true. Hosted by Natalie Pearce. Visit www.virginstartup.org to find out about ho...

Subscribe to our new feed on Apple Podcasts and Spotify Take a look at our lineup for our new podcast launching next week!   We’ve been behind the scenes with some of the UK’s boldest business minds - who all happen to be Virgin StartUp Mentors — David Abrahamovitch (GRIND), Pip Murray (Pip & Nut), Olivia Jenkins (D. Louise), Andy McNulty (Touch Stay), Abi Selby (Spabreaks.com), and Alex...

We're back with a bonus! This week we meet the founder of Confident and Killing It, Tiwalola Adebayo. Tiwa's hosting our International Women's Day panel event alongside Grace Andrews and Michelle Feeney. Grab your ticket now at: https://www.virginstartup.org/events/leading-with-confidence-women-making-moves/ Follow Tiwa and Confident And Killing It on Instagram. The brand Tiwa mentioned is Kai Col...

It's the last episode of Changemakers for 2024 😭 We're going out with a bang though, with the co-founder of Too Good To Go, Jamie Crummie, who's helping millions of us reduce food waste with their tech platform built around a strong purpose. See you in 2025 for more inspiring conversations with founders creating sustainable impact across the UK. Are you a new or aspiring founder? Our Community ha...

This episode features an interview with Virgin StartUp Managing Director, Andy Fishburn, and Olivia Ferdi, co-founder of the wellness brand TRIP. Find out how Olivia and co-founder Dan have build the UK's 4th fastest growing company, helping millions of people along their wellness journeys. Are you a new or aspiring founder? Our Community has launched, providing a new home for founders in the UK....

This week we meet Olivia Rubin, the designer behind her eponymous brand. After graduating from Central St Martins, Olivia has led a fashion design career which is driven by passion. Find out more about Olivia here: https://www.instagram.com/oliviarubin/ Are you a new or aspiring founder? Our Community has launched, providing a new home for founders in the UK. Explore membership options here . Visi...

Changemakers is back! This week we meet Charlie Bowes-Lyon, co-founder and CMO of Wild. Wild have become one of the fastest brands in the UK thanks to their breakthrough branding, sustainability credentials, brilliant plastic-free products and a knack for cutting through the noise. Are you a new or aspiring founder? Our Community has launched, providing a new home for founders in the UK. Explore m...

It's #WorldEntrepreneurshipDay - and what better way to celebrate than listening to our latest podcast featuring an exclusive conversation between Holly Branson and Simon Sinek. 🌎💬 Recorded at our 10th birthday celebrations in London, Holly sat down with eternal optimist and Ted Talk sensation, Simon Sinek, to recognise the impact that you as founders all have on our society.  Holly and Sim...

Changemakers is back! This week we hear from David Abrahamovitch, CEO and founder of cult coffee brand Grind. Find out how David turned an old phone shop in Soho into 11 coffee shop-come-cocktail bars, a home-delivery empire, and even a contract with British Airways. Are you a new or aspiring founder? Our Community has launched, providing a new home for founders in the UK. Explore membership optio...

Changemakers is back! This week we hear from Will Pearson, AKA The Bottle Guy, on why a trip to Malaysia led to him co-founding Ocean Bottle to help clean up our seas. Are you a new or aspiring founder? Our Community has launched, providing a new home for founders in the UK. Explore membership options here . Visit www.virginstartup.org to find out about how you can start-up and thrive. You can acc...

This week Host Natalie Pearce was joined by Chance Marshall, therapist and co-founder of mental healthcare startup Self Space . Visit www.virginstartup.org to find out about how you can start-up and thrive. You can access Start Up Loan funding and free Business Advice to get your new business off the ground.   Thanks to Virgin Money for making these events free for founders everywhere. Produc...

This week Host Natalie Pearce was joined by Varun Bhanot, co-founder of AI workout tech startup, MAGIC AI. Visit www.virginstartup.org to find out about how you can start-up and thrive. You can access Start Up Loan funding and free Business Advice to get your new business off the ground.   Thanks to Virgin Money for making these events free for founders everywhere. Produced by Goldfish for Vi...

This week Host Natalie Pearce was joined by Brian Walmsley, co-founder of sustainable homeware brand ReBorn . Visit www.virginstartup.org to find out about how you can start-up and thrive. You can access Start Up Loan funding and free Business Advice to get your new business off the ground.   Thanks to Virgin Money for making these events free for founders everywhere. Produced by Goldfish for...

This week Host Natalie Pearce was joined by Hugo Douglas-Deane and Thomas Panton, co-founders of home of buying better, Canopey. The pair discussed how all of us can shop better, and what it takes to build a business taking on the likes of Amazon. Visit www.virginstartup.org to find out about how you can start-up and thrive. You can access Start Up Loan funding and free Business Advice to get your...

This week's guest is Ella Goldner, co-founder of ZINC VC. ZINC VC changed the Venture Capital game when they launched their platform for purpose-first founders looking to partner with investors who shared their vision for a better world. Apologies for the sound quality in this episode, we had some tech problems on the night. We'll do better next time. Visit www.virginstartup.org to find out a...

This week Natalie met the changemaker championing unapologetic sexual and intimate health for everyone. In 2017, best friends Farah Kabir and Dr Sarah Welsh were both equally frustrated with the limited variety and their experience in the condom and lube aisle. They created HANX with the purpose to start a sex-positive and sustainable brand with gynae-backed sexual wellness products everyone would...

This week Natalie interviews Alex Wright, the co-founder behind DASH, the drinks brand reducing waste and making delicious drinks at the same time. Apologies for the sound quality in this episode, we had some tech problems on the night. We'll do better next time. Visit www.virginstartup.org to find out about how you can start-up and thrive.   Thanks to Virgin Money for making these events fre...

This week Ben Keene interviews Dan Kieran, co-founder of Unbound and now author, most recently of Do Start - How to create and run a business (that doesn't run you). Apologies for the sound quality in this episode, we had some tech problems on the night. We'll do better next time. Visit www.virginstartup.org to find out about how you can start-up and thrive.   Thanks to Virgin Money for makin...

“Keep your change, I want change please”   These words changed the life of Cemal Ezel, and consequently, thousands more.    Former City trader Cemal founded Change Please to transform the lives of the homeless community by providing people experiencing homelessness a living wage job, housing, training and opportunities.   Visit https://changeplease.org/ to find out more ab...

Co-founder relationships can make or break a business. Whether it’s overcoming challenges or celebrating success together, the common goal to pursue your shared passion is what keeps founders going. At this special In Conversation With MeetUp, our host Ben Keene joins Brixton Brewery co-founders Mike Ross and Xochitl Benjamin to uncover how their chance encounter at the pub brewed up a successful...

The food and drink industry is very crowded, so how do you get customers to reach for your products and get on the shelves in the first place? From rumbling up recipes to picking the perfect brand name, our panel of award-winning food and drink founders give you a taste on what life is really like starting and scaling up. In this MeetUp, our host Ben Keene has a feast of fantastic founder stories,...