Virgin StartUp Changemakers

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,...

Meet the founders behind a cult brand revolutionising the fashion industry, one garment at a time. Paynter Jackets began as an experiment over a long-distance relationship. The first jacket they ever produced sold out in 86 seconds, so as experiments go, this wasn't too bad. Becky Thomas and her husband Huw Thomas, created an innovative clothing brand by taking the traditional models of the fashio...

As a founder, how do you stay true to your values and find partners and staff who share them? How do you help new team members create new working cultures which compliment yours? And what do you do when this goes wrong?  Without its people, our businesses aren’t anything. As founders of new startups, you’re the beating heart and soul of your business, and how you build it will reflect your cu...

Multi-award winning founder, Pip Murray, joins Virgin StartUp for an evening of conversation to crack open the secret to creating a successful food brand. This is a recording of an interview which took place in March 2022. To get your ticket to our next MeetUp, visit virginstartup.org/events . We welcomed self-confessed ‘head squirrel’ Pip to our digital MeetUp stage to find out more about her mou...

How can you make social media work for your startup? This is a recording of the Virgin StartUp MeetUp that took place in April 2022. Get your tickets to our next MeetUp from virginstartup.org/events. – If you’re building a startup then you already know that your social media game needs to be on point. But in the days of 15 minute news cycles, influencers and saturated feeds, how can founders use s...

We're bringing you the final episode of our exclusive series, The Jump, available wherever you get your podcasts. The final episode of Series 1! Meet Cemal Ezel , the inspirational founder of Change Please, who went from City trader to changing the lives of homeless people one cup of coffee at a time. In this episode we find out what inspired Cemal to create change, and how he ended up sat next to...

We interrupt your MeetUps so bring you an exciting new series from Virgin StartUp and give you exclusive access to the first episode. *click here to subscribe to the new feed to hear the rest of the series* Launching a travel startup just before Covid hits. Being inspired by your daughter to launch a business which ends up landing Beyonce as a client. Going from a kitchen table blog to a multimill...

How to start a business in 2022 Will this be the year you startup? There has never been a better time to start a business. Amidst the challenges of the past 2 years, a record number of new startups have flourished. Virgin StartUp helped thousands to fund, start and grow the businesses they're passionate about - and now we want to help you. If you're thinking of starting or growing a business in 20...

We were thrilled to be joined at our December MeetUp for an in-depth and unfiltered conversation with  Heights  founder and podcasting legend,  Dan Murray-Serter . Dan is a multi-award winning serial founder, who has talked openly about failure and overcoming mental health challenges, including suffering from depression, burnout, anxiety and insomnia. Dan co-founded braincare supple...

This is a recording of the Virgin StartUp MeetUp that took place in November 2021. Get your tickets to our next MeetUp from virginstartup.org/events . -- To celebrate the launch of Virgin StartUp signing up to the Better Business Act , our November MeetUp focussed on how we can all build better businesses and have a positive impact on society and the environment. The drive towards more conscientio...

With a shift in consumer attitude and a focus on sustainability, being a fashion brand today comes with new challenges and more scrutiny. In an industry known for using natural resources and encouraging waste and consumption, we pulled together founders who are leading the change in the industry and creating innovative, cleaner, greener and longer lasting solutions. Covering everything from produc...

Ben Branson , founder of trailblazing drinks brand  Seedlip , leads the lineup of our MeetUp on how to start and scale a food and drink brand, supported by Virgin Money.  Food and drink startups are becoming ever more popular. The appeal and relevance of great products in the foodie world means more and more founders are vying for consumer attention and supermarket shelf space. In a satu...

Get your tickets to our next MeetUp from virginstartup.org/events . Social media is no longer just a trend that founders have to follow, it’s a key marketing channel for any business. As a small and new startup, how do you stand out? And if you manage to build strong connections, how do you keep your content relevant and exciting to continue making customers happy and stay loyal to your brand? Our...

How to put yourself at the heart of your brand. This is a recording of the Virgin StartUp MeetUp that took place in August 2020. Get your tickets to our next MeetUp from virginstartup.org/events . It’s time to tell the story of narrative in business. Featuring James Hurst, Global Head of Creative at Pinterest, we want to help you tell your brand story. The brands you love all have a story behind t...