Unicorn Podcast: Recent Episodes
Simon Squibb
We interview founders of billion-dollar companies in a 60-minute deep dive to find out how they were able to build a business of this scale, to give our audience access to the knowledge that built their fortune.
Chris Barton is a well-respected entrepreneur and one of the masterminds behind the music recognition app, Shazam. Shazam was created in London over 20years ago and caught the interest of Apple who went on to purchase the technology for a speculated $400 million in 2017. The app is now among the most popular apps on both iPhone and Android with over 1 billion downloads to date.
Chris’ career also includes companies such as Google where he worked for 8 years and Dropbox, where he held the position of head of mobile operators' business development. He has collected a wealth of knowledge and experience through his journey to make him a leading entrepreneur within the digital field and more specifically, mobile applications. He is now embarking on creating a new startup focused on machine learning and computer vision.
In today’s special episode of The Unicorn Podcast, Chris tells his story of building software that was so ahead of it’s time, as well as giving you all the highs and lows of his career, so you have the knowledge you need to replicate his success for yourself.
"Things take longer than you expect. You hit different hurdles and unknown things happen. Early revenue in your business is like oxygen. Make revenue for your business a priority from day one. If I had realised how important that was, even if it meant delaying my main vision, it would have been a better route to take."
Topics:
How Chris became an entrepreneur
Chris’ unconventional start-up approach
Shazam - How it went from an idea to a reality
Shazam - Finding an engineer to ‘invent’ the technology
Shazam - The four co-founders and their partnership dynamic
Shazam - Allocating job roles
Shazam - Raising funding
Persistence + Timing
Hiring CEO’s + getting out of your own way
Chris’ new company ‘Guard’
Apple’s acquisition of Shazam
What is it like after selling a company?
Why Guard?
One piece of advice to your younger self
Chris Barton:
https://chrisjbarton.com/
📚 FOR MORE HELP START HERE: https://purposefulproject.com
John Roberts is the Founder and CEO of AO World, the online retailer specialising in household appliances and electricals. AO operates following John’s two personal mottos of ‘treat every customer like your gran’ and ‘make your mum proud’, which has allowed the company to attain more 5* reviews than any other electrical retailer.
John started AO in 2000 after a friend bet him £1 to set up a business. He had previously been working as a kitchen salesman, and the internet was just reaching mainstream utility, so he decided to set up a company that would sell appliances online. In 2014, Roberts led AO World’s listing on the London Stock Exchange, valued at the time at £1.2 billion.
John has also supported Bolton Lads and Girls Club for 25 years, he’s a chairman at OnSide Youth Zones and a councillor at OneYoungWorld. Each of these organisations supports young people and aligns with John’s mission to leave the world a better place. In this episode, John gives us an in-depth insight into his life and career, as well as what it takes to build a billion-dollar company.
“Be really clear about what it is that you’re going to do, and be awesome at it. Obsess about being awesome, and be clear on what problems you’re solving because If you’re going to be average at it… Well, there's a lot of average in the graveyard.”
Topics:
John’s early life The importance of learning Relationships and treating people fairly The £1 bet Why being interesting is everything Taking AO public The Metaverse/Web 3.0 John Roberts: https://twitter.com/johnrobertsao
AO: https://twitter.com/ao
Anne Boden is the Founder and CEO of Starling Bank, a modern British bank that brings new technology to the forefront, delivering a more engaging experience for customers than traditional high-street banks. Since 2014, Anne’s vision has served more than 2.5 million customers as Starling continues to grow into one of the UK’s leading banks.
In January of 2014, Anne decided to quit her job to pursue her vision of creating a better bank, defying all stereotypes of women in their 50s with a corporate background. Starting a bank is one of the most challenging businesses to launch, and people thought she was crazy, but Anne was determined to make it work.
“I felt silly, I felt people would laugh at me for having this audacious goal. I didn’t just want to create a new bank, I wanted to create one that had the very best technology right from scratch, treated customers very fairly, with a new way of doing things and engaging with customers. Nobody believed me. Nobody thought it was possible.”
Topics:
Starling’s first steps Raising money + building a team Being a sole founder Building the technology ‘Banking on it’ - Book Securing the $48m investment Crypto What success looks like for Anne Work/life balance Are entrepreneurs born or bred? Luck Advice to her younger self
Anne:
https://www.instagram.com/anneboden/
https://twitter.com/anneboden
Anne's book:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/BANKING-How-I-Disrupted-Industry-ebook/dp/B084H6N2GS
Starling Bank:
https://www.starlingbank.com/
📚 FOR MORE HELP START HERE: https://purposefulproject.com
In episode Adam Kamani is an award-winning property entrepreneur, start-up investor, mentor and CEO of Kamani Property Group, KM Capital and YourNxtDoor. He has just launched a next-gen property app called Move Streets.
In Season 2, Episode 12, Simon talks to Tom. Tom Mercer is the Founder of MOMA Foods, a London oat brand. Frustrated with the lack of quality breakfast on the market Tom decided to leave his job in the City and do something about it. MOMA was a genuine grassroots start-up – the first kitchen was under a railway arch in South London and the first retail outlet was a stall (made from a converted filing cabinet) in Waterloo station. MOMA is now the go-to premium porridge brand in the UK, the #1 bircher muesli brand, and a fast-growing player in burgeoning oat milk market
Tom is from a farming family in Staffordshire, read Natural Sciences at Cambridge, and prior to MOMA worked as a management consultant for Bain & Co. In his personal life Tom is a proud husband and dad.
In Season 2, Episode 11, Simon talks Dr Ali Parsa. Ali is a British-Iranian healthcare entrepreneur and engineer. He’s the founder and CEO of Babylon, the revolutionary AI and digital health company. Babylon’s mission is to put an accessible and affordable health service in the hands of every person on earth.
Dr Parsa was listed in The Times 100 people to watch. He was featured in the Maserati 100, a list that recognises game-changing entrepreneurs. He was formerly a UK Cabinet Office Ambassador for Mutuals and the Chair of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) Tech Forum. He has a PhD in Engineering Physic.
In Season 2, Episode 10, Simon talks to Alexia Inge. Singularly committed to curating a ‘Beauty Hall of Fame’, featuring only the best hero products from across the globe, Alexia Inge co-founded Cult Beauty with a lifelong passion for beauty and a mission to become the most trusted beauty retailer in the world.
Under Alexia’s leadership since 2014, Cult Beauty has become the place to go for beauty discovery and incubating trends – from the latest scientific wellbeing discoveries to centuries-old remedies that have never been bettered. It has fast become home to some the biggest names and need-to-know burgeoning brands: from being the first independent e-tailer to stock Anastasia Beverly Hills to bringing Milk Makeup across the pond and herding Drunk Elephant into the EU.
In Season 2, Episode 9, Simon talks to Sach Kukadia. Sach is a serial entrepreneur, non-executive director, chairman, board advisor and angel investor. He launched his first start up, SecretSales.com at the age of 22 and over a period of 10 years, raised £18m through leading Venture Capital Institutions and drove annual sales of £47m. He eventually sold the business to a London based Private Equity firm in 2017.
Sach’s current interest lies with Residently, a disruptive Property Tech platform alongside a new D2C business launching in Q2 2022 that allows you to invest in gold. In addition, Sach is Chairman to vintage furniture business Rehaus, and NED to a number of other consumer facing businesses.
In season 2, episode 8, Simon talks to Patrick Tsang. Patrick Tsang is Chairman of Tsangs Group, a fourth-generation China-focused Single Family Office from Hong Kong. Patrick invests in various companies with a positive influence and positive impact. Born and raised in the United Kingdom with deeply-rooted Chinese heritage, he has a robust global network as a seasoned investor.
He has worked on numerous IPO and M&A transactions globally and has successfully made investments in Asia, mainly in Hong Kong and China, North America, and Europe. Patrick holds several prestigious appointments, including the Trade Commissioner of Grenada in Macau, to promote international business and investment.
In Season 2, episode 7, Simon talks to Dan Murray-Serter. Dan is a multi-award winning serial entrepreneur, who talks openly about failure, mental health, mental performance, and 'braincare' - which includes his journey using science to build habits, cultivating a positive mindset & nutrition for optimizing his brain's health. Having started (and failed) the UK's #1 fashion app, Grabble, he is now back building his new company, Heights. In his spare time, he podcasts with both the Braincare podcast for Heights, and Secret Leaders, one of the UK's top business podcasts.
In Season 2, Episode 6 Simon talks to Nick Wheeler. Nick Wheeler first had the idea for Charles Tyrwhitt shirts - to make the best shirts, using only the finest materials, at great value, with unbeatable service - whilst studying Geography at Bristol University in 1986;. He used his middle names - Charles Tyrwhitt – more anonymous (and better sounding!) than “Nick Wheeler shirts” The first brochure was a one-page leaflet with 8 shirts and 8 ties.
The product range has developed from just shirts and ties to suits, shoes and a full casual offering. Today the business is a multi-channel retailer and a leading British brand. The company grew rapidly to sales of £220M in 2018, but then hit Covid…
Charles Tyrwhitt’s mission today remains true to Nick’s founding principles - to provide quality and value, and to deliver them to the customer with unrivalled customer service. Nick is also a non-executive director of The White Company. He is married to Chrissie Rucker, founder of the White Company. They have four children and live in Oxfordshire. Nick was awarded an OBE for services for retail in December 2017.
In season 2, episode 5, Simon talks to Nick Jenkins. After graduation, Nick spent eight years trading sugar in Moscow for Glencore. In 1998 he returned to the UK to study for an MBA at Cranfield, after which he started Moonpig.com, the personalised greeting card retailer. By 2011 the business had over 5 million customers and Nick sold a majority of his holding to Photobox. Nick now divides his time between the charity sector and investing in early stage businesses which led to him joining the panel of BBC2 Dragons’ Den in 2015 and 2016. He now has a portfolio of 19 angel investments, mostly in ed-tech, med tech and e-commerce.
In Season 2, Episode 4, Simon talks to Stepan Galaev. Stepan Galaev identified the growing demand for portfolio management services in the angel investment community while working on the investment portfolio of renowned UK angel investor – Nick Jenkins. After several years of deep-diving in the venture capital environment, he saw an opportunity to build a multi-family office that would cater to individuals with similar business ethics, and the strong belief that investing in young ventures can deliver both social and economic returns.
In S2 Episode 3, Simon talks to Anne Skare Nielsen. Anne is one of Scandinavia's - in fact the world's leading futurists. With her great interest and knowledge in radical change and transformation of thinking, she is in high demand as a lecturer and provocateur all over the world.
You see her very often in the media. Among other things, she has been on DR's popular radio program 'The Philosopher, the Author and the Woman of the Future', and has been a TV host on the program 'NewScience' on TV2 News.
In season 2 episode 2, Simon talks to Hugh. Hugh Thomas is the NYC-based CEO and Founder of Ugly Drinks. Ugly is a flavored sparkling water brand, now available in over 15,000 stores globally and with offices in both the UK and US. Ugly believes in an omni-channel approach to business, and has built its business online as well as in traditional retail. Before starting Ugly, Hugh worked at Vita Coco in Europe, leading bra
In season 2, episode 1, Simon talks to William Reeve. William is CEO of fast growth technology business Goodlord, a role he's held since 2018. Alongside this, he's non-Exec Chairman of Nutmeg and non-Exec Director at Dunelm PLC. William is a serial entrepreneur, having co-founded Fletcher Research, LOVEFiLM.com, and Secret Escapes. He is also an experienced angel investor.
In episode 60, Simon talks to Pippa Murray. Pip Murray, 32, is the Founder of Pip & Nut, an award-winning food brand that launched to market in January 2015. Over the last five years, she’s been shaking up the healthy food and drink sector with her range of naturally nutritious nut butters and recently launched nut butter cups. Pip & Nut is now the fastest growing nut butter brand in the UK and is a certified B corporation.
As a self-confessed peanut butter addict, Pip had the inspiration for the brand after searching, unsuccessfully, in the supermarkets for a range of peanut butters that were free from palm oil. With no options available, she started making her own natural range of products in her kitchen with her blender, before trailing them at Maltby Street Market. Today Pip & Nut can be found in over 5,500 stores around the UK and Ireland. Her mission for the brand is to help people love food that loves them and break down the perception that choosing a ‘better for you’ option has to feel like a sacrifice.
Amongst other accolades, Pip was most recently named in the Evening Standard Progress 1000, London’s Most Influential People 2019 and the ‘Start-Up Entrepreneur of the Year’ at the Natwest Great British Entrepreneur Awards.
In episode 59, Simon talks to Nick Telson. Nick co-founded DesignMyNight 10 years ago. Coming from a marketing background at L’Oreal, where he launched 2 brands in the UK, he grew DesignMyNight into 8 million views a month website with three ground-breaking B2B hospitality systems with over 15,000 customers. DesignMyNight was acquired by The Access Group in November 2017. He now hosts a top 10 global business podcast, Pitch Deck and has founded a new spin on venture for startups; Horseplay Ventures - a Startup Playground, where he has already invested in 25 startups in the UK and US.
In episode 58, Simon talks to John Elkington, Co-Founder & Chief Pollinator at Volans. John is one of the founders of the global sustainability movement, an experienced advisor to business, and a highly regarded keynote speaker and contributor, from conferences to advisory boards.
In 2008, The Evening Standard named John among the ‘1000 Most Influential People’ in London, describing him as “a true green business guru”, and as “an evangelist for corporate social and environmental responsibility long before it was fashionable”. In 2009, a CSR International survey of the Top 100 CSR leaders placed John fourth: after Al Gore, Barack Obama and the late Anita Roddick of the Body Shop, and alongside Muhammad Yunus of the Grameen Bank.
John has addressed over 1,000 conferences around the world. He was a faculty member of the World Economic Forum from 2002-2008. He has served on over 70 boards and advisory boards. John has won numerous awards and is the author or co-author of 19 books. The 20th book was published in April: Green Swans: The Coming Boom in Regenerative Capitalism (Fast Company Press).
In episode 57, Simon talks to Norris Koppel. Norris is Founder & CEO of the European banking service Monese. He launched Monese in 2015, after his first-hand experience of the hassle involved with opening a bank account in a new country. With its multi-currency current accounts that are available in 31 countries, Monese enables people to bank like a local across the UK and Europe.
Since 2007, Norris has co-founded and built a number of fintech companies. He is passionate about financial education and is founder of the Artha Foundation that focusses on educating children about money.
In episode 56, Simon talks to Jeff Rotmeyer. Jeff Rotmeyer is the Founder and CEO of ImpactHK, a charity transforming the lives of the homeless in Hong Kong.
ImpactHK started with just a few individuals wanting to show kindness to those in need. It has now grown into a humanitarian movement, involving thousands of participants, that is truly saving lives. Jeff is also the Founder and CEO of Love 21 Foundation, a charity supporting the down syndrome and autistic community with sport and nutritional programmes.
Originally from Vancouver Canada, Jeff has lived in Hong Kong for 14 years and spent his first 13 years teaching in a government primary school. Jeff is dedicated to living a meaningful life through social work and is passionate about making positive impact for those in need.
In Episode 55, Simon talks to Rich Goldsmith. Rich founded MOJU in 2015, alongside his best mate, Charlie Leet-Cook. Rich has a degree in Engineering and worked in commercial and finance roles before discovering his passion for innovation in food & beverage. MOJU has grown from a craft juice made in a home kitchen and sold at local markets and music festivals, into the market leader of juice shots and the fastest growing brand in the UK juice & smoothie category.
Rich is forever fascinated by how things work and connecting the dots. He’s a huge believer in the power of collaboration and the ability of teams to bring big ideas to life, that has the potential to help drive positive societal change. Rich was named a Young Gun in the startups.co.uk awards in 2018 and is a steering committee member of 1% for the Planet, a community of businesses that donate 1% of their annual sales to environmental impact causes.
In episode 54, Simon talks to Jeff Lynn. One of the world's largest platforms for investing in private companies. He also serves as Chairman of The Coalition for a Digital Economy (Coadec), a non-profit advocacy group for UK startups and scaleups. Jeff began his career as a corporate lawyer at Sullivan & Cromwell LLP in New York and London. He has been named one of the 100 most influential men in the UK by GQ and one of the 10 coolest people in tech by Business Insider.
In episode 53, Simon talks to James Chase. As a member of the family that invented Tyrrell’s Crisps in the nineties before going on to found Chase Distillery in 2008, it is little wonder that entrepreneurialism is in James Chase’s blood.
The Director at Chase Distillery cut his teeth on the family farm, helping his father to challenge the status quo of the spirits industry. They did this by adopting a unique field-to-bottle process, using the potatoes grown on the farm to distill into vodka and then gin.
James was inspired having spent time in the USA, where he witnessed the success of the hard seltzer market; catering for the demand for alcoholic drinks with lower calories that were still big on flavour.
In episode 52, Simon talks Angelina Riccio and Tenna Anette. The pair turned their back on a fast paced, party lifestyle after a case of burn-out inspired them to create products that would actively benefit the wellbeing of themselves and their families. Prior to Purearth, Angelina became an entrepreneur at a young age, founding a global modeling agency Reality Check Management, whilst Tenna is an ex-event manager at Sketch.
The pair, who became flatmates for over a year and a half to help support the business, produce cold-pressed juices, water kefir’s, and more recently, CBD shots which have helped achieve a 61% annual growth year on year. They work with industry-leading scientists such as Dr. Gabriel Cousens and David Wolfe to help identify new superfoods that can boost immunity and protect people from illness – especially relevant in today’s world.
In episode 51, Simon talks to Duro Oye. Duro is a London based award-winning social entrepreneur and filmmaker. Duro is Chief Executive of 2020 Change a youth empowerment organisation focused on the social mobility of young people from low socio-economic backgrounds. He strongly believes that every young person should have the opportunity to live to their fullest potential.
Oye’s national recognition came in 2013 after he raised £50k to fund his first independent film project ‘247365 Change’. Since then he has worked on documentary film projects with The BBC's ‘County lines, Teenage Drug Runners’ & Channel 5 ‘Gangland Season 1 & 2.
2020 Change’s flagship programme ‘I Am Change’ which runs in prisons, schools and local communities across London, uses alternative education in a unique way to engage young people in interactive workshops and seminars about discovering purpose, potential and most importantly their unique identity.
In Episode 50, Simon talks to Mads Faurholt. Mads is a serial entrepreneur and best selling author. He has started over 20 companies across technology, financial services, marketing, HR and education, with thousands of employees, and investors such as Goldman Sachs, Alibaba, Peter Thiel and the World Bank. Prior to starting his current company, Nova Founders Capital, Mads was Global Partner and Managing Director of the German internet giant, Rocket Internet; Head of Asia at Groupon (the world’s fastest-growing company), and Management Consultant at McKinsey & Company. Mads received his bachelor from Copenhagen Business School at the shortest time ever recorded while managing a sales team of 50 and subsequently took his MBA from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
In episode 49, Simon talks to Mark Tilbury. Mark left school at 16 with no qualifications and no money. No one believed in him especially his teachers. His first job was making wooden trashcans and it paid less than $2 per hour. Mark's manager bullied him and gave him all the bad jobs. He decided to quit and start his own business, it was a big risk. 30 years later, he runs a million-dollar business. Mark has grossed over 50 million. He has the house of his dreams, but most importantly has the freedom to spend time with his family.
Mark is now helping entrepreneurs become financially free as well!
In episode 48, Simon talks to Sonalie Figueiras. Sonalie is the founder & editor-in-chief of Green Queen, an award-winning impact media platform advocating for social & environmental change in Hong Kong with a mission to shift consumer behaviour through inspiring & empowering original content. She is also the founder & CEO of Ekowarehouse, the global sourcing platform for certified organic products, with a mission to make safe, quality food accessible & affordable for the whole planet. With over a decade of experience in publishing, digital marketing, organic trade and health & sustainability, she is an eco wellness industry veteran with a keen eye for market trends and a sought-after international speaker and moderator, sharing her expertise on stages across Asia and beyond, including TEDx and Harvard Business School.
In episode 47, Simon talks to Jenny Knighting. Jenny has worked with a number of ambitious start-up’s, leading commercial strategy and making bold business growth plans a reality. With a wealth of experience in media, manufacturing, services and events, Jenny brings a unique creativity and perspective to every launch, scale and strategy. As founder and CEO of Nutcracker Agency, Jenny has led her team to win multiple awards, including finalist in the Best New Business at The National Business Awards. Since launching Nutcracker in 2014, the business has grown 60% year on year, helping countless clients in a wide range of industries to fulfil their vision through targeted, exciting and results-driven marketing.
In episode 46, Simon talks to Paul Smitton. Paul is the CEO and Managing Director for Asia's leading travel and lifestyle rewards programme, with more than 12 million members and over 800 programme partners worldwide. Responsible for 200+ team members delivering the P&L for this important business unit.
In episode 45, Simon talks to Bernard Moon. He is the Co-founder & Partner at SparkLabs Group, which is a network of startup accelerators and venture capital funds that has invested in over 280 companies across the globe. Previously, he was Co-founder & CEO of Vidquik, a web conferencing & sales solutions platform. Bernard was a Managing Director at the Lunsford Group, which is a private investment firm with holdings in real estate, healthcare and other industries. Bernard was Co-founder & VP of Business Development of GoingOn Networks, a social media platform for companies, and also led their product development where BusinessWeek recognised them in their "Best of the Web" list.
In episode 44, Simon talks to Sophie Baron. Sophie is the Founder of UK based parent/baby digital start-up Mamamade; a fast growing direct-to-consumer business. With the use of AI Mamamade creates bespoke nutrient-dense meals for children aged 6-36 months.Originally from New York, Sophie ventured to the UK to undertake a PhD at London School of Economics before becoming Head of Operations at a tech company.
In episode 43, Simon talks to Dr Kalmeta. She presently completed a 25 month international chronic wound project in which her company, BioRegentech, successfully transferred its technology: successfully tested all prototypes of advanced wound medical devices, active substrates, and the associated protocols. This work was a dedication to humanity to prevent one of humanity's greatest suffering, limb amputations. Under Dr. Kalmeta leadership, BioRegentech has grown and currently has 2 divisions: Advanced Wounds and COVID 19.
Every 22 seconds, a leg is amputated and 85% of these amputations are the result of a diabetic foot ulcer. BioRegentech is a new life science company that has developed disruptive technology that can completely heal these open wounds by growing up to four layers of fresh tissue, a completely impossible task for modern medicine. Our mission is to give doctors our advanced tools in order to prevent further amputations, which are especially prevalent in the disproportionately affected populations.
In episode 42, Simon talks to Hayley Peacock. She is the Managing Director and Owner of Little Barn Owls Nursery group in West Sussex, her Horsham setting being awarded Nursery World UK Nursery of the Year in 2015/16. Her three nurseries are Reggio Emilia Inspired Forest and Farm Schools, the largest being based on a farm and is home to 20 animals including pigs, chickens and ducks that children look after every day, and another bring a full time forest school.
Hayley’s newest and most exciting project is the opening of ATELIER 21 FUTURE SCHOOL – a revolutionary new school for children 4-16 years old which is planned to open in September 2020 which will be inspired by project -based learning, Guy Claxton’s Learning Power Approach and the Reggio Emilia Approach. A blend of academic workshops, outdoor learning through Wild Friday’s and time for Self – Directed Learning and Entrepreneurship projects gives pupils a holistic, experiential education where they are supported and developed to make progress in the skills they will need to compete and thrive in the 21st Century.
In Episode 41, Simon talks to Spencer Matthews. Spencer is the Founder & CEO of The Clean Liquor Co and keen investor in start-ups and early growth companies. The development of The Clean Liquor Co. has been a long and personal journey. CleanGin - their first product, represents everything they stand for, a complex and beautifully produced liquid in a stunning bottle that will stand the test of time as a classic drink.
Why Clean? Spencer felt that describing what they offer as “Clean” was a more positive approach than the often negative connotation surrounding No & Low alcohol. It makes for an easier bar call and more sense for people like me who drink less, or not at all as part of a cleaner lifestyle. They strive to create the most authentic products in this exciting new category and will continue to experiment across other key spirits and more.
In episode 40, Simon talks to Frederick "Fritz" Demopoulos. He has been an entrepreneur and investor within the media and internet industries for over 10 years. He co-founded Qunar.com, China's largest travel internet company; and Shawei.com, China's largest sports internet company. Fritz also had senior positions at Netease and The News Corporation.
In Episode 39, Simon speaks to Maximilian Von Poelnitz. Maximilian is a serial entrepreneur, investor, and start up advisor. He has spent 10 years in Asia both in Hong Kong and Singapore. Following business school at INSEAD, he launched his first venture in food e-commerce in 2011.
By 2015, his 4th start up - delivery only cloud kitchen NOSH - received funding from Alibaba Entrepreneur Fund. More recently, he started a food tech fund called New Territory Ventures that focuses on angel investments in the future of food. Max is passionate about food tech, supply chain management software, and alternative food sources.
In episode 38, Simon talks to Jonathan Sattin. He is founder of triyoga – London’s leading centre for yoga, pilates and treatments. In 1985, Jonathan was a senior partner in his own west end law practice – and relied on coffee and cigarettes to deal with stress until a colleague introduced him to yoga.
He launched triyoga having raised the funds via a group of investors. David Svendsen, who was then Chairman of Microsoft, was a supporter from early on triyoga which was founded in Primrose Hill in 2000. There are now centres in Camden, Soho, Chelsea, Ealing and Shoreditch.
In Episode 37, Simon speaks to Sarah Jane Ho. Sara opened China’s first finishing school in Beijing in 2012.
Inspired by her mother whom she saw create magic moments and give people a sense of belonging through entertaining, Sara continued her legacy by combining her passion for social with a market need in China for etiquette.
She is empowering women in China to live a more confident and positive life at work and home.
In episode 36, Simons talks to Peter Goodman. Peter is an entrepreneur, investor, mentor and avid golfer.
Since selling Brighter Option (http://social.com) Peter is now taking on the insurance world with a new start up Aventus.
Adele is a Malaysian-born American film and television producer and screenwriter for the 2018 movie Crazy Rich Asians. She has also given her support to young writers as mentor and speaker to the Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment (CAPE).
Adele is known for her writing on TV series such as One Tree Hill, Life Unexpected, Reign, Star-Crossed, Private Practice and Lethal Weapon. She is also best known for being recruited by Disney to develop an animated feature film "Raya and the Last Dragon", which is coming soon.
In episode 34, Simon talks to Girish Jhunjhnuwala. Girish is the entrepreneur, founder and visionary behind Ovolo Hotels in Hong Kong and Australia.
In 2002, he quite literally stumbled into his first service apartment, bringing a new, refreshed outlook on the definition of modern hospitality.
Since then, Girish has continued to challenge industry conventions, riding the wave of change by transitioning into a boutique hotel brand in October 2010. Under Girish’s leadership, Ovolo has grown into a diversified international brand with a collection of ten designer properties.
In episode 33, Simon talks to David Yeung. David has pioneered a one-of-a-kind integrated platform that engages and empowers millions of people, along with public and private sectors, towards green awareness, action and economy. His work earns him the award of “Social Entrepreneur of the Year” by the World Economic Forum and Schwab Foundation. Other honors and recognitions include “Roddenberry Prize” and “Ten Outstanding Young Persons Hong Kong”.
As an iconic environmentalist and entrepreneur, David has spoken at the World Economic Forum, Milken Institute Summit, TEDx, as well as financial and academic institutions such as Credit Suisse, UBS and UCLA. He is a graduate of Columbia University, an Ashoka Fellow and the author of a number of best-selling books on Zen wisdom and mindfulness.
In episode 32, Simon talks to Chris Kyme. Chris has spent over 25 years in Asia with multi-national agencies including Leo Burnett, Grey and FCB.
He was the Regional Creative Director and a member of the worldwide creative board at FCB. He has created some of Hong Kong's best loved ads, trained many of today's creative talents, and produced award-winning work from just about any agency he has worked at, including Kymechow!
In episode 31, Simon talks to Angie Lau. She is the CEO & founder of Forkast News. As an award-winning 20+ year veteran in broadcast journalism, Angie is most recognized for her role as Bloomberg Television’s Asia anchor of “First Up with Angie Lau” where she’s collected 10,000+ interviews in her career, including some of the top newsmakers and business leaders in the world.
In episode 30, Simon talks to Karena Belin. She co-founded W Hub out of passion for entrepreneurs and startups to make a difference to the growth of the ecosystem, believing in startups to drive innovation and improving the world we live in. In line with this passion, Karena also co-founded AngelHub, HK's first SFC-licensed startup investment platform for professional investors and global startups raising growth capital.
In episode 29, Simon talks to Lavine Hemlani. Founder and CEO of Xccelerate, a leading ed-tech and future of work company headquartered in HK with 5,000+ alumni across Asia. Xccelerate is founded on the vision that the greatest opportunity for improving lives is education and addresses the colossal talent and skills challenges in Artificial Intelligence, Robotics Process Automation (RPA), Software Engineering, Blockchain and Design.
Xccelerate drives outcomes for individuals, enterprises and governments fin by leveraging expert instructors, proprietary curriculum and learning software. Prior to Xccelerate, Lavine co-founded FLYR and worked with deep learning start-up Thread Genius (acquired by Sotheby’s). Lavine began his career in investment banking in NYC at Lazard’s Mergers & Acquisitions division (M&A) and held investment roles at the following funds: Atlas Capital, Marwar Capital and Union Park Capital.
Lavine also serves as Vice President of the Artificial Intelligence Society of HK, Board of Directors of the 24 Hour Race, the largest global movement against modern slavery and President of Founders Circle, an eco-system of leading entrepreneurs scaling their impact.
In episode 28, Simons talks to Hernán Zanghellini. Hernan is the founder of Zanghellini & Holt (ZHA)which is an Architectural & Interior Design consultancy specialising in high quality hospitality and F&B projects.
Born in Chile in 1959, Hernan obtained his architectural degree from the Faculty of Architecture & Urban Design of the University of Chile in 1983, and immediately set up his own design studio working mainly in residential projects. In 1986 he emigrated to Australia where he developed concept designs for urban and resort projects in South East Asia. Prompting his move to Brunei in 1993 where he worked on large residential projects whilst started to design restaurants in Hong Kong as a hobby.
In 1996 Hernan settled in Hong Kong working originally for The Hong Kong Brewing and Restaurants Co. before establishing Zanghellini & Holt Associates in 1998. Since then, ZHA has participated in the design and opening of over 650 restaurants throughout Asia.
In Episode 27, Simon talks to Yat Siu. Yat Siu is a technology entrepreneur/investor based in Hong Kong. He is co-founder and chairman of Animoca Brands, a company focusing on leveraging popular brands, gamification, AI, blockchain, and mobile technology to make engaging apps ranging from games to fitness solutions.
Yat is a director for TurnOut Ventures, a partnership between Outblaze and Turner Entertainment that brought to prominence the hugely popular emoticon character Tuzki. In 2017 he set up the Dalton Learning Lab, a digital lab environment that supplements Hong Kong students with skills not emphasized by the local education system, including divergent thinking and design thinking.
Yat has earned numerous accolades including Global Leader of Tomorrow at the World Economic Forum, and Young Entrepreneur of the Year at the DHL/SCMP Awards.
A classically trained musician, Yat is a member of the advisory board of BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) and a director of the Asian Youth Orchestra.
In Episode 26, Simon talks to Douglas Young. Douglas Young was born in Hong Kong. He grew up in the UK and now he has the best of both worlds! He is the Co-Founder and designer of an iconic brand called G.O.D.
Douglas turns everyday subjects into truly extraordinary objects with humour and creativity. During the podcast, he shares his views on luck, business and his thoughts on living in Hong Kong. He found a partner that has different skills to him and together they have built a unique Hong Kong brand which has now been active for 24 years.
In Episode 25, Simon talks to Sojin Lee. Sojin is a serial entrepreneur, angel investor and founder of Toshi. She believes today's consumer lifestyle is geared to the on-demand economy in all elements of their lives, with convenience at its core.
The evolution of retail is Home Services and for this reason she launched Toshi with the intention of providing the last mile to last metre solution for retail brands. Toshi brings in-store services directly to the customer, at home, on-demand. Toshi bridges the online and offline experience today by providing an additional channel for brands to physically reach their customers.
In Episode 24, Simon talks to Saasha Celestial-One. She is the co-founder and COO of OLIO, a free app harnessing the power of mobile technology and the sharing economy to provide a revolutionary solution to the problem of food waste, which is the 3rd largest contributor to the climate crisis. OLIO is empowered by 50k+ volunteers. 2m users have successfully shared over 4.2m portions of food in 49 countries.
Before OLIO, Saasha spent 13 years at Morgan Stanley, McKinsey & American Express. Saasha has an MBA from Stanford, is mum to 7-year-old Nolan, and the proud daughter of hippy entrepreneurs.
Rachael Flanagan has been an entrepreneur from the age of 18 when she founded Mrs.Buckét Commercial Cleaning Services. In this episode she shares her insights on building a business from scratch and how important purpose is in business today.
The Good Luck Club is a podcast and video series that focuses on the idea that luck is an ingredient that's absolutely necessary in order to have a successful life and business.
Luck #Insights #podcast
In each episode of The Good Luck Club we invite an entrepreneur or change-maker to share their journey to success. For most, it’s never a straightforward one, and there’s much inspiration and learnings in the struggles they’ve been through along the way. And, as our name suggests, we’ll also dive into their stories about luck; the good and the bad, and its role in success.
Connect @ Linkedin: http://bit.ly/2vFY3Cp Twitter: https://twitter.com/GoodLuckpodcast Socialize @ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GoodLuckClub... Snap @ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goodluckclu...
If you enjoyed this episode, please share with your friends.
Subscribe to The Good Luck Club channel https://bit.ly/2xzfHZS
We always reply to comments, so please let us know what you think below! Thanks for watching.
—————
About our host Simon Squibb
Simon is a serial entrepreneur, angel investor, motivational speaker, and mentor. He has started 17 businesses, invested in over 65, and has mentored hundreds of founders. Having sold his award-winning insight-driven branding and digital agency, Fluid, to PwC, Simon now focuses on inspiring, motivating and guiding both budding and experienced entrepreneurs by sharing his personal experiences, insights, ideas and tips on his website simonsquibb.com and through his social channels.
Watch @ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/simonsquibb Connect @ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonsquibb/ Invest @ AngelList: https://angel.co/simonsquibb Socialize @ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SimonASquibb/ Debate @ Twitter: https://twitter.com/simonsquibb Dance @ TikTok: https//tiktok.com/simonsquibb8 Snap @ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simonsquibb/
About Deborah Kan
Deborah is an award-winning journalist and media entrepreneur. She spent five years as executive producer of video for the Wall Street Journal where she oversaw the expansion of multi-media throughout Asia. Deborah interviewed many business and political leaders throughout her career, including Google’s Eric Schmidt when she broke the story of Google’s criticism of the U.S. National Security Agency. She has also covered exclusive stories, including the New York Philharmonic Orchestra’s historic trip to North Korea, when she was selected as the only journalist from Asia to cover the story. Deborah is a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum. She founded Being Patient after her mom’s Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis to reinvent how people get accurate information on long-term illness, pioneering a community-driven editorial strategy. When not working, she can be found on a running trail or covering mom duties for her three children.
➜ Connect to Deborah Kan via https://www.beingpatient.com/team/deborah-kan/ ➜ Please leave a comment below, it's like oxygen to get your feedback. ➜ Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/simonsquibb
About GLC The Good Luck Club is a podcast and video series that focuses on the idea that luck is an ingredient that's absolutely necessary in order to have a successful life and business.
In each episode of The Good Luck Club we invite an entrepreneur or change-maker to share their journey to success. For most, it’s never a straightforward one, and there’s much inspiration and learnings in the struggles they’ve been through along the way. And, as our name suggests, we’ll also dive into their stories about luck; the good and the bad, and its role in success.
Connect @ Linkedin: http://bit.ly/2vFY3Cp Twitter: https://twitter.com/GoodLuckpodcast Socialize @ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GoodLuckClubPODCAST Snap @ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goodluckclubpodcast
If you enjoyed this episode, please share with your friends.
Subscribe to The Good Luck Club channel https://bit.ly/2xzfHZS
We always reply to comments, so please let us know what you think below! Thanks for watching.
—————
About our host Simon Squibb
Simon is a serial entrepreneur, angel investor, motivational speaker, and mentor. He has started 17 businesses, invested in over 65, and has mentored hundreds of founders. Having sold his award-winning insight-driven branding and digital agency, Fluid, to PwC, Simon now focuses on inspiring, motivating and guiding both budding and experienced entrepreneurs by sharing his personal experiences, insights, ideas and tips on his website simonsquibb.com and through his social channels.
Watch @ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/simonsquibb Connect @ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonsquibb/ Invest @ AngelList: https://angel.co/simonsquibb Socialize @ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SimonASquibb/ Debate @ Twitter: https://twitter.com/simonsquibb Dance @ TikTok: https//tiktok.com/simonsquibb8 Snap @ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simonsquibb/
In Episode 21, Simon speaks to Adele Parks, who is one of the most-loved and biggest-selling women’s fiction writers in the UK. Adele has sold over 3.5 million books in the UK alone and her books have been translated into 26 different languages.
➜ Grab Adele's latest book 'Just My Luck" via https://www.adeleparks.com/ ➜ Please leave a comment below, it's like oxygen to get your feedback. ➜ Subscribe to our host's YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/simonsquibb
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About Adele Parks:
Adele was born in Teesside, NE England. Since graduating from Leicester University, where she studied English Language and Literature, she has worked in advertising and as a management consultant. In 2010 she was proud to be awarded an honorary doctorate of Letters from Teesside University.
She always dreamed of being a writer and her first novel - Playing Away - was published in 2000; that year the Evening Standard identified her as one of London’s ‘Twenty Faces to Watch’.
Just My Luck, Adele's latest book is available via https://www.adeleparks.com/
She likes to keep busy and is pretty flattered when described as one of the most-loved and biggest-selling women’s fiction writers in the UK, Three and a half million copies of her UK editions have been sold and I’m translated into 26 different languages. she has published 20 novels in 20 years, and she says she is lucky that they've all hit the bestseller lists!
Her past titles include:
Playing Away (2000) Game Over (2001) Larger Than Life (2002) The Other Woman’s Shoes (2003) Still Thinking Of You (2004) Husbands (2005) Young Wives' Tales (2007) Happy Families (2008) Tell Me Something (2009) Love Lies (2009) Men I've Loved Before (2010) About Last Night (2011) Whatever It Takes (2012) The State We're In (2013) Spare Brides (2014) If You Go Away (2015) Love Is A Journey (2016) The Stranger In My Home (2016) The Image of You (2017) I Invited Her In (2018) Lies Lies Lies (2019) Just My Luck (released in May 2020)
//
About Simon Squibb:
simonsquibb #founder #advice
Simon is a serial entrepreneur, angel investor, motivational speaker, and mentor. He has started 17 businesses, invested in over 65, and has mentored hundreds of founders. Having sold his award-winning insight-driven branding and digital agency, Fluid, to PwC, Simon now focuses on inspiring, motivating and guiding both budding and experienced entrepreneurs by sharing his personal experiences, insights, ideas and tips on his website simonsquibb.com and through his social channels.
Connect @ www.simonsquibb.com Watch @ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/simonsquibb Meet @ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonsquibb/ Invest @ AngelList: https://angel.co/simonsquibb Socialize @ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SimonASquibb/ Debate @ Twitter: https://twitter.com/simonsquibb Dance @ TikTok: https//tiktok.com/simonsquibb8 Snap @ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simonsquibb/
//
About The Good Luck Club
The Good Luck Club is a podcast and video series that focuses on the idea that luck is an ingredient that's absolutely necessary in order to have a successful life and business.
In each episode of The Good Luck Club we invite an entrepreneur or change-maker to share their journey to success. For most, it’s never a straightforward one, and there’s much inspiration and learnings in the struggles they’ve been through along the way. And, as our name suggests, we’ll also dive into their stories about luck; the good and the bad, and its role in success.
Connect @ Linkedin: http://bit.ly/2vFY3Cp Twitter: https://twitter.com/GoodLuckpodcast Socialize @ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GoodLuckClub... Snap @ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goodluckclu...
If you enjoyed this episode, please share with your friends.
Subscribe to The Good Luck Club YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2xzfHZS
In Episode 20, Simon talks to Dr Christina Dean, Founder of Redress and The R Collective.
Christina is a sustainable fashion advocate and founder of Redress and The R Collective. Redress was founded in 2007, and is a charity whose mission is to reduce waste in the fashion industry. The R Collective, founded in 2017, is a social impact upcycled fashion brand, which creates sustainable luxury fashion using luxury brands' waste materials and debuted in Barneys New York and Lane Crawford.
Christina is also an award-winning journalist, having written opinion pieces for CNN Style, Huffington Post and China Daily, and is widely quoted in VOGUE, BBC, New York Times, Forbes and Bloomberg Business Week. She hosted the TV documentary Frontline Fashion I and 2 and her TEDx talk, ‘You Are What You Wear’ has been widely watched. Christina has received numerous recognitions, including by UK Vogue as one of the UK’s ‘Top 30 Inspirational Women’. She currently splits her time between Hong Kong and London.
➜ Please leave a comment below, it's like oxygen to get your feedback. ➜ Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/simonsquibb
About Simon Squibb
Simon is a serial entrepreneur, angel investor, motivational speaker, and mentor. He has started 17 businesses, invested in over 65, and has mentored hundreds of founders. Having sold his award-winning insight-driven branding and digital agency, Fluid, to PwC, Simon now focuses on inspiring, motivating and guiding both budding and experienced entrepreneurs by sharing his personal experiences, insights, ideas and tips on his website simonsquibb.com and through his social channels.
Connect @ www.simonsquibb.com Watch @ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/simonsquibb Meet @ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonsquibb/ Invest @ AngelList: https://angel.co/simonsquibb Socialize @ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SimonASquibb/ Debate @ Twitter: https://twitter.com/simonsquibb Dance @ TikTok: https//tiktok.com/simonsquibb8 Snap @ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simonsquibb/
About The Good Luck Club
The Good Luck Club is a podcast and video series that focuses on the idea that luck is an ingredient that's absolutely necessary in order to have a successful life and business.
In each episode of The Good Luck Club we invite an entrepreneur or change-maker to share their journey to success. For most, it’s never a straightforward one, and there’s much inspiration and learnings in the struggles they’ve been through along the way. And, as our name suggests, we’ll also dive into their stories about luck; the good and the bad, and its role in success.
Connect @ Linkedin: http://bit.ly/2vFY3Cp Twitter: https://twitter.com/GoodLuckpodcast Socialize @ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GoodLuckClubPODCAST Snap @ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goodluckclubpodcast
If you enjoyed this episode, please share with your friends.
Subscribe to The Good Luck Club channel https://bit.ly/2xzfHZS
TheRCollective #founder #advice
In Episode 19, Simon speaks to lifetime entrepreneur Carolyn Cowan, who is a psychosexual and relationship therapist, Kundalini Yoga teacher and Teacher Trainer amongst other things. Before becoming a therapist, Carolyn was a fashion designer and photographer, and earned acclaim as a makeup artist in the pop music video industry.
In this open and honest interview, Carolyn shares her story of highs and lows as a entrepreneur and former addict. She will inspire you, as well as remind you that we must all be open to telling our true story and be our authentic self.
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About Carolyn Cowan
Carolyn is Psychosexual Therapist specialising in couples, pre & post natal, addiction, trauma recovery. She runs workshops in various subjects in the UK and abroad.
➜ Connect with Carolyn Cowan: https://carolyncowan.com/ ➜ Learn more about Carolyn Cowan: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carolyn_Cowan ➜ Please leave a comment below, it's like oxygen to get your feedback. ➜ Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/simonsquibb
About Simon Squibb
simonsquibb #founder #advice
Simon is a serial entrepreneur, angel investor, motivational speaker, and mentor. He has started 17 businesses, invested in over 65, and has mentored hundreds of founders. Having sold his award-winning insight-driven branding and digital agency, Fluid, to PwC, Simon now focuses on inspiring, motivating and guiding both budding and experienced entrepreneurs by sharing his personal experiences, insights, ideas and tips on his website simonsquibb.com and through his social channels.
Connect @ www.simonsquibb.com Watch @ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/simonsquibb Meet @ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonsquibb/ Invest @ AngelList: https://angel.co/simonsquibb Socialize @ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SimonASquibb/ Debate @ Twitter: https://twitter.com/simonsquibb Dance @ TikTok: https//tiktok.com/simonsquibb8 Snap @ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simonsquibb/
Our next guest on the Good Luck Club Podcast is Mikaal Abdulla, co-founder and CEO of Hong Kong-based mobile investing company, 8 Securities.
Mikaal and his business partner Mathias Helleu have been in the news lately, as 8 Securities was just acquired by SoFi, the SoftBank-backed consumer financial services platform based in the US. 8 Securities launched in 2012, and raised US$70 million in funding from investors including Velocity Capital, Route 66 Ventures and Nomura Asset Management.
We talk to Mikaal about his entrepreneurial journey, and his experience as a company man before taking the leap to building his own hugely successful start up. He shares insights on the difference between the Japan and Hong Kong markets, what made him risk it all to start a business of his own, as well as his unique take on luck.
// About Mikaal Abdulla
fintech #startup #SoFi
8 was co-founded by Mathias Helleu and Mikaal Abdulla. Before 8, they built ETRADE’s international business in 15 countries spanning Greater China, Southeast Asia, India, the Middle East, Europe, and Canada. ETRADE was a pioneer of online investing in Hong Kong and the first to offer investors low-cost, flat-fee commissions.
Entrepreneurs at heart, these founders decided to build a totally new investing service to meet the needs of young customers. They saw traditional banks and brokers taking advantage of customers with complex and unaffordable products with high transaction fees and hidden costs. Aiming to solve this problem, 8 was born in 2012 with a promise of simple, transparent and affordable mobile investing solutions. The company now has tens of thousands of customers in over 50 countries. 8 has secured over US$60 million in venture capital and become one of the largest and fastest growing fintech companies in Asia.
➜ Connect to Mikaal Abdulla: - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikaalabdulla - Twitter @mikaalabdulla
➜ Connect to 8 at: https://www.8securities.com
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About Simon Squibb
Simon is a serial entrepreneur, angel investor, motivational speaker, and mentor. He has started 17 businesses, invested in over 65, and has mentored hundreds of founders. Having sold his award-winning insight-driven branding and digital agency, Fluid, to PwC, Simon now focuses on inspiring, motivating and guiding both budding and experienced entrepreneurs by sharing his personal experiences, insights, ideas and tips on his website simonsquibb.com and through his social channels.
➜ Subscribe to Simon Squibb's YouTube channel: https://tinyurl.com/YTsimonsquibb
Watch @ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/simonsquibb Connect @ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonsquibb/ Invest @ AngelList: https://angel.co/simonsquibb Socialize @ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SimonASquibb/ Debate @ Twitter: https://twitter.com/simonsquibb Dance @ TikTok: https//tiktok.com/simonsquibb8 Snap @ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simonsquibb/
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About The Good Luck Club
The Good Luck Club is a podcast and video series that focuses on the idea that luck is an ingredient that's absolutely necessary in order to have a successful life and business.
In each episode, we invite an entrepreneur or change-maker to share their journey to success. For most, it’s never a straightforward one, and there’s much inspiration and learnings in the struggles they’ve been through along the way. And, as our name suggests, we’ll also dive into their stories about luck; the good and the bad, and its role in success.
In Episode 17, Simon talks to Rutger Bruining, the founder of Story Terrace, a personal biography service that helps people turn their life story into a book. You might recognise Rutger from his appearance on the BBC's Dragon Den in April 2019, where he secured a deal with Dragon, @Tej Lalvani. Rutger talks about his Dragon Den's experience, why he eventually turned down Tej Lalvani's offer, how he got the idea for Story Terrace, why it took him so long to finally start his own business and his own encounter with the SARS virus in China in 2003.
In Episode 16, Simon sits down with Simon Loong, the inspirational and forward-thinking founder and Group CEO of WeLab to hear his journey to building WeLab into one of the world's largest Fintech startups with over 43m customers (and he's just getting started!)
➜ WeLab: https://www.welab.co/en ➜ Check out the Q&A with Simon Loong via https://youtu.be/5KVOz3NJR94 ➜ Simon Loong: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-loong/ ➜ Let's talk business! Please leave a comment below for all of us at GLC. We will always reply. ➜ Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGzn...
Our guest this week is Simon Loong is the Founder and Group CEO of WeLab.
WeLab is the leading fintech company in Asia with one of the first virtual banks established in Hong Kong. WeLab provides financial services by creating seamless digital experiences to over 40 million individual customers, and also provides B2B enterprise solutions to traditional financial institutions which utilise WeLab’s technology to offer fintech-enabled services to their customers. WeLab operates WeLend and WeLab Bank in Hong Kong, Wolaidai (我来贷), Taoxinji (淘新机) and Tianmian Lab (天冕) in Mainland China and a fintech joint venture AWDA in Indonesia.
Prior to founding WeLab, Simon spent 15 years in retail banking divisions of Citibank and Standard Chartered. Simon has a Master of Science in Management (MSM) from Stanford Graduate School of Business and is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).
Simon serves as an advisor to many professional organizations including Shenzhen Consumer Council, Hong Kong Trade Development Council, Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce and was also a founding Board Member on the FinTech Association of Hong Kong. Simon has received several awards in recognition of his achievements including 2016 "CEO of the Year" by Capital CEO, 2017 “Innovation Leadership Achievement in Hong Kong” by The Asian Banker, 2018 "The InnoStars Award" by Our Hong Kong Foundation and “The World Outstanding Chinese Youth Entrepreneur Award”. Simon has also been named as “one of the 20 people shaping Hong Kong’s future” in the next 20 years by leading Chinese media outlet, YiCai.
/// Simon is a serial entrepreneur, angel investor, motivational speaker, mentor and recently sold his leading global branding and digital agency fluid (HQed in Hong Kong + China), to PwC.
He is currently the subject of SimonSquibb.com, an online business series highlighting what it’s like to be an experienced entrepreneur who knows luck is vital to it all. He is also the host of #GoodLuckClub Podcast, a business and advice Q&A show online that gets real about what is success and how luck plays a part in everything.
Good Luck Club // Subscribe: www.GoodLuckPod.com Simon Squibb // Subscribe: www.simonsquibb.com
Our guest this week is serial entrepreneur and adventure athlete, Malcolm Wood. Malcolm is the founder of A Plastic Ocean / The Last Glaciers / Maximal Concepts.
Malcolm is a reputable influence in the F&B industry. His passion for design and food led him to co-found the multi award-winning Maximal Concepts, a hospitality group that has created and owned over twenty individual brands and has restaurants in numerous international locations. In addition to acting as Culinary Director, Malcolm is also Global Managing Director. Maximal Concepts is one of the fastest growing F&B companies in the world and one of the most awarded in Asia.
Malcolm is heavily influenced by his love for the environment and often engages with conservation projects. A passionate environmental filmmaker and social entrepreneur, he has been on the Board of Directors for several charities and is actively involved in their various projects, including Plastic Oceans Foundation, Hong Kong Shark Foundation and Skeena Wild. His involvement includes the world-renowned production “A Plastic Ocean”, which was one of the most awarded documentaries in 2017 and more recently, “The Last Glaciers”, a film that highlights the global issue of climate change.
Teaming up with several different individuals including the world renowned, Director and Producer Craig Leeson, Malcolm’s goal is to release a set of environmental films over the next few years to highlight the many global environmental issues we are facing. Not only do they highlight key environmental issues, but the solutions that are available as well, playing an important role in individual and government environmental policy making. He has recently been selected as the first paraglider, speedflyer and film maker to join UN Environment’s campaign ‘Mountain Heroes’. The team consist of a group of other famous athletes such as Canadian ice-climber Will Gadd, Austrian cyclist Michael Strasser, Kenyan Olympic skier Sabrina Simader and adventurer Ben Fogle, helping to draw attention to emerging environmental issues in mountains including climate change, waste and biodiversity loss.
➜ Our guest this week is NiQ Lai, CEO of Hong Kong Broadband Network: https://www.hkbn.net/personal/home/tc/landing ➜ Let's talk business! Please leave a comment below. We will always reply. ➜ Subscribe for inspiration: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGznz4NfW5iymkvn1l40qyA?sub_confirmation=1
NiQ Lai is an inspirational leader. He leads by caring with HKBN's model of 'doing good and doing well' and highlights that these two things can work together.
HKBN is Hong Kong’s second largest Residential Fibre Broadband service provider. Named by Speedtest as Hong Kong’s fastest Internet Service Provider, HKBN delivers exceptionally stable and fast broadband at competitive prices.
With over 6,000 'talents' in the HKBN eco-system they are motivated to care about their customers and their co-workers by a common purpose.
We can all learn a few things from NiQ, his amazing team and his company ethos! Any questions about this business model pioneered by HKBN and how they are coping with the Coronavirus, let us know.
/// About the Podcast host: Simon Squibb is a serial entrepreneur, angel investor, motivational speaker, mentor and recently sold his leading global branding and digital agency fluid (HQed in Hong Kong + China), to PwC.
He is currently the subject of SimonSquibb.com, an online business series highlighting what it’s like to be an experienced entrepreneur who knows luck is vital to it all. He is also the host of #GoodLuckClub Podcast, a business and advice Q&A show online that gets real about what is success and how luck plays a part in everything.
Good Luck Club // Subscribe: www.GoodLuckPod.com Simon Squibb // Subscribe: www.simonsquibb.com
In Episode 13, Simon sits down with Jonathan Zeman, the CEO of LKF Group to hear about how he's navigated becoming part of and then driving and diversifying a well-established and world-renowned family business.
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About Jonathan Zeman
Jonathan is Chief Executive Officer of the Lan Kwai Fong Group, a diversified property development company with business interests in commercial and residential property, resorts, hospitality, entertainment, film, media and technology in Asia. He has over 20 years’ experience working in Greater China and leads a creative and diverse team of over 400 professionals distributed through offices in Hong Kong, Mainland China and Thailand.
Since becoming CEO, Jonathan has led various property development and redevelopment projects for the Group in addition to leading the Group to diversify its business into new synergistic businesses to complement its core property development business.
Under his leadership, the Lan Kwai Fong Group has become one of the leading experts in leisure and entertainment property development in Greater China. The Group portfolio includes projects in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Chengdu and other parts of China as well as award winning projects in Phuket Thailand.
Jonathan is a dynamic, well informed, creative thinker who has lived in Hong Kong for over 40 years. Starting his career with the Group after completing his bachelor’s degree in East Asian Studies with honours at the University of California Los Angeles, Jonathan worked his way through different divisions within the Group, from hospitality, information technology, project management and operations to eventually becoming a core member of the senior management team.
Jonathan has received various honours and has sat on the executive committees and as advisor to various organisations. In addition, his linguistic abilities include fluency in English, Cantonese, Mandarin, French and he is conversant in Thai.
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About The Good Luck Club
The Good Luck Club is a podcast and video series that focuses on the idea that luck is an ingredient that's absolutely necessary in order to have a successful life and business.
In each episode, we invite an entrepreneur or change-maker to share their journey to success. For most, it’s never a straightforward one, and there’s much inspiration and learnings in the struggles they’ve been through along the way. And, as our name suggests, we’ll also dive into their stories about luck; the good and the bad, and its role in success.
Connect @ Linkedin: http://bit.ly/2vFY3Cp Twitter: https://twitter.com/GoodLuckpodcast Socialize @ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GoodLuckClub... Snap @ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goodluckclu...
If you enjoyed this episode, please share with your friends.
Subscribe to The Good Luck Club channel https://bit.ly/2xzfHZS
We always reply to comments, so please let us know what you think below! Thanks for watching.
///
About Simon Squibb
Simon is a serial entrepreneur, angel investor, motivational speaker, and mentor. He has started 17 businesses, invested in over 65, and has mentored hundreds of founders. Having sold his award-winning insight-driven branding and digital agency, Fluid, to PwC, Simon now focuses on inspiring, motivating and guiding both budding and experienced entrepreneurs by sharing his personal experiences, insights, ideas and tips on his website simonsquibb.com and through his social channels.
Watch @ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/simonsquibb Connect @ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonsquibb/ Invest @ AngelList: https://angel.co/simonsquibb Socialize @ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SimonASquibb/ Debate @ Twitter: https://twitter.com/simonsquibb Dance @ TikTok: https//tiktok.com/simonsquibb8 Snap @ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simonsquibb/
In this week’s podcast, I speak with London-based entrepreneur Damien Nicol. He owns the family business Back & Active in Belsize Park in London.
We recorded this podcast a few weeks ago before Coronavirus kicked into high gear in the UK but his message that success for him means being able to spend time with your family, resonates more so today than ever.
Like any small business owner, things are tough for his business right now. So, today I bought 10 sessions from him in advance to support his business (I am going to have a back problem soon enough as I have a 2.5 year old who wants me to carry him everywhere still!).
If that’s the sort of thing you can do for people in your community - buying services in advance, you’ll help to ensure their survival and show them their appreciated.
If you like his insights please go and show love on his social media via www.backandactive.co.uk
Welcome to episode 11 of The Good Luck Club Podcast!
Our POD guest this week is entrepreneur Ben Poole. Father, trainer & cookie king!
He shares his real life story with us about building The Health Kitchen - the lows and sugar highs!
➜ Starting a business ain't easy, being a sole founder is even harder ➜ Podcast hosted by Simon Squibb. Guest this week is Ben Poole, Founder of The Health Kitchen ➜ Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGznz4NfW5iymkvn1l40qyA?sub_confirmation=1 ➜ Good Luck Club: www.GoodLuckPOD.com
Welcome to episode 10 of The Good Luck Club. My guest this week is Keshia Hannam. Keshia is a former journalist and now performance-speaker, the co-founder of women’s movement Camel Assembly, a global collective of activists and artists, and a storyteller with media company Dear World,
Keshia has spoken for The New York Times, Fortune 500 companies like Marriott and Macy’s, and last year at The United Nations. She has contributed regularly to National Geographic, Fortune, Forbes, & CNN amongst others, and delivers performance-based keynotes to universities, conferences and art-based events all over the country and world.
Welcome to episode 10 of The Good Luck Club. My guest this week is Keshia Hannam. Keshia is a former journalist and now performance-speaker, the co-founder of women’s movement Camel Assembly, a global collective of activists and artists, and a storyteller with media company Dear World,
Keshia has spoken for The New York Times, Fortune 500 companies like Marriott and Macy’s, and last year at The United Nations. She has contributed regularly to National Geographic, Fortune, Forbes, & CNN amongst others, and delivers performance-based keynotes to universities, conferences and art-based events all over the country and world.
Welcome to episode 10 of The Good Luck Club. Our guest this week is Keshia Hannam. Keshia is a former journalist and now performance-speaker, the co-founder of women’s movement Camel Assembly, a global collective of activists and artists, and a storyteller with media company Dear World.
Keshia has spoken for The New York Times, Fortune 500 companies like Marriott and Macy’s, and last year at the United Nations. She has contributed regularly to National Geographic, Fortune, Forbes and CNN among others, and delivers performance-based keynotes to universities, conferences and art-based events all over the world.
This week we interview Jordan Schlipf.
Jordan is a serial tech entrepreneur, venture capital investor and an expert Lean Startup trainer.
Today, he is Founder & CEO of the Rainmaking Venture Studio, where he partners with large corporations to de-risk the process of creating new businesses.
Welcome to Episode 9 - The Good Luck Club Podcast
This week we interview Jordan Schlipf.
Jordan is a serial tech entrepreneur, venture capital investor and an expert Lean Startup trainer.
Today, he is Founder & CEO of the Rainmaking Venture Studio, where he partners with large corporations to de-risk the process of creating new businesses.
This week we interview Patrick Lee - Entrepreneur, Co-founder and former CEO of Rotten Tomatoes.
Patrick Lee is a serial entrepreneur, He is an advisor to a number of startups including Casetify, ChargeSPOT, Instaread, Kiwi Campus, Oishii, WePloy, and Zeuss Technologies; and a mentor at a number of organizations including SOSV, Berkeley SkyDeck, Blue Startups, and Founder Institute. Patrick holds a BA in Cognitive Science from the University of California at Berkeley.
This week we interview Patrick Lee - Entrepreneur, Co-founder and former CEO of Rotten Tomatoes - Episode 8 - The Good Luck Club.
Patrick Lee is a serial entrepreneur, He is an advisor to a number of startups including Casetify, ChargeSPOT, Instaread, Kiwi Campus, Oishii, WePloy, and Zeuss Technologies; and a mentor at a number of organizations including SOSV, Berkeley SkyDeck, Blue Startups, and Founder Institute. Patrick holds a BA in Cognitive Science from the University of California at Berkeley.
My guest today is entrepreneur Ian James. He is the co-founder of the brand Melrose & Morgan.
Melrose & Morgan is a modern grocer and kitchen with shops in Primrose Hill and Hampstead Village, London.
Ian believes that local shops should be at the heart of the community. He has a passion for supporting local bakers, fishmongers, butchers, specialty cheese suppliers, and other independent retailers and is committed to championing small-scale artisan producers through his shops and on-line store.
Ian has been focused on making his retail dream come true for the last 15 years - working on any business even your own for 15 years isn't easy and he will share some of the highs and lows and lessons learnt along the way with us today.
Nigel is a Writer, Producer and Director working in TV and film.
He began his career at the BBC and has produced programs and series covering science, the arts, history, education, business and sport.
He has won multiple awards and nominations - including an Emmy nomination for one of his documentaries.
You may have heard of the hit Formula One: Drive to Survive, for Netflix, Nigel was the series editor, it was one of the biggest hits for the channel in recent times.
He also works in drama and directed the Hollywood feature film ‘Mothers and Daughters’ starring Sharon Stone. He has long been fascinated by the mechanics behind story telling and directing and has a unique view and insight on luck to share with us today.
Hugo knows a thing or two about the unknown. Hiss career as an entrepreneur, teacher and civil engineer is driven by this goal:
"The Power is Making The Unknown, Known"
He believes there is no such thing as luck in life and instead focuses on something he describes as being a good "manifestor".
He believes that saying you are unlucky is just an excuse for thinking the wrong way and not taking responsibility for your actions.
As the founder of Neuro-Energetic Kinesiology, he has the skills to understand "luck" in a way many cannot.
Michael is a lifelong entrepreneur who has had his measure of good and bad luck.
Not so long ago, he lost US$15m in cash and a thriving business, yet even with this experience, he is one of the most upbeat and positive people I have interviewed.
He shares his insights into how to grow a business and stay sane in the mad world of being an entrepreneur.
Christine Gonsalves is an entrepreneur and writer with a legal background who believes she's never had bad luck.
Christine has had many careers and loves to take risks: "taking risks makes you lucky."
Starting her career as a defense lawyer, and having an idealistic idea of protecting the wrongly accused, she soon discovered the reality of the profession was far from the perfect purpose-driven career path.
Simon Squibb interviews Daniel Grant and explores how luck has played a role in his life and why he and many others never fell totally happy with what they have got.