The Climb Chronicles: Recent Episodes
Paasha Ahmed
In this series we're going to be sharing entrepreneurial knowledge and back- stories to some of the most innovative start- up journeys, so that you can learn from those who have tread the path before you, and build excellent foundations for your business.
We're excited to announce our very first guest episode of 2024 where we are joined by Godfrey Asare, founder of FE&F Wealth Management!
Through FE&F, Godfrey provides financial education workshops to schools, colleges, charities and businesses, alongside financial advice services to individuals, families and business owners. Prior to his career in financial services, Godfrey spent 10+ years in the Retail industry as a Senior Food Buyer for M&S, Waitrose and Itsu.
Join us as we explore Godfrey's path to improve financial literacy for others and his ultimate mission: to make each generation more financially literate than the last.
Here's a list of all the topics we touched on:
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Godfrey's history as a senior food buyer and how he pivoted to wealth management
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How he teaches financial literacy
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His experience advising Foundervine's entrepreneurs
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The approach different countries/cultures take to wealth management and financial education
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His future plans for FE&F
Welcome back to another episode of The Climb Chronicles!
In our final episode of the year, we sit down and reflect on what has been one of the most exciting, yet challenging, years to date.
On the agenda for today:
- Walking through Yendra Beauty's journey since our launch this August
- Signing on with our first online retailer, Canopey
- Carrying out a sample drop with a community-driven Beauty Tech platform, Sourcerie
- Onboarding on our first ambassador: ex- swimmer for the Barbados Swim team, Debbie Spink, and sharing her incredible athletic journey
- Joining Foundervine as a Community Advisor
- My experience working as an Operations Consultant for FMCG & e-commerce startups
- Setting priorities and goals for the year ahead...
We have just reached the 6 month mark of 2023 and to celebrate we are joined by Founder and Creative Director of Blxcksmith London: Danny Naqvi & Arch Gosai!
Blxcskmith is an elevated unisex jewellery brand designed in London, built with the creators and the thinkers in mind.
We spoke candidly about Blxcksmith's origins, Danny and Arch's entrepreneurial journey and experiences working in tech, and what it's like working with your significant other.
Here's a list of all the topics we touched on:
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Leveraging your personal brand when building a company
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Finding your target audience
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Previous businesses and lessons learnt from them
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AI and its uses in e-commerce
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Lessons learnt from working with your significant other
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Handling disagreements in executive decisions
We are nearly at the end of Q1 of 2023 and I hope you have all had a productive March so far!
In this episode I share a few life updates with you as well as being joined by Nina Cassells, Founder & Managing Director of Project Period, a non profit organisation aiming to empower young women through menstrual health education, self esteem workshops and providing reusable menstrual products.
Tune in to hear more about:
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My role as a VC Scout for Carbon13’s Venture Launchpad and the types of ClimateTech startups we are searching for, for their latest cohort
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Yendra Beauty’s recent developments
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Project Period’s origin story and their work in Kibera, Kenya
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Project Period’s self esteem and menstrual literacy workshops
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How the team keeps the project running as a non profit organisation
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Their fundraising journey and future goals
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What’s next for the Project Period team and their plans for expansion
It's already the end of the first month of 2023 and I hope all of our Climb Chronicles listeners have had a fantastic start to the new year!
A little bit of a short (but sweet) episode where I announce a few upcoming projects that I have been involved with that you might be interested in learning more about:
- Reaching 1000+ downloads since we first began our show!
- Co-Hosting for the very first time with the amazing Melvin on the YouGet Podcast. We discuss all things VC and if the landscape has really changed for underrepresented founders
- Introducing Yendra Beauty...
- Becoming Head of Community at the Sustainable Women's Network + how you can get involved in a network of innovators and investors supporting women-led ClimateTech startups in the UK & Europe
Autumn is here and we are in the midst of fundraising season....
Whilst this brings a lot of exciting opportunities, founders across the world face hundreds of no's from investors by the time we reach midday. Uber itself pitched 523 times before they received their first yes, can you imagine if Travis Kalanick stopped there?
In a fast-paced entrepreneurial environment, it's very easy to forget to take a step back to check in with yourself and others with your mental wellbeing and how stress and setbacks might be affecting other areas of your life.
In this episode we will be covering the following topics to help you hone in on all the ways you can cultivate the mental resilience needed whilst navigating the long, winding path of entrepreneurship:
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Defining and identifying the two most challenging mental health issues that many of us face at least once in our lifetimes
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Resources to help maintain good mental health on a daily basis ie Calm, Headspace, Happify, Sleepstation
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The relationship between gut health and mental health
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The importance of investing in yourself and how to care for your friends struggling with their mental wellbeing
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The importance of going where you are celebrated and where your ideas are heard
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Redefining how to categorise failure into lessons for change
Did you know that in 2020 alone the size of the total value of European angel investments reached over €6.9 billion? It's a massively growing market with the number of angel investors increasing exponentially.
However, a shocking 50%-70% of all individual angel investments result in a loss of capital. This can be due to not carrying out the correct due diligence, or not advising your start-up in the best way.
To minimise the chances of falling into this category, we'll be covering the following series of initial cheques and balances you can take and also how you can best add value to the founding team as a mentor and advisor:
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Choosing the right market
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Assessing a start-up's Companies House
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Analysing the founding team
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Financial and legal due diligence
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5 ways to be the best value-add investor on the cap table
It's been a little while since I last did a solo show but I definitely think it's time to have a conversation that a lot of Founders put off....all the prep you need to get in place to be investment ready!
Join me as I outline all the things you can collate to make sure that your company never misses out when it comes to grabbing an investor's attention, and keeping it all the way till you secure them on your cap table.
We will be discussing:
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Founder Agreements
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SEIS + EIS and Advance Assurance
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The 7 slides you need for a fantastic pitch deck
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A Term Sheet: what it is, why you need it and how to structure it
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Valuations: how to evaluate your company
Last week I had an amazing conversation with Ahana Banerjee, CEO and Co-Founder of Clear, an integrated social commerce app and rewards card for skincare
We spoke candidly about Clear's origins and Ahana's jump into entrepreneurship from a STEM background.
Here's a list of all the topics we touched on:
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Ahana's background in Physics and why she made the jump into entrepreneurship
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Her experience being a part of Y Combinator's esteemed accelerator programme
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Building a team and the importance of making the right hiring decisions
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Clear's USP and fundraising journey
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Clear's plans to expand into the Fintech space
Last week I sat down with Jimi Daodu from Vault Hill for the latest episode of the show and we unpacked the buzz around virtual reality landscapes and the wider metaverse.
We spoke at length Vault Hill's beginnings and his inspiration behind making the jump into all things VR.
Here's a list of all the topics we touched on:
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How Jimi got introduced to the metaverse and Vault Hill's product offerings
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What is a VR landscape and how you can make a profitable investment
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The challenges behind breaking into the VR landscape
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How he built the Vault Hill's team
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Jimi's experience fundraising with Vault Hill so far and the future raise plans
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Vault Hill's plans to cross collaborate with content creators to create multiple revenue streams via NFTs
In this episode we are joined by our most recent guest, Areeb Siddiqui from Kestrl.
Founded whilst Areeb was carrying out his MBA at Cambridge, Kestrl is truly one of the most unique finance managements apps for Muslims who want to budget, save and invest in line with their values.
Tune in to hear all about:
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How Areeb realised there was a market need and how he 'found' his customers
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His experience pitching and winning 3rd place at the 2021 Santander X Entrepreneurship awards
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His financial career before entrepreneurship and how his time at Cambridge sparked an idea
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Kestrl's recent seed round
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Their different product offerings and figuring out product market fit
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Kestrl's future plans for international expansion
Last week I sat down with Yemi Awopetu from Herby Box for the latest episode of The Climb Chronicles and I can honestly say it was one of the most insightful conversations I have had on the show!
We spoke at length on his phenomenal success which started with Herby's products selling out, within a matter of hours, during his initial launch in Selfridges.
Here's a list of all the topics we touched on:
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Herbalism as a lifestyle and for energy levels vs. caffeine
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Consumer product personalisation and its effect on sales
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A/B testing using social media ads for target market exploration
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The art of pre-ordering
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Working corporate vs entrepreneurship
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Finding the right price point
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Providing social proof for product market fit to investors
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His recent seed raise using the SeedLegals platform
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Social media and member events as a traction measuring tool
Today we are joined by our fantastic guest, Dhinil Patel the COO of Swiss Cell and Co-Founder of NW8 beauty
Founded in 2014, SwissCell UK is a London based distribution company that introduces & represent premium brands into the luxury UK Retail Market
NW8 is a family owned, pharmacy and distribution business with over 40 years of history.
Tune in to hear how Dhinil and his team established themselves in the highly competitive cosmetics industry, whilst maintaining a loyal customer base!
Annnddd we are back with Season 2 of The Climb Chronicles with a little bit of a twist! In this season we will be shining a bright spotlight onto some fantastic Muslim entrepreneurs to commemorate the beginning of the most spiritual month in the Islamic Calendar, Ramadhan
Today I am very excited to be sat down with Mustafa Mohamed, the Co-Founder of Yoke Network
Amongst the topics that we cover in this episode:
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The inspiration behind building Yoke, jumping on the TikTok trend before its popularity and how he met his Co-Founder, Jide Maduako
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His opinions on influencer marketing and how to sustainably cater to a Gen Z audience
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Yoke's Forbes feature and the different start-up investment rounds/ incubator programmes they went through
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How much Mustafa's faith influences his day-to-day business decisions
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How we will be balancing both fasting and running a business during the month of Ramadhan
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His definition of success and the kind of legacy he wants to leave behind
Today we are joined by our fantastic guests Thomas Gray and Nikita Cretu, Co-Founders of Lumino, a recruitment consultancy focused on exclusively aligning talent within the emerging European Cannabis Industry.
With a background in founding and operating an NGO followed by working in financial services in the City, Thomas got involved in the cannabis industry in 2018 as a consultant for one of the early London based medical cannabis companies before founding Lumino (FKA Blume Jobs) in early 2019.
Since inception, Lumino has supported clients across Medical, Business Ancillary and Plant Touching functions, in aligning specialised talent such as Master Growers, QP’s, Specialist Doctors, Commercial Directors & Marketeers and many more industry specific roles.
Tune in to hear all about their plans to welcome more professionals to the industry in 2021 and to share Lumino’s extensive insights with more innovative companies!
In today's episode we discuss how our Founder, Buki, pivoted her non-technical sales career into becoming a self- taught Software Engineer. We also touch on how she incorporated programming and music creation all under one coding platform and her experience breaking into the tech industry as a Black female creative.
Amongst the topics that we cover in this episode:
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How Buki did a complete 360 and pivoted her career path from one in sales and recruitment to being a full time Software Engineer
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How she harnessed her creative skills to build a coding platform which teaches its users how to programme Hip Hop sounds and synths
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How she leveraged her online Twitter presence to gain her first pre-seed investor
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The challenges she encountered breaking into a male-dominated industry as a Black female creative
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The different platforms she used to learn new coding languages as a novice
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Her experience being featured by the likes of Buzzfeed, The Guardian and BBC
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The over-sexualisation of the female form and how she utilises her artwork to combat this narrative
For episode 10 we are joined by our fantastic guest from across the pond, Reza M, Co-Founder of the cognitive fitness company, Neural Movement!
After finishing his education in Physiotherapy, Reza went on to pursue his passion of incorporating neural technology with physical fitness by training children with autism and helping them increase their reaction times. Not long after, he met Co-Founder Ali and pairing together his business acumen with Reza's neuro-tech background, Neural Movement was created. Within a year of business, they have trained the likes of NFL's Trevor Williams, US Heavyweight Boxing champion Bryant Jennings and have been featured on ESPN and Fox Sports.
Amongst the topics that we cover in today's show:
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Neural Movement's incredibly innovative technology which bridges the gap between cognitive and physical fitness and how Reza first encountered this niche in the sports market
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Reza's background in physiotherapy, his career beginnings teaching children with special needs and how he pivoted his expertise to co-find a tech-led fitness company
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His experience being featured on ESPN and Fox Sports and the advice he has for other fitness businesses wishing to achieve similar media profiles
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Neural Movement's personalised training programmes and his experience training some of the most elite athletes in the US
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How he manages to co-ordinate 121 personal training sessions during the pandemic and the challenges he experiences
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Reza's idea of success, the types of metrics he would use to measure it and where he sees Neural Movement in a few years
For episode 9 we are joined by the lovely Fatima Yusuf, the Founder of the nationally acclaimed bakery- The Bakeress
After finishing her degree in Biomedical Science, Fatima attended the National School of Baking where she was then trained by some of the country's leading British bakers, pastry chefs and culinary artists. After becoming a pastry chef, Fatima then worked for the renowned Hummingbird bakery in Portobello Road and South Kensington. She then went on to work for Konditor & Cook as a cake decorator.
Amongst the topics that we cover in today's show:
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How Fatima built a business purely off a passion project and pivoting from a completely different area of study (Biomedical Science)
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Her experience of being trained by some of the country's leading British bakers, pastry chefs and culinary artists, and her time working for the renowned Hummingbird bakery
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How she manages her team and business during the times of uncertainty created by the pandemic: At 24:30, I also speak a bit more about Remoteli.co.uk, which is a company that provides highly skilled, Ghanaian- based Virtual Assistants to help business's like Fatima's with Software development, Administrative tasks and Social Media Management
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The challenges she faced starting out as an Asian Female Founder and the importance of remaining persistent on your price point
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Where Fatima sees The Bakeress 5 years from now...
For Episode 8 we are sat down with Samuel Okusaga, the Founder of Worth of Mouth- a media platform which creates and shares positive content around under-represented young people within the UK and helps businesses better connect, engage & market to diverse Gen-Z Consumers.
Amongst the topics that we talk about:
-How Samuel moulded his personal experiences to help create a positive hub through Worth of Mouth, providing young people the opportunities to start building their dream career paths
-How apprenticeships, combined with a degree, can provide you with relevant industry experience
-His experience running a TedX Talk titled "The Advantages of being Disadvantaged" and how he managed to juggle multiple ventures whilst completing his final year at university
-The topic of virality and how to create impactful content in a world of 'here today, gone tomorrow' social media influencers
-His mentorship with the CEO of Tesco, Jason Tarry, and the importance of abandoning cultural stereotypes in a working environment
For Episode 7 of The Climb Chronicles we are very fortunate to be joined by Vicki Saunders, the Founder of SheEO, which is a global community of radically generous women building a $1B perpetual fund to support women working on the World’s To-Do List.
I first heard about SheEO via an online event hosted by Imperial Enterprise Labs and was blown away by the impact being generated from a female-led enterprise.
Amongst the topics that we talk about:
-How SheEO is tackling the world's To-Do list and how you can be a part of the next cohort
-How the business model is supported by hundreds of 'Activators' who contribute $1100 in an act of #RadicalGenerosity to create a pool of capital that is loaned out to five women-led Ventures in their region, paid back into the fund over 5-years and then loaned out again
-Different types of financing for start-ups
-Vicki's past experience running several Entrepreneurial social enterprises and her main takeaway lessons
Today we're joined by Oyinkro Kagbala from K-OS Visuals as he walks us through how he pivoted his career trajectory from sport science, into the world of content creation.
Amongst the topics that Oyinkro and I will be touching on:
-How quickly your career trajectory can change depending on the opportunities you seek whilst at university
-Both our (coincidental) experiences interning at one of the world's most successful Social Media Agencies, Social Chain
-What content creation means to him and how he got started
-How to successfully find the right type of customers for your business
-Our opinions on the infamous New Year's resolutions and what milestones K-OS Visuals has for the upcoming year
We have an extra special episode today! We're joined by Afzal Hussein (also know as The CV Doctor) as he walks us through how he pivoted his career in finance with Goldman Sachs, into building a personal brand and launching Simpley: a peer to peer consulting app for young professionals.
Amongst the topics that Afzal and I will be touching on:
-His experience breaking into one of the most prestigious banks in the world...Goldman Sachs, and how he's helping others do the same
-Imposter's Syndrome and how you can overcome it
-How he juggled both a graduate scheme at Goldman Sachs as well as successfully building his personal brand and managing The CV Doctor
-His inspiration behind building Simpley, the peer to peer mentoring app and how he built his team up despite a non-technical background
-How to successfully issue equity to any partners
For episode 4 we have a slightly different format from our usual show... Instead of a one-to-one interview with some of London's best and brightest (which we have plenty lined up!), i’m going to be shedding light on some big headlines in the entrepreneurial and VC space.
Amongst the topics that we are going to be covering today, I will be discussing:
**- Arsenal midfielder, Mesut Özil’s recent shift into the finance sector as he joins San Francisco-based venture capital fund Class 5 Global as a strategic adviser
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Pharell Williams long awaited skincare launch and how the ‘clean’ products’ price range compares to other luxury brands
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Jay- Z’s venture into the cannabis industry and what this means for issues surrounding the legalization of marijuana
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The key differences between Venture Capital and Bootstrapping and how you know which route to take for your entrepreneurial journey and why**
Tune in for an eye-opening insight into both sides of the investor's table and what's going on in the world of celebrity entrepreneurship!
For Episode 3 we have a full house! We're sat down with the Juici Jerk Founders, Jarrell and Troy Johnson, as well as the Managers of Operations- Shola Johnson and Tiffany Fleck.
Combining their British & West-Indian heritage with their love for food- they are spreading a new age taste of the Caribbean by offering a fresh take on the cuisine.
Juici Jerk was found in 2017 as a small family business providing good, local food all from a household kitchen in Tooting, South West London.
Tune in to hear all about Jarrell and Troy speak on their previous experiences in the retail & hospitality industry, working with family and how they landed big corporate clients like Nike, BBC and Deliveroo.
After a bit of a (corona-induced) hiatus, we're back with another episode of The Climb Chronicles!
Today I’m sat with Mustafaen Kamal, the Founder of the Dil Internship Project, which is a social enterprise that provides opportunities for students based in the UK, US and Canada to intern with Pakistani companies in Karachi, Islamabad, Lahore and Dubai.
Tune in to hear all about Dil's origin stories, future expansion plans and how Mustafaen's academic background at The University of Oxford and LSE helped him build his project. We're also joined by one of Dil's interns, Asher Mohammad, who explains how his experience with Dil changed his outlook on sustainable giving and his future career plans.
Welcome to the very first episode of The Climb Chronicles!
When you're trying to build a business, there are about a million and one things that could go wrong ...
Whether it's investing too much time in the wrong Co- Founder, or struggling to secure the next level of investment. It's easy to feel like these problems are unique to us, but the reality is that there are common solutions out there, and the best way to find those is to look at people who have already tread the path before you.
In this episode I sit down with my first guest, Laura Khamis, the Founder of Tyro Agency, which is a creative services platform helping freelancers catapult their career. Tune in to hear how Laura went from working as a Freelancer for the likes of RedBull and Gal-dem, to owning her very own freelance agency.