the talktank: Recent Episodes
LSE SU Entrepreneurs
You’ve reached the talktank - the official podcast of the LSE Entrepreneur Society. We delve into the minds of those who think, live, and breathe outside the box, by interviewing thought-leaders about their work, experiences and stories they've collected along the way. Through our three series called "Beyond Profit", "Artistpreneurs" and "Bits and Bytes" we explore diverse areas including social entrepreneurship, the creative arts and technology. Our aim is to expose our audience to diverse perspectives and inspire the next generation of change-makers.
Introducing our new, limited, mini-series founded by alumni talktank member Ksenia Kutuzova...
Founder Friday - Samuel Poirier
Hosted by Ksenia Kutuzova
The guest is Sam Poirier, Forbes 30 Under 30, serial entrepreneur (founding his first business at 14!) and founder of Mercantile, a credit card startup that offers rewards to small medical practitioners. 💳
Mercantile recently raised Series A funding at a $75 million valuation.
He was the recipient of the Peter Thiel’s scholarship which is a scholarship granted to people to build a startup instead of going to university.
https://www.forbes.com/profile/samuel-f-poirier/
Timestamps:
0:50 - Who is Samuel Poirier?
2:10 - Sam Poirier in his own words
2:41 - Courage built vs naturally-born
3:45 - Being taken seriously as a young entrepreneur
5:06 - The death of crypto?
6:30 - Sam’s innovation framework
7:59 - Strategic fit: the key to successful entrepreneurship
9:40 - The 70% margin rule
10:33 - Trend-following vs relevancy
11:03 - All about pricing power
12:09 - How does Mercantile help small businesses?
15:00 - The major perks of co-branding
16:51 - How does Mercantile make money?
17:50 - From funeral homes and medical to beyond…
19:28 - Sam’s cold email and coffee chat quota
21:04 - Startup tunnel vision
22:36 - Where to find business ideas
23:00 - If Sam could change one thing about society, what would it be?
24:33 - Sam’s book recommendations for entrepreneurs
26:47 - Napoleon: an underrated thinker
28:41 - “The best entrepreneurs are not by choice”
Credit to Ksenia for self-producing this episode! 👏
The Bits & Bytes Series - Michael Muthukrishna
Hosted by Danilo Dukanovic
Today, we get up close with someone who not only teaches us here at LSE but also shapes the way we think about culture, innovation, and the power of shared knowledge. We talk to Professor Michael Muthukrishna, a thought leader who's got his finger on the pulse of cultural evolution. 🫀
Michael is no ordinary academic; he's the founder of Culturalytic, a toolkit for companies that's sparking a new era of cultural and behavioral change. He's also the author of ‘A Theory of Everyone’, a book that's as bold as it is enlightening. 🤔
In our chat with Professor Muthukrishna, we dug into how behavioral and psychological science, along with cultural factors and evolutionary theory, play pivotal roles in the level of innovation a society can achieve. It’s fascinating stuff that really gets you thinking about the bigger picture. 💭🖼️
For all you budding entrepreneurs and start-up dynamos out there, we went a step further. We discussed practical ways you could apply these insights to make a real impact. Think of it as blending deep knowledge with action, aiming to not just start a business but to also spark a positive wave in society. It’s about smart innovation, where your company isn't just a business—it’s a force for good, driving us all forward. 🚀
Check out Michael Muthukrishna:
https://www.michael.muthukrishna.com/ (Website)
https://x.com/mmuthukrishna?lang=en (X, formerly Twitter)
Give ‘A Theory of Everyone’ a read:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Theory-Everyone-Here-Where-Going/dp/1399810634
Timestamps:
0:38 - Intro to Michael Muthukrishna
2:40 - Key concepts from his book ‘A Theory of Everyone’
4:10 - The Four Laws of Life
8:22 - Cooperation necessity in building startups
10:10 - The Paradox of ‘Geniuses’
12:28 - Cheap ideas: how easily copiable are they?
16:10 - Cultural differences and entrepreneurship
19:24 - Silicon valley: a graveyard of failure, but landmark of success
21:04 - How the ‘resource curse’ affects cooperation and growth
23:40 - Psychological traps: zero-sum competition games
24:42 - Cooperating at LSE to benefit everyone
26:15 - How governments can shift zero-sum psychology to positive-sum
27:16 - The transformative power of new, startup cities
27:53 - Hong Kong: from fishing village to development hub
29:05 - Fail locally, learn globally
29:55 - Programmable politics, network states, and blockchain
32:33 - Mechanisms of cooperation
33:00 - Reputation: do we trust the Uber driver or Uber? Airbnb host or Airbnb?
34:38 - Where are we? What stage are we at?
35:47 ChatGPT: an overnight, game-changer
37:50 - Climate change’s lead into the Syrian migration crisis
40:07 - Listening to the silent middle over the far left/right
40:50 - Diminishing returns of fossil fuels and the far right
Credits to Jessica Ge for producing this episode. 🎧
The Bits & Bytes Series - Tunde Adekeye
Hosted by Danilo Dukanovic
Starting with a background in law, Tunde took a leap into the world of investment banking at Credit Suisse, where he navigated the intricacies of Telecom media mergers and acquisitions on the media and tech side. 💼📡
But here's where it gets interesting – Tunde then ventured into the startup realm, cold emailing his way into an agriculture tech startup in Berlin during its Series A phase. Fast forward to Series B, and the startup turned into a unicorn, marking Tunde's initiation into the world of unicorns and disruptive innovation. 🦄
Equipped with startup experience, he made a pivot to the world of venture capital, working with two seed funds – Local Globe VC and Icebreaker VC. The latter, a pre-seed fund, made early investments in the likes of Spotify and Tunde supported 13 startups in their pre-seed stages during his time there. 🏃🚀
Currently, Tunde is now in the space of advising founders on nailing their pitches and developing his own startup that does this with an AI model called Pitch Doctor:
https://thepitchdoctor.tv/
I, myself, have been fundraising for my startup for the last couple of months and some time ago, I hit up Tunde for a mock pitch. His feedback improved my pitch but also dished out some real insights on what VCs truly value. I believe this helped me achieve positive results. 👨⚕️
Hear all about Tunde’s journey, the green and red flags of pitches, and how to execute a short pitch minute-by-minute. Whether you’re pitching yourself for a job or your startup for investors, you don’t wanna miss out on this one!
Major thanks to Myra Stok for editing this (her first) episode! 🕺
The Artistpreneurs Series - Marion Carré 🖼
Hosted by Ksenia Kutuzova 🎙
Today we speak to the extraordinary Marion Carré - AI entrepreneur, teacher, speaker, author, and artist!
Marion co-founded Ask Mona, a company that uses AI to develop experiences for more than 80 cultural institutions across the world. 🏛️🗿
Why don't you Ask Mona?
https://www.askmona.fr/en/home/
Marion also works as an expert evaluator for the European Commission and teaches courses at Sorbonne, Sciences Po, and other universities where she explores the intersection of art and artificial intelligence. Her insights come alive in her book, "Talk about art and artificial intelligence. Artist in the making?". 🤖🎨
Forbes honored her achievements by naming her to their "30 Under 30" list.
Check out Marion Carré:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/marion-carre-ask-mona/
Thanks to Jessica Ge for producing this episode. 🥂
The Bits & Bytes Series - Ahana Banerjee
Hosted by Ksenia Kutuzova
Today we are speaking to the extraordinary Ahana Banerjee - the founder of the Clear skin social app, which assists you with your skincare routine. Clear was featured under Best Apps in App Store. 📈🌟
Join the skincare social scene!
Check out Clear
At just 21, Ahana embarked on her entrepreneurial journey while studying at Imperial College London. Ahana's remarkable achievements include being accepted into Y Combinator and being named in Forbes 30 Under 30 for 2023. 😉
Produced by Jessica Ge 🎧
The Bits & Bytes Series - Sam Marchant
Hosted by Ksenia Kutuzova ❤️
Today we are speaking to Sam Marchant. From founder to investor, Sam thrives as an Investment Associate at the global investment firm, Hambro Perks where he helps companies build products that matter. 👷♂️💰
Before his journey as an investor, Sam graduated with a degree in Sports and Exercise Science and became the Youngest National League hockey coach. 🏒
Now he's not only a successful investor but also a LinkedIn sensation, sharing invaluable insights. Today, we will dive deep into his mind, asking him all the most intriguing questions, from industry trends to the anatomy of successful founders, don’t miss out! 🌟😉
Check out Sam Marchant:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-marchant/
Shoutout to Jessica Ge for producing this episode! 🎧
The Beyond Profit Series
Hosted by Udbela Escanero
In this episode, we speak to Johannes Weber. Johannes is a passionate entrepreneur, pioneering impact investor and a father of three children. After a successful IPO in his mid-twenties, Johannes followed his dream to tackle some of the world’s biggest challenges by harnessing the power of entrepreneurship. Johannes co-founded Ananda Impact Ventures in 2009 and was recognized as a ‘Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum’. The company has since become one of the largest impact venture capital firms in Europe. 🚀🌍
Check out Johannes' Ananda Impact Ventures:
https://ananda.vc/
We discuss start-ups, sustainability, responsible investing, impact, and accountability and more about the European VC sphere. You don’t want to miss out on this one! Tune in now on all our platforms! 🙇🏻♀️
Special thanks to the talented Udbela Escanero for self-producing this episode! 🎧
The Bits & Bytes Series - Simona Xu
Hosted by Sia Sha
The Oh Collective is a sexual wellness startup launched in 2021. It has been featured in several media outlets, including the Economist and Elle magazine. Simona Xu, one of four co-founders, has previously worked for companies such as Zalando and Nike across cities such as Amsterdam, Berlin, and Shanghai. Tune in now to hear all about it!
Check it out:
https://www.theohcollective.com
Timestamps:
1:05-What is Oh Collective?
1:57- Discussion of sexual wellness
4:00-Why is sexual wellness important?
11:20-Discussion of Simona's mom's opinion on sexual wellness.
16:10-Discussion of what it is like to operate Oh Collective in an environment like China compared to the West.
25:00-PWC studies on sexual wellness, and the biggest market in Asia.
32:58-discussion of stigma surrounding sex toys.
49:15-What makes Oh Collective different and unique?
54:48-Discussion of raising money for Oh Collective and how it progressed in the sexual wellness industry.
1 hour 10 minutes-What is the worst and best advice Simmons has ever received?
1 hour 15 minutes: Outro
The Artistpreneurs Series - Mirijam Trunk
Hosted by Udbela Escanero
Today, we are speaking to Mirijam Trunk: after working as a journalist for Bayerischer Rundfunk and reporter for ARD, Mirijam decided to make her journey from the writer’s room to top-level business management.
In 2019, she became CEO of the Bertelsmann Audio Alliance and built the company's podcast business. She has grown the production company Audio Alliance into the largest private-sector provider of podcasts, launching around 150 formats that reach over 7 million unique users per month.
She has been part of the first management level of RTL Deutschland since 2022 and, as Chief Crossmedia Officer, is responsible for brand, content and talent development. She also heads the Sustainability and DE&I (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion) departments.
Mirijam is a passionate supporter of equality and diversity initiatives and works as an author and speaker to raise awareness of structural inequality in Germany. Don’t miss out on this exciting episode!
Mirijam Trunk
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mirijam-trunk/
Timestamps:
1:28 Introducing Mirijam
2:42 Overview of Bertelsmann
3:00 Miriam’s trajectory - classical singing to journalism to business management?
4:24 Structural issues noticed within journalism
6:57 The current media and business landscape and its fast changes
7:27 About Bertelsmann’s podcast company (Audio Alliance)
10:33 Power of storytelling - podcasting as as medium?
11:57 People as the amazing experience or component of her career
17:05 Networking - gender differences!
21:11 Sustainability, diversity, equity, inclusion challenges
25:20 How did Mirijam end up at RTL Germany?
27:58 How much did Miriam’s journalism education help her get into creative management?
30:52 Tips on starting out - learning to understand yourself! “Who are you?”
35:35 If you could change one thing about society, what would it be?
36:29 Chaos as Miriam’s unconventional truth to success
38:13 If you could invite anyone in the world for a podcast interview, who would you invite?
The Bits & Bytes Series - Joe Cross
Hosted by Olivia Coletti
Today we have the pleasure of talking with the insightful Joe Cross. Joe is now an angel investor who invests and advises in early-big stage ideas. As previous VP of brand marketing and communication and member of the senior leadership team at Wise money services, he has lots of experience and expertise on marketing and startups. Joe is a Digital masters award winner who is interested in growth marketing, go to market moves, communication and workplace culture. His market segment and philanthropic interests reflect that. 📈🤩
Angel Investor: Advising and investing in early-stage big ideas.
Award Winning: 2020 Digital Masters Winner - Excellence in Marketing.
Interests: Growth. Marketing. Go-to-market. Comms. Culture.
History:
Joined TransferWise (WISE) as employee #12 in 2012. Stepped off the rocketship 8 years later, waving g'bye to an awesome team of 2,300 people. Member of senior leadership team throughout, as Head of Marketing (Start-up stage) >> US General Manager >> Head of (VP) Brand Marketing & Comms (Scale-up stage).
2008 Masters in media and comm. at LSE.
Check Joe Cross out:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/joemcross/
Timestamps:
1:40 What does the company do and why do you find it inspiring?
5:25 Are there any specific sectors that you are interested in?
10:10 How do you assess founders?
15:45 What does sustainable investing mean to you?
20:30 What are your thoughts on the ESG industry?
27:15 What are you involved in in your free time?
Shout out to Humzah Rahman for producing this episode! 👏
The Unwrapped Series - Virginia Stagni
Hosted by Anastasia Baklushina ⭐
Ever wondered how you can bring your ideas to life within the already established and large
corporations?
Our today’s guest, Virginia Stagni, Head of Business Development at the Financial Times,
proves by her own example that it is indeed possible to become an intrapreneur at the one of
the world’s leading global business newspapers, and even more - shows that these
companies are actually willing to offer space to young creative and entrepreneurial minds.
Alongside her main role, Virginia is the Founder and Director of FT Talent Challenge
programme, which she launched back in 2018 to invite youth with diverse experiences to
change the future of media.
She was previously named as the youngest Business Development Manager in the
135-years history of the FT, has been included in Forbes Italia 30 under 30 list (2021),
Fortune 40 under 40 list (2021), and her achievements in digital media innovation were
recognised by 2020 “International Media and News Association (INMA) 30 Under 30” award
in Business Intelligence.
Virginia’s entrepreneurial path has started long before her current role at the Financial
Times. Whilst being Bocconi university student, she had an experience of founding digital
editorial platform Revolart and Bolognadasballo tour guides project. One of her most recent
ventures was GoodSaints, a fairtrade sustainable start-up.
Virginia graduated from MSc in Media and Communications from the London School of
Economics (2016) and BSc in Economics and Management for Art, Culture and
Communications from Bocconi University (2015).
This episode will feature 3 main parts: Virginia’s entre- and intrapreneurship experiences,
discussion on the opportunities to innovate in the world of media and FT Talent, with some
thoughts on the future of leadership alongside the “Dreamers Who Do” book written by
Virginia.
Become the next digital news revolutioniser:
https://www.fttalent.ft.com/
https://www.instagram.com/ft_talent/?hl=en
Shoutout to Jessica Ge for producing this episode! 🕺
The Artistpreneurs Series - Antoni and Alison
Hosted by Olivia Coletti
Today we have the pleasure of talking with the wonderful Antoni Burakowski. Antoni, with his best friend Alison Roberts co-created the fashionable “Yin Yang” clothing brand “Antoni & Alison”. The brand radiates the individualistic art that they pioneer to the world through joy, love, and positivity.
Continuously working together for 32 years, Antoni and Alison aim to create their work by changing the way we view fashion. They have never followed trends, an ongoing motto of theirs is “just because fashion is the way it is, doesnt mean to say it has to be the way it is.” Their brand represents consistency, happiness and art. 🖼
They currently have a store and many stockists worldwide, the first 10 years of their wardrobe has been acquired by the Victoria Albot Musiem & the second installment is being prepared.
Their pieces are worn by celebrities and artists that include: Bella Hadid, Nicole Kidman, Katy Perry, Clare Danes, Chloe Sevigny, Beth Ditto, Lilly Allen, Kiki Smith, and more. 😎✨
Check out Antoni and Alison's store (from the coolest website ever):
https://www.antoniandalison.co.uk/
Timestamps:
2:00 - How did you meet Allison?
12:50 - How do you build your brand?
24:20 - What was your pricing strategy?
26:40 - Do you advertise your clothes on runways?
35:20 - Who are the craziest people that walk through your door?
37:50 - What are the things that you are most inspired by?
Thank to Humzah Rahman for producing this ep! 👏
The Unwrapped Series - Sebastian Mallaby
Hosted by Sia Sha
Sebastian Mallaby is the Paul A Volcker Senior Fellow in International Economics at the Council on Foreign Relations. He spent thirteen years at the Economist and has contributed to various outlets such as the New York Times, FT, and Washington Post. 📝
His book, The Man Who Knew, won the 2016 Financial Times and McKinsey Business Book of the Year Award. He has recently published The Power Law: Venture Capital and the Art of Disruption. 📚🤩
Special thanks to Valli Vikram for producing this episode! 🎧
The Bits & Bytes Series - Guglielmo Schenardi
Hosted by Jessica Ge
Whenever you use an app, access a website, or do anything in the virtual space, you create data. But do you actually know where your data is going? And who’s using it? ❓🤔
Today’s guest, Guglielmo Schenardi, along with his co-founder, created Rita Personal Data - an app with over 100,000 members and a 4.5-star rating from almost 2,000 reviews. Rita allows users to view, control, and earn rewards from their own data. And founded only 3 years ago, Rita has already secured €1 million in pre-seed funding. 💸
Alongside a successful startup, Guglielmo has also recently launched the first start-up program offering a double university Masters called Genoa Entrepreneurship School (GES). GES is a joint initiative between Georgetown and Genoa university so that you can build or work in a venture whilst attending a masters. 🏫🚀 This way, you don’t have to choose between pursuing a startup career or pursuing education, you can do both.
In this episode, we will focus on two key topics- the importance of data privacy in an increasingly data-driven world and how education and entrepreneurship can co-exist. ✌
Manage your personal data:
https://ritapersonaldata.com/
Build your next venture from school:
https://www.genoaes.com/
Timestamps:
2:05 - Who is Guglielmo Schenardi?
2:46 - The conception of Rita Personal Data
3:40 - Why should you use Rita?
4:50 - Trusting Rita with your data
6:01 - Building a tech product from a non-tech background
8:18 - How to raise €1 million in preseed funding
10:34 - You need an advisor!
12:20 - Guglielmo’s life-changing experience
14:04 - MTV’s documentary on Guglielmo’s daily life
16:43 - Creating a university startup program from scratch
20:20 - How to build the dream team
21:41 - Building a venture whilst pursuing two masters, how?!
28:15 - What’s one thing Guglielmo would change about society?
29:58 - Guglielmo’s unconventional truth that helped him achieve his success
31:46 - Reflect, reflect, reflect
34:14 - Guglielmo’s dream interview guest
Shoutout to Jessica Ge for self-producing this episode! 🕺
The Bits & Bytes Series - Amai Ganjam
Hosted by Humzah Rahman
Join us on this episode as we dive into the story of Amai Ganjam, an LSE student who created a social networking app called Buzz during the pandemic. We'll learn about his journey as a student founder and how he navigated the challenges of being non-technical. Along the way, we'll also explore what venture capitalists look for in pitch decks, and how to break into the VC industry as a student. Plus, we'll get insights from Amai's experiences interning at True Altitude and his current role at Tomorrow Capital, a boutique VC firm investing in credit-led models across emerging markets. 📈
Don't miss out on this exciting episode filled with tips and inspiration for anyone interested in startups, VC, or entrepreneurship. 🎯🚀
🌃🕺 Explore and interact with London’s nightlife in a completely re-imagined way:
https://buzzsocialapp.com/
Timestamps
1:10 Why don’t you go ahead and introduce yourself?
2:00 What’s the founding story behind Buzz?
4:35 How did you prove product market fit?
5:55 What type of person should use Buzz?
7:15 How does Buzz differ from the rest?
8:45 How did you push your product out to market?
10:25 Buzz’s national and international expansion
11:15 What’s your business model?
13:20 How do you build a tech product as a non-technical cofounder?
14:45 How did you vet your first few technical hires and were they successful?
16:55 Where do you want Buzz to be in the next five years?
18:25 What was your defining moment?
19:45 What do True Altitude and Tomorrow Capital specialise in?
22:10 What are some of your responsibilities at Tomorrow Capital?
23:40 How does Tomorrow Capital invest?
25:15 How did you go about finding work experience at a VC?
25:55 What advice would you give to a student trying to break into the VC industry?
28:00 What’s the key to writing good pitch decks?
29:15 What’s a common red flag you see in pitch decks?
30:00 If you could change one thing about society, what would it be?
31:49 If you could interview anyone, fictional, dead or alive, who would you interview?
Thank you Humzah Rahman for self-producing this ep! 😎
The Beyond Profit Series
Hosted by Laura Calle
María Clara Mesa is a Colombian entrepreneur that fell in love with technology and healthcare. ❤
She is a partner of Alternova, a software development company focused on digital health, specialising in developing digital therapeutic video games and gaming-inspired digital products. 🎮👩⚕️
Alternova has become an essential player in the health tech industry, having clients such as Stanford, MIT, UCSF, Brain Balance Centers, Children National, DoD, and Takeda. They create digital therapeutics (which includes video games), patient monitor apps and platforms, and platforms to collect and process healthcare. 🏫
María Clara, besides having a full-time job in Alternova, is also a startup mentor to provide qualified autism innovators with the resources they need to scale their ideas. Besides this, she is a baby angel investor, a diversity and women in tech advocate and has recently been interested in using psychedelics for medicinal purposes. 💰🍄
María Clara has a high educational background as she is a lawyer, studied business administration and has a master’s in International Business and Business Analytics. 👏
Check out Alternova:
https://www.alternova.co/
Timestamps:
1:35 - Who is María Clara?
2:10 - Alternova’s transition from VR construction to healthcare and gaming
4:00 - Realising your company has no real purpose
4:59 - Finding your company’s purpose
5:48 - Shifting your employees into a completely different industry
7:35 - Feeling the impact
9:43 - Video games that help diagnose mental disabilities
11:20 - Why use video games in healthcare?
12:18 - How training athletes with cognitive VR helps them perform better and earn scholarships
12:32 - Games that help people with autism read
13:48 - A game that helps with ADHD, a possible replacement for focus drugs like Ritalin?
15:25 - Do you find visiting your GP fun? No, it’s probably sh*t.
17:40 - María’s vision for healthcare
18:43 - The intersection of psychedelics and tech
19:50 - Near-death family VR therapy, replacing your VR body with a ball of energy!
23:24 - What got María into neurodiversity work?
24:57 - María’s (and a lot of other entrepreneurs’) superpower: ADHD
26:54 - Women in science and tech
30:17 - Key to growth: forming relationships in key countries like the US
33:04 - How to maintain a work-life balance? Say no
35:18 - The power of music, meditation, and water
37:26 - María’s unconventional book recommendations
43:05 - María’s dream interview guest
Special shoutout to Jessica Ge for producing this episode! 😼
The Bits & Bytes Series - Paul Miller
Hosted by Sia Sia
Paul Miller, OBE, is the CEO of Bethnal Green Ventures, an early-stage tech-for-good VC. The VC was established in 2012 and has invested in 166 ventures since then. Previously, Paul was a Co-Founder of the School of Everything, which has raised over £350,000 in seed funding in 2008. 🏫🤑
Check out BGV:
https://www.bethnalgreenventures.com/
Timestamps:
2:00 - Introduction
3:00 - What is venture capital?
4:20 - Terminology: General Partners and Limited Partners
6:40 - Discussion of the Economist’s view on Venture Capitalists
20:53 - Strengths and weaknesses of operating in London vs Europe
29:55 - As interest rates are high, is deployment of capital affected in the venture capital business?
39:00 - Challenges of raising money as a venture capitalist
42:09 - Discussion of ‘Bad Blood’ and Theranos, and accounting for deception
49:27 - Importance of passion for a startup to succeed
57:18 - What is the difference between a successful and non-successful startup?
Special shoutout to Valli Vikram for producing this episode! 😍
The Bits & Bytes Series - Micol Hafez and Annabel de Gheldere
Hosted by Sarah Baek
Micol and Annabel, the co-founders of Womco, both suffered from severe hormonal imbalances since their first period, which greatly affected their daily energy, mood, and activities. However, they were able to take control of their health by researching and understanding how to live and eat in alignment with their menstrual cycles. 👩💘
Alongside Jacopo, a PhD scientist with a background in biotech endometriosis research, he brings a wealth of scientific knowledge to the team. Together, they are committed to helping all women achieve their highest potential through personalised nutrition aligned with the latest research in the field of hormonal health. 🩺👩⚕️
Annabel: Meet Annabel, responsible for crafting Womco’s vision, strategy, and ambitions. Annabel has a BA in International Business, MSc in Sustainable Development and MBA from Tel Aviv University. She has prior experience working in foodtech in the alternative proteins sector at Aleph Farms. 👩🌾
Micol: CPO Micol focuses on developing product ideas and features to enhance user experience. Micol has a BA in Biochemistry from Columbia University and MRes in Bioengineering from Imperial College London. She has previous experience working at Halma Life Sciences and runs a food blog with >30k subscribers. 🤩
Maximise your hormones through the power of food:
https://www.womco.co.uk/
Timestamps:
00:54 - Who are Annabel and Micol?
2:29 - The birth of Womco
4:30 - Womco’s defining moment: seeing a real need
6:45 - Not just another health tech…
11:35 - Can friends become reliable co-founders? Spoiler: Yes!
14:08 - Fundraising, not an easy feat
15:06 - Overcoming rejection, keep it flowing!
16:45 - Getting investment for a women’s health app from male investors
17:52 - Is Womco the future of women’s health?
20:10 - Embracing failure is the key to success
22:28 - BYOB? Be Your Own Boss
24:06 - That ‘right’ moment is now!
24:31 - Secret to success: fake it till you make it
27:58 - Being bold to get stronger
Thanks to Jessica Ge for producing this episode! 😼
The Bits & Bytes Series - Justin Kolbeck
Hosted by Udbela Escanero
Justin Kolbeck is co-founder and CEO of Wildtype, which is on a mission to create the cleanest, most sustainable seafood on the planet. 🐠 Before Wildtype, he spent nearly five years as a consultant at Strategy& helping companies develop and launch products, grow into new markets, and operate efficiently. Justin started his career as a Foreign Service Officer, serving in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Australia, and Washington DC. 🌍 He is a graduate of the Yale School of Management, L’Institut d’Études Politiques de Paris, and UC Berkeley. 🤓🚀
Come build a better food system:
https://www.wildtypefoods.com/
Timestamps:
1:30 Who is Justin Kolbeck?
3:30 What was your defining moment?
6:30 The state of the commercial fishing industry and its implications for the environment
14:20 Why did you choose salmon?
18:30 Outlining the cellular agriculture industry
22:40 When will this technology hit the market?
24:40 What are the biggest challengers you’re facing and what have been the best experiences so far with Wildtype?
28:30 How did you go about raising money?
32:00 How did you get into the startup world and how did your education help you?
34:50 If you could change one thing about society what would it be?
37:22 What is an unconventional truth you believe in and what advice would you give to students?
40:10 If you could choose anyone to interview (dead, alive, fictional) who would it be?
Special shoutout to Udbela Escanero for producing this episode and Humzah Rahman for supervising! 💃🕺
The Bits & Bytes Series - Tessa Clarke
Hosted by Sia Sha
OLIO is an app helping neighbours to share food and other items to reduce waste. ♻️ Tessa is the co-founder and CEO of OLIO. A University of Cambridge and Stanford graduate, Tessa has previously worked at BCG and Dyson. OLIO has raised $43m in its recent series B and has 6m users. 🧑💻🤯
Check out Olio:
https://olioex.com/
Timestamps:
3.50 - How to educate the market about the importance of waste management
9.00 - Global waste trends: how much do we waste everyday? How does it differ between different countries and cultures?
16.44 - Main operational challenges
26:36 - Venture capital industry and the challenges of getting funding as a women founded business
32.00 - Is there a market for the business in China?
43.09 - Monetisation of the business
Special shoutout to Valli Vikram for producing this episode! 🙌
The Bits & Bytes Series - Jamie Heywood
Hosted by Laura Calle
Jaime Heywood is passionate about human and social development and has a wide range of international experience as a businessman in both regulated industries and scaling fast-growing businesses. Jamie studied Philosophy and Psychology at Oxford University and is the former Uber Regional General Manager for Northern and Eastern Europe, where he covered more than 70 cities and 12 countries including the UK. 🌏🧳
In Uber Jaime is credited with repairing relations with Transport for London after the regulator refused to renew Uber’s licence. And also, was the prime mover behind the acquisition of dispatch systems provider Autocab and the launch of the successful Local Cab service, through which Uber has expanded into more than 40 UK towns and cities by allocating jobs to private hire operators that use Autocab’s iGo network.👷♀️
Before joining uber Jamie was working for Amazon as the Director of their Electronics division in the UK responsible for both the Retail and Marketplace businesses.
And before joining Amazon in 2014, Jamie spent 15 years in telecoms, where he was Managing Director of Virgin Mobile in the UK (2011-14) and launched Virgin Mobile in India and Orange in Thailand. 📞
He was also CEO of Virgin Mobile in China for three years and started his career in Asia working for the Swire Group.
Timestamps:
2:20 - Who is Jamie Heywood? Jamie’s upbringing in Asia
3:42 - Leaving Uber and writing a book
4:15 - Technology shift -> society shift
5:50 - From top-down to bottom-up leadership
7:15 - Jamie’s talk at LSE, leading with principles
9:43 - The secret to Amazon’s scaling success
11:40 - Effort vs. results in leadership
14:00 - Swim, don’t sink! The reality of running a company
14:58 - Cultural differences from leading in Asia vs Europe
19:16 - How to maintain work-life balance
21:22 - Monkey management?
23:04 - Stop inheriting work from others!
24:20 - Virgin Mobile’s failure in China
27:36 - Take off your rose tinted glasses
28:34 - When failure hits your ego
31:45 - We’re all in this together!
33:33 - Life-changing books for Jamie
36:38 - What actually matters in life? Spoiler: it’s not just work
40:05 - Are socially aware introverts secret weapons?
41:37 - Prioritise riding the tech wave
43:26 - Who is Jamie’s dream podcast guest?
Special shoutout to Jessica Ge for producing this episode! ❤️
The Bits & Bytes Series - Erol Hoke
Hosted by Olivia Coletti
Erol Hoke, is an entrepreneur with a passion for finding ways of using technology to improve
society at large. Erol does everything from using machines to better understand the climate
impact of various businesses to making it easier for companies to drive value for all of their
stakeholders. 📚 Erol got his masters at LSE and believes that we need to leverage every tool we
have to make a better future. 🌍
What is Apiday?
https://www.apiday.com/
Apiday is a leading sustainability reporting platform helping investors easily prepare their ESG
reporting, drive change across their investments, comply with SFDR and boost their fundraising
efforts with LPs. 🤑🤝
From ESG data collection to reporting and certification, they help companies achieve their
sustainability goals. The Apiday platform helps companies easily collect all ESG data in one
place, automate ESG reporting and certification processes, and collaborate with third parties,
such as specialized ESG consultants, to improve ESG scores or make specific ESG
improvements.
Apidays Mission: to make sustainability easy, measurable and affordable for companies.
The world is changing. Focusing exclusively on financial performance is not enough for
companies anymore. Tracking and reporting on environmental, social and governance (ESG)
metrics is now a must-have. 🚀
Timestamps:
1:45 - How did you find your time at the LSE?
3:00 - Why did you choose the LSE and choose to pivot away from finance?
4:40 - How did you come to create Apiday?
7:20 - What services does Apiday offer?
10:15 - ESG framework fragility and Elon Musk
14:00 - Greenwashing and the reality of ESG
17:30 - How hard is it to gage a CEO’s ESG intentions from the outside looking in?
20:45 - What have you learned from Apiday?
26:40 - The significance of de-growth
35:10 - ESG online backlash
37:05 - The importance and future of ESG
Special shoutout to Humzah Rahman for producing this episode! 👏
The Bits & Bytes Series - Robert Barrow
Hosted by Sia Sha
Robert Barrow is the CEO of MindMed, a psychedelic biotech company founded in 2019. MindMed was the first psychedelic company that was listed on the Nasdaq and is currently in clinical trials - for example, for exploring the efficacy of LSD on generalised anxiety disorder. 🧠📚 The company has a market cap of roughly 700m and has received investment from individuals such as Kevin O’Leary. 🏋️♀️
Rethink your brain health:
https://mindmed.co/
Timestamps:
1:35 - What are psychedelics?
2:45 - Why are psychedelics controversial? Is the controversy based on valid concerns?
7:25 - Has depression, anxiety, and disconnection been on the rise in recent years? Why is therapy not enough?
17:12 - Rob talks about his journey through MindMed, from a consultant to CEO, and the potential he saw in the company.
31:39 - Rob discuss development of psychedelics and how they plan to take it to market.
32:05 - Are there any adverse effects of the usage of psychedelics? How does MindMed test for them?
45:19 - How do psychedelics work on anxiety disorder?
1:00:00 - Rob discusses the end goal and vision of MindMed, and who he would like as colleagues in the company.
01:01:47 - Why did MindMed go public?
1:10:07 - Rob discuss planning for distribution channels
The Bits & Bytes Series - Emma Ridderstad
Hosted by Udbela Escanero
Emma Ridderstad is Co-founder and CEO of Warpin, the Stockholm-headquartered virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and extended reality (XR) company, helping clients including H&M, Disney, and Ferrari, train staff, market products, and enter the metaverse. 👾 With demand for immersive technology solutions to corporate issues on the rise, Emma is helping businesses bring their strategy into 4D through innovative AR, VR and XR programmes. 🚀🧑💻
Dive into the world of metaverse business integration:
https://www.warpinmedia.com/
Timestamps:
1:36 Who is Emma Ridderstad?
2:19 Warpin and the metaverse
3:34 The start of Emma’s tech trek
4:50 Moving into the metaverse
8:28 Warpin’s H&M x Moschino AR Fashion Show
11:34 On rights and ethics in the metaverse
13:02 Bullying in the metaverse vs in real life
15:00 Reconnecting with people online
18:53 What are the limits of technology?
24:24 The art of storytelling
25:44 Advice to aspiring female entrepreneurs
26:52 Just go for it! There’s no better time than now
28:29 Feel your worth
29:00 The importance of school for business
31:09 We. Need. Women.
35:50 What would Emma change about society?
39:04 Unconventional truths
40:42 Starting Warpin after a divorce and whilst raising 2 kids
41:55 Who is Emma’s dream interview guest?
Thank you Udbela Escanero for editing this episode! 🕺
The Bits & Bytes Series - Jessica Alderson
Hosted by Sia Sha
Soscyncd is a dating app launched in 2021 that matches people based on personality types. 💏 The startup has currently 10 employees and has recently raised $1m in pre-seed funding. 🕺🚀
Find your perfect match:
https://www.sosyncd.com/
Timestamps:
1:20 - Jessica’s background and why she chose to work in Equity Research?
5:50 - How did you get your internship at Morgan Stanley?
8:05 - Are there any parallels between finding a job and building a successfully startup?
9:20 - The importance of networking
12:00 - Favourite entrepreneurship book and blog
14:20 - Why did you quit banking and start SoSynced?
20:50 - How and when did you build and launch SoSyncd?
22:20 - Developing the platform as a non-technical founder
27:50 - Scaling and growing SoSyncd
30:00 - Proving product market fit
31:25 - Raising seed funding
36:00 - How do you market SoSynced?
31:30 - How do you leverage your network?
Thank you Humzah Rahman for editing this episode! ❤️
The Unwrapped Series - Eojin Yang
Hosted by Sarah Baek
In today’s episode, we interview a mountain-climbing, marathon-running, adventurer, Endless Jin! With a world record in climbing Breithorn mountain (4,164 meters tall) in Switzerland with 80 other women from 25 different countries, hear how Jin joined the first-ever all-female rope team in the world! 🧗♀️🏃♀️
Whether you care about sports or not, Jin’s inspiring journey and outlook on practising gratitude daily is one to marvel at. Joining us all the way from South Korea, the talktank is honoured to have Eojin with us live here in London! 🇰🇷
Follow Jin’s superhuman escapades:
https://www.instagram.com/endless_jin/
Timestamps:
00:55 Why are you called “Endless” Jin?
1:36 Jin’s record breaking mountain climb
2:10 Gender in athletic world records
3:02 What would Jin change about society?
5:03 “Just do it”
6:24 Stop blaming your failures on luck
7:01 Overcoming the fear of mountain-climbing
9:32 Travelling outside of your comfort zone (literally)
10:55 How a flight issue became an adventure
12:19 Jin’s advice to her younger self
13:29 How to become an adventurer
14:43 Sports: life’s best medicine
16:12 On running 8 marathons every weekend
16:45 Becoming an athlete model and influencer
18:10 No pain, no gain!
Thank you Valli Vikram for editing this episode! 🎧❤️
The Bits & Bytes Series - Matt McMullen
Hosted by Sia Sha
Matt is the CEO of Realbotix, a technology firm based in Las Vegas, the aim of which is to integrate robotic components and AI into high end silicone dolls. 🤖 Specifically, Realbotix has created Harmony, a companion robot that has been featured on Vice News, the New York Times, and Forbes. Realbotix has recently raised $3m. 🤑🚀
Make a new friend! 👯
https://realbotix.com/
Timestamps:
2:44 Have we made ourselves lonely?
4:02 Cave syndrome: we actually like isolating ourselves
7:55 What do people talk about with a robot?
12:09 Replicating consciousness in AI
15:00 In the eyes of AI, are humans viruses? Parasites to the Earth?
17:10 Robots do it better!
21:05 Robot vs. human therapy
22:30 Do people treat robots worse than humans?
26:30 Improving social skills by talking to dolls
29:20 Matt’s takeaways through the years
31:40 Why put bad human traits in robots? Why jealousy?
33:55 Trekking through the VC industry
38:04 Why crowdfunding didn’t work for Realbotix
40:20 The future of robot companions
Thank you Jessica Ge for editing this episode! ❤️
The Unwrapped Series - Sa'ad Shah
Hosted by Sia Sha
Sa'ad is the co-founder and managing partner of Noetic Fund, a venture capital firm with over $150m in assets focusing on psychedelic startups and the wellbeing space generally. 💆♀️ Prior, Sa'ad was a Managing Director at Carlyle Group, and a Director at the Royal Bank of Canada. 💼🚀
For all things well and swell, check out Noetic Fund!
https://noeticfund.com/
Thank you to Jessica Ge for editing this episode! 😜
The Bits & Bytes Series - James Lo
Hosted by Sia Siavush
James is the Co-founder and CEO of mana.live, a content-sharing platform that democratises access to knowledge. 🗣 James is an ex-LSE student and has previously worked at McKinsey, Softbank, and Unicef, and Mana has raised a total of $1.5m in pre-seed investment. 🤑
Thank you to Jonas Eu for editing this episode! 🎧
The Bits & Bytes Series - Eugenia Kuyda
Hosted by Sia Siavush
Eugenia is the Founder and CEO of Replika, a San-Francisco-based startup providing an AI companion. 🤖 Eugenia was a former journalist, completed and MBA from LBS, and is a Y Combinator alumnus. Replika launched in 2017 and has raised about $11m. 🚀🤑
Thank you to Jessica Ge for editing this episode! 😘
The Bits & Bytes Series - Charlie Wells
Hosted by Sia Siavush
Charlie is the Founder and CEO of HelloSelf, an online therapy and life coaching service that synergistically uses therapists and AI. 🤖
Charlie has a BSc in biological sciences from the University of Oxford, and was a director at Ogilvy as well as CMO and COO of JustGiving. HelloSelf has raised so far $11.3m. HelloSelf’s mission is to help everyone be a better version of themselves. ✌️
Take a look at HelloSelf:
https://www.helloself.com/
Thank you to Konrad Dabrowski for editing this episode! 😊
The Bits & Bytes Series - Josh Luber
Hosted by Jia Qi Lin
Josh is the co-founder and Chief Vision Officer of Fanatics Trading Cards and the founder of zerocool, the company’s pop culture, art, and entertainment vertical. 🎨🖼
He is also a co-founder of StockX, the world’s first ‘Stock Market of Things’, where he led the rise from idea to billion-dollar company in less than three years, cementing StockX as the world's leading marketplace for sneakers, apparel, and collectibles. 🥾🤟
In 2019, Josh stepped down as CEO to focus on StockX’s ‘startup within a startup activities’, including leading the nascent trading cards vertical. A year later, he left StockX to return to his entrepreneurial roots with the goal of revolutionizing the trading card industry as he’s done for sneakers. 🤑
Before StockX, Josh founded and ran four other startups and, in between each, had varying corporate jobs ranging from IBM strategy consultant to Alston & Bird bankruptcy attorney. He has an undergraduate BBA and joint JD/MBA from Emory University.
He is @joshluber on social media.
Jump on the latest trends by looking at Josh's work:
https://stockx.com
https://www.fanaticsinc.com/fanatics-collectibles
https://zerocool.com/
The Bits & Bytes Series - Dan Tang
Hosted by Sia Siavush
Dan is a recent graduate from Imperial College and the co-founder of Sow Foods, a startup providing plant-based meat alternatives. 🥦 Prior, Dan co-founded Curie London, which is a TechStars alumnus company and has raised $120k in funding. 💸 Dan has also been an intern at Huawei and Deutsche Welle.
Come grab a bite!
https://sowfoods.com/
Shoutout to Konrad Dabrowski for editing this episode! 🙇🏻♂️
The Unwrapped Series - Jack Butcher
Hosted by David Murugasu
“Signal in a world of noise”
Today’s guest is none other than Jack Butcher, founder of Visualize Value. The brainchild of Jack’s decade long experiences as a Creative Director in Fortune 500 advertising, Visualize Value was born in 2019 and has since grown into an extremely successful product and consulting business. 🚀 Today, Visualize Value boasts a combined social media following of over 800k people across Twitter and Instagram (@visualizevalue). 🌎📲 Armed with his signature monochromatic and minimalist design cues, Jack Butcher is leading the field of visual storytelling towards the digital renaissance - one design at a time. 👾
Timestamps:
1:33 Introduction.
3:30 Jack moving to NYC early in his career.
7:32 Biggest difference between working for clients and being your own boss.
10:44 Agency work culture and environment.
17:00 What led Jack to start Visualize Value after two years of running his own ad agency, and the lessons learnt in that span of time.
22:18 Jack shifting his attention towards Visualize Value full time and the intuition behind that pivot.
28:30 Visualize Value design cues and branding.
32:16 Concept inspiration and notable influences.
35:19 Defining moment behind Visualize Value’s virality.
39:19 The fundamental differences between audiences on Instagram and Twitter.
43:00 Twitter’s effect as a platform for aggregating attention.
47:21 Grappling with the idea of centralised platforms posing a risk to one’s work.
50:18 The importance of Communities vs. Customers.
56:36 Visualize Value’s main product line.
1:01:31 Jack’s thoughts on how to scale Visualize Value.
1:08:02 Exploring NFT’s as a medium.
1:13:56 Understanding why ‘on-chain’ storage is so important for creators.
1:19:38 Luck or Skill?
1:25:20 Jack’s final piece of advice.
Check out Visualize Value!
https://visualizevalue.com/
Shout out to Konrad Dabrowski for producing this episode. 😉
The Bits & Bytes Series - Grant Canary
Hosted by Sia Siavush
Grant Canary is Founder and CEO of DroneSeed and its subsidiary Silvaseed. DroneSeed is the largest vertically integrated reforestation startup on the West Coast, has recently raised $36m in its Series A, and is a Techstars and Elemental Excelerator alumnus company. 🚀
Grant has focused his entire career on sustainability—working at Vestas in China, the US and Denmark, and for the US Green Building Council. 🌎 He spent close to a decade founding and building a prior green company in Bogota, Colombia, which was later acquired. 💸
Check out DroneSeed:
https://droneseed.com/
Special thanks to Konrad Dabrowski for producing this episode! 😎
The Bits & Bytes Series - Philip Marais
Hosted by Jessica Ge
As you may have already noticed, this year, at the beginning of every talktank episode we shout out our sponsor, the OVHcloud Startup Program. 🙇🏻♂️
Well, today you’ll actually get to meet our generous supporter, Philip Marais, who is the leader of OVHcloud’s global startup program. An accelerator that has scaled up over 2,500 startups around the globe. 😵🌍
With 20 years in the startup space and experience in software development, consulting, business coaching, and creating his own university incubator, hear the startup expert’s advice for aspiring entrepreneurs! You might wanna take notes for this one…😉
Have a startup or thinking of creating one? Check out the OVHcloud Startup Program:
https://startup.ovhcloud.com/en-gb/
Special thanks to Konrad Dabrowski for producing this episode! 👋
The Beyond Profit Series - Roy Baumeister
Hosted by Sia Siavush
Roy Baumeister is the President-Elect of the International Positive Psychology Association and Professor of Psychology at the University of Queensland, Australia. 🦘🧠 He completed his undergraduate degree and PhD at Princeton, and has worked at institutions such as Stanford and the Max-Planck Institute. He has published over 40 books and his work has been widely featured in outlets such as Dateline NBC, PBS, the New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal. 🙇🏻♂️
Special thanks to Jonas Eu for producing this episode! 🎧
The Bits & Bytes Series - Lisa Makarova
Hosted by Jessica Ge
Today we speak to our fellow beaver, Lisa Makarova. 🐻 Lisa is the head of LSE Generate’s GAP, a 12-week accelerator programme designed for early-stage startups to reach new heights. 🏔🏃♀️
Bringing insights from all over the world (Russia, Germany, America, and the UK to name a few), we hear from the woman who co-founded ZebraFarm, a resource hive for startups, and who is a visiting lecturer and entrepreneurship coach at Imperial- indeed living up to her status as a Top 25 Under 25 Entrepreneur in the Netherlands. 🌍🎯 With more degrees, scholarships, and achievements than I can count, it is my honour to give a warm welcome to our guest, Lisa. 🚀
Check out LSE GAP!
https://info.lse.ac.uk/staff/divisions/research-and-innovation/generate/lse-acceleration
And ZebraFarm! 🦓
https://www.zebrafarm.co/books/closing-your-first-investment-round
Special thanks to Jonas Eu for producing this episode! 👏
The Bits & Bytes Series - Glen Moriarty
Hosted by Sia Siavush
Glen Moriarty is a clinical psychologist who founded 7 Cups after attending Y Combinator in 2013.🧠 7 Cups is a free website that connects those in emotional distress with trained volunteer listeners as well as professional therapists. 7 Cups has reached over 60 million people in 189 countries and collaborated with institutions such as Harvard. 🌍🏫
Check out 7 Cups:
https://www.7cups.com/
Special thanks to Konrad Dabrowski for producing this episode! 🎧
The Beyond Profit Series - Matt Griffiths
Hosted by Elissa Chung
It is officially in with the old, out with the new! The fun new way to shop now is by kilo! 🛍🤑
Today’s guest is Matt Griffiths, founder of we are., the company on a mission to redefine fashion forever. 🤯There is a good chance you might have heard of we are., as they have been taking over the UK with their second-life fashion pop up events from London all the way to Edinburgh.
Matt is your go-to guy when it comes to anything retail. From being part of the team responsible for scaling TK Maxx in the UK to today, helping brands with their merchandising presentation and working together with private equity firms and banks to close retailers all over Europe, it is safe to say that Matt knows a thing or two about getting a good deal.
we are. Is playing a huge role in revolutionising fashion for a sustainable future, by taking the UK, and my Instagram feed, by storm.
**LSE students get free entry into any we are. events when they show student ID!
Tune in to find out more! 🎧💥
Special thanks to Jonas Eu for producing this episode!! 😆
The Bits & Bytes Series - Mehran Sahami
Hosted by Sia Siavush
Mehran is the James and Ellenor Chesebrough Professor in the School of Engineering and Associate Chair for Education in the Computer Science department at Stanford. 🖥🤓 He is on the advisory board of various startups and prior he was a full-time Senior Research Scientist at Google. He has recently published his book “System Error: Where Big Tech Went Wrong and How We Can Reboot”, which has been praised by the CEO of Netflix and President of the Ford Foundation. 🙌
Check out Mehran's book!
https://politicalscience.stanford.edu/publications/system-error-where-big-tech-went-wrong-and-how-we-can-reboot#:~:text=System%20Error%3A%20Where%20Big%20Tech%20Went%20Wrong%20and%20How%20We%20Can%20Reboot,-2021&text=In%20no%20more%20than%20the,%2C%20and%20job%2Ddisplacing%20robots.
Special thanks to Konrad Dabrowski for producing this episode! 🥳
The Bits & Bytes Series - Alison Darcy
Hosted by Sia Siavush
Woebot Health operates at the edge of technological innovation in digital therapeutics, providing an app in which individuals can have conversations with a sophisticated chatbot that uses artificial intelligence. 🧠🤖 The startup has roughly 70 employees and has recently raised $90m in its Series B round from prestigious investors such as BlackRock or Andrew Ng’s AI Fund. 💸
Alison is the Founder and President of Woebot Health as well as a clinical research psychologist, who has held various teaching positions at University College Dublin and the Stanford School of Medicine. She is a rare academic who has managed to transform her deep clinical expertise into a timely, scalable solution for the growing mental health crisis whilst impressing investors along the way. 🎯
Check out Woebot Health!
https://woebothealth.com/
Shoutout to Jonas Eu and Konrad Dabrowski for producing this ep! 🎧
The Bits & Bytes Series - Mike Quinn
Hosted by Jessica Ge
Today’s episode is all about purpose.
Mike Quinn is the co-founder and CEO of Boost, with a mission to power growth for the 100 million underserved entrepreneurs in Africa's informal economy who are creating sustainable jobs and income for the future. 🏃🏿♂️
Prior to Boost, Mike was the co-founder and CEO of Zoona, one of Africa's earliest Fintechs. During his 10-year tenure, Zoona processed $2.5 billion of transactions, generated $26 million in income for 3,000 micro-entrepreneurs, and raised $35 million in investment.
Also a masters alumni from LSE, Mike has written the highly rated book: “Failing to Win: Hard-earned lessons from a purpose-driven startup”. With startup insights from all over Africa, tune into today’s purpose-driven episode! 🌍
Check out Mike's book:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Failing-Win-Hard-Earned-Purpose-Driven-Start-Up/dp/B09C91P95D
Shoutout to Konrad Dabrowski for producing this ep! 🙌
The Bits & Bytes Series - Iris Ten Teije
Hosted by David Murugasu
Today on the show, we have Iris Ten Teije, co-founder and CEO of Koia.
Koia is an alternative investments platform that allows anyone, with just 50 dollars, to invest in their favourite luxury goods and collectables, from fine wine all the way to rare Pokemon cards. 🔥This is all made possible through fractional ownership, which Iris envisions, will make future buying and selling a fraction of a Rolex as easy as buying shares of your favourite stocks. Koia closed an initial angel investment round securing investors such as Gary Clarke, ex-Head of Global Equities at Blackrock, Gary Dolman, co-founder of Monzo and André Mohamed, co-founder of FreeTrade. Prior to founding Koia, Iris has had extensive experience in growing startups, having worked in multiple early-stage companies across Hong Kong and London. Since our recording, Koia has newly announced a $1.4 million pre-seed round. Investors in the round, who will be joining the existing group of backers, include Seedcamp, RTP, and Portfolio Ventures. 💸
A big thank you to Jonas Eu for producing this episode ✌️
The Bits & Bytes Series - Martin Schilling
Hosted by Jessica Ge
Most startups begin their journey treading through years of trial and error, but what if there was a way to fast track through it all? 🏃🏻♂️
Martin Schilling who is now the managing director of Techstars Berlin, received his doctorate from LSE, was the COO of N26 (a German mobile bank valued at $9 billion), was the Managing Director of McKinsey’s consulting subsidiary, and the co-creator of 5 ventures who wrote a step-by-step manual on how to scale a startup to a unicorn. 🦄💸 Through his latest book, The Builder’s Guide to the Tech Galaxy, Martin details every aspect of scaling a business, from pinpointing your ‘North Star’ to precise errors you should avoid when negotiating employee stock options. 📚
With over 100 industry professionals and unicorn founders contributing to this startup handbook, join us in today’s episode as we explore the tech galaxy together. Welcome aboard the spaceship Martin! 🚀
Check out The Builder's Guide to the Tech Galaxy!
https://buildersguide.org/
Major thanks to Konrad Dabrowski for producing this episode. 👏
Artistpreneurs Series - Samanah Duran
Hosted by Elissa Chung
This week we have a conversation with Samanah Duran - this Forbes 30 under 30 honouree is a British entrepreneur, TV personality and podcaster with a fierce emphasis on inspiring individuals to embrace their own identity and take pride in their individuality through BEYOUROWN 🔥
First known for the crafting of indulgent streetwear brand Critics Clothing back in 2012, today, Samanah is best known for her work within female entrepreneurship and digital media through the launching of her own digital media and news company BEYOUROWN, dedicated to supporting entrepreneurs by giving them access to tools and relevant resources that are often hard to find.
Listen to how Samanah successfully brought BEYOUROWN’s from a not-for-profit organisation to, today, having an estimated value of £1 million!
Check out BEYOUROWN:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samanahduran https://www.instagram.com/beyourownuk
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Samanahduran https://twitter.com/beyourownuk
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beyourownuk/ https://www.facebook.com/samanah.duran/
Website: www.beyourown.org
A big thank you to Jonas Eu for producing this episode 😎
The Bits & Bytes Series - Adam French
Hosted by Jessica Ge
Graduating from LSE in 2007, Adam French isn’t your typical finance hardo. 💸
From directing commodities and derivatives at Goldman Sachs for seven years, you could say that Adam learned a thing or two about finance and entrepreneurship. Leading him to co-found the wealth management startup, Scalable Capital in 2015, where investing has never been easier than pressing a few buttons. Hear how he grew Scalable Capital into Europe’s largest digital wealth manager backed by companies like BlackRock and Tencent and how it is now sitting on a $1.4 billion valuation, making them LSE’s 7th unicorn. 🦄
Then hear about Adam’s return to school at Houghton Street Ventures where he is helping LSE entrepreneurs like himself as he moves from being a unicorn to a beaver. 🐿
Check out Scalable Capital:
https://de.scalable.capital/ (Germany)
https://at.scalable.capital/ (Austria)
https://uk.scalable.capital/ (UK - no longer in use)
Special thanks to Konrad Dabrowski for co-producing this episode and many thanks to Rho Mezon and Milky Day for sharing their music “In the Mist” and “Pink Yellow Rain”. 🌧
The Artistpreneurs Series - Isabella Burley
Hosted by Alki Giavridis
Today’s guest is Isabella Burley, the former Editor-in-Chief of the culture and fashion bible Dazed. The young creative has followed a path unlike any other, dropping out two months into her art degree, to pursue a career in the fast-moving world of fashion. She joined Dazed magazine at the age of 22 and became Editor-in-Chief only two years thereafter. She has interviewed culture-defining voices, including Cosey Fanni Tutti and Pamela Anderson, and lent her expertise to dynamic brands such as Helmut Lang and Marc Jacobs. The latest project that she launched is an online book store called “Climax Books”, which features hard-to-find ephemera, periodicals, erotica, VHS tapes and anthologies on art, photography and counterculture. Stay tuned to discover Isabella’s journey from working at Dover Street Market to heading the most influential independent fashion magazine of our time.
Special thanks to Rho Mezon and Konrad Dabrowski for sharing their music.
The Bits & Bytes Series - Lars Rasmussen
Hosted by Alki Giavridis
Today’s guest is Lars Rasmussen, serial Entrepreneur and father of a product that many of us can’t live without - Google Maps. Lars created the mapping technology with his brother and sold it to Google before becoming Lead Engineer of the Google Maps team for six years. He then went on to join Facebook as its Director of Engineering. Today, he is working on the exciting music startup “Weav Music”, which seamlessly adapts a song’s tempo to the user’s activity level without distorting the music.
Lars talks us through his journey of building Google Maps out of the ashes of the Dot-com bubble and the roadblocks he faced along the way. He also discusses how his new startup will revolutionise the way we listen, dance, and perform;) to music...but we don't want to give too much away. Tune in to hear the rest!
The Bits & Bytes Series - Elsa Bernadotte
Hosted by Tina Soh
Today’s guest is Elsa Bernadotte, co-founder of Karma, a food waste app that operates as a marketplace enabling retailers to sell unsold food at a discount direct to consumers. Karma’s mission is to eliminate food waste, and in process has been rated as one of the top 100 hottest startups in Europe by Wired.
Elsa has featured on the Forbes ’30 under 30’ list, Business Weekly’s “Most Powerful Business Woman in Sweden 2019”, and too many other lists to mention here. Tune in to hear how Elsa is making the sustainability space fun, using data to solve the food waste problem, and much much more!
The Artistpreneurs Series - Mica Tenenbaum and Matthew Lewin
Hosted by Jessica Ge
Hop in a time machine ⏰ and travel to a simultaneous past and future through the nostalgic, spacey pop sound of Magdalena Bay. 👽🎵 The young Miami-raised pair who boast 4.9 million streams on their biggest song, Killshot, are single-handedly reinventing a genre from their humble LA apartment. Transforming the way we listen to conventional pop, hear how UPenn and Northeastern grad Mica Tenenbaum and Matthew Lewin are colouring outside the lines! ✍🏻🎧
Check out Magdalena Bay! 👩🏻🚀 👨🏻🚀
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1oPRcJUkloHaRLYx0olBLJ?si=JA_xPIbfRbOA3sbeQcua9g
IG: https://www.instagram.com/magdalenabay/
Special thanks to Konrad Dabrowski for producing this episode and to Magdalena Bay for sharing their song “Killshot” in the intro and outro. 🏹
The Artistpreneurs Series - Penny Martin
Hosted by Esther de Jongh
Today’s guest is Penny Martin, Editor in Chief of The Gentlewoman, a biannual women’s magazine with style, character and purpose.
Penny originally started her career in academia with a background in art history and museum studies, but the world of curating soon swept her away. Fast forward to 2009, when she was approached to co-create The Gentlewoman, which has just printed its 23rd issue starring Scarlett Johansson and Stella McCartney. Tune in for an open conversation on redesigning an entire magazine from scratch twice a year, staying authentic through turbulent yet undaring times, and why significant moments always involve drinks and dancing. Thank you Penny!
Tune in to find out more! 🎧🎙
Special thanks to Rho Mezon and Konrad Dabrowski for sharing their music.
The Beyond Profit Series - Torsten Schreiber
Hosted by Julian Kirschner
This week we are excited to introduce Torsten Schreiber, serial social entrepreneur and climate activist. In 2014, he co-founded Africa GreenTec, the company that brings sustainable green energy to rural areas in Africa, creating opportunities for businesses to flourish while reducing the need for Diesel power plants.
Torsten joins us from Chad, where he is currently working with the UNHCR and local authorities on the electrification of African regions ⚡️
Tune into our fascinating conversation about social impact , the incredible experiences from Torsten’s projects in Africa, and how to make the world a greener place! 🌿🎧
Special thanks to Konrad Dabrowski for editing this episode and to Rho Mezon for sharing his music “In the Mist”.
The Bits & Bytes Series - Jamie Crummie
Hosted by Tina Soh
This week we take you on board to fight food waste with us. You will listen to the story of Jamie Crummie, entrepreneur, waste warrior and industry leader, who empowers others to make the world a better place. 💫
Jamie Crummie is the co-founder of Too Good To Go, the world’s leading marketplace for surplus food. The free app connects food outlets and retailers with surplus food to consumers who get delicious food while also doing their bit for the planet - a win-win. Jamie was part of Forbes 30 under 30 in 2019 and was Young Entrepreneur of the Year in 2020, so we can safely predict he’ll be continuing his impressive work in 2021. 🚀
Tune in to find out more! 🎧🎙
Check out Too Good To Go:
https://toogoodtogo.org/en
Special thanks to Konrad Dabrowski for producing this episode and many thanks to Rho Mezon and Milky Day for sharing their music “In the Mist” and “Pink Yellow Rain”.
The Artistpreneurs Series - Ben Beal
Hosted by Jessica Ge
Featured on every lo-fi study playlist you jam to, when you think 22-year-old NYC rapper, you don’t envision the laid-back, jazzy lo-fi hip hop artist Ben Beal. Ben Beal, who boasts 65 million worldwide listeners and a viral TikTok hit on his song Smile, lived your typical college life but always had a deep-rooted passion for music. 🎵🎤 If you’ve ever felt pulled into the corporate life of your peers, but you also hear a creative calling ☎️, this episode is for you. Hear how Ben Beal broke into the music scene and turned his passions into a business by co-founding the record label, Birdhouse. 🦉
Embodying the Artistpreneurs title quite literally, you might wanna strap in...
Check out Ben Beal! 🙇🏻♂️
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0CTpeTOAvzc1FOlPj4uYWV?si=_cUBNm13SvO3NYN-r8cgIA
IG: https://www.instagram.com/imbenbeal/
Special thanks to Konrad Dabrowski for help producing this episode and to Ben Beal for sharing his song “Smile”.
The Bits & Bytes Series - Lola Lafia
Hosted by Alki Giavridis
Today's guest is the extraordinary Lola Lafia, who studies Computer Science and Architecture at Columbia but took a year off from university to co-found Schefs. ✨
Schefs is a mission-driven platform that invites university students from all around the world to lead and join themed conversations on diverse topics, from astrophysics, to music, philosophy and what the world will look like in 300 years🚀🎸. It is a new space for casual, organic and real-time discussion amongst people that may have never even met. In this way, Schefs pushes up against passive and shallow interactions on existing social networks and knocks down barriers to knowledge and ideas. Schefs has hosted over 350 events with nearly 1,000 students from over 90 global universities.
We talk to Lola about everything from the power of platforms, to performance art, the meaning of success, and imaginary cities. She shares the story behind the birth of Schefs as well as its unique name.
Tune in to find out more! 🎧🎙
Check out Schefs:
https://schefs.us/
Special thanks to Konrad Dabrowski for producing this episode and many thanks to Rho Mezon and Milky Day for sharing their music “In the Mist” and “Pink Yellow Rain”.
The Women of LSE Series - Nassia Matsa
Hosted by Alki Giavridis
Today’s episode is part of our ‘Women of LSE’ mini-series, a collaboration with the LSE SU Women in Business Society dedicated to the insights of women alumnae who are making waves in their respective fields 🦸♀️💥
This week we celebrate Nassia Matsa, a London-based journalist/model with published work in the Financial Times, WIRED, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and many other high-profile publications👔👠.
When she’s not writing about culture, tech, and fashion, Nassia works as a hugely successful model. She’s been featured in Vogue, worked for Christian Louboutin and even became a video game avatar for Balenciaga !✨
She shares with us the secret to unlimited confidence (just pretend you’re a mediocre white man), and teaches us how to curate a unique way of working, if we’re not sold on the “British Dream” of nine-to-five jobs and endless mortgage payments. We also dive into her international career as a model, which is not always as effortlessly glamorous as it seems...
We are certain that you will be just as inspired by Nassia’s journey as we were ! 🎧💥
Special thanks to Rho Mezon and Konrad Dabrowski for sharing their music.
The Bits & Bytes Series - Jiawei Li
Hosted by Jessica Ge
During a global pandemic, the world lives in uncertainty. Today’s guest addresses this uncertainty through her London based company. Jiawei Li, a graduated PhD medicine student from UCL, is the founder and CEO of Tuli Health. 🏥💜 A digital health platform catered to serving global citizens. 🌎 Hear Jiawei’s fascinating story of dropping everything as a prospective doctor to travel across China and begin her own start-up. 🏃🏻♀️🇨🇳
Tune in to find out more! 🎧🎙
Check out Tuli Health:
https://tuli.health/#/
Special thanks to Konrad Dabrowski for producing this episode and many thanks to Rho Mezon and Milky Day for sharing their music “In the Mist” and “Pink Yellow Rain”.
The Artistpreneurs Series - Steve Dool
Hosted by Tina Soh
This episode’s guest is Steve Dool, Head of Brand Partnerships at Depop - a social shopping marketplace with over one third of all 16 to 24 year olds as members in the UK, and 26 million users in 147 countries worldwide. 👖👗👚Depop empowers young creatives to sell thrifted, secondhand and sustainable fashion. Not only this, but Steve has written a book, A Guide to Men's Footwear 👟👞🥾and last, but certainly not least, he’s an LSE alumnus!
Today he talks about the unique path that led him from New York to London, and from a career in PR, to journalism, to Depop. He also unveils some priceless fashion tips along the way, so trust me, you'll want to tune into this one...🎧🎙
Special thanks to Rho Mezon and Konrad Dabrowski for sharing their music.
The Unwrapped Series - Ben Judah
Hosted by Rafae Qazi
Are you interested in journalism? Do you actively follow political news and always have an opinion on current events? 🧐
Then you need to check out this week’s special episode! We talked to Ben Judah, author, journalist and Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council.
Ben Judah’s writing has been featured in the New York Times, The Evening Standard, The Financial Times, and Standpoint. 🌟
We had the pleasure of talking to him about fake news, breaking into journalism and many other topics. Ben has also spent a considerable amount of time studying Russia and Putin’s political regime while writing his first book ‘Fragile Empire’. In discussion with our team, he shared his perspective on the recent political events in Russia, the imprisonment of Alexei Navalny and the future of the country.
Tune into the talktank tomorrow! We can’t wait to share our conversation with you. 🎙✨
Special thanks to Rho Mezon and Konrad Dabrowski for sharing their music.
The Artistpreneurs Series - Roderick van der Lee
Hosted by Esther de Jongh
Today’s guest is Roderick van der Lee, one of the founders of UNSEEN Amsterdam, a contemporary photography fair praised by the Guardian - amongst many others - as “the best loved of them all, known both for it's intimacy and strong curatorial agenda.” After curating for other international fairs he is back this year to direct the 9th edition of UNSEEN.
Before founding UNSEEN, Roderick went to business school, studied art history, and learned the tricks of the trade at auction house Christie's in London and Amsterdam’s well-known photography museum FOAM.
Today he will give us insight into the fascinating industry, tell us what it’s like to curate for such a dynamic art field - and answer some of the questions people ask him most.
Tune in to find out more! 🎧🎙
Special thanks to Rho Mezon and Konrad Dabrowski for sharing their music.
The Women of LSE Series - Shereen Abdulla
Hosted by Nicholas Tan
Today’s episode is part of our new ‘Women of LSE’ mini-series, a collaboration with the LSE SU Women in Business Society dedicated to the insights of women alumnae who are making waves in their respective fields 🦸♀️💥
Our guest today has diverse experience, from raising unicorns, to working in banking and consulting, and exploring the newest trends in podcast hosting! LSE alumna, Shereen Abdulla, is the Senior Manager of the largest fintech accelerator in the Middle East, DIFC FinTech Hive. Moreover, Shereen hosts the podcast Spark! with Shereen, which offers a behind-the-scenes peek into MENA's innovation system.
We talk to Shereen about her remarkable journey, from studying at the LSE and Columbia to working in CitiBank and forging her path in the fintech industry.
Tune in to find out more! 🎧🎙
Special thanks to Rho Mezon and Konrad Dabrowski for sharing their music.
The Bits & Bytes Series - Mark Pearson-Freeland
Hosted by Alki Giavridis
Have you ever thought about starting your own podcast? 🤔 Great news! This week, our Bits and Bytes Series features Mark Pearson-Freeland, co-host of the iconic innovation podcast “Moonshots: Learning From Innovators”. 🎙💥
The Moonshot podcast delves into the minds of the world's greatest innovators, from Elon Musk, to Gary Vee & Michelle Obama, to discover the principles underlying their success. Mark launched his career in innovation consulting. Two years ago, he decided to move across the ocean to Sydney, where he works on digital software development and design.
Today he talks to us about why you should start a podcast, and how to refine the art of podcasting. He also shares valuable lessons that he’s learned from thought-leaders on productivity, deep work, and achieving success (this one’s for all the talented procrastinators out there). He also tells us about the Guinness World Record he helped create! But we don’t want to give too much away...🤫🤫
Happy listening! 🎧📲
Check out the Moonshots podcast:
https://open.spotify.com/show/497wxyffxrnBuMwBtyj1qO
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1244877161
https://www.moonshots.io/
Thank you Konrad Dabrowski for producing this episode and many thanks to Rho Mezon and Milky Day for sharing their music “In the Mist” and “Pink Yellow Rain”.
The Beyond Profit Series -Colombe Cahen-Salvador
Hosted by Julian Kirschner
This week we talk to the incredible woman who founded a political party and launched a disruptive global movement. 🦸 🌍 Are you ready to take on the biggest challenges of our time?
At the age of 22, Colombe Cahen-Salvador co-founded Volt, the first pan-European political party that managed to mobilize 250,000 voters in Germany, and even more worldwide. In the beginning of last year, Colombe launched NOW!, the disruptive global movement pushing for humanity to work as one.
Colombe was featured in several documentaries, including in "The Future of Europe" by Deutsche Welle and in ARTE's documentary "Volt, the first pan-European party". In 2020, she present a TED Talk on thinking differently to solve global problems.
Tune in to find out more! 🎧💥
Special thanks to Konrad Dabrowski for editing this episode and to Rho Mezon for sharing his music “In the Mist”.
The Bits & Bytes Series - Amos Teshuva
Hosted by Tina Soh
If you've ever spent ages waiting in a rainy queue, just to get some eggs & coffee, you'll want to tune in for this one! We talk to the man who's made it his mission to eliminate queues forever 💥 ⏳
Our guest Amos Teshuva left his stable Graduate Scheme at Mars to co-found WalkUp, an app that saves users’ time via virtual queuing at London’s most notoriously busy restaurants🚶♂️
WalkUp has already helped more than 5 million people by saving 1 billion minutes of queuing time! Approximately 1,000 of the busiest restaurants in London currently use WalkUp to manage their queues, including Padella, Flat Iron, the Breakfast Club, Din Tai Fung and more 👀
Amos' economic way of thinking helped him launch a successful business, in his own words, “without spending a pound on marketing!”
Thank you Konrad Dabrowski for producing this episode and many thanks to Rho Mezon and Milky Day for sharing their music “In the Mist” and “Pink Yellow Rain”.
The Artistpreneurs Series - Joel Adebayo
Hosted by Tina Soh
This week we had the pleasure of talking to someone who got into fashion to change it to human first, rather than profit first. Unsurprisingly, his customers love him just as much as he loves them. We talked to Joel Adebayo, Founder of 'Not Just Another Store' and 'Utter Group'✨✨
Joel always loved fashion and connecting with others. He started Utter, a platform for connecting new designers with consumers. After this, he launched Not Just Another Store, which is much more than just another fashion boutique. It’s an inspiring, trendy place with clothes from independent designers, workshops and installations, where every single piece is handpicked by the master himself. 🌟
He talks to us about how he ended up in fashion, after studying law and politics at university, and shares his thoughts on fast fashion and the future of the high street. He also shares valuable advice on building a team, putting personalization above profits, and seeing the consumer as a person, not a credit card.
Tune in to find out more! 🎧🎙
Special thanks to Rho Mezon and Konrad Dabrowski for sharing their music.
The Beyond Profit Series - Mock Yi Jun
Hosted by Victoria Throen Longhi
Have you ever asked yourself what you can do now to impact your future? Or how you can stand out while studying at LSE? 👀🌟
Well, search no more, this episode is the answer to your prayers!🙏🙏 We are talking to Mock Yi Jun, co-founder of Advisory Singapore, a non-profit organization helping young Singaporeans make informed career choices!
At the age of 20, Yi Jun received a Queen’s Young Leaders Award for his work of helping young people. In addition to running a non-profit, he serves as Founding Project Leader at the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network.
Tune in to find out more! 🎧💥
Special thanks to Konrad Dabrowski for editing this episode and to Rho Mezon for sharing his music “In the Mist”.
The Artistpreneurs Series - Kadir van Lohuizen
Hosted by Esther de Jongh
Today we take you with us on a journey through the diamond trade in Sierra Leone, the rising sea levels in Bangladesh, and the heated conflict in Kashmir. 🕵️♂️💎
We talk to Kadir van Lohuizen, an award-winning photojournalist and filmmaker. 📹💥Kadir has been travelling the world for his esteemed documentary projects since he was 25. Through his lens, he brings the toughest societal issues to light, from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina to the waste management problem in Tokyo, New York and other megacities.
Kadir talks us through his unique journey, which started with a rejection letter from a university photography degree, and led him to travel through the most breathtaking, dangerous, and untouched spots of the earth with his camera. He also addresses the future of journalism, and how the industry has been affected since Trump’s election in 2016.
Tune in to find out more! 🎧🎙
Special thanks to Konrad Dabrowski for producing this episode and to Rho Mezon and Konrad Dabrowski for sharing their music.
The Bits & Bytes Series - Kyle Pavlich
Hosted by Jessica Ge
In this episode, we hear Kyle Pavlich’s story. At the young age of 21, and in the midst of a global pandemic, Kyle has co-founded ZedConsults, a Generation Z management consulting company. He’s also helping rising entrepreneurs as District Manager at the Student Works Program.
Today he sheds light on the differences between Millennials and Generation Z, and on how companies are misunderstanding these differences. The last four years have been marked by immense change for the young founder, so tune in to find out how you can jump on a realistic journey of becoming more productive, yourself!
Thank you to Konrad Dabrowski for producing this episode and many thanks to Rho Mezon and Milky Day for sharing their music “In the Mist” and “Pink Yellow Rain” !
The Artistpreneurs Series - Jeffrey Siger
Hosted by Alki Giavridis
The talktank strikes back again this week, this time with tales of mayhem, mobs and murder.... 👀 Have we captured your attention yet?
Our guest this week is Jeffrey Siger, Greece thriller novelist of Record according to The New York Times Book Review. His career path is unique and definitely worth noticing. Jeffrey went to college to become a doctor, ended up in law school, achieved great financial success as a Wall Street lawyer, and finally decided to give it all up to write mystery thrillers in the Greek island of Mykonos.
In this episode Jeffrey talks to us about his decision to leave Wall Street, his unusual methods of conducting research in the vibrant night scene of Mykonos, and he answers the million dollar question: Is it worth it, living life as a writer, if you’re making the same amount of money in a lifetime, as in one year as a lawyer?
But we don’t want to give too much away, this week’s podcast is about mystery after all... 🕵️♂️🤫
Tune in to find out more!
Special thanks to Konrad Dabrowski for producing this episode and to Rho Mezon and Konrad Dabrowski for sharing their music.
The Beyond Profit Series - Jack Graham
Hosted by Victoria Throen Longhi
This week we are talking to Jack Graham, a social innovation consultant and founder of Year Here.
Year Here is a London-based postgraduate course in social innovation, that unites skilled professionals and challenges them to build smart solutions to some of society's toughest problems. The program has already generated 39 social ventures that have collectively yielded over £3m in revenue, and has been widely recognised in the press – including in The Guardian, The Evening Standard and Financial Times.
Jack tells us that in a world of opportunities one doesn’t have to fly a thousand miles from home to make a difference and that, most importantly, we can all be entrepreneurs. Any of us. All you need is to start, right where you are!
Tune in to find out more!
Special thanks to Konrad Dabrowski for producing this episode and to Rho Mezon for sharing his music “In the Mist”.
The Beyond Profit Series - Tessa Clarke
Hosted by Mathilde Barge
the talktank is making its grand return this week & we are excited to introduce the firs guest of our new "Beyond Profit" series - Tessa Clarke, a social entrepreneur whose business is basically the definition of 'sharing is caring'!
Tessa Clarke co-founded OLIO, a food-sharing app that now has over 2.5 million users. Together these users have shared 7 million portions of food, which would have otherwise been wasted. She is one of the FoodTech 500 winners and an ambassador for the Meaningful Business 100. Before becoming a full-time entrepreneur, she completed her MBA at Stanford Business School and had a corporate career working in retail, media, financial services, and other industries.
Tessa shared with us her insights on the zero-waste industry and on food consumption in the UK. Moreover, she told us about the enriching power of social entrepreneurship in her life and about how you don't need a revolutionary idea to become an entrepreneur. All you have to do is find a problem that you're really passionate about solving.
Tune in to find out more!
Special thanks to Konrad Dabrowski for producing this episode and to Rho Mezon for sharing his music “In the Mist”.
THE YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS SERIES - SUSANNAH EVANS, co-founder of Hide.
HIDE.
Yeah, you guessed it, as in cow hide, like to make leather.. But thanks to our guest this week, instead of murdering cows (and our environment) to use their skin to make the material that we've all had some experience with, we can give unused fish waste a role to play in our world! This week Cambridge PhD fellow Susannah Evans talks about her journey of creating biotech company Hide; she gets into everything from being a participant in the start-up accelerator Entrepreneur First to her experiences with Imposter Syndrome!
Thank you to Julia Reid for producing this episode and many thanks to Rho Mezon and Leo Marley for sharing their music “In the Mist” and "talktank tune".
LEARNING FROM THE EXPERTS SERIES – Jack Waley-Cohen, Co-Founder of what3words.
The imprecision of our current address system which, for the record, involves 34 Victoria Roads in London and 4 billion people undocumented on the map has caused a lot of harm to the economy and people’s emotions. Thankfully, people like Jack Waley-Cohen (along with his co-founders) exist. Tune in to hear about what3words’ elegant solution to ensure people never get lost again (which is already being used by 1000 organisations including Airbnb, Lonely Planet, Jaguar and the United Nations)!
Thank you to Julia Reid for producing this episode and many thanks to Rho Mezon and Leo Marley for sharing their music “In the Mist” and "talktank tune".
THE REFLECTIONS SERIES – Lord John Bird, founder of The Big Issue.
Ever wondered what someone who’s grown up in poverty, was homeless, went to prison, became business partners with the co-founder of The Body Shop, is a politician, an author and an artist, thought about the way society is heading?
Tune in to hear about Lord Bird’s motivations for joining the Lords, his thoughts on Extinction Rebellion’s tactics and his reason for why you shouldn’t become a social entrepreneur like he did!
Disclaimer: Around 36 minutes, Lord Bird’s newest venture ‘Chapter Capture’ is covered. Since this conversation was recorded, the venture has morphed into something slightly different (as all new ideas do!): an annually published book containing chapters from varying genres, and a magazine (‘fFresh Air’) focused on covering social issues, with an emphasis on environmentalism.
Thank you to Julia Reid for producing this episode and many thanks to Rho Mezon and Leo Marley for sharing their music “In the Mist” and "talktank tune"!
LEARNING FROM THE EXPERTS SERIES - Stephanie Phair.
Have you ever been to a niche boutique and really wished you could browse through those unique, designer pieces at your own convenience (both time and place)? If not, then it’s this week’s guest Stephanie Phair whose job it is to make you feel that way, being the Chief Strategy and Chief Customer Officer of Farfetch.
Tune in to receive some of the sweet teachings that this digital fashion veteran has to offer! Having worked with Vogue, Moncler and being the youngest ever chair on the British Fashion Council, she definitely has the experience to back it up!
Thank you to Julia Reid for producing this episode and many thanks to Rho Mezon and Leo Marley for sharing their music “In the Mist” and "talktank tune"!
LEARNING FROM THE EXPERTS SERIES - Rachel Carrell, founder of Koru Kids.
Did you know that innovation in childcare is desperately needed, that most families with children spend as much on childcare as they do on their mortgage and that only 1 in 3 schools in London have an after-school club?
Tune in to learn about Rachel Carrell's £14.1 million solution!
Thank you to Julia Reid for producing this episode and many thanks to Rho Mezon and Leo Marley for sharing their music “In the Mist” and "talktank tune"!
LEARNING FROM THE EXPERT SERIES - Alborz Fallah, founder of CarAdvice.
Tune in to hear about how Alborz' created $35 million of value through developing a customer-focussed car review blog!
This week’s podcast episode was created in partnership with the University of Queensland’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship Society, with the wonderful host Isabelle.
Thank you to Julia Reid for producing this episode and many thanks to Rho Mezon and Leo Marley for sharing their music “In the Mist” and "talktank tune"!
LEARNING FROM THE EXPERT SERIES - Aneel Mussarat, founder of MCR Property Group.
On today’s episode, host Bilal Bin Saqib will be interviewing this self-made millionaire and property tycoon.
Aneel left school at the young age of seventeen, after obtaining Es and Fs at O-Levels. At age eighteen, he had already bought his first house with a 95% mortgage. Aneel's estimated net worth is now £300 million. Tune in to hear about his reflections on building this property empire from the ground up!
Thank you to Julia Reid for producing this episode and many thanks to Rho Mezon and Leo Marley for sharing their music “In the Mist” and "talktank tune"!
THE YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS SERIES - George Rawlings, founder of Honeypot.
So, you've used a dating app and you hated it? Common opinion! From the anxiety caused by deliberating over how to start the first conversation, the long, wasted hours swiping left and having to commit yourself to a whole evening with someone you've decided is awful within the first 2 minutes of meeting, a lot of people have concluded dating apps are a necessary evil...
Tune it to hear about George's solution, and the killer marketing he's implemented to go with it!
Thank you to Julia Reid for producing this episode and many thanks to Rho Mezon and Leo Marley for sharing their music “In the Mist” and "talktank tune"!