Upside Special - Poker Power For Founders & Investors

🎙️ Upside: Special Edition with Jo Living — Poker, Pressure & Performance in Business, Startups and InvestingHost: Dan Bowyer Guest: Jo Living, Founder of ACES HighJo Living joins Dan to explore the high-stakes parallels between poker and the business world. From her upbringing around cards to founding a FemTech startup and launching ACES High, Jo unpacks how poker has helped her navigate negotiations, raise capital, build teams—and teach others to perform under pressure.01:07 – Jo’s Career Journey From investment banking to FemTech founder to poker circuit regular, Jo traces the experiences that led to ACES High.03:29 – The Trigger Moment A trip to Morocco, winning a poker tournament while pregnant, and launching informal poker nights back home.05:19 – Skills Poker Builds for Business Jo outlines the key transferable skills: deep listening, risk management, performance under pressure, and reading the room.05:59 – Poker & Gender Imbalance Despite the male-dominated scene, Jo shares how the environment is evolving and why inclusivity—not 50/50 parity—is the goal.07:44 – Lessons for Startup Teams Jo compares limited data in poker and startups, bankroll/runway management, and the importance of making high-quality decisions consistently.09:49 – Playing the Long Game Resilience, persistence, and strategic decision-making.10:29 – Aura Fertility & Negotiating as a Founder Jo shares how she raised £600k for her FemTech startup and used poker instincts to navigate valuation and investor conversations.13:55 – Negotiation Mistakes: The "All-In" Fallacy Jo unpacks why some founders or investors go "all in"—and what they’re really signaling about negotiation ability and ego.14:37 – Executive Presence & Investor Psychology Playing not just the cards, but the perceptions. Jo explains how table presence mirrors founder confidence in boardrooms.15:10 – Poker Misconceptions Debunking myths: poker isn’t all bluffing. Jo explains the difference between bluff-based games and Texas Hold'em.16:20 – Why Texas Hold’em is a Business Masterclass Community cards mean shared data, emphasising logic, negotiation, and risk evaluation—not deception.17:22 – Should All Founders Learn Poker? Jo makes a strong case for poker as a self-awareness tool—revealing how we handle stress, risk, and conflict.20:56 – Biggest Founder Lesson from Poker Avoiding "tilt" after a setback and how to bounce back with focus and discipline.21:45 – Bankroll Strategy & Knowing Your Levers Jo explains why you need "enough chips to do damage"—and how that applies to leverage in business negotiation.23:16 – Poker as a Hiring Tool? Jo suggests poker simulations may outperform psychometric tests in surfacing resilience, strategy, and interpersonal savvy.24:56 – Duplicate Bridge & Gamified Hiring A thought-provoking take on creating controlled poker challenges to assess talent and founder potential.26:07 – Poker is Not Just for the Bros Jo highlights how beginner women often outperform overconfident players through disciplined, strategic play.27:15 – Final Thoughts: A Tool for Strategic Insight Poker as a lens for understanding investment decisions, founder mindset, and long-term success.Website: aceshighlondon.comInstagram: @aceshighlondonLinkedIn: Jo Living