Riding Unicorns: Venture Capital | Entrepreneurship | Technology

Mahdi Yahya, Founder and CEO of Ori, is now part of Radiant following its partnership with Brookfield.Mahdi is building at the centre of one of the most important shifts in technology: the global race to scale AI infrastructure.We cover: From telecoms to data centres: lessons from building infrastructure businesses from age 20  Why Ori chose the harder path of building for a future that did not yet exist  What “AI infrastructure” actually means, from GPU clusters to orchestration software  The Radiant model: combining capital, power, compute and software into a single platform  Why AI is becoming sovereign infrastructure and what that means for governments  Where value will accrue in the AI stack across hardware, infrastructure and applications  The importance of vertical integration and marginal gains in a capital-intensive market  Two pivotal decisions that shaped the company, including early acquisition and moving into physical infrastructure  Founder resilience and the simple rule: stay alive Mahdi also shares his perspective on the next wave of AI companies, the opportunity in inference, and why robotics could be the next breakout category.This is a conversation about building at civilisational scale and what it takes to operate where technology, capital and infrastructure collide.

This week on Riding Unicorns, we’re joined by Charlotte Palmer, Vice President of Venture Capital at Integra Global Advisors.Charlotte sits on the other side of the table as an LP, backing emerging venture funds globally. In this episode, she lifts the lid on how LPs actually evaluate VCs, what really matters beyond headline performance, and why many GPs still get fundraising wrong.We cover:• How LPs really underwrite venture funds and why early DPI is often misunderstood • What matters more than performance in the early years of a fund • Why access and ownership drive returns more than anything else • The reality of backing emerging managers and why smaller funds win • Team dynamics, attribution, and how LPs assess partners under the hood • Why fewer funds are getting backed and what’s changed in the market • The shift in venture towards early-stage and how late-stage AI impacts LP strategy • Portfolio construction from an LP perspective and how diversification actually works • The role of co-investments and why LPs increasingly lean into them • How GPs can create urgency in fundraising and what actually cuts throughCharlotte also shares practical advice for GPs, including how to re-engage LPs, how to position a fund without strong DPI, and why most outreach fails to land.A clear, honest view from the LP side on what it takes to get backed and build a fund that lasts.

This week on Riding Unicorns, we welcome back Alan Chang, Founder and CEO of Fuse Energy.Since his last appearance, Fuse has scaled rapidly, reaching a $5B valuation and setting its sights on £1B ARR. In this episode, Alan breaks down what it really takes to build a full-stack energy company from scratch, and why solving energy is one of the hardest and most important challenges of our time.We cover:• Why lowering the cost of energy is a trillion-pound opportunity • The reality of building in a deeply complex, regulated industry • What it actually means to “buy the grid” and why it matters • How Fuse has already reduced energy costs by 15% • The next big product: plug-and-play solar and battery for every home • Why time, not capital, is the biggest constraint in building a company • Hiring world-class engineers and building a high-performance culture • Lessons from Revolut and applying them to energy • Why the best founders are obsessed with speed, not comfortAlan also shares his mindset as a founder, why he rarely looks back at achievements, and why he’s more convinced than ever that this problem can be solved.Clear thinking on how to build a generational company in one of the world’s most complex industries.

What does a genuinely great VC fund look like today, from an LP’s perspective?In this episode, James and Hector are joined by Dave Neumann, Investment Manager at Schroders Capital, one of the most experienced institutional investors in venture. With a career spanning decades and exposure to top-tier global funds, Dave shares how leading LPs actually evaluate venture firms, and where many GPs get it wrong.The conversation covers what separates top quartile funds from the rest, why venture is increasingly about building a firm rather than just making investments, and how the best managers create a long-term flywheel across talent, track record and capital.They also go deep on often overlooked topics including DPI, liquidity, fund size, and portfolio construction. Dave explains why access is everything in venture, why consistency matters more than one-off performance, and how LPs think about returns in a world where companies stay private for longer.A sharp, practical look at venture through the LP lens and what it takes to build a durable, high-performing fund.Topics Covered What defines a top VC fund today  The LP perspective on venture performance  Why venture is about building a firm, not just investing  Top quartile vs lower quartile returns and the compounding effect  Talent, incentives and the VC flywheel  Portfolio construction myths vs reality  Fund size and where returns are really made  DPI, liquidity and secondaries in Europe  How LPs think about risk, time horizons and outcomes  Why access is the biggest advantage in venture

Tony Jamous first joined Riding Unicorns in January 2023, just after Oyster became a unicorn. Since then, the company has raised its Series D, Tony has moved into the Executive Chairman role, and Hadi Moussa has stepped in as CEO.In this episode, James sits down with both Tony and Hadi to unpack what really happens when a founder hands over the CEO role in a high-growth company. They discuss why Tony knew Oyster needed a different kind of leader for its next stage, how the search process unfolded, and what Hadi has focused on in his first months in the role.They also go deep on scaling leadership, building operational rhythm, giving effective feedback, and how to turn a strong remote culture into a genuinely high-performing organisation. The conversation then shifts to the future of global employment, the impact of AI on hiring, and why Oyster still sees a huge opportunity ahead.A candid episode on succession, self-awareness, scale, and what it takes to lead a mission-driven company through its next chapter.Topics covered: Why Tony stepped aside as CEO  How Oyster prepared for a leadership transition  What Hadi is changing in his first months as CEO  Founder-led vision vs operator-led execution  Building a high-performing remote team  Feedback, vulnerability, and leadership maturity  AI’s impact on hiring and global talent  The future of Oyster and global employment

Nikola Mrkšić is the Co-Founder and CEO of PolyAI, one of the world’s leading voice AI companies, helping enterprises automate customer service through conversational AI at massive scale.Before PolyAI, Nikola was a machine learning researcher and part of the team behind Siri. In this episode, he joins James to unpack what the world is only now starting to understand about voice AI, why most automation still misses the point, and how PolyAI has built a full stack enterprise product that goes far beyond simply reducing call queues.They discuss how PolyAI is used by major brands across hospitality, utilities, retail, banking and insurance, and why the real opportunity is not just handling calls, but turning the contact centre into an intelligence layer for the whole business. Nikola also explains why enterprise voice AI is harder than it looks, where the moat really sits, and why owning the models and the application layer matters.The conversation covers Siri, Gordon Ramsay, pricing power, Nvidia, enterprise stickiness, and what it takes to build a category leader from Europe.Topics include:Why Siri was too early for the vision it was aiming atWhy PolyAI focused on the step between clunky IVR and true AI assistantsHow voice AI can improve revenue, customer experience and operational insightWhy enterprise deployments become hard to rip outThe difference between real voice AI companies and wrappersWhether voice AI is becoming commoditisedHow PolyAI thinks about pricing, margins and defensibilityWhy Nikola believes many “AI companies” are borrowing from the futureGordon Ramsay as a customer and brand partnerNikola’s future unicorn pick: Paid.ai

This week on Riding Unicorns, Matt Wilson returns to the podcast. Matt previously joined us in September 2022 to talk about Omnipresent, which has since been acquired by Deel. He is now back building Jack and Jill, one of the most talked-about venture-backed companies in Europe right now.Jack and Jill is bringing conversational AI to job hunting and hiring, with two agents built for two audiences:Jack, an AI agent for individuals that learns who you are, what you want, and monitors the job market for you, while also helping with career coaching, CVs, and interview prep.Jill, an AI agent for companies that learns what you are hiring for, then works with Jack to make high-signal introductions at scale.In this episode, we cover:Why careers and hiring remain massively under-optimised, and why that mattersHow Jack and Jill avoids the marketplace cold start by winning in “single-player mode” firstWhy Matt is building a flatter, leaner org this time, and staying closer to the actionTalent density in an AI-native company, and why paying above-market is a deliberate strategyWhat “escape velocity” looks like in a two-sided marketplace, and the metric they trackThe long-term moat: network effects over featuresMatt’s future unicorn picks, plus dinner party guests (with Steve Jobs, Reid Hoffman, and a very specific competitive curiosity)If you care about AI agents, marketplaces, or how recruiting changes when everyone has an AI working on their behalf, you’ll enjoy this one.

Nicolò Frisiani is Co-Founder & CEO of Lupa, the world’s first enterprise-ready AI operating system for veterinary clinics.Lupa has raised over $25m from investors including Singular and Firstminute Capital, and is on a mission to modernise a sector still running on 1980s technology.In this episode, Nicolò shares:Why Lupa started as a consumer app and quickly pivoted to a full-stack operating systemHow note-taking became the wedge product into a much bigger platform visionWhat he learned from sending his co-founder to work as a vet receptionist for a monthThe complexity of selling into PE-backed veterinary groupsWhy speed and momentum drove two fundraises in quick successionThe long-term vision: from clinic OS, to monetisation infrastructure, to unlocking veterinary data for AI-driven medical researchWe also discuss the realities of scaling enterprise SaaS, underestimating sales cycles, hiring challenges, and how a consulting background shapes early-stage founders.If you’re interested in vertical SaaS, AI infrastructure, or how to go from scrappy MVP to enterprise-ready platform, this one is worth your time.

George Davis, Founder and CEO of Lorum.George has been deep in payments for years: Head of Product at TrueLayer, then co-founder of BVNK, and now building Lorum to tackle the hardest layer of the stack: global clearing.We get into:Why payments becomes an obsession if you look closely enoughWhat “rebuilding clearing from the ground up” actually means, in plain EnglishVirtual accounts, ledgering, Swift, and why settlement speed still mattersThe real opportunity: fixing dollar clearing and cross border flowsHow Lorum makes money, and why being “payments only” changes the incentivesThe fundraising sprint, choosing Northzone, and what great investors actually do day to dayThe hardest part early on: banking reality versus licensing theory in the Middle EastHow George runs transparency, morale, and intensity during high growthA simple lesson for founders: do not start a company unless you care deeply about the problem

James sits down with Dr. David von Rosen, the serial founder behind Lottoland and 25 Degrees, and the Principal of the VONROSEN family office, through which he invests globally and pan-sector in fast-growth pre-IPO startups.David does not pretend to have one neat playbook. He prefers volatility, backs ideas that feel genuinely new, and invests like an operator, often taking a significant stake so he can get involved properly.We talk about:Why David prefers fewer bets with bigger ownershipHow he thinks about hiring generalists and spotting motivation over credentialsWhat most people misunderstand about risk, and how his relationship with risk has changed with ageWhy Dubai feels like a magnet for talent, capital, and momentumThe origin story of Lottoland, and the clever regulatory workaround that made it possibleHis future unicorn pick: Tytan TechnologiesDinner party guests, featuring Alex Honnold and RihannaPlus, a brilliant story from David’s past: how his fashion brand ended up on Steve Jobs during an Apple WWDC keynote, and what happened next.If you like founder psychology, unconventional investing, and real operator stories, you’ll enjoy this one.

Harrison Rose co-founded Paddle, one of the UK’s standout B2B billing and payments companies. Now he is building GoodFit, a go to market platform helping teams prioritise the right accounts, at the right time, with the right data.In this episode, Harrison breaks down a simple idea most teams still get wrong: before you buy another shiny GTM tool, make sure you are actually selling to qualified customers. He shares how Paddle approached go to market from first principles, why the “execution layer” has exploded (16,000 tools and counting), and why fundamentals like market mapping and qualification still matter most.We also get into what he learned on a 10-year unicorn journey, the reality of hard days (including the moment Paddle’s whole sales team quit), and what motivates him second time around when failure is no longer existential.

Ben Freeman is the Co-founder and CEO of Omnea, an AI native procurement and supplier management platform used by companies from the mid-market through to enterprise, including Synthesia, Typeform, Spotify, Monzo, Albertsons, and The Adecco Group.Ben’s path to procurement was not obvious. From running a bootstrapped events business in Manchester (and dropping out of uni), to a stint in investment banking at Lazard, to scaling cybersecurity company Tessian in New York, he accidentally discovered just how broken procurement can be inside otherwise world class organisations.In this conversation, Ben breaks down how he found conviction for Omnea through hundreds of user interviews, why procurement is a horizontal problem that touches every employee, and how macro shifts are making procurement a board-level priority.We also go deep on what Omnea is known for internally: talent density. Ben shares how they hired their early team, what “mutual fit” really means, why they are willing to pass on an “8”, and how he thinks about building an enduring company with a flat, player coach org structure.We cover:How to do customer discovery properly (and when to walk away)Why procurement is a huge market hiding in plain sightThe trade off between speed and shipping the right product for enterpriseHiring for traits over skills and what Ben looks for in interviewsFounder paranoia, time management, and staying close to customersBen’s dinner party guests and the future unicorn he is backing

James and Hector sit down with James Cadwallader, CEO and Co Founder of Profound, to unpack how AI is reshaping the internet and what that means for every brand on the planet.James explains why large language models are not just a new interface, but a fundamental platform shift in how people retrieve information. Instead of humans clicking blue links, user agents now visit the web on our behalf, read content, and answer questions directly. Profound sits in the middle of this change, helping some of the worlds biggest brands understand if and how they show up in AI answers, and then create content that is designed for bots rather than humans.The conversation covers what GEO (generative engine optimisation) actually is, how Profound uses a huge consumer prompt panel and reasoning models to map where AI gets its answers from, and why SEO teams are surprisingly well placed to become the heroes of this next era. James also shares his view on how ads will work inside products like ChatGPT, why this may finally break the search monopoly, and how he thinks marketers will work in a world where AI creates, distributes and measures most of their campaigns.James talks through Profounds rapid journey from idea to working with Fortune 10 brands, the fundraising story with Sequoia, Kleiner Perkins and others, and why this is the last company he plans to build.

Ariel Harmoko is the Co Founder and CEO of Artifact AI. Ariel joined James and Hector for a conversation that moves from race tracks to reconciliation engines.Ariel grew up in Jakarta, was thrown into Go Karts at eight, and went on to race professionally all the way to Formula 3 alongside the likes of Lando Norris and George Russell. That early immersion in high performance teams, engineering and discipline shaped how he now operates as a founder.He shares how a love of maths and science took him to boarding school in the UK, then into machine learning research at Cambridge while still a teenager, working on early diagnosis in medtech and later deploying internal GPT tools at JP Morgan.Today Ariel is building Artifact AI, an “agent accountant” that sits on top of existing ledgers like Xero, QuickBooks and NetSuite. The product tackles two huge problems for accounting firms. Fragmented legacy stacks and chronic staff shortages. Ariel explains how their agents ingest data, reconcile, post to ledgers and learn from human review, and why accuracy, auditability and trust are non negotiable in this space.The conversation covers selling into one of the most conservative industries on earth, founder led FDE style implementations, why advisory is the real margin in accounting, and how vertical AI and agentic workflows could reshape professional services.

Andrew D’Souza is the Founder of Boardy, the Creandum backed AI super connector reshaping how founders and investors meet and build trust.Before Boardy, Andrew co-founded Clearco, one of the first revenue based financing companies. Clearco deployed over $5bn to thousands of businesses, scaled to six hundred employees, and passed one hundred million dollars in revenue. Andrew is one of the few founders who has built a nine figure company before starting again.Clearco’s early AI work and Andrew’s interest in generative AI since 2020 sparked the idea for Boardy.Boardy is a voice based AI that speaks to founders and investors, remembers context instantly, and makes high quality introductions at scale. What started as a side experiment is now one of the fastest growing AI products in fundraising.We also cover Boardy’s newest chapter. After helping founders secure meetings, term sheets and oversubscribed rounds through his recent campaign, Boardy has launched Boardy Ventures, the world’s first AI led venture fund, allowing him to back the founders he already supports.We explore the journey from bedroom prototype to top tier backing from Creandum, and how Boardy is building powerful emergent network effects.In this episode we get into: 🧠 The Clearco story and lessons from hypergrowth 🤖 Early GPT-3 experiments and the Clear Angel project 📞 Why voice matters and why intelligence beats latency 🎯 How Boardy creates uncannily strong introductions 📈 Network effects and solving the cold start problem 💸 How founders are already closing rounds through Boardy 🧪 The superpowered version now helping founders and VC firms 🧩 The long-term vision from venture partner to AI holding company 🎨 Creativity, identity and why great companies reflect their foundersA sharp and thought provoking conversation on AI, networks and entrepreneurial energy.

Erin Platts is the CEO of Octopus Ventures and former CEO of Silicon Valley Bank UK & Europe — one of the most pivotal figures in the UK tech ecosystem.In this conversation, Erin opens up in remarkable detail about her personal journey from two decades inside SVB to leading one of Europe’s most active venture firms. She shares the inside story of the SVB collapse — the all-nighters, the adrenaline, the leadership decisions made under extreme pressure, and what it was really like to shoulder responsibility for thousands of founders, operators and employees during a once-in-a-generation crisis.We then explore Erin’s new chapter at Octopus Ventures, and how she's shaping a platform that spans pre-seed to growth investing, powered by the unique capital model of the wider Octopus Group. We discuss the future of the UK ecosystem, the evolution of UK capital markets, and what needs to change to ensure the best founders choose to build and list here.In this episode we dive into: 🔥 The inside view of the SVB implosion — four days, 90 minutes of sleep, and how the team navigated full-blown crisis 🧭 Leadership principles forged through chaos: communication, context and visible leadership 🏦 Why Erin joined Octopus Ventures and how she plans to scale a multi-fund, multi-stage European VC platform 🌍 The capital continuum — and how the UK can close the growth and public-markets gap ⚡ Why founders underestimate their own agency in shaping the future of the ecosystem 🏛️ Erin’s role in the Capital Markets Industry Taskforce and what a healthier UK exit landscape could look like 🏫 Octopus’ growing footprint in education, financial services, and energy, including the rise of Octopus LegacyThis is one of the most candid conversations we’ve recorded — a masterclass in leadership, resilience and building through volatility.

Lee Veitch is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of SuperAwesome, the world’s leading kid-tech and youth marketing platform.SuperAwesome powers billions of kid-safe digital transactions every month — helping brands like LEGO, Disney, and Nickelodeon connect with young audiences responsibly and safely.Lee takes us behind the scenes of a remarkable 13-year journey — from the early days of fear, frustration, and opportunity, to scaling globally, being acquired by Epic Games, and then buying the business back to continue its mission independently.In this episode we dive into: 👶 Why the internet needed a safe space for kids — and how SuperAwesome built it 📺 The shift from TV to digital — and how the youth ad economy evolved ⚖️ Balancing commercial success with mission and ethics 💡 The strategic choice not to build a programmatic platform 🧱 Lessons from the Epic Games acquisition and buyback 🔐 How regulation like COPPA and GDPR-K shaped the company’s tech 🌍 Using influence to drive global policy change 🔥 Founder energy, culture, and why humour builds great teamsLee also shares what’s next for SuperAwesome — from global expansion and M&A to building Awesome Intelligence, a new data platform that helps brands understand kids’ digital lives without compromising safety.

The AI rollup transforming property managementThis week on Riding Unicorns, we sit down with Dan Lifshits, Co-Founder & COO of Dwelly — the AI-first lettings and property management platform reinventing how landlords, tenants, and agents interact.Dwelly is on a mission to modernise the UK rental market by acquiring traditional letting agencies and rebuilding them with technology at their core. The business is growing fast, backed by General Catalyst and other leading investors, combining the operational rigour of real estate with the scalability of AI.Before founding Dwelly, Dan was one of the youngest associates at McKinsey, then helped scale Gett (the ride-hailing company) from early stage to over $1bn in GMV and 1,000+ employees — experience that now shapes Dwelly’s operational DNA.In this episode, we dive into: 🏢 The rollup model — why Dwelly is buying agencies instead of building from scratch 💡 Applying AI to traditional services — from lettings to maintenance and communication 🌍 Moving to Hull — and why the founding team relocated to be closer to their first acquisition 🚀 Turning investor scepticism into conviction: why rollups might define the next decade 🤖 Using data to discover the “perfect process” across thousands of lettings 💼 How to balance being a product builder, operator, and M&A organisation 🔥 Lessons from Gett and McKinsey on scaling complex, real-world businessesDan also shares his view on the coming wave of AI-enabled rollups, why the UK rental market is “crying out for disruption,” and what founders can learn from industries still running on manual workflows.

Hector is joined by Gauthier van Malderen, Founder and CEO of Perlego, the “Spotify for textbooks” and one of Europe’s leading edtech scale-ups.Gauthier shares the remarkable journey of building Perlego from a personal frustration with expensive university textbooks into a global subscription platform transforming access to educational content. He reflects on early failures, the turning points that led to success, and how COVID accelerated the company’s growth.The discussion dives deep into topics including:Solving the chicken-and-egg problem of marketplace growthThe power of B2B partnerships in edtechBuilding a resilient and mission-driven cultureHiring mistakes, founder evolution, and staying authentic as a CEOLessons from scaling internationally and the differences between European and US venture ecosystemsGauthier also shares his thoughts on leadership, founder ambition, and why being “more American” changed his mindset on growth and success.A candid and inspiring conversation about persistence, humility, and global ambition from one of Europe’s standout founders.

This week on Riding Unicorns, we’re joined by Paul Becker, Co-Founder & CEO of re:cap, a fintech platform helping digital businesses unlock capital and understand their financial position through intelligent forecasting, real-time data insights, and flexible financing.In this wide-ranging conversation, Paul walks us through re:cap’s journey from an idea for automated due diligence software to becoming one of Europe’s fastest-growing capital platforms, recently securing over €125M in debt financing to power its next phase.We explore the intricacies of fintech business models, investor expectations, the realities of growing a company during AI hype cycles, and what it takes to build enduring value in modern financial infrastructure.In this episode, we discuss:💰 How re:cap evolved from an underwriting tool to a full capital + finops engine 📊 Why Paul obsesses over gross margin more than revenue — and how that influenced product decisions 🚨 Lessons from building through hype: “growth at all costs” vs quality of revenue 🧠 The role of AI in financial tooling — and why re:cap built its copilot carefully and quietly 🏗️ Building a remote-first, values-aligned company from day one 📍 What it’s like starting multiple companies with the same co-founders — and how friendship and complementary skills helped them scale 🔁 “Back to the future”: how re:cap is returning to its original thesis, now with product-market fit 🌍 Vision: re:cap as the capital allocation engine for the modern CFO 📉 How investor expectations flipped 180° in 18 months — and why Paul sticks to economic logic over trend-following

Ali first joined us in January 2022, when Babylon was still one of the most ambitious healthtech companies in the world. Today, he returns with a new mission, building Quadrivia and its clinical AI assistant, “Qu”, designed to automate millions of repetitive healthcare workflows and rebalance the global shortage of clinical labour.In this episode, Ali reflects candidly on the rise and fall of Babylon, the structural challenges behind its collapse, and the lessons he’s applying to his new venture. He also explains why he believes AI finally offers the chance to create abundance in healthcare, and how Quadrivia’s technology can deliver trusted, autonomous support for doctors, nurses, and patients alike.🧠 Key topics discussed: 💡 The structural imbalance between global healthcare supply and demand and how AI can finally fix it 🏥 Babylon’s story: what went right, what went wrong, and what Ali learned from the SPAC era 🤖 Introducing Quadrivia’s “Qu”: a clinical AI that can handle patient calls, follow-ups, and real‑time triage 🔐 Building trust in AI: safety, guardrails, and how to design human‑in‑the‑loop autonomy 🎧 Live demo — a real patient conversation handled entirely by AI 📈 Why the future of healthcare lies in clinical process outsourcing powered by intelligent agents 🧩 Building small, fast, focused team, and why scale isn’t the goal (yet) 💬 Lessons on leadership, luck, and surviving the infinite game of entrepreneurshipAli also shares his candid reflections on failure, resilience, and what it really takes to build world-changing technology in one of the hardest industries imaginable.A fascinating, raw, and inspiring conversation with one of the most visionary founders in global healthtech and a glimpse into how AI could redefine the future of care.

Sam Jacobs is the Co-Founder of Go Places, the operating system for social commerce.In just 18 months, Go Places has become a trusted partner to some of the world’s biggest brands including Samsung, Mars, The Body Shop, and Trip. Backed by deep experience from Amazon and Coca-Cola, Sam and his co-founder Jack are building the infrastructure layer for TikTok Shop, combining performance, content, live shopping, affiliate management and analytics into a single high-performance engine.Go Places runs 9 in-house live shopping studios (growing to 25 next year), manages 60+ trained presenters, and has developed AI-powered tools like One Place - a real-time data platform that helps brands understand the full impact of social commerce beyond the TikTok checkout.We dive deep into:📈 The rise of TikTok Shop and why social commerce isn’t just a trend — it’s becoming a core pillar of brand distribution 🎥 Lessons from China’s live shopping boom and why it’s just getting started in the West 🛠️ Building infrastructure: from creator training to studio logistics and custom AI tooling 💡 How enterprise brands are learning to think like challenger brands in social commerce 🤖 AI’s role in content generation, performance analysis, and dynamic presenter optimisation 🚀 Scaling a startup from 6 to 35 people in 12 months — while maintaining speed and culture 🧠 The underrated skill every founder needs: how to sell 🌍 Why luxury brands are coming to TikTok Shop — and how Go Places helps them adaptPlus, Sam shares his North Star vision, the wildest stat from TikTok Shop, his dream dinner guests (including Mourinho and Ryan Reynolds), and his future unicorn pick in AI-powered finance support.This is a must-listen for anyone interested in the future of commerce, creator-led brands, or scaling complex operations at speed. Sam brings clarity, ambition, and sharp execution to one of the most exciting spaces in consumer tech right now.

Akash Bajwa, Principal at Earlybird VC, one of Europe’s longest-standing early-stage funds.Akash shares his journey into venture and how he helped launch Earlybird’s London office, now a core hub for the firm. We dive into the state of AI investing, how to distinguish enduring companies from short-term hype, and what traits define the next wave of outlier founders.With experience backing companies like Briefcase (AI for accountants) and Spatial (3D generative AI), Akash offers a deep and practical perspective on both infrastructure and application-layer AI—and how to evaluate founder-market fit in the era of LLMs.In this episode, we discuss:🧠 What “the art of early-stage” really means at Earlybird🤖 AI-native founders vs experienced SaaS veterans – who wins?💡 Infra vs apps – where to invest, and how to spot defensibility🚀 Why velocity and learning rate matter more than credentials⚠️ Red herrings in AI and why some infra startups vanish overnight🛠️ From vector DBs to prompt tooling – what survives when labs move fast🔎 Deep dive on recent Earlybird investments including Briefcase and Spatial💬 Why go-to-market insight is more valuable than tech alone🔮 How to underwrite GenAI founders in an environment that’s changing monthlyWhether you're building at the frontier of AI, trying to raise your seed round, or navigating a product roadmap in a fast-moving category, this conversation offers frameworks you’ll want to revisit.

Lexi Novitske, General Partner at Norrsken22, a $205m growth-stage fund backing transformative tech companies across Africa.Lexi has spent over a decade living and investing in Nigeria, backing breakout African startups like Paystack, Flutterwave, and Smile Identity. As one of the continent’s most respected VCs, she shares how her team is building a truly Pan-African platform — with partners on the ground in Lagos, Johannesburg, and Nairobi — and why local presence and context are essential for investing in emerging markets.Norrsken22 is on a mission to scale the outliers — high-growth companies tackling infrastructure, financial inclusion, identity, healthcare and more — and Lexi pulls back the curtain on what it really takes to win in this market.🦄 In this episode, we discuss:🌍 Africa’s startup boom and what global investors often get wrong 📈 Why Africa’s massive, mobile-first population is a global tech superpower 💸 The rise of Fintech, remittance, and payments infrastructure across the continent 🧠 Building trust in low-trust environments and how tech is solving for identity & access 📊 Valuation discipline and why applying Silicon Valley multiples doesn’t work in Africa 🛠️ Infrastructure before apps and how context shapes investment strategy 🤝 Partnering with international funds  - the good, the bad, and the nuanced 🚀 Recent investments like Tyme Bank and what makes a Pan-African breakout 🇪🇬 Egypt, DRC, and beyond and which next-gen markets Lexi is most excited about 📚 Why VCs need empathy, not just capital, to invest in complex environmentsLexi also reflects on her evolution as an investor, the importance of local talent, and why venture success in Africa isn’t just possible, it’s already happening.

Please note: The topics covered in this episode should not be taken as investment advice.This week on Riding Unicorns, we’re joined by Rupert West, the founder and Managing Director of Puma Growth Partners, a UK-based growth equity investor backing companies at Series A with cheque sizes of £4–10m. Puma invests across consumer brands, B2B SaaS, and scalable business services, with a hands-on approach to helping founders scale sustainably and successfully exit.Rupert shares the story of building Puma from scratch, starting with the core mission: to deliver true value-add support to founders using his team’s operational and financial expertise. He also dives into the firm’s unique structure (including VCTs), investment thesis, and deep operational involvement with portfolio companies like Pockit and YASO.🦄 In this episode, we discuss:📊 Why Puma takes a multi-sector approach and how it helps reduce concentration risk 🧠 What makes a founder truly “venture-backable” and how Puma assesses founder psychology 🚀 Case study: Why Puma backed social commerce infra startup YASO to help brands scale in China 🧰 Exit readiness: How VCs should focus on DPI, not just deployment 📍 Why “next round ready” is as important as product-market fit 💥 Lessons from navigating crises from 2008 to COVID to today’s inflation squeeze 🏦 The power of VCTs and permanent capital in turbulent markets 🌱 Why every venture firm needs resilience and empathy to support founders in hard times 💬 Rupert’s take on customer obsession and why the best founders keep buyers front and centreWhether you’re raising your Series A or building a growth fund yourself, this episode offers deep insight into what great VC support should look like and how fund managers can stay close to the action while scaling.

This week on Riding Unicorns, we’re joined by Manny Medina, the visionary founder behind Outreach — the $4B sales engagement unicorn — and now co-founder & CEO of Paid.ai, a startup pioneering how AI agents get priced, paid, and scaled.We dive into Manny’s remarkable journey from zero to $250M+ ARR with Outreach, the gritty early days of selling door-to-door with no cash, and how he turned that experience into a masterclass in category creation. Now, with Paid.ai, Manny is laser-focused on building the financial stack that will power the next wave of autonomous agents — and helping AI-native businesses build real, durable revenue.🚀 In this episode, we cover:🧠 What an AI Agent really is — and why it changes everything 💸 Why the old SaaS pricing models don't work for agent-native businesses 📊 Outreach’s year-by-year revenue climb — and how they avoided collapse 🪙 Why durable growth matters more than fast growth 🔥 How Paid.ai is redefining payments, margin tracking, and monetisation for agents 🛠️ Building new infra for a world where humans no longer press the buttons 📈 Creating categories — and why most startups get it wrong ⚠️ Why many startups confuse market pull with product genius 👀 Insights into retention challenges at tools like Lovable, Cursor, and Bolt 💰 Manny’s fundraising advice — why sometimes raising less is more dangerousManny is one of the most respected builders in SaaS and now sits at the bleeding edge of the agentic future. If you’re building with agents, selling B2B, or navigating a shift from software to automation, this is a must-listen.

In this episode we are joined by Kenneth Auchenberg, Partner at AlleyCorp — one of New York’s most prolific early-stage funds known for incubating companies like MongoDB, Business Insider, and Radical AI.Kenneth’s journey from coding at 16 in Copenhagen to shaping global developer ecosystems at Stripe and Microsoft gives him a unique lens into the next generation of software businesses — and the rise of AI agents.💥 In this episode, we dive into:🤖 Why “agentic” workflows are changing everything — and how founders should rethink UX, infrastructure, and pricing 🚀 The new founder playbook — how AI-native teams are replacing engineers with agents and scaling faster than ever 🛠️ Building agent-first infrastructure — what Resend, Stripe, and Supabase are doing right (and why developers are no longer your only user) 💼 The business model shift — why agents need their own payments, APIs, and enterprise stack 🧠 From artisanal to mass-produced software — and what it means for defensibility, data moats, and GTM 🇪🇺 Europe vs the US — the real difference in ambition, infrastructure, and what founders can learn from each ecosystem 🧪 Inside AlleyCorp’s incubation model — how Kenneth prototypes ideas with vibe-coding and builds companies from zero to seedThis is a must-listen for anyone thinking seriously about the next wave of AI-native startups, especially if you’re building agents, infrastructure, or developer-first products.

This week on Riding Unicorns, we’re joined by Carmen Palacios-Berraquero, Founder and CEO of Nu Quantum, a pioneering company building the networking layer for the quantum computing era.Carmen’s journey started in academia, researching quantum photonics, before she spun out Nu Quantum from the University of Cambridge. Now backed by top deep tech investors, the company is on a mission to connect quantum processors and make quantum computing commercially scalable.🎙️ In this episode, we discuss:🧠 What quantum networking is — and why it’s essential for unlocking quantum advantage 📈 Nu Quantum’s pivot from photonic components to full-stack infrastructure 🧬 How to build a team at the bleeding edge of science and engineering ⏳ Why quantum adoption is closer than most people think 🔐 The importance of entanglement, secure comms & UK leadership in quantum 💡 Lessons on commercialising research and navigating long deep-tech timelines 🏗️ Analogies to cloud infrastructure and what Carmen learned from traditional data centres 🌍 Carmen’s take on the global race to build the quantum internetThis is a fascinating look into a frontier technology that could reshape everything from national security to pharmaceuticals. A must-listen for founders, investors, and anyone curious about the future of computing.

In this episode, we're joined by Patrick Haede, the founder of Superscale AI, a breakout new startup transforming how digital products are marketed. 🚀Inspired by Lovable’s success in democratising product-building, Patrick saw the next major frontier: distribution. In a world where anyone can now build a product, how do you market it effectively? Superscale AI is the answer — a platform that lets you instantly generate performance-ready, AI-powered video ads for TikTok, Instagram, and Meta, using just a product URL and a few prompts.Patrick’s vision is big: turning every founder into a full-stack marketer, and replacing marketing agencies with a prompt-based AI interface that’s actually performant.We dive into:📈 The origin story – from digital product studio to pivoting into the AI-native future of marketing 🤖 Why “prompt-first” is the new UI – and how GenAI is changing how people interact with software 🎥 How Superscale creates hyper-performant UGC-style ads at scale using AI-generated actors 💡 Getting creative at speed – empowering users to produce 100s of high-converting ads with minimal effort 🔥 Why performance data should drive product development, not just UX or engagement 🧠 Agentic workflows – how Superscale is building an agent that can ideate, iterate, and deploy ads automatically 🌍 Who their power users are – from indie hackers and Shopify merchants to Lovable app founders and performance marketers 🧪 What makes an ad “work” in 2025 – and how creative risk-taking is becoming an AI superpower 🔮 The future of marketing – closing the loop between performance data and automated content creation 💰 Business model innovation – the potential of usage-based pricing, rev share, and agency-in-your-pocket experiencesWe also chat about Patrick’s fundraising journey with Creandum, investor feedback loops, and what it takes to win in a competitive GenAI market where everyone's launching an “agent”.This is an essential listen for:Founders building digital productsGrowth marketers trying to scale contentBuilders excited about the next wave of AI-native toolsInvestors tracking the next Lovable-style breakout🎧 Tune in now to learn how Superscale AI is giving every product the power of a top-tier marketing agency — at lightning speed and near-zero cost.

Paul Anthony is the co-founder of Primer, a rapidly growing payment orchestration platform with over 200 employees and more than £70 million in funding from top-tier investors including Seed Camp, Balderton, Accel, and Iconic. His journey began as the first employee at a FinTech startup (now called Depay), followed by a stint at PayPal's Braintree division, before founding Primer to solve the complex payment infrastructure challenges he witnessed amongst enterprise merchants. Paul is now also a co-founder of Colossal, an innovative new venture that leverages AI and LLMs to help digital goods creators build customised commerce experiences through a prompt-based interface.Key Topics Discussed:The Payment Orchestration Insight - How Paul's experience at Braintree meeting enterprise merchants face-to-face revealed the need for a unified payment infrastructure layer that didn't exist in the marketHypergrowth Challenges - Scaling Primer from a three-person team to Series B funding (nearly half-billion valuation) within just 16 months, whilst building a robust enterprise product during COVIDHiring Philosophy and Culture - Paul's approach of interviewing 20-30 people for every hire, treating "autonomy as a requirement not a benefit," and maintaining a "we're not a real business yet" mentality to drive innovationProduct Development Approach - The importance of building POCs and technical spikes to understand how products "feel" rather than just look good on paper, especially when serving enterprise customersThe Colossal Vision - Paul's new venture described as "Lovable for commerce," using AI to help creators build sophisticated customer journeys without technical knowledge, targeting the £400 billion digital goods marketTune in to hear Paul's fascinating insights on building payment infrastructure for enterprise clients, navigating hypergrowth whilst maintaining product focus, and his bold new vision for democratising commerce through AI. This episode offers invaluable lessons for founders tackling complex technical problems and scaling rapidly in competitive markets.

In this episode of Riding Unicorns, James and Hector sit down with Simone Maini, CEO of Elliptic, the world’s leading blockchain analytics company. Simone’s career path is anything but conventional — from a history degree and Deutsche Bank to leading a $100M+ funded crypto intelligence powerhouse.🧠 After 8 years in banking and a stint in anti-money laundering consulting, Simone joined Elliptic as Head of Product. What began as a pivot turned into a mission: tackling financial crime in the digital asset space. When Elliptic hit an inflection point, Simone stepped into the CEO role — enabling the founder to focus on product while she scaled operations and managed the board.👥 One of Simone’s most powerful lessons? Hiring an experienced Chair who had been a CEO — a move that transformed how Elliptic operated at board level and beyond. From transparency to over-communication, Simone shares a refreshing and tactical take on what it really takes to lead through complexity.We dive into:🚀 Founder to CEO transition — The playbook for scaling when roles are clearly defined 📊 Mastering board management — Running better meetings, communicating through chaos 💾 Business model evolution — Moving from SaaS to data-as-a-service for enterprise clients 📉 Crypto market cycles — Leading through volatility without losing focus 💪 Building resilience — Fostering curiosity and discipline in fast-moving markets 🏢 Enterprise adoption — Why crypto infrastructure is still early — and full of potential This is a must-listen for founders, operators, and anyone navigating leadership, growth, and the wild world of crypto. Simone’s thoughtful, candid approach is packed with wisdom on how to scale with integrity.🎧 Listen now on your favourite platform and don’t forget to like, subscribe, and follow Riding Unicorns for more inspiring episodes. 🦄

From international math olympiads to high-frequency trading to leading deals at Accel, Andrei Brasoveanu has carved one of the most impressive careers in European tech. After a decade on Wall Street as a quant, he joined Accel’s London office and quickly became one of their top investors—backing breakout companies like Celonis and, more recently, Polar.In this episode, we explore the mindset, methods, and milestones behind his success.What You’ll Learn:🧠 “Founders are the constant” — Why Andrei trusts people over metrics when chasing outliers💶 The Celonis origin story — How a €100k pricing bet helped three inexperienced founders build a global leader🌍 Accel’s European edge — Why they focus on non-obvious founders across Europe and Israel🔁 The art of pattern recognition — Tactical advice for young VCs on fast-tracking their investment instincts⚙️ No-code and AI — Why technical founders may have more of an edge than ever🧊 Inside the Polar deal — How Andrei convinced a former Shopify exec to raise a round he didn’t plan to🧩 Strategic angel orchestration — Why top VCs pull unicorn operators into early rounds (hint: it's not just for PR)🔐 His future unicorn pick — A cybersecurity company from an unexpected European hub building with open-source DNAThis episode is a masterclass in European venture strategy. Whether you’re an investor, a founder, or just obsessed with how unicorns get made, this one will shift your perspective.

This week on Riding Unicorns, we're joined by Martin Kassing, founder and CEO of Upvest, one of Europe’s fastest-growing fintech infrastructure companies.Martin’s journey spans private equity, Rocket Internet, multiple startups, and now leading a company that powers investment products for the likes of Revolut and N26. In this wide-ranging conversation, we explore what it really takes to build an enduring infrastructure company in Europe.🎧 Topics covered include:The founding journey of Upvest and its pivot from blockchain to API investment infrastructureLessons from being a repeat founder (including early failures and a Klarna acquisition)Building a high-performance team and the hiring strategies that workThe challenges of finding product-market fit in fintechFundraising insights: raising from Bessemer, lessons from Series A and BHow Martin keeps himself motivated and structured as a high-pressure founderWhy he still does outbound hiring personally on LinkedInHis view on IPOs, partnerships, and what comes next for UpvestMartin shares candid reflections, hard-earned wisdom, and a rare glimpse into the emotional rollercoaster of building something meaningful. A must-listen for fintech founders, investors, and operators.

In this special Riding Unicorns episode, recorded live during London Tech Week and hosted at Cooley’s London HQ, we bring you two candid conversations from the frontline of startup building.🚀 First up: Yoann Pavy, a growth marketing veteran (ex-Deliveroo, Depop, Perkbox), shares why distribution-first thinking is flipping product development on its head. From testing product ideas with viral TikTok mockups to building multi-million ARR with a 3-person team, Yoann reveals:The real metrics that matter in growth todayWhy “building an audience” is deadHow vibe marketing and AI tooling are reshaping GTM🤖 Then: Oana Jinga, Co-Founder of Dexory, shares the raw truth behind building a robotics company in Europe. From early rejections to raising a Series B, she opens up on:Pivoting from home robots to warehouse intelligenceWhy VCs are finally backing robotics and hardwareThe unexpected edge UK robotics startups have over US peers💡 This is one for operators, investors, and anyone building at the edge of tech.

In this episode, we’re joined by Apostolos Apostolakis, the founder-turned-VC behind VentureFriends, a pan-European pre-seed and seed fund known for backing consumer and fintech breakouts like Plum, Blueground, Huspy, Carmoola and Instashop.Apostolos shares a remarkable story of resilience — from scaling a startup to €100M+ in revenue and 500 employees, to facing bankruptcy and rebuilding his career with a major exit, prolific angel track record, and eventually launching one of Greece’s most successful VC funds.We dive into:💥 Lessons from scaling fast… and failing hard 🏗️ Rebuilding after burnout and public failure 💡 Founding VentureFriends and filling Europe’s early-stage funding gaps 🌍 What it’s like running a distributed VC firm from Athens 🤝 How to support founders without overreaching 🎯 The evolution of his founder selection playbook 🔎 Why grit, clarity of thinking, and mission-driven ambition now matter most 🦄 His unicorn pick? Carmoola — and the story behind QED’s entryThis is a raw, thoughtful, and inspiring episode for anyone navigating the highs and lows of the startup world — whether you’re a founder, investor, or just deeply curious about the human side of VC.

In this episode, we’re joined by Deepka Rana, Principal at leading venture fund Northzone, early backers of Klarna, Truelayer, Spotify, iZettle, Kahoot, and Personio. Deepka shares her journey from physics at Imperial and investment banking to investing in some of Europe’s most exciting startups.We unpack:💸 What it’s like to operate a billion-dollar multi-stage VC fund🧠 How founders should assess the right type of capital for their journey🤖 Why AI is fundamentally changing the way software, search, and commerce work💡 The rise of agent commerce and tooling for AI-native discovery and transactions📈 Why resilience and adaptability are now non-negotiable founder traits🎯 What great board members actually do (and why most don’t measure up)🌍 The UK’s deep technical talent and what’s needed to unlock more entrepreneurshipThis episode is packed with hard-won wisdom for founders navigating today’s funding landscape, plus a fascinating look at what’s next in tech.

In this episode of Riding Unicorns, we’re joined by Carles Reina, Go-to-Market Lead at ElevenLabs, an AI Audio research and deployment company that tripled it's valuation to $3.3BN in January, after confirming a new $180M funding round. From starting out as a banker in Barcelona to scaling Uber’s first European team, and now investing in over 70 startups, Carles shares the hard-won lessons that drive startup success.We dive into:🔄 Career pivot: Leaving banking for Uber at 20 people and discovering the thrill of early-stage impact📈 Building GTM from scratch: Lessons from Tractable & ElevenLabs—experimenting on ICPs, pricing, and pitches 💼 Angel investing playbook: How to break in as an operator-investor, source top deals, and add value beyond capital🗣 Voice AI’s inflection point: Why high-quality speech models are the next frontier, and how ElevenLabs powers voice notes for surgery prep and on-demand customer support🤖 Robotics meets LLMs: The “GPT moment” in hardware, investing in companies merging industrial robotics with large language models✂️ Trimming strategies: Locking in gains (10–20%) at Series B/C while staying exposed to upside🌐 Scaling globally: Personalizing GTM across the US, Europe, Asia, and beyondThis is a must-listen for GTM leaders, startup builders, and aspiring angels looking to roll up their sleeves, experiment at speed, and back the next wave of unicorns.

In this episode of Riding Unicorns, we're joined by Romain Sestier and Guillaume Lebedel, the co-founders of StackOne, a rapidly growing startup that’s building the universal integration layer for modern SaaS and AI products. Hot off the back of their $20M Series A led by GV, the duo joins us to share their journey, insights, and lessons from the trenches.Romain and Guillaume have known each other for over a decade, having worked together across multiple companies before launching StackOne. Their deep co-founder chemistry and clarity of vision have helped them move fast and build credibility with customers and investors alike.We dive into:🔧 What StackOne does and why integrations are mission-critical infrastructure 🧠 How they approached finding a co-founder (and why that came before the idea) 🚀 Their path from idea to Series A, including early customer acquisition and GTM learnings 💼 Building a high-talent, low-ego team and making tough hiring decisions 💡 How to scale enterprise sales as a founder 🔥 The mindset shift required to build a venture-scale company 🧪 How they stay nimble while evolving the product and org structure 📣 Tips on empowering internal champions and structuring a sales process that scalesThis is a must-listen for any B2B SaaS or infrastructure founder looking to build something big, fast, and globally relevant.

Recorded live at the Capsule Scale-Up 50 event in London on 30th April 2025, this episode features a standout panel discussion moderated by our co-host James Pringle.The Scale-Up 50 is Capsule’s flagship celebration of the UK’s fastest-growing, most exciting scale-ups, recognising the founders, leaders, and investors driving the next generation of breakout success stories. Supported by Cooper Parry and HSBC Innovation Banking, the event brings together top-tier talent from across the startup ecosystem for a day of insight, inspiration, and connection.The panels features leaders from category-defining startups. Aidan Rushby (CEO, Carmoola), Tamara Orlova (CFO, Flo Health Inc.), Alexandra French (CEO, Xampla), Nikola Mrkšić (CEO, PolyAI) - these founders share their journeys in achieving product-market fit and building strong team cultures. In this episode, you will:🛒 Learn how PolyAI found product-market fit amidst the AI revolution. ♟️ Discover the unique strategies Carmoola used to disrupt the car finance industry. 🏆 Understand the significance of team culture and feedback at Xampla in maintaining growth. 🤝 Explore the dynamics of investor relations and the importance of board composition. 🤖 Hear insights on the role AI tools play in different operational areas within a business.Tune in for a discussion featuring leading entrepreneurs as they share practical wisdom, strategic lessons, and real-world experiences you can apply directly to your own business journey.

In this episode of Riding Unicorns, James Pringle is joined by Raffi Salama, Co-Founder & CEO of Passionfruit, a fast-growing marketing OS used by the world’s most ambitious brands to orchestrate campaigns across resourcing, planning, execution, and tracking.Raffi shares his journey from launching David Beckham’s Inter Miami football club to scaling Passionfruit across London, Lisbon, and now New York. What started as a freelance marketplace has evolved into a full-stack platform for marketing teams in the AI era, already used by the likes of PepsiCo, L’Oreal, Motorway, and Klaviyo.We explore:🛠 The evolution of Passionfruit from talent marketplace to vertical SaaS 🎯 Why every marketing campaign is like launching a mini business 🤖 How AI and voice tooling are changing workflows inside enterprises 🧠 Dogfooding, distribution, and why Passionfruit must walk the talk 🎥 Creators as employees — and the future of influencer equity 📊 Why distribution is the biggest challenge of the AI age ⚖️ The 3 hiring principles that drive Passionfruit’s culture and velocity 📈 Raffi’s personal evolution as a founder from “glorified intern” to visionary CEO 🍽 His dream dinner guests (with a little NFL chat thrown in)This is a must-listen for anyone building in B2B SaaS, marketing, or the future of work, or simply curious about what a next-gen startup looks like under the hood.

Subscribe to the Reading Unicorns newsletter here.Follow Riding Unicorns on LinkedIn here.Subscribe to the Riding Unicorns YouTube channel here.In this episode we're joined by Mike Jones, Managing Partner at Science Inc., a trailblazing venture studio behind breakout brands like Dollar Shave Club, Liquid Death, and DogVacay (merged with Rover).Mike is one of LA’s most prolific entrepreneurs and investors. From turning around MySpace to co-founding and investing in over 150 companies, his career is filled with pivotal lessons on operating, scaling, and backing iconic consumer brands.We dive deep into:🚀 How Mike transitioned from founder to turnaround CEO to VC🧠 His three phases of leadership: micromanager, manager through people, and board-level strategist🔍 What he looks for in early-stage consumer brands💡 The signals that made Liquid Death and Dollar Shave Club stand out🧪 Why he loves the studio model and how it works behind the scenes📉 Hard lessons from ventures that didn’t go to plan — and how to know when to pivot🛠️ The biggest distribution mistake consumer founders make🧬 How AI is transforming the way he builds and backs companies🧭 The trends he's most excited about — from AI legal to loneliness-driven consumer experiencesPlus, Mike shares the best dinner guest he’s ever had and who he’d love to sit down with across time.This is a masterclass in consumer investing, venture building, and founder psychology. Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and follow The Riding Unicorns podcast on your favourite platform and stay connected with us on social media for more inspiring episodes! 🎙️🦄

Subscribe to the Reading Unicorns newsletter here.Follow Riding Unicorns on LinkedIn here.Subscribe to the Riding Unicorns YouTube channel here.In this episode of Riding Unicorns, we’re joined by legendary repeat founder Dylan Collins, known for building and exiting three companies—including SuperAwesome, acquired by Epic Games.Dylan takes us on a fascinating journey from founding middleware for Call of Duty at university, to building tools that made the internet safer for kids, and now backing the next generation of Gen Z and Gen Alpha startups through his investment company, LFG Holdings.We dive deep into: 🎮 The early days of multiplayer gaming infrastructure📱 Building SuperAwesome and why kids’ digital safety became his mission⚡️ Emotional fuel: why desperation and revenge can drive great founders🧠 Survivorship bias and staying sharp as a repeat entrepreneur📈 Why most VCs still don’t understand M&A—and why that’s about to change💸 How the next wave of liquidity will be unlocked in venture🌍 Why today’s 20-year-olds live in a completely different world from 30-year-olds🧪 His bullish take on agent middleware and the future of AI-powered interfacesThis episode is a masterclass in longevity, startup psychology, and identifying generational shifts before anyone else. Dylan brings humour, honesty, and razor-sharp insight throughout.Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and follow The Riding Unicorns podcast on your favourite platform and stay connected with us on social media for more inspiring episodes! 🎙️🦄

Subscribe to the Reading Unicorns newsletter here.Follow Riding Unicorns on LinkedIn here.Subscribe to the Riding Unicorns YouTube channel here.In this episode of Riding Unicorns, James Pringle and Hector Mason are joined by Mark Beeston, Founder and Managing Partner at Illuminate Financial—a thesis-driven venture capital firm investing in B2B FinTech and enterprise technology companies that are redefining the future of financial services.With offices in London, New York, and Singapore, Illuminate is deeply embedded in the global financial ecosystem. Its strategic LPs—ranging from major banks to market infrastructure providers—offer more than just capital; they provide meaningful insight, early validation, and go-to-market support for portfolio companies. For more, visit www.illuminatefinancial.com.Mark takes us through his remarkable three-decade journey in financial markets—from trader at Deutsche Bank, to entrepreneur, to operator, and now VC. He shares how these experiences shaped the Illuminate model and its unique position at the intersection of venture and financial institutions.We dive into:💸 Mark’s journey from Deutsche Bank to launching Illuminate🏦 The rise of institutional FinTech and why B2B was overlooked in 2014🌍 The complexity of selling into financial institutions—and how to overcome it🧠 How VCs stay relevant and avoid anchoring in past trends🤖 Where AI fits (and doesn’t) in heavily regulated environments🛡 Reality Defender and the arms race against deepfake fraud🧩 The slow death of legacy infrastructure and promise of microservices🚗 Mark’s passion for cars and his dream dinner party lineupDon’t forget to like, subscribe, and follow The Riding Unicorns podcast on your favourite platform and stay connected with us on social media for more inspiring episodes! 🎙️🦄

Subscribe to the Reading Unicorns newsletter here.Follow Riding Unicorns on LinkedIn here.Subscribe to the Riding Unicorns YouTube channel here.This episode sees James Pringle and Hector Mason sit down with Staffan Helgesson, General Partner of Creandum. Creandum is one of Europe's top early stage investors focused on Seed and Series A across a range of sectors from fintech to SaaS to devtools to climate tech, consumer tech and, of course, AI. Breakthrough companies that Creandum backed early include Spotify, Depop, iZettle, Klarna, Bolt and Trade Republic. n this wide-ranging conversation, Staffan shares the incredible story of Creandum’s origin, starting in the Nordics over 20 years ago, and how it became one of Europe’s most successful and respected venture franchises. From early challenges to establishing a long-term vision, we explore what it takes to build an enduring VC brand.In this episode:🇺🇸 How a trip to Stanford in 1999 inspired Staffan to build a VC firm in Europe🎵 The early days of Creandum and backing Spotify pre-hype💰 The strategy behind holding long and building funds for 17+ years🧠 Advice for emerging managers on picking LPs and thinking long-term🏦 Building a venture franchise vs. just a firm⭐ Brand-building in VC and leveraging the power of the portfolio🤖 The inside story on investing in Lovable, Europe’s hottest new startup🇪🇺 Why Staffan remains bullish on European innovation despite structural challengesA masterclass in longevity, strategy, and humility in venture capital—this is one for fund managers, founders, and startup ecosystem nerds alike.Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and follow The Riding Unicorns podcast on your favourite platform and stay connected with us on social media for more inspiring episodes! 🎙️🦄

Subscribe to our newsletter here. Follow us on LinkedIn here.Subscribe to our YouTube channel here.Joseph Pizzolato is the Founder & General Partner at Defiant VC, a newly launched venture fund bringing a tech-first approach to investing.Joseph shares his journey from engineering to venture capital, his experiences at Vitruvian Partners and Felix Capital, and what led him to take the leap and launch Defiant. He explains how the fund is using data-driven insights, deep thematic research, and proprietary software to build a new model for venture investing.We also discuss:The future of venture capital and why it needs to evolveThe role of proprietary technology in sourcing, selecting, and supporting startupsHow to structure a portfolio thoughtfully and avoid ‘groupthink’ in VCJoseph’s views on AI investing and why it may be overhypedLessons from raising a first-time fund in one of the toughest VC marketsThis is a must-listen for VCs, LPs, and founders interested in the future of venture capital and how emerging funds can differentiate in a crowded market.Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and follow The Riding Unicorns podcast on your favourite platform and stay connected with us on social media for more inspiring episodes! 🎙️🦄

Subscribe to our newsletter here.Follow us on LinkedIn here.Subscribe to our YouTube channel here. In this episode of Riding Unicorns, we’re joined by Aidan Rushby, Founder & CEO of Carmoola, a fintech company reinventing the way people buy used cars through a seamless, mobile-first car finance experience.Aidan shares his journey from running a property rental marketplace to identifying a massive opportunity in car finance, how he validated his business model before launching, and the lessons he learned from raising over £250m in debt and equity funding.We also dive into:How Carmoola is leveraging automation and behavioral economics to create a superior lending experienceThe challenges of building a high-growth, capital-intensive fintechWhat it takes to scale a fully automated lending platformThe importance of validating key business assumptions before committingThe future of car finance and Carmoola’s expansion plansThis is an insightful conversation for fintech founders, investors, and anyone interested in disrupting traditional industries with technology.Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and follow The Riding Unicorns podcast on your favourite platform and stay connected with us on social media for more inspiring episodes! 🎙️🦄

Subscribe to our newsletter here.Follow us on LinkedIn here.Subscribe to our YouTube channel here. Mike Smeed, Managing Director at InMotion Ventures, Jaguar Land Rover’s corporate venture capital arm.Mike shares his journey from a career in finance to leading one of the most active CVCs in the UK. He provides unique insights into the role of corporate venture capital in driving strategic innovation, supporting startups, and helping transform legacy industries like automotive.In this episode, we cover:The vision behind InMotion Ventures and its focus on climate, industrial, and enterprise techBalancing strategic goals with financial returns as a CVCHow InMotion Ventures partners with startups to accelerate innovation at Jaguar Land RoverThe evolving landscape of driverless cars and the future of autonomous vehiclesThe importance of longevity and integration for CVC successMike also offers a fascinating perspective on the value of collaboration between CVCs and startups, as well as what it takes to build a sustainable and impactful venture arm.Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and follow The Riding Unicorns podcast on your favourite platform and stay connected with us on social media for more inspiring episodes! 🎙️🦄

Subscribe to our newsletter here.Follow us on LinkedIn here.Subscribe to our YouTube channel here.This week on Riding Unicorns, we’re joined by Adam Norris, Founder & CEO of Pure Electric, one of the leading premium electric scooter brands. Adam is also well known for playing a key role in managing the career of his son, Lando Norris, McLaren F1 driver.From building the UK’s largest pension business at Hargreaves Lansdown to investing in 30+ startups through Horatio Investments, Adam has a fascinating entrepreneurial journey that has spanned multiple industries. Now, he’s on a mission to revolutionise urban mobility with Pure Electric, creating world-class electric scooters designed for global markets.In this episode, we discuss:🔹 Early struggles & drive – How Adam overcame dyslexia, academic setbacks & early career challenges🔹 Building Hargreaves Lansdown’s pensions empire – Spotting trends early & scaling a market-defining business🔹 Angel investing & lessons learned – Why he backed 30+ startups & how it shaped his entrepreneurial approach🔹 Scaling Pure Electric – The global opportunity in micro-mobility & how he’s competing with industry giants🔹 Lando Norris’s journey to F1 – The untold story of the dedication, investment & sacrifices behind his success🔹 Big ambitions – Why Adam believes Pure Electric could become the “Apple of scooters”Adam also shares his unique approach to work ethic, his zero-distraction mindset, and how he thinks about long-term, category-defining businesses.Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and follow The Riding Unicorns podcast on your favourite platform and stay connected with us on social media for more inspiring episodes! 🎙️🦄

Stefano Vaccino is the Founder and CEO of Yapily, a leading open banking infrastructure provider.Stefano shares his unique journey from a career in nanotransistor research and investment banking to discovering his passion for technology and founding Yapily. We explore how open banking regulations like PSD2 inspired him to create a mission-driven company and the challenges he faced as a solo founder building one of the leading players in this competitive space.In this episode, we discuss:Stefano’s career transition from corporate life at Goldman Sachs to becoming a tech founderKey insights on when to take the entrepreneurial leap and how to manage the risksThe evolution of open banking, its global potential, and the massive opportunities it unlocks in payments, lending, and identity verificationLessons on building credibility as a solo founder, raising funding from top VCs and fintech leaders, and navigating a competitive landscapeThe importance of resilience, family support, and maintaining balance as a founderStefano’s insights into open banking’s future and the role Yapily plays in transforming financial services are invaluable for founders, operators, and anyone curious about fintech innovation.Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and follow The Riding Unicorns podcast on your favourite platform and stay connected with us on social media for more inspiring episodes! 🎙️🦄

Mandeep Singh is an angel investor and co-founder and former CEO of Trouva, a marketplace for independent boutiques that was acquired by Made.com.Mandeep takes us through his journey from founding Trouva, navigating its growth, and the eventual exit, to his current role as an active angel investor with a portfolio of over 80 companies.In this episode, we dive into:The story behind Trouva’s evolution, including the pivots and lessons learned from building both B2B and consumer propositionsThe challenges of building a marketplace, balancing stakeholders, and achieving product-market fitReflections on fundraising, scaling, and navigating acquisitionsMandeep’s approach to angel investing, what he looks for in founders, and his perspective on valuation at the earliest stagesLessons on resilience, grit, and determination, drawn from his entrepreneurial journeyMandeep also shares unique insights into the European startup ecosystem, including the challenges of scaling marketplaces and the capital landscape for ambitious founders.Whether you’re a founder, investor, or just curious about the behind-the-scenes of startup life, this episode is packed with valuable takeaways. Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and follow The Riding Unicorns podcast on your favourite platform and stay connected with us on social media for more inspiring episodes! 🎙️🦄