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In this episode of LaunchBase, John Radford sits down with Kevin Jackson, Chairman of AI Forge, to explore what it takes to build and scale AI startups. Kevin shares his journey from advertising to AI, the mission of AI Forge, and the rigorous selection process founders must go through. They dive into the challenges and opportunities in AI, the role of resilience in entrepreneurship, and why AI is becoming as fundamental as electricity.
If you're an aspiring AI founder or curious about where AI is heading, this episode is packed with insights on funding, innovation, and the future of work.
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In this episode of Launch Base, host John Radford is joined by Katie Dunn, an angel investor and startup advisor, to discuss her journey from corporate banking to the world of angel investing. They dive into the critical role of personal branding on LinkedIn, the key qualities that make a successful founder, and the evolving startup ecosystem. Katie shares valuable insights on navigating investor relationships, the significance of founder-market fit, and the growing impact of AI in investment opportunities. Tune in for practical tips on fundraising, networking, and leveraging your unique skills to succeed in the startup world.
Takeaways:
The importance of LinkedIn for building a personal brand and network.
Insights on the transition from corporate banking to angel investing.
What makes a successful founder, and why experience matters.
How to effectively communicate with investors and tell your story.
The evolving role of AI in investment strategies and startup success.
Listen now for actionable advice on securing investment and scaling your startup!
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Saknas det avsnitt?
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In this episode of LaunchBase, I sit down with Dan Bowyer, partner at Super Seed, to discuss early-stage investing and why Europeâs tech scene needs a serious shift.
We cover:
â Why Dubaiâs tech hype doesnât compare to Europe and the US modelâ How Europe can âAmericaniseâ its approach to funding and scalingâ The importance of founder-market fit and how it drives investment decisionsâ Why personalized outreach trumps cold emails when raising capitalâ Danâs new fund focusing on very early-stage startups and what it takes to win
Dan also shares his thoughts on the differences between the European and US startup ecosystems, why second-time founders have an edge, and why having skin in the game is crucial for attracting serious investors. Tune in for insights on how to better navigate early-stage funding and take your startup to the next level.
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In this episode of LaunchBase, I sit down with Kiran Mehta, a former VC turned startup advisor, to break down the biggest mistakes founders make when raising capital. We cover:
â Why B2B SaaS is the safer bet for UK VCsâ What investors really want to see at pre-seed, seed, and Series Aâ The funding challenges founders are facing todayâand how to navigate themâ The real tipping point for scaling a SaaS startupâ Common founder mistakes (and how great founders set themselves apart)
Kiran also shares insights on his transition from VC to working directly with founders, why some startups struggle to raise pre-seed funding, and the importance of hiring well, proving commercial traction early, and knowing when to say no to bad deals.
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In this episode of Launchbase, I sit down with Callum Woodcock, the founder & CEO of WineFi, a platform thatâs transforming fine wine into an accessible investment class.
đ Key Highlights:
How Callum went from idea to ÂŁ1M+ in revenue within seven months.The power of building in public and leveraging LinkedIn for early traction.Raising ÂŁ500K in an oversubscribed pre-seed roundâbefore even having a product.Why personal brand matters for startup founders (and how Callum got his whole team posting).The mindset shift that helped him overcome rejection while fundraising.đą One big takeaway? Startups donât fail because of bad ideas. They fail because they donât find product-market fit fast enough. WineFi nailed it earlyâbefore even launching a platform.
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In this episode of Launchbase, John Radford sits down with Eddie Whittinghamâex-police officer, lawyer, and tech entrepreneur. Eddie bootstrapped The Defense Works, a cybersecurity training company, and successfully exited to Proofpoint, a NASDAQ-listed firm. Now, heâs building Ministry of Work, a premium co-working space for ambitious founders.
They discuss:
â Bootstrapping to exitâwhat worked and what didnâtâ The role of luck vs. hard work in startup successâ Why most online training is terribleâand how Eddie made it betterâ The reality of selling a businessâhow Proofpoint found him through LinkedInâ Why founder networks matter more than ever
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Jonathan Keeling has seen fundraising from all anglesâhelping CrowdCube raise over ÂŁ1B for 1,000 startups and now scaling Haatch from ÂŁ50M to ÂŁ250M AUM.
In this episode, we dive into the realities of startup fundraising, crowdfunding doâs and donâts, and what investors really look for. We also explore how UK investors differ from their US counterparts, the rise of AI-powered startups, and why recycled capital is key to a thriving ecosystem. If youâre raising or investing, this oneâs for you!
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This week, we end off Season 1 with a bang as we sit down with Gabriela Hersham, Co-Founder and CEO of Huckletree. Huckletree is the home of conscious entrepreneurship across the UK and Ireland, providing a network of mentors, talent, investors and experts, along with the right services to help their members grow.
We discuss what the future of work may look like in a post-pandemic world, the role of community in facilitating growth and avoiding the founder trap of approaching the startup as a lifestyle, rather than a stackable business.
Sources:
Huckletree: https://www.huckletree.com/about
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With the dog days of lockdown slowly lifting, there are businesses that have built and maintained communities that have kept the world a happier place and our guests this week are one of them. BorrowMyDoggy is a digital platform that connects dog owners with trusted local people who would love to look after their dog and make it easy to arrange walks, playtime, overnight stays or holidays. Grab a coffee and sit back as we discuss all things funding and launch, the importance of building a community with your users and the importance of the pivot in accommodating platforms that rely on community building during the pandemic.
Sources:
Borrow My Doggy - https://cutt.ly/4x4KkPs
The Mom Test - https://cutt.ly/kx4KSVP
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When it comes to developing digital products, it takes a village. And when it comes to building product for companies that strive to do good in the world, it makes the journey that much sweeter. This week at Launch Base HQ, we are joined by Rachael Box, Founder of Local Village Network (LVN). LVN are a charity dedicated to tackling network poverty and social inequality. Our sponsor Borne Agency partnered with LVN in delivering a native mobile application, connecting young people to volunteers and a world of opportunities.
We touch base on the influence of tech in bridging network poverty and what that entails and the future of "tech for good." Our host discusses the importance of keeping your user in mind when it comes to designing products for charities and defining your product roadmap through user-testing sessions as your product evolves.
Sources:
Website: https://www.lvn.org.uk/
Download the App: https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/lvn/id1209440307
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Different founders make different kinds of mistakes. This is where DropJaw comes in. DropJaw Ventures are a specialist business advisory firm and provide access to capital, interim management and advisory services to scale up businesses and companies in need of a turnaround.
This week, we have an insightful discussion with Roy Shelton, Managing Partner at DropJaw Ventures on the challenges faced by young, emerging, scale-ups and more established companies who are driving for greater efficiency and commercialisation.
We delve into:
How do you assess risk management?
What kind of growth levels do investors look for?
Funding fatigue and how to break the funding distraction.
Industries investors are excited about in 2021.
DropJaw Ventures: https://www.dropjawventures.co.uk/
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Execution is everything. This morning, our host is joined by Lydia Jones, Founder and CEO of Housemates. Housemates is a marketplace to discover and book student accommodation in minutes. Lydia has been featured in TechRoundâs 29 under 29 for 2020 and BusinessCloudâs 35 under 35 to watch in the UK.
We discuss staying curious when solving a problem through product and building a product your users didnât know they needed. We chat about the importance of shame when it comes to your first MVP and remaining agile when finding that red hot centre when building the best value problem product.
Links: https://housemates.io/
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This week, we decode the role of CTO with our guest Andy Skipper, Founder and Chief CTO Coach at CTO Craft. CTO Craftâs community brings together technology leaders from across the world, from small startups to global organisations. They offer an easily digestible range of deep-dive courses and programmes to help technology leaders of all experience levels. We discuss the role of a CTO, what that entails, how CTO's can recognise how to make the transition from engineer to team leader and all the wrong ways to do agile.
Sources mentioned:
CTO Craft Conference: https://conference.ctocraft.com/
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The terms 'Artificial Intelligence', 'Machine Learning' and 'Big Data' have been in the limelight throughout 2020 and 2021 has been no exception. Our guest this week saw this potential and their portfolio demonstrates this. This week, our host has a catch up with Mads Jensen, Managing Partner at SuperSeed. SuperSeed accelerates B2B startups in launching great AI-focused products. John picks Mad's brain on all things: Big Data and AI, what characteristics do VC's look for in a founder, the role of MVP in solving a problem, and should our politicians be listening to robots?
Sources mentioned:
Borne Agency - https://borneagency.com/
SuperSeed - https://www.superseed.com/
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When it comes to scaling a business from the ground up, you want to build a category-defining company that owns the entire space and adds value for your users. This week, John dives in with Dr Charles Armitage, Co-Founder and CEO of Florence, an online marketplace that connects independent nurses and carers for freelance shifts.
Re-inventing your startup at every opportunity is key whilst scaling to pivot your business with your userâs changing needs. We discuss building products that are user-centric and defining your product-market fit on the roadblocks that may appear along the way and learn from the mistakes because that is what an MVP is for.
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Passion, Resilience, Coachable, Curiosity.
These are the qualities that seed/pre-seed investment firms like TIA Ventures look for in entrepreneurs and bringing 'Thought Into Action'. This week, John grabs a virtual coffee with Wills Hapworth, Managing General Partner at TIA Ventures, a seed-stage venture capital fund that partners with companies building emotional and visceral connections with their consumers.
We discuss identifying your âNorth Starâ as an entrepreneur and recognising your visceral product-market fit. We touch base on questions like: âAre MVPâs still relevant?â, "How do you get your product to market?â, "Are your credentials as an entrepreneur important to investors?â and unpacking the success stories by learning from the failures.
Sources:
âSuperhumanâ Article: https://firstround.com/review/how-superhuman-built-an-engine-to-find-product-market-fit/
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Execution is everything. When launching your digital product, you should always have the âwhyâ and the âhowâ and sell your product in just one sentence. This week, we sit down with Nick Miller, UK Country Manager for Payfit on launching your product lean and focusing on the âless is moreâ mantra. Understanding your user and what problem you are solving for them through your MVP will save you money in the long-run.
We dive into pinpointing what is essential when it comes to launching an agile product: âWhat is your selling point?â, "What objectives are you trying to achieve?â, and âHow do you allocate your resources to create a product with a high level of excellence?â
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For those of us starting the journey towards launching our own business or startup, taking those first steps may seem daunting. This week, we have a chat with Lex Deak, Founder of Basket, on delving into the vast and multi-faceted world of entrepreneurship and starting a business from the ground up: the good, the bad and the funny.
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To say that 2020 was a rollercoaster ride is the understatement of the century. In times of chaos, however, comes opportunity. This week, we sit down with Molly Johnson-Jones, Co-Founder of flexa, to discuss launching your product during a pandemic and the challenges and opportunities that come with keeping your product and startup thriving in the chaos.
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We're in a business climate transformed by a global pandemic and tech founders need help figuring out how to navigate the seed round and impress investors and stand out from the crowd. This week, we sit down with Robert Walsh, the Managing Partner at Q Ventures. Robert answers our burning questions: What key qualities do investors look for in your business? What is your idea disrupting? Is it necessary to have a working MVP when approaching an investment company?
