Nova&Boba

Ama
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated weekly

The Nova and Boba Podcast is here 🎸 Nova and Boba is the ONLY podcast dedicated to interviewing the UK’s most innovative young founders, offering aspiring entrepreneurs real and relatable insights to learn from. In our conversations I look to explore the Highs and Lows and everything in between about the journey of being a young and new founder while drinking one of my favourites: Boba Tea🧋 Are you ready to start a business? Don’t let this podcast put you off.

  1. 17 Jul ·  Video

    How a Non-Technical Founder Got Investment Before He Had a Company

    Maverick is not your typical founder. Laid off two days after moving to London. No clients, no money, no safety net. Told by a close friend that he didn’t know how to build a company. Twelve months later, he’d raised investment, built an AI start-up from scratch, and landed his first paying customers. This is the unfiltered story of what it actually costs to build something from zero. In this episode, we cover: How a third-generation gambling family shaped Maverick’s obsession with betting only on what he can control The rocket ship start-up Maverick joined that swiftly collapsed and what he learnt from this t How cold LinkedIn DMs and relentless outreach landed him his first clients in weeks How a single LinkedIn video caught the attention of a three-time YC founder and changed everything What working at $100 million Model ML company taught him about standards, sales, and speed Why he moved to San Francisco, lasted six weeks, and left on his own terms How he booked a one-way ticket to Vietnam with barely any money and kept building anyway What Maverick Intelligence actually does and how it turns anonymous website visitors into paying customers Why he’s focused on the US market and what GDPR means for founders building in this space His honest take on AI agents and how Maverick Intelligence identifies thousands of people every single day, around the clock The exact sales tools he uses including Clay, Orange Slice, Instantly, and Condo Why A/B testing before 10,000 users is a complete waste of time How to upskill technically without a computer science background Why graduate schemes might actually be holding young people back The one piece of advice for anyone sitting on an idea they still haven’t started. This is a revenge arc, a masterclass in sales, and one of the most honest founder conversations we’ve had on the show. Connect with Maverick on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maverick-f/ Learn more about Maverick’s company Maverick Intelligence: https://maverickintelligence.co/

    How a Non-Technical Founder Got Investment Before He Had a Company

  2. 15 Jul ·  Video

    The Problem With the UK Startup Ecosystem

    Josh Tulloch, Co-Founder of Plugged, joins us this week to discuss the entrepreneur- first model, offering an alternative route to the traditional corporate chains. He also offers great insights into both, maintaining the original atmosphere of a company while monetizing and understanding graduate job opportunities. Hope you enjoy. WE ARE HOSTING A HACKATHON £20K UP FOR GRABS SIGN UP HERE: https://luma.com/speedbuild2026 Connect with Guest LinkedIn- https://uk.linkedin.com/in/joshua-tulloch?trk=org-employees Follow Us On... 📲 Tiktok @novaandbobapod 📲 YouTube @novandbova 📲 Instagram @novaandbobapod

  3. 30 Jun ·  Video

    The Brutal Truth About Co-founder Relationships While Scaling Your First Company at Uni

    Hope you enjoy this episode with super cool founders Peter and Marlene, they started a business at uni and went on to exit this business to one of the UK's fastest growing companies at just 24 years old. They are now launching their second company together called Calibr. Calibr helps high-growth organisations source and train the people who drive operational AI efficiency inside companies. Hope you enjoy. 00:00 LinkedIn Royalty Intro 00:17 Co-Founder Chemistry 03:18 Unlikely Friendship 04:00 How They Met 05:51 Graduate Guide Mission 08:44 Business Model Experiments 11:55 From Recruitment to Product 13:51 Acquisition Story 18:55 Founder Mindset Lessons 19:58 Consulting Feels Boring 20:22 ADHD and Craving Novelty 21:10 What Calibr Actually Does 22:01 Rebuilding Workflows With AI 23:12 Training AI Transformation Teams 24:49 New AI Roles and Upskilling 27:33 AI Layoffs Reality Check 31:24 Is University Still Worth It 37:04 Advice for Aspiring Founders 39:21 Closing and Part Two Tease Follow Us On.. 📲 Tiktok @novaandbobapod 📲 YouTube @novandbova 📲 Instagram @novaandbobapod

  4. 11 Jun ·  Video

    Gen Z Doesn't Hate Ads They Hate Bad Ads

    Alexandra Naomi Perez is Chief of Staff at Thrad AI, a startup building the infrastructure for advertising inside LLMs like ChatGPT. She went from studying politics and security at UCL to becoming one of the youngest operators in AI and in this episode, she breaks down exactly how she did it. We talk about why Gen Z hates bad ads (not ads themselves), why Silicon Valley feels nothing like the UK startup scene, and how the next generation of founders can become "technical" without learning to code from scratch. Alexandra also shares why startups should sacrifice hours, not relationships, why capable women in tech still battle imposter syndrome, and why your environment matters more than your talent. Plus: how AI tools, automations, and agentic workflows are reshaping startup operations, why founders should ditch the work-life balance debate and chase efficiency instead, and what it actually takes to be a great Chief of Staff at an early-stage company. Also in this episode: moving from Geneva to London to San Francisco, cold-starting a career in AI without a traditional background, building startup systems with Claude and N8N, what founders get wrong about ambition and why building a company is still the coolest, funnest thing you can do. In this episode, we cover:- Why Gen Z doesn't hate ads, they hate bad ads, and what Thrad AI is building to fix that What advertising inside LLMs like ChatGPT actually looks like and why it's the next frontier Her path from studying politics and security at UCL to becoming one of the youngest operators in AI How to cold-start a career in AI without a traditional technical background Why Silicon Valley feels completely different from the UK startup scene, and what moving from Geneva to London to San Francisco taught her How founders can become "technical" without learning to code from scratch Why startups should sacrifice hours, not relationships Why women in tech struggle with imposter syndrome even when they're more than capable Why your environment matters more than your talent How AI tools, automations, and agentic workflows (Claude, N8N) are changing how startups operate Why founders should stop obsessing over work-life balance and focus on efficiency instead What it actually means to be a great Chief of Staff at an early-stage company What founders get wrong about ambition, and why building a company is still the coolest and funnest thing you can do #AI #Startups #WomenInTech #ChiefOfStaff #TechPodcast

    Gen Z Doesn't Hate Ads They Hate Bad Ads

  5. 31 May ·  Video

    DeepMind Scholar Closing Tech’s Biggest Gender Gap.

    Sedinam Simpson is the co-founder and strategy lead at The Tech Bros but her journey to get there is anything but ordinary. A Google DeepMind Scholar and MPhil graduate in Machine Learning and Machine Intelligence from the University of Cambridge, Sedinam has spent her career sitting at the intersection of cutting-edge AI research, entrepreneurship, and building pathways for the next generation of founders. She joins us for an honest conversation about what it really takes to break into tech, why she co-founded The Tech Bros, and what the industry still gets wrong about women in entrepreneurship. In this episode, we cover: The problem that drove Sedinam to co-found The Tech Bros and why it needed to exist What getting into Cambridge actually looked like and what it taught her Where to begin if you want to learn to code practical advice for complete beginners What running an accelerator programme has taught her about early-stage founders The biggest barriers holding women back in tech and entrepreneurship and what needs to change The most impressive founders she’s worked with and what sets them apart How she founded Chara, a sustainable fashion brand, as an undergraduate Allan Gray Orbis Foundation Fellow Her path from Data Scientist to strategy lead and what she learnt along the way Whether you’re a woman navigating your way into tech, an aspiring founder looking for your first step, or simply curious about what it takes to build at the frontier of AI this episode is for you. #WomenInTech #AIResearch #MachineLearning #GoogleDeepMind #Cambridge #TechBros #Accelerator #BlackWomenInTech #SustainableFashion #LearnToCode #FounderStories #DiversityInTech #AIStartups #Entrepreneurship2025 #FemaleFounders #DataScience #StartupAdvice #AfricanFounders #AllanGray #TechCommunity

    DeepMind Scholar Closing Tech’s Biggest Gender Gap.

  6. 29 May ·  Video

    The Man Fixing 50 Years of Broken Women’s Health.

    Samuel is building something that has been overlooked for decades. A natural, vegan, plant-based contraceptive gel that works with the body rather than against it. And he is doing it from a lab he built in his shed. C Silk is a femtech start-up at the frontier of reproductive health, and this conversation covers everything from the science behind it to the brutal reality of building a MedTech company from scratch with no institutional backing and no rich family behind you. In this episode, we cover: Why Samuel, a biochemical engineer and former biopharma professional, became a male founder in women’s health The personal experiences that revealed just how broken the reproductive healthcare system really is Why prescriptions for the contraceptive pill have halved in the last decade and what that means for the market The rise of fertility awareness methods and why women are increasingly giving up on hormonal contraception altogether Why women were excluded from clinical trials until the late 1990s and the enormous gap that has left in female healthcare The science behind C Silk and how the female body naturally creates an inhospitable environment for sperm How Samuel studied a US FDA-approved competitor, identified its flaws, and built a better product What spermicides from the 1970s got catastrophically wrong and why nothing significant changed for fifty years The moment under a microscope that proved the product actually works How to bootstrap a MedTech prototype with a few hundred pounds and a shed Navigating UK, EU, and US regulatory frameworks as a post-Brexit medical device start-up Why smart money matters more than any money in MedTech The NHS grant rejection letter Samuel framed on his wall as motivation What building a team in deep tech actually looks like when resources are limited Practical advice for anyone who wants to build a start-up from zero This is one of the most important problems being worked on right now, and one of the most honest conversations we have had on the show. ▶️ Watch on YouTube: [link] 💙🧋 #FemTech #WomensHealth #ReproductiveHealth #NaturalContraception #MedTech #HealthcareInnovation #StartupAdvice #BiochemicalEngineering #Biopharma #CSilk #FemaleHealth #BootstrappedFounder #MedicalDevice #HealthStartup #HormoneHealth #ContraceptionAlternatives #StartupLife #Entrepreneurship2025 #FounderStory #UCL

    The Man Fixing 50 Years of Broken Women’s Health.

  7. 22 May ·  Video

    10x Hackathon Winner Reveals the Fail-Proof System That Wins Every Time.

    Natalie is not the best coder in the room. She will be the first to tell you that but she keeps winning hackathons, going viral on LinkedIn, and building things that nobody else sees coming. In this episode, Natalie breaks down the exact process behind winning hackathons, navigating male-dominated AI spaces as a young woman, and why the tools available right now mean that almost anyone can build something extraordinary. In this episode, we cover: The step by step process Natalie uses to win hackathons, and why being the best coder is not the point How to find out what judges actually want before you build anything Why solo hackathon entries are becoming more viable than team ones in the current era of AI tools How she won the Perplexity Hackathon solo and walked away with five thousand pounds in cash What Claude Code, Cursor, and Codex actually look like in a real workflow How to use AI sub-agents as employees and delegate tasks the way you would to a team Why the fastest way to get good at AI tools is to fail with as many of them as possible The moment a stranger at a hackathon told her she could never be a founder, and what she did next What it is really like being a woman in AI-dominated spaces and how she keeps showing up anyway Why code security is being ignored in the race for speed, and what the real dangers are How to write LinkedIn posts that catch the algorithm in the first hour What building a winning hackathon project actually looks like. Why she is going all in on 3D and spatial AI after she graduates Whether you are a student, an aspiring founder, or someone who has ever felt like they do not belong in a room, this episode will change how you think about what is possible right now. ▶️ Watch on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@novaandbobastartups?si=4dWzLsx55iudE70w #Hackathon #WomenInTech #AITools #ClaudeCode #VibeCoders #SoloFounder #GenZFounders #LinkedInGrowth #AIAgents #Perplexity #Cursor #Codex #BuildInPublic #StudentFounder #SpatialAI #TechCommunity #AIStartups #LearnToCode #Entrepreneurship2025 #FutureOfWork

    10x Hackathon Winner Reveals the Fail-Proof System That Wins Every Time.

  8. 8 May ·  Video

    The Ugly Cost of Building an AI StartUp at 22 That Nobody Puts on LinkedIn

    Nico first came on Nova & Boba in November 2023, still at university, still building. Since then he’s been featured in Forbes, raised $4.1 million, and built an AI start-up from scratch. But behind the headlines is a story most people never see. A cult. Moving countries multiple times. A co-founder split. Legal issues. Health issues. A start-up that failed before one that didn’t. Today we pull back the curtain on what it actually costs to build something at this age. In this episode, we cover: What Nico is building now and why it matters in a market projected to reach $1.8 trillion by 2030. The real lessons from Fuego, the ones he didn’t see coming How to build a defensible AI start-up when there are over 70,000 competitors globally AI agents genuine paradigm shift or overhyped distraction? Whether AI employees working autonomously are the future of early-stage start-ups and where the human still wins Why Bessemer argues that context and memory are the new moats and where most founders get it wrong Co-founder breakups and what his experience was and what he wishes he’d known Why he chose to finish his degree when most of his peers were dropping out What EWOR gave him that he couldn’t have got anywhere else The leadership principles he actually lives by not the ones that sound good How to delegate ownership without losing control His hardest mental health moments as a founder and what got him through How he stayed grounded through relocations, health struggles, and everything in between What’s really driving 54% of Gen Z towards entrepreneurship and whether it matches reality The most underrated opportunities for young people right now How to start from zero, no network, no money, no experience How to learn to sell when nobody knows who you are yet Whether you’re an early-stage founder, a student with an idea, or someone figuring out their next move this is the unfiltered version of what building something real actually looks like. #YoungFounders #AIStartup #GenZEntrepreneurs #StartupLife #FounderMindset #RaisingCapital #AIAgents #VentureCapital #StartupFailure #CoFounderSplit #EWOR #Forbes30Under30 #Entrepreneurship2025 #BuildingInPublic #AITools #FutureOfWork #MentalHealthFounders #StartupAdvice #TechStartup #Fuego

    The Ugly Cost of Building an AI StartUp at 22 That Nobody Puts on LinkedIn
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About

The Nova and Boba Podcast is here 🎸 Nova and Boba is the ONLY podcast dedicated to interviewing the UK’s most innovative young founders, offering aspiring entrepreneurs real and relatable insights to learn from. In our conversations I look to explore the Highs and Lows and everything in between about the journey of being a young and new founder while drinking one of my favourites: Boba Tea🧋 Are you ready to start a business? Don’t let this podcast put you off.

Information

  • Creator
    Ama
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    46
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Ama
  • Show Website
    Nova&Boba