SEEKERS

Pony Studio
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The decisions behind the growth. SEEKERS talks to the founders and operators who built companies through risky bets, hard pivots, and the calls that changed everything. Featuring leaders from Dropbox, HubSpot, Wise, Meta, and Hotjar. Hosted by Desi Velikova from Pony Studio.

  1. How to Master Public Speaking (Even If You're Terrified of It) - Dr. Alexander McWilliam, Public Speaking Expert

    28/07/2025

    How to Master Public Speaking (Even If You're Terrified of It) - Dr. Alexander McWilliam, Public Speaking Expert

    Send us Fan Mail The odds are… you're afraid of public speaking. And if not, you've definitely cringed through enough presentations to know it's a real struggle for many. In this episode of SEEKERS, we speak with Dr. Alexander McWilliam - actor, coach, and one of the few people in the world with a PhD in public speaking anxiety. He’s also the founder of Improv4Business, where he uses improvisation and performance psychology to help people become confident, engaging communicators. We talk about: Why public speaking makes people panic—and how to rewire that fearWhat most people get wrong about delivering a messageThe power of voice, body, and presenceHow improv techniques can transform how you speakWhy storytelling matters, even in boring meetingsAnd whether “fake it till you make it” actually worksWhether you're pitching investors, leading meetings, or just want to stop dreading Zoom calls - this episode is for you.  Connect with Alex: 🌐 improv4business.co.uk  🔗 LinkedIn – Dr. Alexander McWilliam

    46 min
  2. From Gamer to Web3 Disruptor: How Amos Whitewolf Is Rebuilding Gamer Trust with PerionXP

    07/05/2025

    From Gamer to Web3 Disruptor: How Amos Whitewolf Is Rebuilding Gamer Trust with PerionXP

    Send us Fan Mail Amos Whitewolf is the co-founder and CTO of PerionXP, a platform that’s redefining how gamers interact with Web3 by layering gamified quests and crypto rewards on top of massive mainstream games like Fortnite. A lifelong gamer and entrepreneur, Amos went from boosting League of Legends accounts as a teenager to becoming the #1 ranked player on Axie Infinity, before launching a startup that’s now onboarded over 100,000 verified players. In this episode, Desi sits down with Amos to uncover:  How PerionXP gamifies gaming itself, letting players choose the missions they actually love and earn rewards The real reasons Web3 gaming got such a bad reputation (hint: it wasn’t just NFTs) Why community-led onboarding crushed every paid marketing tactic they tried What it takes to build a crypto-native platform that feels fun and sticky, not just speculative Amos’s bold vision for a Ready Player One–style future, where your in-game identity might be more valuable than your real one The return of “play for keeps” — how Amos sees in-game ownership reshaping the future of gamingThe billion-dollar question: how do we onboard Web2 gamers into Web3 without alienating them?If you’re curious about the future of gaming, Web3, or how to build a product that grows organically through genuine love (not hype!) this one’s for you. Connect with Amos on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/amos-whitewolf-258b70140/ PerionXP website - https://xp.gg/ PerionXP on Twitter https://x.com/PerionDAO

    35 min
  3. From 0 to $25M ARR Bootstrapped: Adam Robinson’s Blueprint for SaaS Growth Without Funding

    24/03/2025

    From 0 to $25M ARR Bootstrapped: Adam Robinson’s Blueprint for SaaS Growth Without Funding

    Send us Fan Mail Adam Robinson is the founder of two successful SaaS companies - RB2B, a platform that identifies anonymous B2B website visitors and turns them into actionable sales signals, and Retention.com, which helps eCommerce brands recover abandoned carts and reconnect with lost visitors through identity resolution. He bootstrapped RB2B to $5M in Annual Recurring Revenue in just 15 months, and hit $1M ARR with Retention.com in only 27 weeks - all built with a lean team, no outside investment, and a strong founder-led growth strategy. In this episode we dive deep into: Why cold outreach is dying and what’s replacing itWhy freemium can backfire and the danger of selling to the wrong customerWhat most early-stage founders get wrong about lead gen and product-market fitThe real stories behind Rb2b and Retention.com (if you're wondering this domain costed him $800K)How Adam built a $20M ARR business with just a LinkedIn account and some gutsThe power of maximizing humanity in a world flooded with AI-generated contentWhy building an audience-first is the most efficient launch strategy todayThe exact mistakes founders make when they try to “automate” sales too earlyWhy being brutally honest about your startup is a growth moat in itselfWhy Adam believes most B2B startups should forget about outbound (for now)The mindset shift that took him from email copycat to a differentiated category leader Connect with Adam on LinkedIn

    52 min
  4. How to Scale as a CEO – Mindset, Strategy & Leadership Shifts | Joe Leech, CEO Coach

    12/02/2025

    How to Scale as a CEO – Mindset, Strategy & Leadership Shifts | Joe Leech, CEO Coach

    Send us Fan Mail Joe Leech is a seasoned CEO coach with over 20 years in tech and a track record of adding $20 billion in revenue across various companies. In this episode of SEEKERS, Joe shares his insights on the human challenges that often hinder business growth and the mindset shifts necessary for leaders to evolve from founders to successful CEOs. With a background in tech, user experience, and product management, Joe brings a unique perspective to leadership coaching. Key Topics Discussed: Identifying Personal Bottlenecks: How leaders can recognise when they are the primary obstacle to their company's growth.Mindset Shifts: The essential changes in perspective that differentiate a founder from a CEO.The Inner vs. Outer Game of Leadership: The concept of the "inner game" (beliefs, values, identity) and the "outer game" (strategy, communication, execution), explaining why mastering both is crucial for CEOs.Evaluating Team Members: Approaches to assess long-standing team members who may not meet evolving company needs.Strategic Hiring: Determining the next key hire to push your business forward and avoiding hiring mistakes that cost momentum.The Founder’s Dilemma – Visionary vs. Integrator: Understanding whether you're a "track-layer" (visionary) or a "train-runner" (integrator) and how hiring the right counterpart can dramatically improve your company’s execution.Letting Go: The importance of delegation and trusting your team to take the reins.Scaling Company Culture Beyond the Founder: Why early-stage founders’ values naturally shape company culture but become diluted as the business grows, and how to intentionally maintain or evolve culture at scale.Avoiding Hiring Mistakes That Cost You Six Months (or More): The real cost of hiring the wrong person isn’t just financial – it’s lost momentum. Joe explains how to spot hiring mistakes early and avoid them altogether.The CEO’s Role in Creating Effortless Success: How great leaders reduce friction in their companies by setting up systems that make success feel "effortless" rather than constantly pushing uphill. Joe's Website: https://mrjoe.uk/modernceo/ Joe's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joeleech/ Joe's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@mrjoe-coach

    51 min
  5. From Corporate Lawyer to Social Impact Entrepreneur: Sanjay Lobo's Journey with OnHand

    02/08/2024

    From Corporate Lawyer to Social Impact Entrepreneur: Sanjay Lobo's Journey with OnHand

    Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Desi sits down with Sanjay Lobo, the CEO of OnHand, the leading volunteering platform revolutionising employee engagement. From his humble beginnings in South London, to his impressive career trajectory through senior roles at Lastminute.com and Vistaprint, Sanjay shares his unique journey from lawyer to tech founder.  Discover how his background as a lawyer shaped his innovative approach to business and learn about the pivotal moments that led to the success of OnHand.  Key Takeaways: Early Life & Inspiration: Sanjay reflects on his childhood in Tooting, the challenges he faced, and the aspirations that guided him towards a career in law and eventually tech entrepreneurship.Career Path: Insight into Sanjay’s transition from law to senior roles at lastminute.com and Vistaprint, highlighting the skills and experiences that prepared him for founding OnHand. Unlike most lawyers, Sanjay was obsessed with using the law to find loopholes that could drive growth.Founding OnHand: The motivation behind OnHand's inception, the initial business model, and the strategic shift to a B2B model that focuses on employee engagement and corporate social responsibility.Challenges & Growth: The critical decisions and challenges faced by OnHand, including the impact of COVID-19 and the transition from a consumer-focused to a corporate-focused platform.Dragon’s Den Experience: Sanjay shares his experience on Dragon’s Den, securing offers from four dragons, and the subsequent impact on OnHand’s growth and visibility. But are the dragons part of the business today?Personal Insights: Sanjay discusses the personal and professional transformation he has undergone as a founder, the importance of confidence, and his dedication to making a social impact.Connect with Sanjay on LinkedIn. Check out OnHand.

    44 min
  6. Thomas Robson-Kanu: From Football Glory to Health Revolution with The Turmeric Co.

    09/07/2024

    Thomas Robson-Kanu: From Football Glory to Health Revolution with The Turmeric Co.

    Send us Fan Mail If you're a football fan, you might remember Thomas Robson-Kanu from his Premier League days at Reading F.C. or his spectacular goal in Euro 2016, which helped Wales reach the semi-finals. Today, Thomas is the founder and CEO of The Turmeric Co., one of the UK's leading functional beverage companies. Born from his personal health journey, The Turmeric Co. was established in 2018 and quickly grew to prominence with its unique turmeric shots designed to promote wellness, boasting over 15,000 life-changing customer testimonials. In this episode, we discussed Thomas's transition from football to entrepreneurship, the origins of The Turmeric Co., and the science behind their products. Thomas shares how his father's turmeric blend helped him recover from severe knee injuries, leading to the creation of their signature turmeric shots. The blend proved so effective that it became Thomas' "secret weapon" throughout his successful football career. Realising the potential to help others, Thomas and his father founded The Turmeric Co. in 2018 to bring this clinically-backed, natural solution to the market. Thomas shared the challenges of maintaining high product quality while scaling up the business, the strategic decisions that have fuelled their growth, and the importance of a subscription model for customer retention. He also provides valuable advice for aspiring entrepreneurs, emphasising the need for passion, perseverance, and continuous learning. We also discussed how his background as a professional footballer shaped him into the CEO he is today and the qualities he gained back then that help him grow the company. "If you have a standard that you're not willing to drop below, then that standard becomes the norm. So you standardise the standard, and if you then have a mentality and a mindset around continuous improvement, all you're doing is increasing and improving that standard all of the time, and that then creates an A-star culture with A-star players within an A-star team." As a former elite athlete and now passionate wellness entrepreneur, Thomas offers a unique perspective on the importance of prioritising health through nutrition. Tune in to hear his inspiring story and vision for The Turmeric Co. Connect with Thomas Robson-Kanu and The Turmeric Co.: The Turmeric Co. https://theturmeric.co/ Follow Thomas on social media: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomashalrobsonkanu/ https://www.instagram.com/robsonkanu/ https://x.com/RobsonKanu

    51 min
  7. How Blockchain and AI Will Shape Our Future - Diego Borgo, Web3 Expert and Co-founder of BorgoLabs

    10/10/2023

    How Blockchain and AI Will Shape Our Future - Diego Borgo, Web3 Expert and Co-founder of BorgoLabs

    Send us Fan Mail Diego Borgo is a seasoned Web3 and Metaverse advisor with a track record of guiding Fortune 500 brands and boasting collaborations with companies like adidas and Mastercard.  He’s also the co-founder of BorgoLabs, a consultancy that helps companies position themselves and drive growth in the Web3 space. We recently collaborated with Diego on a client's project and, as usual, was impressed by the innovative yet practical approach he takes to his projects.  He's the first person we invite for a second interview on this podcast, mainly because we wanted to delve deeper into why we're still in the web3 dip and when the space might recover.  We discussed the reasons why web3 and blockchain have yet to become strong, independent industries. We also touched on some fresh new projects that offer real value and explored where the space is heading in the next few years. And of course, no podcast would be complete without bringing AI into the equation - that's where things really get interesting! You can find Diego on LinkedIn. Check out Borgo Labs

    45 min
  8. Tackling the Realities of UK Youth Issues with Jack Parsons and Leon Marseglia, The Youth Group

    15/09/2023

    Tackling the Realities of UK Youth Issues with Jack Parsons and Leon Marseglia, The Youth Group

    Send us Fan Mail Today, we’re speaking with Jack Parsons and Leon Marseglia - the forces behind the UK’s largest community for young people, The Youth Group. Since launching the company 4 years ago, "Young Jack," as he's often called, has managed to grow their community to 1.7 million young individuals and connect thousands of them with some of the best UK companies offering jobs, upskilling, and mentorship. Their exceptional accomplishments have been recognized by countless awards and honors, one of which is Jack's 'UK's Kindest Leader' award by the Financial Times. When Leon came onboard, they took The Youth Group to one of the top 25 startups in the UK. What we discussed: The inspiring journeys that led Jack and Leon to become successful entrepreneurs in their 20s. The pressing issue of mental health among young people in the UK - why 1 in 6 children in the UK has been identified with a probable mental health problem. The importance of instilling resilience from a young age - why and how. Navigating Choices: With a plethora of opportunities at their fingertips, how can young people find their passions and areas of expertise? Jack and Leon share practical advice. What are the most pressing needs of young people in 2023, and how can we address them effectively? What are the top skills that employers are looking for in young individuals? (Some of them will surprise you!) The growing gap between educational institutions and workforce expectations and what are some practical changes to bridge it. Opportunities Beyond Cities: While cities often take the spotlight, we'll explore actions to create more opportunities for young people in rural areas. Check out Youth Group Connect with Jack Parsons on Linkedin Connect with Leon Marseglia on LinkedIn

    1hr 5min
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5
out of 5
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About

The decisions behind the growth. SEEKERS talks to the founders and operators who built companies through risky bets, hard pivots, and the calls that changed everything. Featuring leaders from Dropbox, HubSpot, Wise, Meta, and Hotjar. Hosted by Desi Velikova from Pony Studio.

Information

  • Creator
    Pony Studio
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2025
  • Episodes
    35
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 SEEKERS
  • Show Website
    SEEKERS