The Difference Engine | B2B Category Design | Private Equity | Venture Capital

Categorical
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The Difference Engine | B2B Category Design | Private Equity | Venture Capital

The Difference Engine helps founders and funders maximise business growth through category design. Hosted by two British northerners with decades of experience in launching, managing, and marketing disruptive tech companies. Paul Maher and Jonathan Simnett have been there, done it and thrown away the slogan t-shirts - now they'll help you become a category king. The Difference Engine - Disrupting Tech Strategy https://www.becategorical.com/

  1. 16 OCT

    32. Could the budget kill the UK tech scene?

    The Labour Party is about to unveil its first budget in over 14 years. This is a huge moment for the country as the foundations for its economic future are put in place. But the budget doesn’t only affect the UK’s bank balance, it also influences the behaviour and values of its citizens. So, will the red briefcase promote entrepreneurship and the category leaders of tomorrow or will it suffocate the UK’s promising tech scene?  Also in today’s episode, we bring you the lessons from two of the UK’s most fascinating meetings of minds; DigiGov and the Sifted Summit What to look forward to: 00:42 The UK budget. Are we killing the golden goose 13:24 DigiGov Expo review 26:34 Sifted Summit review There is more information on how to design your category on our blog Follow us on LinkedIn: Paul Maher Jonathan Simnett Want to create a podcast for your business or brand? Contact Flamingo Media to make it happen.

    39 min

  2. 9 OCT

    31. What’s going on at the CMA?

    How did Microsoft’s controversial ‘partnership’ with UK AI firm Inflection slip through the CMA's (Competition and Markets Authority) net, while Adobe’s multi-billion-dollar Figma acquisition got blocked? In this episode, we dive deep into the paperwork to uncover the methods and motivations behind the CMA’s puzzling ruling on the Inflection deal.  Is the regulator inconsistent, misunderstood, or simply out of its depth? Also in today’s episode, we share the intellectual spoils from this year's Boardwave event and discuss Intel’s uncertain future.  What to look forward to: 00:30 Is the CSA’s clearing of the Inflection deal an inflection point or just a mistake 09:27 Intel’s crossroad 22:42 Broadwave review There is more information on how to design your category on our blog Follow us on LinkedIn: Paul Maher Jonathan Simnett Want to create a podcast for your business or brand? Contact Flamingo Media to make it happen.

    35 min

  3. 25 SEPT

    30. The secrets to scaling your business: Phill Robinson

    In this episode of The Difference Engine, we sit down with a major figure in the global software industry - Phill Robinson. With a career spanning multiple continents and as the CEO of Velocix, IRIS, and Exact, Phil's contributions to the tech world has been monumental.  Today, he’ll share what he learnt from working in the heart of industry giants including Oracle, Sybase, Siebel, and Salesforce.  We’ll also delve into his latest venture: Boardwave. A unique community aimed at helping Europe compete with Silicon Valley and create the next generation of tech category leaders. What to look forward to: 00:10 Phill Robinson introduction 01:22 Boardwave: addressing Europe’s category creation deficit 18:28 The lessons of serial category leadership 29:37 Grinds my gears - unicorns 33:33 Why authenticity matters if you want to be different There is more information on how to design your category on our blog Follow us on LinkedIn: Paul Maher Jonathan Simnett Want to create a podcast for your business or brand? Contact Flamingo Media to make it happen.

    42 min

  4. 11 SEPT

    29. Has Musk gone mad?

    We like Elon Musk's style. In previous episodes, we’ve championed him as a visionary innovator and category king. One of the things we’ve always admired is his bold approach to business. But, his recent posts on X seem less bold, and more barmy. Is Musk’s free speech starting to backfire? Will he be the engineer of his own downfall?  Also in today’s episode, We’ll be looking at the love affair between politicians and tech jobs, asking if the SaaS playbook is the road to category leadership and analysing the aftermath of when Cisco and Linksys collided. What to look forward to: 00:34 Has Musk gone mad? 15:03 Why Tech jobs are not as helpful for politicians as they hope 20:32 When categories collide: Cisco and Linksys There is more information on how to design your category on our blog Follow us on LinkedIn: Paul Maher Jonathan Simnett Want to create a podcast for your business or brand? Contact Flamingo Media to make it happen.

    26 min

  5. 28 AUG

    28. Have we found Europe's AI category leader?

    If you’re a regular listener of the show then you’ll know that we’re always banging on about two things: European category leaders and AI. Well, while sniffing around this year's SaaStr event, our dreams came true. We think we found a potential AI category leader based in Cologne, Germany. Could Jaroslaw Kutylowski’s translation service, DeepL, be the golden goose? Also in today’s episode, We’ll take a look at how Apple is redefining privacy and why London Tech Week needs a big rethink. What to look forward to: 01:24 Can Europe create an AI category leader? 12:41 Apple will redefine the meaning of AI privacy. 17:54 What is the point of London Tech Week? There is more information on how to design your category on our blog Follow us on LinkedIn: Paul Maher Jonathan Simnett Want to create a podcast for your business or brand? Contact Flamingo Media to make it happen.

    27 min

  6. 21 AUG

    27. Putting the SDV in SUV

    Nissan, Honda and Mitsubishi. Three of the greats, and sometimes under-rated manufacturers of automobile. From Honda’s engines revolutionising motorsport to Nissan making the iconic British Austin 7 cars under license, they’ve got a rich history. But where will the future take them? How will their new joint research venture create fundamental software for the next generation of SDVs?  It’s clear that not only are manufacturers seeing a shift in value from parts to software, but that consumers are too. Mainly, we just want Apple CarPlay… Also in today’s episode, we’ll look at whether it was Crowdstrike’s desire to pursue commercial hegemony that put the globe’s IT systems into disarray, why analysts are predicting that Apple will lose 4-5% of profits after the Google court ruling, and we’re not sure what this says about the UK’s tech industry but only six people are actually entrepreneurs in Computer Weekly’s list of UKTech50… What to look forward to: 0134 - Putting the SDV in SUV 1733 - What CrowdStrike teaches us about the wisdom of creating ‘platforms’. 2816 - The Sage of Omaha-ha isn’t funny over in Cupertino 3319 - The UKtech50 2024 - APPARENTLY the most influential people in UK technology There is more information on how to design your category on our blog Follow us on LinkedIn: Paul Maher Jonathan Simnett Want to create a podcast for your business or brand? Contact Flamingo Media to make it happen.

    38 min

  7. 14 AUG

    26. The top 5 greatest tech acquisitions of all time

    In the last episode, we began our exploration of the greatest tech acquisitions of all time, concluding with Booking.com at number six. Their purchase of Priceline returned an impressive $46.6 billion. Now, we move into the top five. These acquisitions dwarf what has come before, each one generating returns of over $100 billion. So, who is going to be number one? (It’s probably not who you think.) Also in today’s episode, We’ll ask who are the best people to lead a Category Design project and what can be learnt from when Dell and EMC collided.  What to look forward to: 00:33 The greatest tech acquisitions of all time (part 2) 15:26 How to set up the ultimate category design team 25:54 When categories collide - Dell and EMC   There is more information on how to design your category on our blog Follow us on LinkedIn: Paul Maher Jonathan Simnett Want to create a podcast for your business or brand? Contact Flamingo Media to make it happen.

    37 min

  8. 31 JUL

    25. Lessons from the greatest tech acquisitions of all time

    Decisions, decisions, decisions. Every workday is just a collection of decisions. Who to hire, when to sell, what shirt goes with this tie. We take a punt and hope it pays off. But what about the decisions with the biggest payoffs? What are the best business decisions of all time? In today’s episode we uncover the stories behind the greatest tech acquisitions ever. Were category leaders created or bought? Also in today’s episode, We’ll find out how AI is reframing the employee experience and what happened when Elon Musk and Twitter collided.  What to look forward to: 00:37    The greatest tech acquisitions of all time (part 1) 18:22    How is AI re-framing the employee experience? 25:54    When Categories Collide - Elon Musk & Twitter There is more information on how to design your category on our blog Follow us on LinkedIn: Paul Maher Jonathan Simnett Want to create a podcast for your business or brand? Contact Flamingo Media to make it happen.

    30 min
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5
out of 5
9 Ratings

About

The Difference Engine helps founders and funders maximise business growth through category design. Hosted by two British northerners with decades of experience in launching, managing, and marketing disruptive tech companies. Paul Maher and Jonathan Simnett have been there, done it and thrown away the slogan t-shirts - now they'll help you become a category king. The Difference Engine - Disrupting Tech Strategy https://www.becategorical.com/

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