The Start-Up Diaries Podcast Burns Sheehan

In today's live recording from the buzzing seminar suite of Queen Mary University London, as part of their vibrant International Women's Day celebrations, we bring you a visionary of university life and co-founder of the 'Youni' app — Georgia Gibson.
Georgia, Co-Founder, Chief creative director + commnity builder at Youni, is not just shaping the way students socialise; she's architecting a digital community.

With Youni's innovative app, the once fragmented world of university societies, social events, and meet-ups come together into a vibrant hub of real-time connectivity. It's the pulse of campus life, right in your pocket.


As a distinguished member of the prestigious Sigma Squared Society, Georgia stands among the globe's brightest young minds who dare to tackle the world's grand challenges. Her mission? To weave the digital with the physical, fostering a tapestry of genuine connections in an often isolated digital age for university students across the UK.
Covering community marketing, female foundership, community building and building a start-up, join the movement, and discover how Georgia and her team at Youni are not just chasing innovation — they're leading it.

The Start-Up Podcast Diaries Season 9 is proudly partnered with UK Cyber Week 2024.
Follow The Start-Up Diaries Podcast on LinkedIn, Instagram, or find more free content from the Tech Recruitment Specialists powering The Start-Up Diaries - Burns Sheehan.

This episode dives into the entrepreneurial journey of Eddy Herman, the co-founder and CTO of Slip—a digital receipt and retail technology company aimed at transforming the retail landscape. Eddy's from Manchester with a background in electronic engineering and with experience at leading companies like Darktrace and The Hut Group, Eddy shares his transition from corporate security to launching his own startup.
Key Takeaways:
 Turning an Idea into Reality: Learn about the conceptualisation of Slip, from an idea about enhancing digital receipts to a functioning business that aims to revolutionise retail tech.Challenges of Starting Up: Eddy shares the challenges and exhilarations of moving from a secure job to the unpredictable world of startups, including the hurdles of fundraising during different economic climates.Company Culture and Management: Insight into creating a company culture and management style that fosters innovation and flexibility, highlighting the practical challenges and solutions in implementing policies like unlimited holidays, commonly seen in the start-up world.Future of Retail and Digital Receipts: Eddie discusses the potential impact of Slip on the retail industry and consumer behaviour, emphasising the importance of customer and data management.Eddy's journey is a testament to the risks and rewards of leaving a stable career to pursue a startup dream, offering valuable lessons on resilience and strategic thinking, and demonstrates how technological innovations can disrupt traditional industries.
Whether you're a budding entrepreneur, a tech enthusiast, or someone interested in the dynamics of starting and running a business, this episode is for you.

The Start-Up Podcast Diaries Season 9 is proudly partnered with UK Cyber Week 2024. Taking place on 17th-18th April 2024 at Olympia London,  join 3000+ cyber tech professionals, to explore the latest developments and equip attendees with the knowledge to protect their businesses. Get your free ticket here.
Follow The Start-Up Diaries Podcast on LinkedIn, Instagram, or find more free content from the Tech Recruitment Specialists powering The Start-Up Diaries - Burns Sheehan.

In this podcast episode, guest Charlotte Ashton, shares her insights and advice into the investment landscape and financial industry particularly focusing on strategic finance and private equity. Charlotte has built her expertise as a board advisor, business coach and investor over a 20+ year career in the corporate finance and private equity sectors.
Her business, Implicit, empowers founders of privately owned businesses to gain freedom and successfully crystallise wealth through proactive succession and sale planning, and provides independent, founder-focused education, coaching and peer-to-peer support she was unable to source in her role as Head of Origination at a £1bn AUM mid-market fund.
The episode covers:
 
Founder Focus: Understand the importance of maintaining control as a founder, aligning business strategies with personal goals, and the critical aspects of exit planning.

Common Pitfalls: Discover the typical traps business owners fall into during the sale process and how to navigate negotiations with investors for successful outcomes.

Exit Strategies: Gain knowledge on various exit strategies, their implications, and how to choose the best path for your business.

Choosing Advisors: The significance of selecting the right advisors to support your journey and the benefits of engaging in peer groups for additional support.
and more!

The Start-Up Podcast Diaries Season 9 is proudly partnered with UK Cyber Week 2024.  Taking place on 17th-18th April 2024 at Olympia London,  join 3000+ cyber tech professionals, to explore the latest developments and equip attendees with the knowledge to protect their businesses. Get your free ticket here.
Follow The Start-Up Diaries Podcast on LinkedIn, Instagram, or find more free content from the Tech Recruitment Specialists powering The Start-Up Diaries - Burns Sheehan.

In this episode we have two investment managers from Mercia Ventures, Adam Lovell (Series A Investor) and Kiran Mehta (Seed Investor).

Mercia Ventures are Venture capital investment for ambitious businesses. They invest into vibrant early-stage and scale up businesses across the UK.

They talk about their roles and experiences in investing, particularly in the fields of software, deep tech, and life sciences. Adam and Kiran share insights into Mercia Ventures' approach to investment, detailing their focus on seed and Series A stages and what they typically look for in companies at these stages.

They also touch upon the importance of team structures, go-to-market strategies, and the challenges startups face in securing investment. The conversation reveals their advice for entrepreneurs seeking investment, emphasising realism, passion for the problem being solved, and the significance of aligning with the right investors.

This episode provides a comprehensive overview of venture capital investment from the perspective of seasoned investors.

The Start-Up Podcast Diaries Season 9 is proudly partnered with UK Cyber Week 2024.  Taking place on 17th-18th April 2024 at Olympia London,  join 3000+ cyber tech professionals, to explore the latest developments and equip attendees with the knowledge to protect their businesses.
Follow The Start-Up Diaries Podcast on LinkedIn, Instagram, or find more free content from the Tech Recruitment Specialists powering The Start-Up Diaries - Burns Sheehan.

Dr Natalie Getreu and the Hertility Team are revolutionising the female health landscape, providing personalised reproductive health solutions tailored to each woman's unique needs, from menstruation to menopause, offering customised testing and services based on individual circumstances through their letterbox home test kits and trailblazing research teams.

Hertility collaborates with companies like Channel Four and Edelman to provide reproductive health benefits for employees, including testing, services, and education, as well as providing the invaluable service direct to consumers.

Australian born Dr Natalie Getreu talks through her personal journey of how she got to developing this product and service, highlighting the importance of supporting women of all ages in the workplace through valuable and impactful modern-day benefits such as Hertility, as well as unpacking the journey for her customers. A business with both a B2B and D2C offering, Natalie unpacks the challenges faced on the development of her businesses from inception to launch, including:
Raising capital for a female oriented product in a male dominated investment worldThe hurdles in developing a medical device Why tracking female reproductive organs and hormones is just as important as tracking any other aspect of your health The importance of diversity in your teamHow to balance holding onto what you love doing as a Founder vs other business demandsWork life balanceThe culture shift in businesses slowly addressing the taboo subject of appropriately supporting women in the workplace The Start-Up Podcast Diaries Season 9 is proudly partnered with UK Cyber Week 2024.  Taking place on 17th-18th April 2024 at Olympia London,  join 3000+ cyber tech professionals, to explore the latest developments and equip attendees with the knowledge to protect their businesses.


Follow The Start-Up Diaries Podcast on LinkedIn, Instagram, or find more free content from the Tech Recruitment Specialists powering The Start-Up Diaries - Burns Sheehan.

In this episode, Josh Garnham of Packfleet recounts his journey of building a B-Corp tackling sustainable delivery services from the ground up with his fellow co-founders.

Packfleet was founded in 2021 by a trio of former Monzo employees that include the neobank's former VP of Design Hugo Cornejo, VP of marketing and communications Tristan Thomas and engineering manager Josh Garnham.
 
From dropping out of the renowned Cambridge university to launching his net-positive logistics firm, Joshua reccounts how his skills and product development approach have been influenced by roles at tech giants Monzo and Apple. 

Together with co-founders, motivated by delivery frustrations, they aim to improve service for all stakeholders, prioritising ethics and sustainability. Targeting expansion beyond London's M25, Packfleet's commitment to B-Corp principles reflects its focus on ethical practices and corporate culture. Joshua stresses the value of small beginnings, collaboration, and shared values in entrepreneurial ventures, underlining Packfleet's dedication to innovative, sustainable logistics and a positive workplace culture. 

Some Key Takeaway's: 


Entrepreneurial Journey and Team Building: Listeners will learn about Josh Garnham's transition from academia to the tech industry, his experiences at Monzo and Apple, and the dynamics of co-founding Packfleet with a strong team ethos.Tech-Driven Logistics Innovation: The episode delves into how Packfleet leverages technology to revolutionise the logistics and delivery industry, emphasising their unique approach to improving delivery success rates and customer satisfaction.Sustainability in Business Operations: Insight into Packfleet's commitment to being a B Corp, focusing on sustainable practices, ethical employment, and their vision for environmentally conscious logistics.Company Culture and Employee Well-being: The discussion highlights the importance of cultivating a positive, empathetic work environment, illustrating how Packfleet prioritizes its team's welfare and fosters a culture of inclusivity and collaboration to the highest levels.Strategic Growth and Industry Impact: An exploration of Packfleet's business model, growth strategy within and beyond the M25, and their broader vision to influence the e-commerce and logistics sectors positively.The Start-Up Podcast Diaries Season 9 is proudly partnered with UK Cyber Week 2024.  Taking place on 17th-18th April 2024 at Olympia London,  join 3000+ cyber tech professionals, to explore the latest developments and equip attendees with the knowledge to protect their businesses.
Follow The Start-Up Diaries Podcast on LinkedIn, Instagram, or find more free content from the Tech Recruitment Specialists powering The Start-Up Diaries - Burns Sheehan.