Founder's Voyage

Spencer Walker-Fooks, Nancy Nash
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  • Entrepreneurship
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Founder’s Voyage is a podcast for the ones building in the dark, the ones failing forward, and the ones figuring it out as they go. We bring you unfiltered conversations with founders who’ve faced the highs, and the lows. Just real lessons from the people in the arena. Whether you're scaling a startup or sketching your first idea on a napkin, these are the stories that remind you you're not alone—and the insights that help you move forward. We are an entrepreneurial community united by a shared mission of shared learning and supporting each other.

  1. 169 - When Passion Meets Conservation - Megan Brief

    5d ago

    169 - When Passion Meets Conservation - Megan Brief

    Megan Brief is a wildlife photographer, nature writer, and passionate conservation storyteller who documents human-wildlife conflict and coexistence across the globe. She works as a Digital Marketing Coordinator for Natural Habitat Adventures, an ecotourism company partnered with World Wildlife Fund, where she also leads marketing for their Women's Journeys program. Megan holds a master's degree from the Rhode Island School of Design in Nature, Culture, and Sustainability Studies, where her thesis explored multimedia storytelling as a tool for conservation education. 💡 What You'll Learn from Megan's Journey:🔸 Purpose-Driven Storytelling: Megan shares how using creative mediums like photography, writing, and multimedia can make complex conservation and scientific topics accessible to diverse audiences, a powerful lesson for entrepreneurs looking to communicate their mission effectively.🔸 Building Community Across Distances: From connecting with fellow photographers online to fostering a DEI task force at work, Megan demonstrates how intentional community-building, even remotely, can create lasting, meaningful professional and personal relationships.🔸 Turning Passion into a Career: Megan's journey from backyard nature videos to professional wildlife photography shows that persistence, self-teaching, and embracing opportunities in your field can transform a hobby into a vocation.🔸 Thinking Locally to Act Globally: Megan encourages entrepreneurs and change-makers to start with impact in their own communities, reflecting on how individual and local actions contribute to larger global goals like the UN's 30x30 conservation initiative. You can connect with Megan on ⁠LinkedIn⁠ to follow her journey. 👏 Props to the stellar crew: Nancy Nash, Daniel M. Melo, Carlos Javier Chacón Sánchez, Matthew Ray, and host Spencer Walker-Fooks. You bring this show to life. 🥂 Want to support the journey? Join us on ⁠Patreon⁠ and help amplify more voices like Megan. #FoundersVoyage#Entrepreneurship#Podcast

    49 min
  2. 168 - Founders Lessons on AI Integration - Sayantika Banik

    May 22

    168 - Founders Lessons on AI Integration - Sayantika Banik

    Sayantika Banik is the founder of Data Journey HQ, an evolving ecosystem that connects open source innovation with design-first AI. With a background shaped by a nomadic military family upbringing, Saya has channeled a lifelong love of exploration into building tools that empower solo and non-technical founders to create secure cost-aware, and production-ready AI systems. A GitHub Secure Open Source Fund grant recipient, Saya has grown Data Journey HQ from a personal open source project into a thriving ecosystem that includes a SaaS offering and a hands-on six-week AI bootcamp academy. A passionate advocate for responsible AI and open source contribution, Saya also gives back through seasonal mentoring with Digital Boost and speaking engagements including the Break the Pattern 2026 International Women's Day Summit. 💡 What You'll Learn from Saya's Journey: 🔸 Adaptability as a Founder's Superpower: Growing up in a military family and embracing a nomadic lifestyle taught Saya to read the room quickly, pivot plans under pressure, and build the mental resilience that entrepreneurship demands every single day. 🔸 Design Before You Build: Saya's "design-first" philosophy challenges founders to ask the hard questions before writing a single line of code, it is key to identify where AI is genuinely needed versus where it's just hype. Building systems that are secure, cost-aware, and fault-tolerant from day one. 🔸 Know What You Don't Know: As a technical founder, Saya openly admits that sales and marketing don't come naturally, and rather than burning energy trying to master everything, Saya leverages AI tools and trusted collaborators to fill those gaps and protect creative focus. 🔸 Listen to Yourself First: Saya's closing advice cuts through the noise of the entrepreneurial world, tune out the hype, find the voices that are actually doing the work, and stay conscious about what accelerates versus what drains your momentum as a founder. You can connect with Saya on ⁠LinkedIn⁠ to follow her journey. 👏 Props to the stellar crew: Nancy Nash, Daniel M. Melo, Carlos Javier Chacón Sánchez, Matthew Ray, and Spencer Walker-Fooks. You bring this show to life. 🥂 Want to support the journey? Join us on ⁠Patreon⁠ and help amplify more voices like Saya. #FoundersVoyage#Entrepreneurship#Podcast

    55 min
  3. 167 - The Founder Behind Dolly - Angela Scott

    May 15

    167 - The Founder Behind Dolly - Angela Scott

    Angela is an experienced executive, founder of TC BioPharma, and Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. She was part of the pioneering PPL Therapeutics team that cloned Dolly the sheep and went on to serve as Operations Director at Angel Biotechnology. With a career spanning decades across cutting-edge biological research, GMP manufacturing, and clinical trials, Angela has been instrumental in advancing immunotherapies and cell-based treatments for cancer. Her journey from learning English as a second language to listing a company on Nasdaq is a testament to the power of passion, perseverance, and thinking big. 💡 What You'll Learn from Angela's Journey: 🔸 Follow Your Passion Relentlessly: Angela's career was driven by a childhood dream of curing cancer. She shows that having a deep passion for your work is not just motivating—it's essential for pushing through the extraordinary challenges of building something truly innovative. 🔸 Take Every Opportunity: From an unexpected experiment that led to Dolly the sheep, to being awarded a place at MIT's Entrepreneurship Bootcamp, Angela demonstrates that life-changing moments often come from saying yes and backing yourself, even when you feel uncertain. 🔸 Control Your Processes to Move Faster: By bringing manufacturing, quality control, and clinical trials all under one roof, Angela and her team at TC BioPharma compressed a typical 20-year development timeline into just a couple of years—proving that ownership of your processes is a powerful competitive advantage. 🔸 Never Underestimate Your People: Angela credits much of her company's success to a handpicked, dedicated team. She highlights that managing people is one of the hardest parts of running a business, and that without the right team, even the greatest ideas won't get far. You can connect with Angela on ⁠LinkedIn⁠ to follow her journey. 👏 Props to the stellar crew: Nancy Nash, Daniel M. Melo, Carlos Javier Chacón Sánchez, Matthew Ray, and host Spencer Walker-Fooks. You bring this show to life. 🥂 Want to support the journey? Join us on ⁠Patreon⁠ and help amplify more voices like Angela. #FoundersVoyage#Entrepreneurship#Podcast

    56 min

  4. Apr 24

    166 - 2025 in Review

    Early this year Nancy and Spencer took a moment to look back on an incredible year for Founder's Voyage. In this special retrospective episode, we reflect on the podcast's growth, our most memorable conversations, and the lessons that have stayed with them. From episode 56 to episode 153 released, 38 fascinating guests interviewed, and three live events in London, it's been a landmark year for the community. Nancy and Spencer revisit some of their standout interviews, including candid conversations about mental health, neurodivergence, entrepreneurial grit, and the ethics of AI. They also take a moment to honor the memory of a beloved community member, Elizabeth Fuller McKellar, whose entrepreneurial spirit left a lasting impression on everyone she encountered. The hosts also share the recurring themes and words of wisdom that surfaced throughout the year, from the power of grit and persistence, to the lifelong value of self-education and learning from failure. Plus, they look ahead to what's coming in the new year, including Spencer's plans for continued live events in London and progress on his space technology prototype, and Nancy's journey into parenthood alongside the podcast. Whether you're a longtime listener or just discovering Founder's Voyage, this episode captures the heart of what this community is all about: honest conversations, mutual learning, and the courage to keep growing.

    47 min
  5. 165 - The Mistakes that Killed my First Business - Spencer Walker-Fooks

    Apr 6

    165 - The Mistakes that Killed my First Business - Spencer Walker-Fooks

    Our own Co-Founder Spencer Walker-Fooks talks about his first business, Unseen Games, the motivations behind it, and the mistakes that eventually killed it. This episode is a little different, it comes from one of our live events in London. Over four years, Spencer navigated the challenges of creating a social gaming console for pubs and cafes, ultimately drawing transformative lessons from both the highs and lows of startup life. 💡 What You’ll Learn from Spencer's Journey with Unseen Games: 🔸In a Double-sided Market Validate the Economic Buyer: Ensure your product or service addresses the needs of the actual decision-maker who controls the purchase, not just the end user. 🔸Build a Diverse Team: Avoid skillset redundancy; prioritize bringing in teammates whose strengths and perspectives differ from your own, especially outside of your expertise. 🔸 Pivot Fast and Reduce Dependency: Stay nimble and ready to adapt your business model when circumstances change, and avoid relying too heavily on a single industry or channel, if a black swan event hits that industry, it could kill your business. 🔸 Don’t Succumb to the Sunk Cost Fallacy: Recognize when to let go of a project, regardless of the time and energy invested, to make room for new opportunities and growth. You can connect with Spencer on ⁠LinkedIn⁠ to follow his journey. 🎥 Big thanks to VidOps for supporting Founders Voyage. Use code voyage at ⁠vidops.io⁠ for 10% off expert audio, video, animation, and photography services. 👏 Props to the stellar crew: Nancy Nash, Daniel M. Melo, Carlos Javier Chacón Sánchez, Matthew Ray, and host Spencer Walker-Fooks. You bring this show to life. 🥂 Want to support the journey? Join us on ⁠Patreon⁠ and help amplify more voices like Spencer. #FoundersVoyage #Entrepreneurship #Podcast

    15 min
  6. 164 - Joanna Montgomery on Leadership, Funding, and Finding Freedom for Founders - Joanna Montgomery

    Apr 2

    164 - Joanna Montgomery on Leadership, Funding, and Finding Freedom for Founders - Joanna Montgomery

    Joanna Montgomery is a pioneering entrepreneur and the founder and CEO of Little Riot, an internationally acclaimed company best known for bringing emotion-driven connected products like Pillow Talk to life. With over 15 years of experience, Joanna has redefined how technology can foster human connection, especially during times of distance or vulnerability. In addition to her entrepreneurial work, she is a mentor, faculty member at the One Day MBA program, and an active member of advisory circles supporting women and minority entrepreneurs. Her leadership and insights have empowered countless founders and helped shape the evolution of product design at the intersection of compassion and technology. 💡 What You’ll Learn from Joanna's Journey: 🔸 Embracing the Accidental Path: Learn how unexpected opportunities and viral ideas can spark entrepreneurial journeys, even if you never planned to run a business. 🔸 Balancing Growth and Wellbeing: Discover why sustainable success often means redefining your goals over time and finding a balance between professional ambition and personal fulfillment. 🔸 The Power of Leadership Evolution: Explore how Joanna’s approach to leadership matured with self-awareness and empathy, and how diversity and emotional intelligence strengthen teams. 🔸 Funding with Intention: Gain realistic perspectives on the pros and cons of taking investment, especially for hardware startups, and how delaying funding can add value and flexibility to your venture. You can connect with Joanna on ⁠LinkedIn⁠ to follow her journey. 🎥 Big thanks to VidOps for supporting Founders Voyage. Use code voyage at ⁠vidops.io⁠ for 10% off expert audio, video, animation, and photography services. 👏 Props to the stellar crew: Nancy Nash, Daniel M. Melo, Carlos Javier Chacón Sánchez, Matthew Ray, and host Spencer Walker-Fooks. You bring this show to life. 🥂 Want to support the journey? Join us on ⁠Patreon⁠ and help amplify more voices like Joanna. #FoundersVoyage #Entrepreneurship #Podcast

    45 min
  7. 163 - Who does a Founder need on their Board - Jordan Schlipf

    Mar 12

    163 - Who does a Founder need on their Board - Jordan Schlipf

    Jordan is a seasoned entrepreneur, investor, and operator with an impressive track record in both founding and scaling technology businesses, as well as supporting over 1,600 early-stage investments through roles at Rainmaking and Startup Bootcamp. As the current CEO of Cowshed and a co-founder of Rainmaker, Jordan’s career spans founder exits, venture capital, and hands-on company turnarounds. His perspective is informed by both hard-earned lessons from startup failures and successful exits, as well as experience as a non-executive director and venture partner managing institutional capital. Jordan is widely recognized for his candor, strategic insight, and passion for building exceptional business “machines.” 💡 What You’ll Learn from Jordan's Journey:🔸 Build the Business to Outlast Yourself: Your job as a founder is to develop a scalable, resilient organization (“the machine”) that continues to thrive without you, not to personally do all the work or remain the bottleneck.🔸 Incentives Are Everything: Crafting effective incentives is crucial, top talent can underperform under weak incentive structures. Constantly revisit and tailor incentives to align with business objectives and each stage of growth.🔸 Beware the Unicorn Myth: The venture capital game’s odds are stacked against founders, with most never seeing meaningful returns. Pursue entrepreneurship on your terms and beware of blindly drinking the VC Kool-Aid, building sustainable, profitable businesses can be equally or more rewarding.🔸 Play the Long Game: Compounding applies far beyond capital, to skills, knowledge, networks, and reputation. Success takes patience and persistence; most meaningful results materialize for those who stick with it for the long term. You can connect with Jordan on ⁠LinkedIn⁠ to follow his journey. 👏 Props to the stellar crew: Nancy Nash, Daniel M. Melo, Carlos Javier Chacón Sánchez, Matthew Ray, and host Spencer Walker-Fooks. You bring this show to life. 🥂 Want to support the journey? Join us on ⁠Patreon⁠ and help amplify more voices like Jordan. #FoundersVoyage #Entrepreneurship #Podcast

    52 min
  8. 162 - How this Founder Turned a Passion Project into a Worldwide Wonder - Michael Kuzma

    Feb 27

    162 - How this Founder Turned a Passion Project into a Worldwide Wonder - Michael Kuzma

    Michael is the creator of the Kuzma self-playing guitar, a groundbreaking fusion of engineering and artistry that brings a unique guitar performance to life. What began as a college dorm room project has evolved into a globally recognized innovation featured at high-profile events and delivered to clients in cities such as San Francisco, New York, and Cyprus. With eight years of relentless iteration, Michael has pursued not only technical excellence but also the elusive goal of musical soulfulness. His journey showcases the power of following your curiosity, iterative development, and leveraging community and collaboration to break new ground in both technology and art. 💡 What You’ll Learn from Michael's Journey: 🔸 The Power of Persistent Experimentation: Michael's success arose from years of iterative prototyping, learning from failures, and continually seeking small but meaningful improvements. 🔸 The Value of Asking for Help: By openly sharing struggles and ideas and tapping into the expertise of friends, mentors, and even strangers, Michael demonstrates how collaboration and humility accelerate both innovation and business growth. 🔸 Balancing Creativity and Business: Michael has grown the Kuzma self-playing guitar while maintaining a full-time job, showing that sustainable creative entrepreneurship often requires building supportive environments and flexible schedules. 🔸 Building Niche Authority Through Passion: By focusing on a niche that deeply excites him, Michael has not only become a global authority in self-playing guitars but also created opportunities that align closely with his personal and professional passions. You can connect with Michael on ⁠LinkedIn⁠ to follow his journey. 🎥 Big thanks to VidOps for supporting Founders Voyage. Use code voyage at ⁠vidops.io⁠ for 10% off expert audio, video, animation, and photography services. 👏 Props to the stellar crew: Nancy Nash, Daniel M. Melo, Carlos Javier Chacón Sánchez, Matthew Ray, and host Spencer Walker-Fooks. You bring this show to life. 🥂 Want to support the journey? Join us on ⁠Patreon⁠ and help amplify more voices like Michael. #FoundersVoyage #Entrepreneurship #Podcast

    48 min
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About

Founder’s Voyage is a podcast for the ones building in the dark, the ones failing forward, and the ones figuring it out as they go. We bring you unfiltered conversations with founders who’ve faced the highs, and the lows. Just real lessons from the people in the arena. Whether you're scaling a startup or sketching your first idea on a napkin, these are the stories that remind you you're not alone—and the insights that help you move forward. We are an entrepreneurial community united by a shared mission of shared learning and supporting each other.

Information

  • Creator
    Spencer Walker-Fooks, Nancy Nash
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    169
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Spencer Walker-Fooks, Nancy Nash
  • Show Website
    Founder's Voyage