Building Scotland: Open Conversations for Action

Label Sessions

Welcome to Building Scotland, an initiative to open up honest, constructive conversations about the state of Scotland’s B2B tech ecosystem. Hosted by relentless founder + innovator James Varga.

Episodes

  1. Mar 9

    What Scotland Gets Wrong About Start-Ups with Chris Herd

    Welcome to Building Scotland, an initiative to open up honest, constructive conversations about the state of Scotland’s B2B tech ecosystem. Hosted by relentless founder + innovator James Varga. Chris Herd built Firstbase into a global remote-work platform and successful exit — and now challenges Scotland’s startup ecosystem to think bigger, move faster and compete globally.

    37 min

  2. Feb 18

    From Scotland to Estonia with Vicky Brock

    Welcome to Building Scotland, an initiative to open up honest, constructive conversations about the state of Scotland’s B2B tech ecosystem. Hosted by relentless founder + innovator James Varga. Vicky Brock is a five-time founder who relocated to Estonia post-Brexit and brings a rare, hard-won perspective on what truly builds — and breaks — national startup ecosystems.

    43 min

  3. Feb 10

    Pick a Niche or Don't Bother with Nektarios Liolios

    Welcome to Building Scotland, an initiative to open up honest, constructive conversations about the state of Scotland’s B2B tech ecosystem. Hosted by relentless founder + innovator James Varga. Nektarios Liolios is a fintech founder and global ecosystem builder known for cutting through the hype to challenge why, where and how governments and founders try to build startup ecosystems.

    40 min

  4. Jan 23

    Scotland Needs a 20 Year Plan with Ross Laurie

    Welcome to Building Scotland, an initiative to open up honest, constructive conversations about the state of Scotland’s B2B tech ecosystem. Hosted by relentless founder + innovator James Varga. Ross Laurie, a seasoned tech entrepreneur, discusses with James the future of Scotland's tech ecosystem, emphasizing the need for a long-term vision and leveraging local talent to drive sustainable growth over a 20 year plan.

    38 min

  5. 12/04/2025

    The Secret to Succeed is Community with Andrew Williams

    Welcome to Building Scotland, an initiative to open up honest, constructive conversations about the state of Scotland’s B2B tech ecosystem. Hosted by relentless founder + innovator James Varga. Leading software engineer and entrepreneur Andrew Williams highlights what gaps Scotland needs to fill between resources and results, with both Andrew and James in agreement that the need for a genuine community amongst Scotland's tech ecosystem has never gone away. If anything, its only gotten stronger.

    40 min

  6. 12/04/2025

    Don't Do More... Do Less with Robert Gelb

    Welcome to Building Scotland, an initiative to open up honest, constructive conversations about the state of Scotland’s B2B tech ecosystem. Hosted by relentless founder + innovator James Varga. Robert Gelb, Scotland-based leader + start-up advisor breaks down the dangers of over-dependence on public funding, being realistic with your goals and staying aligned with Scotland's ecosystem is what founders really need for success.

    35 min

  7. 12/04/2025

    How Can We Cultivate Scotland's Ecosystem with Nick Sherrard

    Welcome to Building Scotland, an initiative to open up honest, constructive conversations about the state of Scotland’s B2B tech ecosystem. Hosted by relentless founder + innovator James Varga. Label Sessions co-founder Nick Sherrard examines Scotland's tech + start-up ecosystem with James, and how shifting focus to the public sector might just be the shot in the arm Scotland needs to drive collaboration + innovation.

    40 min

  8. 12/04/2025

    Building Scotland's AI Industry to Support Innovation with Colin Carmichael

    Welcome to Building Scotland, an initiative to open up honest, constructive conversations about the state of Scotland’s B2B tech ecosystem. Hosted by relentless founder + innovator James Varga. Co-founder of the Business AI Alliance Colin Carmichael sits down with James to share how the faster adoption of AI will be what puts Scotland's tech ecosystem back on the map.

    39 min
  • 8 Episodes

About

Welcome to Building Scotland, an initiative to open up honest, constructive conversations about the state of Scotland’s B2B tech ecosystem. Hosted by relentless founder + innovator James Varga.

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