Introducing Founders Uncut: Real Startup Stories

The show that interviews entrepreneurs to discover the moments of vulnerability and doubt that even the most successful founders face. On Founders Uncut you'll hear how they deal with these moments. If you're an early stage startup founder, listen in. You are not alone. Host Maria Palma, General Partner at Kindred Capital is here to remind you that often, the hardest things, are the most worth doing.

The European tech scene has been booming. In 2021 alone, 98 companies graduated to unicorn status. But what does it actually feel like to be a unicorn founder? It probably seems from the outside that it's an enviable position. The reality is quite different. This podcast was created to expose more of that story - the show interviews entrepreneurs that have scaled up to discover the moments of vulnerability, doubt and unbelievable difficulties that even the most successful founders face, but that never make the headlines.

The startup journey is never the easy, straightforward path it seems to be from the outside. Host Maria Palma, former operator and General Partner at Kindred Capital, says “It can be tempting for first time founders to read the headlines and assume everyone else is having an easier time building a company than they are. Everywhere you look, there are headlines of major funding rounds, other companies closing huge clients or going public, yet the reality feels very different. Being a founder is one of the hardest things you can do, and often, important parts of that story go untold.”

Founders Uncut interviews scaled founders such as Tom Blomfield of Monzo and GoCardless, George Bevis of Tide, Flori Marquez of BlockFi, Michael Rangel of Novo and others. It’s also important to tell the stories where things don’t work out as planned and companies don’t just have incredible outcomes. One of the first guests on the show is Mike Quinn, who talks about scaling up Zoona, one of Africa’s first fintechs, for nine years before it fell into a death spiral. He wrote a book titled “Failing to Win” about that journey to share learnings with future founders and is currently building his next venture, Boost.

Find out more at KindredCapital.VC/FoundersUncut

This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions

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