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

Categorical
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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. 3 NGÀY TRƯỚC

    70. Why is Freemium Back in Fashion?

    People say that style moves in cycles. From skinny jeans to mullets to Northern Soul, everything waits in the wings before returning to centre stage. So, is it freemium’s time to take the spotlight? With AI companies increasingly choosing open access over strict paywalls, we explore why freemium is back in fashion—and what this resurgence reveals about winning in today’s market. Also in this episode: we’ll assess the new reality of Category power, and ask how do you beat a 40-year-old tech incumbent at its own game What to look forward to: 00:35 Freemium as a route to AI category domination 09:49 The New Reality of Category Power 17:48 How do you beat a 40-year-old tech incumbent at its own game? 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 phút

  2. 28 THG 1

    69. Christina Caffarra: The biggest issue facing European tech

    In this episode, we’re joined by Cristina Caffarra, one of Europe’s most respected voices on competition, regulation and the digital economy, to unpack what European tech really needs to succeed. A leading economist educated at the University of Oxford, Cristina brings decades of experience advising companies and governments across Europe. She previously led the European competition practice at a top global consultancy and has been at the centre of many of the debates shaping today’s tech policy. More recently, she is the prominent voice behind EuroStack, an initiative advocating for a more competitive and resilient European digital ecosystem - challenging Europe to think bigger about its technological future. 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.

    43 phút

  3. 14 THG 1

    68. The Definitive Guide to Category Leadership in 2026

    In the early 2020s, it was easy to mistake category design for a marketing exercise. A new name, a sharper narrative, a brand refresh, and job done. But as we enter a post-SaaS world, that thinking no longer holds. Category leadership isn’t built by fast-following or ripping off existing winners. It’s earned by defining the future problem space before competitors even realise it’s emerging. Today, we explore what it really takes to lead a category in 2026. Also in this episode: We’ll dig down into all the things that can go wrong on your category journey, and we’ll be reviewing the relationship status of Category creation and VCs What to look forward to: 00:33 Category creation in a post-SaaS, post-SEO tech world 17:51 So you’re on a category journey - what can possibly go wrong? 43:30 The “Dead in the Water” Trap - the new relationship between VC and Category 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.

    1 giờ 1 phút

  4. 2 THG 1

    67. Top 10 Category Predictions for 2026

    It’s time to dust off our crystal balls as we conjure our Top 10 tech predictions for 2026.  In this episode, we take a look into the year ahead and unpack a bumper crop of new tech ideas and category acronyms from AWO and ANAA to EIG and beyond.  AI is firmly in the driving seat for 2026. It’s racing us towards real paradigm shifts in how businesses operate, how value is created, and how entirely new categories are born.  So buckle your seat belts. This is going to be a fun ride. 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 phút

  5. 17/12/2025

    66. The Rise of Europe’s Deep Tech Spinouts

    In 1990, while working at CERN, Tim Berners-Lee proposed and developed what would become one of the most influential spinouts in history: the World Wide Web. The Web was opened to the public in 1991, and in 1993 CERN released the software into the public domain - enabling its rapid global spread and laying the foundation for today’s modern Internet. In Episode 66 of The Difference Engine tech strategy podcast, Paul Maher and I explore a new report that shows European spinouts are emerging as a deep-tech powerhouse. Since 2019, they’ve accounted for 40% of all new startups in these fields - an 80% increase compared with the previous decade.  But the US is still using M&A to capture most of the value from European innovation.  So the question is: how does Europe manage this momentum and build future global category leaders? Also in this episode: we unpack the UK’s contentious Digital ID debate and explore the signs that Salesforce is entering the twilight of its era of uncontested category dominance. 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 phút

  6. 03/12/2025

    65. Colin Tenwick: Mastering the Art of Reinvention

    Recorded in partnership with Boardwave, this episode of The Difference Engine features Colin Tenwick - a leader whose career tracks the evolution of modern tech. Colin began in the early enterprise software era with Ingres, later leading Sybase and driving Red Hat’s European expansion long before open-source and SaaS were mainstream.  Colin’s career is one of constant reinvention. He scaled StepStone into one of Europe’s first major digital recruitment platforms, steered BookaTable as it brought online reservations to the masses, and chaired hybrid-cloud provider Control Circle through to a successful exit. Today, Colin serves as a non-executive chair and investor across private-equity and venture-backed companies, from cybersecurity and marketplaces to consumer platforms and education. In this episode, we explore how Colin maintains consistency and strength within an ever-changing tech industry and how his people-first approach has made him a trusted mentor to founders and boards alike. 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.

    43 phút

  7. 19/11/2025

    64. The Hidden Power Behind the AI Boom

    It’s easy to be captivated by the dazzling glow of AI. Sky-high valuations, relentless acquisitions, and the promise of investor cash are drawing in a swarm of hungry tech moths. But what’s really fueling this blaze? What forms the wax that keeps this light alive, and are we overlooking the real AI winners? Today, we uncover the hidden power behind the AI boom. Also in this episode: we’ll look to the past to uncover what the future holds for Category Design, and we’ll take a sharp look at Europe’s unicorns to explore what they reveal about exclusion in tech. What to look forward to: 00:33 The Quiet Category Power Beneath the AI Boom 11:08 Unicorns and the Glass Ceiling – Europe’s 2025 Tech Reality Check 17:17 Category Design's future 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.

    31 phút

  8. 05/11/2025

    63. What does the MIT report actually tell us about the AI industry?

    MIT’s State of AI in Business 2025 report found that 95% of generative AI pilot projects fail to deliver a measurable return on investment. When findings like this drop, they spread fast - sparking debate, reshaping narratives, and influencing how companies, investors, and even public policymakers think about AI’s real-world impact. So what does MIT’s and other recent reports actually tell us about the position of the AI industry and tech sovereignty? Is it a sobering reality check, meaningless noise, or something else entirely? Also on today’s episode: We’ll be backing our brothers and sisters in Europe, asking if ChatGPT has reached its category peak and talking about a man of many tech and finance moments, Hermann Hauser What to look forward to: 00:33 Reviewing recent AI reports 11:22 Taylor Swift nah, meet fast Hermann 19:16 ShatGPT? Let’s talk crap…   32:29 Enough of the EU bashing 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.

    40 phút
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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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