In this episode of Launchbase, John Radford sits down with Griffin Parry, founder and CEO of M3ter and former co-founder of Gamesparks (acquired by Amazon), to explore the realities of scaling a SaaS startup in a fast-changing market. Griffin shares his journey from corporate life to building, exiting, and starting again. We explore lessons from Gamesparks and how they’re influencing his latest venture, M3ter. The conversation covers: Why usage-based pricing is reshaping SaaS business models How...
Jun 18, 2025•29 min•Ep. 26
In this episode of Launch Base, host John Radford interviews Jack Henderson, a serial entrepreneur who has successfully built and scaled multiple ventures in the healthcare sector without initial investment. Jack shares his journey from medical recruitment to founding KPI Health, discussing the challenges of cash flow management, the importance of having the right team, and the transition from founder to CEO. He also talks about his current ventures in Dubai, the launch of KMO and Flexo, and his...
Jun 12, 2025•28 min•Ep. 25
In this episode, John Radford sits down with Alistair Russell, investor at Venrex, to unpack the realities of startup fundraising, the evolving nature of venture capital, and the key differences between the UK and US tech ecosystems. Alistair shares his personal journey into VC, lessons learned from early bets, and what separates average startups from exceptional ones. From the importance of product-market fit and customer feedback, to why technology alone isn’t enough—this conversation is packe...
May 14, 2025•35 min•Ep. 24
In this episode, John Radford interviews Tony Kula, a seasoned entrepreneur and angel investor, discussing the intricacies of early-stage B2B SaaS investing. They explore the importance of founder characteristics, the balance between bootstrapping and seeking funding, common mistakes made by founders, and the role of an angel investor. Tony shares insights from his investment journey, emphasizing the significance of authenticity and the long-term nature of investor-founder relationships. takeawa...
May 07, 2025•25 min•Ep. 23
In this episode of Launch Base, host John Radford speaks with Phil McSweeney, an advisor and author, about the challenges founders face in scaling their businesses. They discuss the importance of storytelling, the reasons behind founder failures, and the key traits that make exceptional founders. Phil shares insights on angel investing, the significance of brand positioning, and the impact of no-code solutions on startups. The conversation culminates with a discussion of Phil's book, 'Angel Thin...
Apr 30, 2025•26 min•Ep. 22
In this episode of Launchbase, host John Radford speaks with Hector Hughes, co-founder of Unplugged, a hospitality startup focused on providing digital detox experiences through off-grid cabins. Hector shares his journey from the tech industry to creating a business that encourages people to disconnect from their devices and reconnect with nature. The conversation explores the impact of digital detox on mental health and relationships, lessons learned from Hector's startup experiences, insights ...
Apr 17, 2025•30 min•Ep. 21
In this episode of LaunchBase, John Radford sits down with Kevin Jackson, Chairman of AI Forge, to explore what it takes to build and scale AI startups. Kevin shares his journey from advertising to AI, the mission of AI Forge, and the rigorous selection process founders must go through. They dive into the challenges and opportunities in AI, the role of resilience in entrepreneurship, and why AI is becoming as fundamental as electricity. If you're an aspiring AI founder or curious about where AI ...
Apr 02, 2025•28 min•Ep. 20
In this episode of Launch Base, host John Radford is joined by Katie Dunn, an angel investor and startup advisor, to discuss her journey from corporate banking to the world of angel investing. They dive into the critical role of personal branding on LinkedIn, the key qualities that make a successful founder, and the evolving startup ecosystem. Katie shares valuable insights on navigating investor relationships, the significance of founder-market fit, and the growing impact of AI in investment op...
Mar 26, 2025•30 min•Ep. 19
In this episode of LaunchBase, I sit down with Dan Bowyer, partner at Super Seed, to discuss early-stage investing and why Europe’s tech scene needs a serious shift. We cover: ✅ Why Dubai’s tech hype doesn’t compare to Europe and the US model ✅ How Europe can ‘Americanise’ its approach to funding and scaling ✅ The importance of founder-market fit and how it drives investment decisions ✅ Why personalized outreach trumps cold emails when raising capital ✅ Dan’s new fund focusing on very early-stag...
Mar 12, 2025•29 min•Ep. 18
In this episode of LaunchBase, I sit down with Kiran Mehta, a former VC turned startup advisor, to break down the biggest mistakes founders make when raising capital. We cover: ✅ Why B2B SaaS is the safer bet for UK VCs ✅ What investors really want to see at pre-seed, seed, and Series A ✅ The funding challenges founders are facing today—and how to navigate them ✅ The real tipping point for scaling a SaaS startup ✅ Common founder mistakes (and how great founders set themselves apart) Kiran also s...
Mar 05, 2025•28 min•Ep. 17
In this episode of Launchbase, I sit down with Callum Woodcock, the founder & CEO of WineFi, a platform that’s transforming fine wine into an accessible investment class. 🚀 Key Highlights: How Callum went from idea to £1M+ in revenue within seven months. The power of building in public and leveraging LinkedIn for early traction. Raising £500K in an oversubscribed pre-seed round—before even having a product. Why personal brand matters for startup founders (and how Callum got his whole team p...
Feb 26, 2025•31 min•Ep. 16
In this episode of Launchbase, John Radford sits down with Eddie Whittingham—ex-police officer, lawyer, and tech entrepreneur. Eddie bootstrapped The Defense Works, a cybersecurity training company, and successfully exited to Proofpoint, a NASDAQ-listed firm. Now, he’s building Ministry of Work, a premium co-working space for ambitious founders. They discuss: ✅ Bootstrapping to exit—what worked and what didn’t ✅ The role of luck vs. hard work in startup success ✅ Why most online training is terr...
Feb 19, 2025•30 min•Ep. 15
Jonathan Keeling has seen fundraising from all angles—helping CrowdCube raise over £1B for 1,000 startups and now scaling Haatch from £50M to £250M AUM. In this episode, we dive into the realities of startup fundraising, crowdfunding do’s and don’ts, and what investors really look for. We also explore how UK investors differ from their US counterparts, the rise of AI-powered startups, and why recycled capital is key to a thriving ecosystem. If you’re raising or investing, this one’s for you!...
Feb 12, 2025•28 min•Ep. 14
This week, we end off Season 1 with a bang as we sit down with Gabriela Hersham, Co-Founder and CEO of Huckletree. Huckletree is the home of conscious entrepreneurship across the UK and Ireland, providing a network of mentors, talent, investors and experts, along with the right services to help their members grow. We discuss what the future of work may look like in a post-pandemic world, the role of community in facilitating growth and avoiding the founder trap of approaching the startup as a li...
Apr 07, 2021•26 min•Season 1Ep. 13
With the dog days of lockdown slowly lifting, there are businesses that have built and maintained communities that have kept the world a happier place and our guests this week are one of them. BorrowMyDoggy is a digital platform that connects dog owners with trusted local people who would love to look after their dog and make it easy to arrange walks, playtime, overnight stays or holidays. Grab a coffee and sit back as we discuss all things funding and launch, the importance of building a commun...
Mar 31, 2021•27 min•Season 1Ep. 12
When it comes to developing digital products, it takes a village. And when it comes to building product for companies that strive to do good in the world, it makes the journey that much sweeter. This week at Launch Base HQ, we are joined by Rachael Box, Founder of Local Village Network (LVN). LVN are a charity dedicated to tackling network poverty and social inequality. Our sponsor Borne Agency partnered with LVN in delivering a native mobile application, connecting young people to volunteers an...
Mar 24, 2021•27 min•Season 1Ep. 11
Different founders make different kinds of mistakes. This is where DropJaw comes in. DropJaw Ventures are a specialist business advisory firm and provide access to capital, interim management and advisory services to scale up businesses and companies in need of a turnaround. This week, we have an insightful discussion with Roy Shelton, Managing Partner at DropJaw Ventures on the challenges faced by young, emerging, scale-ups and more established companies who are driving for greater efficiency a...
Mar 17, 2021•28 min•Season 1Ep. 10
Execution is everything. This morning, our host is joined by Lydia Jones, Founder and CEO of Housemates. Housemates is a marketplace to discover and book student accommodation in minutes. Lydia has been featured in TechRound’s 29 under 29 for 2020 and BusinessCloud’s 35 under 35 to watch in the UK. We discuss staying curious when solving a problem through product and building a product your users didn’t know they needed. We chat about the importance of shame when it comes to your first MVP and r...
Mar 10, 2021•32 min•Season 1Ep. 9
This week, we decode the role of CTO with our guest Andy Skipper, Founder and Chief CTO Coach at CTO Craft. CTO Craft’s community brings together technology leaders from across the world, from small startups to global organisations. They offer an easily digestible range of deep-dive courses and programmes to help technology leaders of all experience levels. We discuss the role of a CTO, what that entails, how CTO's can recognise how to make the transition from engineer to team leader and all the...
Mar 03, 2021•25 min•Season 1Ep. 8
The terms 'Artificial Intelligence', 'Machine Learning' and 'Big Data' have been in the limelight throughout 2020 and 2021 has been no exception. Our guest this week saw this potential and their portfolio demonstrates this. This week, our host has a catch up with Mads Jensen, Managing Partner at SuperSeed. SuperSeed accelerates B2B startups in launching great AI-focused products. John picks Mad's brain on all things: Big Data and AI, what characteristics do VC's look for in a founder, the role o...
Feb 24, 2021•27 min•Season 1Ep. 7
When it comes to scaling a business from the ground up, you want to build a category-defining company that owns the entire space and adds value for your users. This week, John dives in with Dr Charles Armitage, Co-Founder and CEO of Florence, an online marketplace that connects independent nurses and carers for freelance shifts. Re-inventing your startup at every opportunity is key whilst scaling to pivot your business with your user’s changing needs. We discuss building products that are user-c...
Feb 17, 2021•29 min•Season 1Ep. 6
Passion, Resilience, Coachable, Curiosity. These are the qualities that seed/pre-seed investment firms like TIA Ventures look for in entrepreneurs and bringing 'Thought Into Action'. This week, John grabs a virtual coffee with Wills Hapworth, Managing General Partner at TIA Ventures, a seed-stage venture capital fund that partners with companies building emotional and visceral connections with their consumers. We discuss identifying your “North Star” as an entrepreneur and recognising your visce...
Feb 10, 2021•34 min•Season 1Ep. 5
Execution is everything. When launching your digital product, you should always have the “why” and the “how” and sell your product in just one sentence. This week, we sit down with Nick Miller, UK Country Manager for Payfit on launching your product lean and focusing on the “less is more” mantra. Understanding your user and what problem you are solving for them through your MVP will save you money in the long-run. We dive into pinpointing what is essential when it comes to launching an agile pro...
Feb 03, 2021•29 min•Season 1Ep. 4
For those of us starting the journey towards launching our own business or startup, taking those first steps may seem daunting. This week, we have a chat with Lex Deak, Founder of Basket, on delving into the vast and multi-faceted world of entrepreneurship and starting a business from the ground up: the good, the bad and the funny.
Jan 27, 2021•37 min•Season 1Ep. 3
To say that 2020 was a rollercoaster ride is the understatement of the century. In times of chaos, however, comes opportunity. This week, we sit down with Molly Johnson-Jones, Co-Founder of flexa, to discuss launching your product during a pandemic and the challenges and opportunities that come with keeping your product and startup thriving in the chaos.
Jan 20, 2021•27 min•Season 1Ep. 2
We're in a business climate transformed by a global pandemic and tech founders need help figuring out how to navigate the seed round and impress investors and stand out from the crowd. This week, we sit down with Robert Walsh, the Managing Partner at Q Ventures. Robert answers our burning questions: What key qualities do investors look for in your business? What is your idea disrupting? Is it necessary to have a working MVP when approaching an investment company?
Jan 07, 2021•26 min•Season 1Ep. 1
