A bitesize moment from our episode with Jessica Jackson, giving you inside knowledge from an Investment Director on how to land your first round of fundraising. Including the do's, the don'ts and how to formulate an engaging pitch deck. If you want to hear more insider tips, listen to the full 'VC's Guide to Fundraising' episode back in Season 1! Follow The Start-Up Diaries Podcast on LinkedIn , Instagram , or find more free content from the Tech Recruitment Specialists powering The Start-Up Dia...
Jan 27, 2022•8 min•Season 3Ep. 9
In this bonus 'Insights' episode,CEO & Co-Founder of The Data Shed, Anna Sutton shares how to build a 'value-led' organisation and how to select & implement the right personal values for your business. She also gives her insight into spotting this value-led mindset within candidates when hiring and what to look out for. Interested in being on Season 4 of the show? Get in touch with our host Chris McGowan, Head of Manchester at Burns Sheehan on LinkedIn! Follow The Start-Up Diaries Podcas...
Jan 13, 2022•8 min•Season 3Ep. 8
In this bonus episode, Co-Founder of PixelMax, Shay O'Carroll shares his insights into finding the right Hybrid working balance for your business as well as how to ensure staff wellbeing whilst working remotely. PixelMark is one of the hottest start-ups in Manchester right now and offers a 3D & fully immersive hybrid working platform & are taking the industry by storm. Interested in being on Season 4 of the show? Get in touch with our host Chris McGowan, Head of Manchester at Burns Sheeh...
Dec 21, 2021•5 min•Season 3Ep. 7
In our second 'Insights' episode, Founder & CEO of no-code platform Zaptic shares how to develop & maintain a culture to be proud of across your business & how you can spot attributes in potential candidates that compliment your culture. Interested in being on Season 4 of the show? Get in touch with our host Chris McGowan, Head of Manchester at Burns Sheehan on LinkedIn! Follow The Start-Up Diaries Podcast on LinkedIn , Instagram , or find more free content from the Tech Recruitment ...
Dec 21, 2021•6 min•Season 3Ep. 6
In this bonus episode, James Lomas, CTO of Bionic & former CTO of Compare the Market gives his insights into creating accountability in the workforce and how to build this into a successful career framework. Interested in being on Season 4 of the show? Get in touch with our host Chris McGowan, Head of Manchester at Burns Sheehan on LinkedIn! Follow The Start-Up Diaries Podcast on LinkedIn , Instagram , or find more free content from the Tech Recruitment Specialists powering The Start-Up Diar...
Dec 21, 2021•7 min•Season 3Ep. 5
After successfully monetising her financial wellness plan on Instagram, Laura Pomfret decided to leave her well paid job to bootstrap her very own start-up: Financielle. Based on 'The Financielle Playbook', the app offers a step by step guide to taking taking control of your money and being financially well. In this episode, Laura chatted to Chris about the idea behind was she terms 'The Couch to 5K' for money, and why she decided to take a leap into entrepreneurship... even if it was reluctantl...
Nov 18, 2021•28 min•Season 3Ep. 4
Richard Milnes is the Co-Founder & CEO of Zaptic, the no-code platform connecting frontline manufacturing teams. Unlike some other founders, Richard didn't have his 'big moment' on his first try as entrepreneur, or even his second... or third. Zaptic was the product of 5 pivots, and a 'dangerously agile' planning methodology that has since become a firm part of the company culture. In this episode, Richard talked us through the method behind the madness in his radical planning techniques, as...
Nov 08, 2021•20 min•Season 3Ep. 3
PixelMax are the 3D technology software business revolutionising the hybrid working experience through the power of their fully immersive 3D worlds. From delivering box office branded virtual events, to recreating your office floor, PixelMax are a start-up hot on everyone’s radar right now. In this episode, Chris sat down with Co-Founder Shay O’Carroll to hear all about the whirlwind story behind PixelMax and how they’ve taken both the events and hybrid working industry by storm. Shay also chatt...
Oct 18, 2021•32 min•Season 3Ep. 2
In our first episode of Season 3, we’re joined by James Lomas, the newest CTO at Bionic, a B2B comparison platform for business essentials. Bionic are a long-term onsite recruitment partner of ours and in this episode we’ll be talking through their transition into becoming a tech-centric business, the war for Tech talent and the topical question of flexible working-policies. James also delved into his vision for the future of the businesses and his reasons for leaving Compare the Market after 10...
Sep 20, 2021•26 min•Season 3Ep. 1
Host Chris McGowan reflects on the key takeaways from just some of our incredible guests across season 1 & 2 , including Michael Brennan, Jessica Jackson, Mo Aldalou, Lydia Jones, Heather & Tom Staff, Chloe Barrett, Dom Raban, Anna Sutton, Andy Still & Ashley Lockwood. This episode will cover key areas within the Start-Up journey including culture, funding & investment, mental health, some of our guests biggest challenges & advice for future founders. Thank you all for your s...
Aug 12, 2021•1 hr 2 min
For most start-up businesses, the pandemic has been a difficult wave to ride, with many unfortunately not making through to the other side. But what if your business idea fit perfectly into the ‘new normal’? With the introduction of working from home and the ban on hospitality during lockdowns, Ashley Lockwood had not one, but two businesses that prospered in the post-COVID era. Desk Mate, a standing desk business, and Oya, an organisation that connects unused or under-utilised commercial space ...
Jun 29, 2021•29 min•Season 2Ep. 10
Netacea is one of the leading bot management solutions on the market. But for this Manchester-born start-up, securing a spot amongst industry leaders was no small challenge, as they entered a mature market dominated by the U.S. In this episode, Andy Still, CTO of Netacea, sat down with us to discuss their journey from spinning out of Intechnica, to the challenges around becoming a serious voice in the U.S market. He also talks us through the challenges around gaining long-term buy-in from custom...
Jun 01, 2021•41 min•Season 2Ep. 9
Making good friends at university has often been put down to how you fare in the social ‘lottery’ that is first year halls of residence. But with 40% of all university dropouts in the UK being due to loneliness, it’s in the best interest of the universities as well as their students to improve social experiences in the first instance. Enter Umii, an app that facilitates the first introduction between university students who share interests and personality traits. A recent graduate herself, Georg...
May 12, 2021•33 min•Season 2Ep. 8
With most services now available to us at the touch of a button, it’s surprising that the hairdressing & beauty industry had not ventured into on-demand tech solutions to reach their customers sooner. However, Sam Lowe, Founder of Barba & Beautey saw the gap in the market and is in the process of building a product that does just that. Aiming to bring these industries into the twenty-first century, Barba & Beautey function for both professionals and customers, allowing mobile service...
Apr 23, 2021•27 min•Season 2Ep. 7
Leeds-based data consultancy business, The Data Shed, prides itself on being a value-driven organisation, so much so that their values underpin the very essence of what they do and who they hire. But how do you determine the values that set the tone of your entire organisation, and how do you find likeminded people that will truly live and breathe them too? In this week’s episode, CEO & Co-Founder Anna Sutton talks us though her decision to put personal values at the heart of her business an...
Apr 09, 2021•45 min•Season 2Ep. 6
Dom Raban, Co-Founder and CEO of Xploro set out on a mission-driven tech project to build a product that could bridge the gap in communication between paediatric patients and their consultants around what they can expect from their hospital experience. Xploro is a mobile application that uses augmented reality, gameplay and artificial intelligence to communicate healthcare information to children, reducing their stress and anxiety associated with hospitalisation. In this episode, Dom discusses t...
Mar 23, 2021•32 min•Season 2Ep. 5
Starting a £4 million NET turnover business from your living room sounds too good to be true… but Hanna Putjato made it her reality when she spotted a gap in the eyelash extension distribution market. Originally moving to the UK unable to speak any English, Hanna trained as a lash technician with the ambition of learning the language, never dreaming that she would walk away as the Founder & Managing Director of London Lash Pro. In this episode, we were joined by Paul Waite, Director of Rowan...
Mar 05, 2021•39 min•Season 2Ep. 4
The Modern Milkman was created with a clear vision - to revitalise the traditional milkround on a mission to reduce plastic waste, after being inspired and disheartened by David Attenborough’s Blue Planet. Having secured Series A funding at the start of the year, the tech for good business are gearing up for national expansion and are in the process of rebuilding their tech platform to support aggressive scaling plans. We sat down with the man in charge of the project, CTO James Renshaw. We spok...
Feb 11, 2021•38 min•Season 2Ep. 3
Pitching can be daunting on a good day, but pitching to the United Nations was just a part of the process for EdTech company Near Life, an immersive and creative learning platform that was initially created as a humanitarian project. Five years later, Near Life is preparing to launch Near Life Creative, a VR product in partnership with the World Health Organisation that is so versatile it can be used by any sector, anywhere in the world – hence why it’s being released globally! In this episode, ...
Jan 28, 2021•30 min•Season 2Ep. 2
The Start-Up Diaries is back with a bang! In the first episode of series two we welcomed start-up Founder Chole Barrett to the show as we discussed all things business, her background in dressage, dentistry and law. An incredibly ambitious founder, Chloe has a love for learning which ultimately steered her into creating Immersify Education, the company that harnesses augmented reality, interactive animation, gamification and personalisation to develop modern resources aligned with educational cu...
Jan 14, 2021•41 min•Season 2Ep. 1
It’s not every day that your business gets sued by James Bond… but for Street Group, their newly launched product was too good for them not to fight back! In this week’s episode, we caught up with Heather and Tom Staff, the brother and sister duo behind Spectre Sales and Lettings, an estate agency canvassing tool that is revolutionising the property industry. Tom & Heather discussed what led them to join forces and develop what is now the UK’s leading PropTech software and shared their exper...
Dec 15, 2020•47 min•Season 1Ep. 11
In this week’s episode, we sat down with Lydia Jones, CEO & Founder of Housemates, a student-first digital housing platform, to hear all about her journey into tech and the story behind her entrepreneurial mindset – from selling turkeys, to building fitness apps, to changing the UK’s student renting industry! Lydia talked us through the importance of having a clear vision for your businesses at leadership level and how this can be vital in prepping your team for success. She also discussed t...
Dec 07, 2020•47 min•Season 1Ep. 10
If you’re working in Tech, it’s more than likely you'll have heard of Tech Nation: the national network and growth platform for tech entrepreneurs. We had the opportunity to sit down with their very own Mo Aldalou, Entrepreneur Engagement Manager, to get the inside scoop on all things Tech in the North-West. Mo shared his insider knowledge on the current state of the North-West eco system and took us through some of the pros and cons of starting a tech business in the North, as well as where the...
Nov 26, 2020•36 min•Season 1Ep. 9
In this week’s episode of The Start-Up Diaries, we’re joined by Chi-Chi Ekweozor, Founder of Assenty. After spotting an opportunity to provide a solution for a gap in the events market, Chi-Chi has developed a simple Q&A function device into an audience interaction and live virtual polling tool, proving that often the most straightforward ideas are the most effective. Chi-Chi talked us through how she has been able to make the most of the opportunities lockdown has thrown her way, and how As...
Nov 19, 2020•48 min•Season 1Ep. 8
In this weeks episode we were joined by Manoj Varsani & Marco Ferrari, Co-Founders of the property finance platform Hammock. Having recently raised £1million in seed funding, the team are preparing to launch their brand new current account for landlords. Sitting down with Oli Lochhead from our London office, the pair talked us through the processes they have in place that have enabled them to scale the Hammock platform so quickly and how they use customer feedback and insights to shape the p...
Nov 04, 2020•45 min•Season 1Ep. 7
How do you scale a multi-million pound business without any external investment? Co-Founder of video animation platform Viddyoze, Joey Xoto, talked us through how he and his Co-Founders utilised the power of their networks to create an incredibly successful affiliate programme that enabled their business to gain over 100,000 customers in under 5 years. Talking us through some of their major decisions, we discussed why the team feel now is the right time for outside investment and de-risking, fin...
Oct 21, 2020•59 min•Season 1Ep. 6
In our latest episode we sat down with Investment Director at GC Angels, Jess Jackson . GC Angels are one of the leading early stage investors in Greater Manchester and have invested in 22 businesses since 2018, so Jess and her team know exactly what to look out for and what NOT to do when approaching your first round of investment. Jess took us through: -What to consider when approaching your first round - When to consider fundraising options -Her take on VC personality and culture fit -Address...
Oct 05, 2020•1 hr 6 min•Season 1Ep. 5
Having worked as a lorry driver after leaving the army and studying for a Business Degree, Erin became frustrated with the outdated haulage sector, often experiencing lower wages, higher fees, poor communication, and wasted time. Noticing an opportunity to bridge the gap and improve the lifestyle and earning potential of HGV drivers in the UK, the concept of Avail was born and Erin spent the rest of his degree focusing on how to turn it into a reality. Founded 3 years ago, Avail is disrupting th...
Sep 04, 2020•38 min•Season 1Ep. 4
Collabco are a pioneering EdTech business providing flexible technology solutions for universities and schools around the globe through their core product, myday. At the start of the year Collabco were gearing up for an exciting period of growth when the world was suddenly put on hold by Covid-19. Sitting down with CEO Andrew Taylor, Chris McGowan will be finding out how Collabco have used their time throughout the pandemic to restructure and buildout the business for an accelerated period of gr...
Aug 21, 2020•43 min•Season 1Ep. 3
When Broadstone was founded in 2016, it's three Co-Founders, Tom Pickersgill, James Doyle & Nick Groves, had a clear mission: to power the hourly paid workforce community and make hiring better people both faster and more transparent. In our latest episode of the Start-Up Diaries, Chris McGowan sat down with CEO & Co-Founder, Tom Pickersgill, to talk about Orka's impressive zero attrition, the future of 'WorkerTech' and advice on building and fostering a great culture in the office and r...
Jul 28, 2020•47 min•Season 1Ep. 2
