Unicorn Podcast - podcast cover

Unicorn Podcast

Simon Squibbunicorn-podcast.com
We interview founders of billion-dollar companies in a 60-minute deep dive to find out how they were able to build a business of this scale, to give our audience access to the knowledge that built their fortune.
Last refreshed:
Follow this podcast in the Metacast mobile app to refresh it and see new episodes.
Download Metacast podcast app
Podcasts are better in Metacast mobile app
Don't just listen to podcasts. Learn from them with transcripts, summaries, and chapters for every episode. Skim, search, and bookmark insights. Learn more

Episodes

Shazam Founder: The ‘Impossible’ Business That We Sold To Apple: Chris Barton | Unicorn Podcast E3

Chris Barton is a well-respected entrepreneur and one of the masterminds behind the music recognition app, Shazam. Shazam was created in London over 20years ago and caught the interest of Apple who went on to purchase the technology for a speculated $400 million in 2017. The app is now among the most popular apps on both iPhone and Android with over 1 billion downloads to date. Chris’ career also includes companies such as Google where he worked for 8 years and Dropbox, where he held the positio...

Apr 26, 20221 hr 18 min

The £1 Bet That Turned Into A Billion-Dollar Company: John Roberts | Unicorn Podcast E2

John Roberts is the Founder and CEO of AO World, the online retailer specialising in household appliances and electricals. AO operates following John’s two personal mottos of ‘treat every customer like your gran’ and ‘make your mum proud’, which has allowed the company to attain more 5* reviews than any other electrical retailer. John started AO in 2000 after a friend bet him £1 to set up a business. He had previously been working as a kitchen salesman, and the internet was just reaching mainstr...

Apr 26, 20221 hr 34 min

BILLIONAIRE SPECIAL - Starling Bank CEO: How I started a $1.5 billion business at 54: Anne Boden

Anne Boden is the Founder and CEO of Starling Bank, a modern British bank that brings new technology to the forefront, delivering a more engaging experience for customers than traditional high-street banks. Since 2014, Anne’s vision has served more than 2.5 million customers as Starling continues to grow into one of the UK’s leading banks. In January of 2014, Anne decided to quit her job to pursue her vision of creating a better bank, defying all stereotypes of women in their 50s with a corporat...

Apr 26, 202241 min

S2, episode 13 | Adam Kamani, CEO Move Streets

In episode Adam Kamani is an award-winning property entrepreneur, start-up investor, mentor and CEO of Kamani Property Group, KM Capital and YourNxtDoor. He has just launched a next-gen property app called Move Streets.

Apr 01, 202151 min

S2, episode 12 | Tom Mercer, Founder MOMA

In Season 2, Episode 12, Simon talks to Tom. Tom Mercer is the Founder of MOMA Foods, a London oat brand. Frustrated with the lack of quality breakfast on the market Tom decided to leave his job in the City and do something about it. MOMA was a genuine grassroots start-up – the first kitchen was under a railway arch in South London and the first retail outlet was a stall (made from a converted filing cabinet) in Waterloo station. MOMA is now the go-to premium porridge brand in the UK, the #1 bir...

Mar 25, 202142 min

S2, episode 11 | Ali Parsa, Founder and CEO of Babylon Health

In Season 2, Episode 11, Simon talks Dr Ali Parsa. Ali is a British-Iranian healthcare entrepreneur and engineer. He’s the founder and CEO of Babylon, the revolutionary AI and digital health company. Babylon’s mission is to put an accessible and affordable health service in the hands of every person on earth. Dr Parsa was listed in The Times 100 people to watch. He was featured in the Maserati 100, a list that recognises game-changing entrepreneurs. He was formerly a UK Cabinet Office Ambassador...

Mar 18, 20211 hr 12 min

S2, episode 10 | Alexia Inge, Co-founder & co-CEO of CultBeauty

In Season 2, Episode 10, Simon talks to Alexia Inge. Singularly committed to curating a ‘Beauty Hall of Fame’, featuring only the best hero products from across the globe, Alexia Inge co-founded Cult Beauty with a lifelong passion for beauty and a mission to become the most trusted beauty retailer in the world. Under Alexia’s leadership since 2014, Cult Beauty has become the place to go for beauty discovery and incubating trends – from the latest scientific wellbeing discoveries to centuries-old...

Mar 11, 202142 min

S2, episode 9 | Sach Kukadia, Serial Entrepreneur, CEO, Chariman and NED

In Season 2, Episode 9, Simon talks to Sach Kukadia. Sach is a serial entrepreneur, non-executive director, chairman, board advisor and angel investor. He launched his first start up, SecretSales.com at the age of 22 and over a period of 10 years, raised £18m through leading Venture Capital Institutions and drove annual sales of £47m. He eventually sold the business to a London based Private Equity firm in 2017. Sach’s current interest lies with Residently, a disruptive Property Tech platform al...

Mar 04, 20211 hr 28 min

S2 episode 8 | Patrick Tsang, Chairman at Tsangs Group

In season 2, episode 8, Simon talks to Patrick Tsang. Patrick Tsang is Chairman of Tsangs Group, a fourth-generation China-focused Single Family Office from Hong Kong. Patrick invests in various companies with a positive influence and positive impact. Born and raised in the United Kingdom with deeply-rooted Chinese heritage, he has a robust global network as a seasoned investor. He has worked on numerous IPO and M&A transactions globally and has successfully made investments in Asia, mainly ...

Feb 25, 202157 min

S2, episode 7 | Dan Murray-Serter, Co-Founder Heights

In Season 2, episode 7, Simon talks to Dan Murray-Serter. Dan is a multi-award winning serial entrepreneur, who talks openly about failure, mental health, mental performance, and 'braincare' - which includes his journey using science to build habits, cultivating a positive mindset & nutrition for optimizing his brain's health. Having started (and failed) the UK's #1 fashion app, Grabble, he is now back building his new company, Heights. In his spare time, he podcasts with both the Braincare ...

Feb 18, 20211 hr 3 min

S2, episode 6 | Nick Wheeler, Founder & Chairman, Charles Tyrwhitt

In Season 2, Episode 6 Simon talks to Nick Wheeler. Nick Wheeler first had the idea for Charles Tyrwhitt shirts - to make the best shirts, using only the finest materials, at great value, with unbeatable service - whilst studying Geography at Bristol University in 1986;. He used his middle names - Charles Tyrwhitt – more anonymous (and better sounding!) than “Nick Wheeler shirts” The first brochure was a one-page leaflet with 8 shirts and 8 ties. The product range has developed from just shirts ...

Feb 11, 20211 hr 16 min

S2, episode 5 | Nick Jenkins, Founder Moonpig

In season 2, episode 5, Simon talks to Nick Jenkins. After graduation, Nick spent eight years trading sugar in Moscow for Glencore. In 1998 he returned to the UK to study for an MBA at Cranfield, after which he started Moonpig.com, the personalised greeting card retailer. By 2011 the business had over 5 million customers and Nick sold a majority of his holding to Photobox. Nick now divides his time between the charity sector and investing in early stage businesses which led to him joining the pa...

Feb 04, 20211 hr 26 min

S2, episode 4 | Stepan Galaev, Founder & Venture Capitalist for Former Dragons

In Season 2, Episode 4, Simon talks to Stepan Galaev. Stepan Galaev identified the growing demand for portfolio management services in the angel investment community while working on the investment portfolio of renowned UK angel investor – Nick Jenkins. After several years of deep-diving in the venture capital environment, he saw an opportunity to build a multi-family office that would cater to individuals with similar business ethics, and the strong belief that investing in young ventures can d...

Jan 28, 202158 min

S2, episode 3 | Anne Skare Nielsen, Chief Futurist

In S2 Episode 3, Simon talks to Anne Skare Nielsen. Anne is one of Scandinavia's - in fact the world's leading futurists. With her great interest and knowledge in radical change and transformation of thinking, she is in high demand as a lecturer and provocateur all over the world. You see her very often in the media. Among other things, she has been on DR's popular radio program 'The Philosopher, the Author and the Woman of the Future', and has been a TV host on the program 'NewScience' on TV2 N...

Jan 21, 20211 hr 27 min

S2, episode 2 | Hugh Thomas, CEO and Co-Founder Ugly Drinks

In season 2 episode 2, Simon talks to Hugh. Hugh Thomas is the NYC-based CEO and Founder of Ugly Drinks. Ugly is a flavored sparkling water brand, now available in over 15,000 stores globally and with offices in both the UK and US. Ugly believes in an omni-channel approach to business, and has built its business online as well as in traditional retail. Before starting Ugly, Hugh worked at Vita Coco in Europe, leading bra

Jan 14, 20211 hr 7 min

S2, episode 1 | William Reeve, CEO Goodlord

In season 2, episode 1, Simon talks to William Reeve. William is CEO of fast growth technology business Goodlord, a role he's held since 2018. Alongside this, he's non-Exec Chairman of Nutmeg and non-Exec Director at Dunelm PLC. William is a serial entrepreneur, having co-founded Fletcher Research, LOVEFiLM.com, and Secret Escapes. He is also an experienced angel investor.

Jan 07, 202143 min

Episode 60 | Pippa Murray, Founder Pip & Nut

In episode 60, Simon talks to Pippa Murray. Pip Murray, 32, is the Founder of Pip & Nut, an award-winning food brand that launched to market in January 2015. Over the last five years, she’s been shaking up the healthy food and drink sector with her range of naturally nutritious nut butters and recently launched nut butter cups. Pip & Nut is now the fastest growing nut butter brand in the UK and is a certified B corporation. As a self-confessed peanut butter addict, Pip had the inspiratio...

Dec 30, 202057 min

Episode 59 | Nick Telson, Founder of Horseplay Ventures & DesignMyNight

In episode 59, Simon talks to Nick Telson. Nick co-founded DesignMyNight 10 years ago. Coming from a marketing background at L’Oreal, where he launched 2 brands in the UK, he grew DesignMyNight into 8 million views a month website with three ground-breaking B2B hospitality systems with over 15,000 customers. DesignMyNight was acquired by The Access Group in November 2017. He now hosts a top 10 global business podcast, Pitch Deck and has founded a new spin on venture for startups; Horseplay Ventu...

Dec 27, 202058 min

Episode 58 | John Elkington, Executive Chairman and Co-Founder at Volans Ventures

In episode 58, Simon talks to John Elkington, Co-Founder & Chief Pollinator at Volans. John is one of the founders of the global sustainability movement, an experienced advisor to business, and a highly regarded keynote speaker and contributor, from conferences to advisory boards. In 2008, The Evening Standard named John among the ‘1000 Most Influential People’ in London, describing him as “a true green business guru”, and as “an evangelist for corporate social and environmental responsibili...

Dec 20, 20201 hr 20 min

Episode 57 | Norris Koppel, Founder & CEO at Monese

In episode 57, Simon talks to Norris Koppel. Norris is Founder & CEO of the European banking service Monese. He launched Monese in 2015, after his first-hand experience of the hassle involved with opening a bank account in a new country. With its multi-currency current accounts that are available in 31 countries, Monese enables people to bank like a local across the UK and Europe. Since 2007, Norris has co-founded and built a number of fintech companies. He is passionate about financial educ...

Dec 13, 202054 min

Episode 56 | Jeff Rotmeyer, Founder at ImpactHK and Love 21 Foundation

In episode 56, Simon talks to Jeff Rotmeyer. Jeff Rotmeyer is the Founder and CEO of ImpactHK, a charity transforming the lives of the homeless in Hong Kong. ImpactHK started with just a few individuals wanting to show kindness to those in need. It has now grown into a humanitarian movement, involving thousands of participants, that is truly saving lives. Jeff is also the Founder and CEO of Love 21 Foundation, a charity supporting the down syndrome and autistic community with sport and nutrition...

Dec 06, 20201 hr 1 min

Episode 55 | Rich Goldsmith, Founder MOJU

In Episode 55, Simon talks to Rich Goldsmith. Rich founded MOJU in 2015, alongside his best mate, Charlie Leet-Cook. Rich has a degree in Engineering and worked in commercial and finance roles before discovering his passion for innovation in food & beverage. MOJU has grown from a craft juice made in a home kitchen and sold at local markets and music festivals, into the market leader of juice shots and the fastest growing brand in the UK juice & smoothie category. Rich is forever fascinat...

Nov 29, 20201 hr 1 min

Episode 54 | Jeff Lynn, Executive Chairman and Co-Founder of Seedrs

In episode 54, Simon talks to Jeff Lynn. One of the world's largest platforms for investing in private companies. He also serves as Chairman of The Coalition for a Digital Economy (Coadec), a non-profit advocacy group for UK startups and scaleups. Jeff began his career as a corporate lawyer at Sullivan & Cromwell LLP in New York and London. He has been named one of the 100 most influential men in the UK by GQ and one of the 10 coolest people in tech by Business Insider.

Nov 22, 202059 min

Episode 53, James Chase, Director at Chase Distillery

In episode 53, Simon talks to James Chase. As a member of the family that invented Tyrrell’s Crisps in the nineties before going on to found Chase Distillery in 2008, it is little wonder that entrepreneurialism is in James Chase’s blood. The Director at Chase Distillery cut his teeth on the family farm, helping his father to challenge the status quo of the spirits industry. They did this by adopting a unique field-to-bottle process, using the potatoes grown on the farm to distill into vodka and ...

Nov 15, 202057 min

Episode 52 | Angelina Riccio and Tenna Anette, Founders of Purearth

In episode 52, Simon talks Angelina Riccio and Tenna Anette. The pair turned their back on a fast paced, party lifestyle after a case of burn-out inspired them to create products that would actively benefit the wellbeing of themselves and their families. Prior to Purearth, Angelina became an entrepreneur at a young age, founding a global modeling agency Reality Check Management, whilst Tenna is an ex-event manager at Sketch. The pair, who became flatmates for over a year and a half to help suppo...

Nov 08, 20201 hr

Episode 51 | Duro Oye, Award-Winning Social Entrepreneur and Filmmaker

In episode 51, Simon talks to Duro Oye. Duro is a London based award-winning social entrepreneur and filmmaker. Duro is Chief Executive of 2020 Change a youth empowerment organisation focused on the social mobility of young people from low socio-economic backgrounds. He strongly believes that every young person should have the opportunity to live to their fullest potential. Oye’s national recognition came in 2013 after he raised £50k to fund his first independent film project ‘247365 Change’. Si...

Nov 01, 20201 hr 9 min

Episode 50 | Mads Faurholt, Serial Entrepreneur & Bestselling Author

In Episode 50, Simon talks to Mads Faurholt. Mads is a serial entrepreneur and best selling author. He has started over 20 companies across technology, financial services, marketing, HR and education, with thousands of employees, and investors such as Goldman Sachs, Alibaba, Peter Thiel and the World Bank. Prior to starting his current company, Nova Founders Capital, Mads was Global Partner and Managing Director of the German internet giant, Rocket Internet; Head of Asia at Groupon (the world’s ...

Oct 25, 20201 hr 8 min
For the best experience, listen in Metacast app for iOS or Android