Dinika Mahtani is a Partner at Cherry Ventures ; an early-stage venture capital firm led by a team of entrepreneurs with experience building fast-scaling companies such as Zalando and Spotify. The firm backs Europe's boldest founders, usually as their first institutional investor, and supports them in everything from their go-to-market strategy and the scaling of their businesses. Dinika joins James Pringle and Hector Mason to share share her career in banking and then at Uber, angel invest...
Feb 07, 2024•49 min•Ep 2•Transcript available on Metacast Amon Ghaiumy is the Co-Founder and CEO of Ophelos ; a fintech startup with unique technology that uses machine learning and behavioural science to get people debt-free and organisations paid back. Amon joins James Pringle and Hector Mason to discuss how he started Ophelos, the existing debt collection industry situation, the founder experience in the UK Tech ecosystem, & so much more. Don't forget to like, subscribe, and follow The Riding Unicorns Podcast on our socials and your chosen ...
Jan 31, 2024•44 min•Ep 1•Transcript available on Metacast James Evans is the Co-Founder and CEO of CommandBar ; an AI-powered user assistance platform that makes your product easier to use. Activate and retain more users to grow faster. James joins James Pringle and Hector Mason to discuss how to determine product-market fit, CommandBar’s hiring philosophy, their fundraising strategy, & so much more. Don't forget to like, subscribe, and follow The Riding Unicorns Podcast on our socials and your chosen podcast platform to stay up to date! 🎙️🦄...
Dec 20, 2023•50 min•Ep 29•Transcript available on Metacast Christian Gabriel is the Co-Founder and former CEO of Capdesk (acquired by Carta), a platform that helps people manage equity, build businesses, and invest in the companies of tomorrow. Their mission is to unlock the power of equity ownership for more people in more places. Carta is trusted by more than 40,000 companies, over 5,000 investment funds, and half a million employees for cap table management, compensation management, liquidity venture capital solutions, and more. Don't forget to ...
Dec 13, 2023•46 min•Ep 28•Transcript available on Metacast David Bateman is a Managing Partner at Claret Capital Partners . The Claret team has been active in the technology financing markets for over 20 years and provides debt solutions to help entrepreneurs and private equity investors grow their companies while minimizing dilution. Since 2013 Claret has backed over 140 European SMEs from a wide range of geographies across Europe. David joins James Pringle to talk about the company profile they prefer to back, what success looks like for a venture fun...
Dec 06, 2023•43 min•Ep 27•Transcript available on Metacast Agate Freimane is a General Partner at Norrsken VC , an Article 9, or "dark green," investment fund. They operate as a pure impact fund, exclusively investing in companies that have a sustainable objective for the product or service they develop. They provide extensive support to their portfolio companies, assisting them in implementing impact workshops and training programs. This enables them to measure their company's impact incrementally over time and establish long-term ESG go...
Nov 29, 2023•31 min•Ep 26•Transcript available on Metacast Christian Noske is a Partner at NGP Capital . They back early-stage B2B companies from Series A onwards in Europe, the US, Israel, and China within enterprise software, industrial tech, cybersecurity, and infrastructure. Their current portfolio includes Coda, DataLoop, Clue, Nova Labs, Scandit, Shippeo, & SecurityScorecard, while their exits include Deliveroo, Xiaomi, Moovit, Kaltura, and many more. Christian joins James Pringle to talk about investment process fundamentals, market changes, ...
Nov 22, 2023•31 min•Ep 25•Transcript available on Metacast This episode is with Raphael Thiolon (Managing Director) and Lopo Champalimaud (Co-Founder & Managing Partner at V3 Ventures) at Verlinvest , an international, family-backed evergreen investment company. They partner with visionary entrepreneurs who are driving consumer revolutions and building the next generation of category-defining brands that will positively impact the consumer sector for years to come. Raph and Lopo join James Pringle and Hector Mason to talk about the story behind Verl...
Nov 15, 2023•50 min•Ep 24•Transcript available on Metacast Audrey Handem is a VC at Speedinvest ; one of Europe’s most active early-stage investors with more than €1 billion AuM and 40+ investors based in Berlin, London, Munich, Paris, and Vienna. Founder success is Speedinvest’s top priority, so they don’t just send some money and "check in" at board meetings. Their mission is to empower founders with game-changing support through every stage of their journey. Audrey joins James Pringle to discuss the mistakes founders make in fundraising, wh...
Nov 08, 2023•24 min•Ep 23•Transcript available on Metacast Jay Radia is the Founder and Managing Partner of Blissgrowth . They ideate, build, and scale industry winning B2B software technology companies with the best second-time founders. Jay joins Hector Mason to talk about decision-making, how happiness affects the business, startup process for his different companies, & so much more. Don't forget to like, subscribe, and follow The Riding Unicorns Podcast on our socials and your chosen podcast platform to stay up to date! 🎙️🦄...
Nov 01, 2023•48 min•Ep 22•Transcript available on Metacast Roger Wade is the Chairman of Boxfund VC , a venture capital fund established by entrepreneurs, funded by entrepreneurs, and dedicated to supporting entrepreneurs. They possess a deep understanding of the qualities required for entrepreneurial success and actively seek out exceptional individuals with brilliant ideas. They provide them with financial backing and expert guidance to help them thrive. Roger joins James Pringle and Hector Mason to discuss the impact of emotional intelligence, embrac...
Oct 25, 2023•57 min•Ep 21•Transcript available on Metacast Sir Martin Sorrell is the Founder and Executive Chairman of S4Capital plc, the tech led, new age / new era digital advertising and marketing services company for global, multinational, regional and local clients, and millennial-driven influencer brands. To commemorate the launch of Riding Unicorns in 2020, Sir Martin joins James Pringle and Hector Mason the second time around to talk about the latest developments at S4 Capital, his perspective on the global market, how he has navigated the profo...
Oct 18, 2023•48 min•Ep 20•Transcript available on Metacast Chris Smalling is a professional footballer and is also the Co-Founder of The Player's Fund. Chris currently plays for AS Roma in Italy. He has 31 caps and 1 goal for England. A few year's ago Chris started investing in companies that align with his plant-based lifestyle and he has now helped launch The Player's Fund alongside other top investing athletes such as Ben Stokes, Stuart Broad and Hector Bellerin. We learn more about Chris's journey as an athlete investor. Don&apos...
Oct 11, 2023•44 min•Ep 19•Transcript available on Metacast Niccolo Perra is the Co-Founder of Pleo . Pleo offers smart company cards that enable employees to buy the things they need for work, all while keeping a company's finance team in control of spending. Simplify bookkeeping, eliminate expense reports, and revolutionize your business. Niccolo joins James Pringle and Hector Mason in this episode to talk about Co-Founder relationships, product feedback, management and iteration, learnings from launching into new markets, & so much more. Don&...
Oct 04, 2023•46 min•Ep 18•Transcript available on Metacast Jimmy Fussing Nielsen is a Partner and Co-founder of Heartcore Capital , an early-stage venture capital fund with offices in Copenhagen, Stockholm, Berlin, and Paris. Since 2007, they have backed some of Europe’s biggest category-defining companies, such as Tink, Neo4j, Boozt, Peakon, Seriously and TravelPerk. So far, they have invested in over 100 founding teams from 13 different countries. And they're looking for more. Jimmy joins James Pringle and Hector Mason in this episode to discuss ...
Sep 27, 2023•45 min•Ep 17•Transcript available on Metacast Babs Ogundeyi is the Founder and CEO of Kuda , a fintech company on a mission to make financial services more accessible, affordable and rewarding for every African on the planet. They've built the money app for Africans around the world, giving them a better alternative to traditional finance by delivering services including free money transfers, smart budgeting, investments and instant access to credit through digital devices. Babs joins James Pringle and Hector Mason in this episode to s...
Sep 20, 2023•36 min•Ep 16•Transcript available on Metacast Kirsty Grant is Managing Director at Seedrs . Seedrs is Europe’s leading online private investing platform that enables individuals to invest in startups, growth companies, and, if eligible, top VC funds, as well as supporting entrepreneurs in all sectors to raise capital from their communities, angels and institutional investors.Since its launch in 2012 as an equity crowdfunding platform, Seedrs has funded over 2,000 deals, with over £2.5 billion invested on the platform to date. With the recen...
Sep 13, 2023•35 min•Ep 15•Transcript available on Metacast Donald Gillies and Henry Irish are the Founders of PassFort . They enable regulated financial services companies to rapidly onboard customers then manage risk and compliance standards throughout the customer lifecycle. Their integration model enables them to ingest datasets from any provider and interoperate with any system. They help you build a data ecosystem, with pre-built connectors to more than 25 data providers and growing. PassFort’s dynamic orchestration of customer due diligence (CDD),...
Sep 06, 2023•47 min•Ep 14•Transcript available on Metacast Saif Hameed is Founder and CEO of Altruistiq . The platform enables large enterprises with complex supply chains to automate sustainability data measurement, management and exchange - with unparalleled accuracy and ease. They believe that business has the power to be a force for positive change in the world.Their mission is to help businesses do more of what is measurably good, and less of what is immeasurably wrong. Saif joins James Pringle and Hector Mason in this episode to talk about working...
Aug 16, 2023•46 min•Ep 13•Transcript available on Metacast Jack Durling is Co-Founder of Lockdown Liquor & Co . The brand offers award-winning premium blended cocktails, crafted by expert mixologists using the best quality ingredients resulting in unique and great tasting cocktails. Having initially traded direct to consumers, Lockdown Liquor is now retailed in a selection of prestigious outlets including Daylesford Organic, Anthropologie to name a few, as well as a diverse selection of customers in the on trade from national restaurant groups, 5* h...
Aug 09, 2023•38 min•Ep 12•Transcript available on Metacast Alex Macdonald Co-Founded Velocity Black which went on to be acquired by Capital One and is now the Co-Founder at sequel helping the world's best athletes invest in the world's best startups, making a positive impact. They are on a mission to help athletes build legacies for their families and for the world. They harness cutting-edge technology and a network of founders, angels, and venture capitalists built over a decade to enable athletes to invest in the most promising startups chan...
Aug 02, 2023•55 min•Ep 11•Transcript available on Metacast Saasha Celestial-One is the co-founder & COO of Olio , a sharing app for local communities, on a mission to fight waste. They make it easy to pass on the things we no longer need — from food to furniture, and clothes to books — to people who live nearby. They also work with businesses to redistribute unsold or unserved food. That way, every last bit of edible food ends up benefitting local people, rather than it ending up in the bin. Prior to founding Olio, Saasha spent 13 years in finance, ...
Jul 26, 2023•41 min•Ep 10•Transcript available on Metacast Cristina Vila Vives is the founder and CEO of Cledara . A dreamer and a doer, she started Cledara as a result of her life-long desire to start a company that focussed on helping people. Cledara brings visibility and control to software subscriptions, helping users to reduce software costs by 30% and save +20h a month on finance admin. With 1000+ customers and offices in Denver, London and Barcelona, Cledara is all companies need to manage their software in 2023. Cristina joins James Pringle and ...
Jul 19, 2023•51 min•Ep 9•Transcript available on Metacast Dr. Andre Retterath is a Partner at venture fund Earlybird Venture Capital . Earlybird Venture Capital focuses on European technology companies. Founded in 1997, Earlybird identifies and backs exceptional early-stage companies on a pan-European basis and supports them through their growth and development phases – providing financial resources, strategic support, and access to an international network & capital markets. Andre joins James Pringle and Hector Mason in this episode to share how l...
Jul 12, 2023•47 min•Ep 8•Transcript available on Metacast This week's guests are Leapsome Co-founders, Jenny von Podewils and Kajetan von Armansperg Leapsome is an all-in-one intelligent people enablement platform. CEOs and HR teams at more than 1400 forward-thinking companies (including Spotify, monday.com, and Unity) use Leapsome’s intelligent people enablement platform to drive employee development, productivity, and engagement. Jenny and Kajetan join James Pringle and Hector Mason in this episode to share what it’s like having two CEOs at Leap...
Jul 05, 2023•43 min•Ep 7•Transcript available on Metacast Peter Specht is a Partner at venture fund Creandum. Creandum is a leading European early-stage venture capital firm backing some of Europe’s most successful tech companies including Spotify, iZettle, Depop, Klarna, KRY, Epidemic Sound and Small Giant Games. Peter joins James Pringle and Hector Mason in this episode to discuss how to be a super valuable board member, the odds of questioning, managing the speed of a deal, & so much more. Don't forget to like, subscribe and follow The Ridi...
Jun 28, 2023•31 min•Ep 6•Transcript available on Metacast This week's guest is Sequence Co-founder & CEO, Riya Grover Sequence helps B2B companies design and iterate on billing and payment flows so they can stay focused on their mission. Their goal is to empower operators to build, scale and iterate, expand seamlessly into new markets and product verticals, and have a real time pulse on their business. Riya joins James Pringle and Hector Mason in this episode to share tips for facilitating merger and acquisition, the inspiration for Sequence, ...
Jun 21, 2023•42 min•Ep 5•Transcript available on Metacast This week's guest is Playfair Partner, Henrik Wetter Sanchez . Playfair is a generalist fund with a contrarian approach to pre-seed technology investing. They have backed 70+ companies across two funds including Thought Machine, Andela, Mapillary and Omnipresent. Henrik joins James Pringle and Hector Mason in this special episode to discuss his journey to VC, scaling Playfair, culture fit, crowdfunding, learning from other VCs, & so much more. Don't forget to like, subscribe and fo...
Jun 14, 2023•39 min•Ep 4•Transcript available on Metacast This week's guests are Odin Co-founders, Paddy Ryan and Mary Lin . Odin is building a better way to invest together: a relationship-centric investment marketplace for founders, angels, and VC’s. Paddy and Mary join James Pringle and Hector Mason in this episode to discuss the founder's psyche, finding your Ikigai, creative strategies to facilitate people in your network to invest in startups & so much more. Don't forget to like, subscribe and follow The Riding Unicorns Podcast...
May 31, 2023•44 min•Ep 3•Transcript available on Metacast Startup Spotlight with Edmond Boulle , Co-Founder at Orbital Witness . Orbital Witness is a legaltech/proptech company liberating everyone involved in property transactions by organising all the information at the start of the process so there are no nasty surprises. Over 1.5% of all commercial property transactions in the UK use Orbital Witness and they have just raised a £7.5m Series A led by Parker89 to continue growing and also expand into the residential space. Don't forget to like, su...
May 22, 2023•11 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
