How can scale-ups maintain good communication as they scale? My guest, Ed Leon Klinger, is the CEO of Flock—a company that uses data to provide usage-based insurance for drones, cars and vans. In this episode, Ed explains why he likes to transcribe fundraising meetings to hunt for learnings, he shares why he's grateful that his board let him fail, and we unpack the broad challenge of communication as you scale the team.  Key links: Flock website: https://flockcover.com Ed Leon Klinger profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edleonklinger/ Dave Bailey profile: https://www.linkedin.com/i ..read more

Why have traditional marketplace models failed in the jewellery sector? My guest, Ilana Lever, is the CEO of Motley—a company that enables jewellery designers to bring their designs to market at scale. In this episode, Ilana walks us through Motley’s business model, she explains what stopped her letting go of the details sooner, and we discuss challenges and learnings from fundraising four times. Key links: Motley website: https://www.motley-london.com/ Ilana Lever profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ilana-lever-07551138/ Dave Bailey profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davesuperman/ K ..read more

What would make a founder give up their role as CEO? My guest, James Routledge, is the founder of Sanctus—a company that offers coaching services to businesses to support employee mental health. In this episode, James walks us through his decision to step back from the CEO role, he explains why he decided not to hire a COO, and we discuss how ego can lead us to unhappiness. This is genuinely one of my favourite episodes, and a must-listen if you’re a CEO scaling your business. Key links: Sanctus website: https://sanctus.io/ James Routledge profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jdroutledge ..read more

How much plastic do you consume?  Meet Simon Mellin, CEO of The Modern Milkman a company that delivers plastic-free milk and groceries to your door. In this episode, Simon talks about how a milk cart became venture-backed, we discuss his journey to Series B, and the importance of hiring when building a low-ego culture. Key links: The Modern Milkman website: https://themodernmilkman.co.uk/ Simon Mellin profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonmellin/ Key timestamps: [00:44] How did a milk cart become a venture-backed business? [05:31] What's going on in groceries right now? [10:44 ..read more

Why do you need to train your workforce?  Meet Rajeeb Dey, CEO of Learnerbly—a company that helps businesses train their employees.  In this episode, Rajeeb shares how he dealt with a life-threatening back issue as CEO, we discuss the hard decisions that come with internalisation and talk about how the training space is changing.  Key links:  Learnerbly website: https://www.learnerbly.com/  Rajeeb Dey profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajeebdey/  Key timestamps:  [01:13] Why did you start Learnerbly?  [04:22] Who are Learnerbly's customers?&nbs ..read more

How do you identify high performers in your recruiting? Meet Alex Young, CEO of Virti—a company that creates immersive training experiences using VR that replicate the stress and emotion of clinical practice and beyond. In this episode, Alex talks us through his Series A fundraise, we discuss the surprising applications of VR and immersive training, and he shares some of his recruiting tactics. We also discuss the challenges Alex overcame when building his online brand. Key links: Virti website: https://virti.com/ Alex Young profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexander-f-young/ Dave ..read more

How have you dealt with the ups and downs of Covid-19? Meet Joe Cripps, CEO of Trail, a company that helps multi-site operators in hospitality and leisure to manage their daily tasks. In this episode, Joe shares his experience of the hospitality crisis, he shares learnings from running a remote-first company, and we talk about the mental health challenges many of us have faced during the pandemic. Key links: Trail website: https://trailapp.com/ Joe Cripps profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joecripps/ Dave Bailey profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davesuperman/ Dave's one-on-one gui ..read more

Why and how do you grow a company through acquisitions? Meet Aron Gelbard, CEO of Bloom & Wild—a company which sends you flowers through your letterbox.  In this episode, Aron talks about applying AI to the flowers industry, raising from a US VC without a US presence, and the opportunities and challenges of growing through acquisitions. Aron also shares how he came to lead the Thoughtful Marketing trend. Key links: Bloom & Wild website: https://www.bloomandwild.com/ Aron Gelbard profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aron-gelbard-a075a11/ Dave Bailey profile: https://www.linke ..read more

What does it take to build a truly diverse company from Day One? Today's guest is Maya Pindeus, CEO of Humanising Autonomy which is a company that uses AI and computer vision to predict human behaviour. In this episode, Maya walks us through how she built a thought leadership position as an AI startup, how she prioritised diversity from the start, and the challenges of a listening culture. She also shares an interesting approach to brainstorming at scale. Key links: Humanising Autonomy website: https://www.humanisingautonomy.com/ Maya Pindeus LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mayapindeus ..read more

How do you set realistic standards for your team? Meet Gren Paull, CEO of Lilli—a company that helps vulnerable people live independently and safely, using smart in-home sensors. In this episode, Gren shares how he took over as CEO, the differences between the COO and CEO role, and his approach to setting standards for the team. We also discuss the value of a Head of People, even during the early stages. Key links: Lilli website: https://www.intelligentlilli.com/ Gren Paull profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gren-paull-a89a541 Key timestamps: [01:02] What's Lilly's backstory? [02:06] Wh ..read more