Founders For Good

Beckie Taylor is the Co-Founder and CEO of Tech Returners. Tech Returners remove the barriers for people returning to tech after career breaks by giving them the support, confidence and skills they need. 

In this episode we cover:

• Why people take career breaks and the barriers 
• The untapped talent pool of tech returners
• The current stage of diversity in tech
• Being an inclusive employer
• How Tech Returners works 

Want to listen to the full interview, click below:

• https://www.foundersforgood.io/episodes/beckie-taylor-removing-the-barriers-and-stigma-attached-to-taking-career-breaks-and-returning-tech-talent  

Hector Hughes is the Co-Founder of Unplugged.

After working in a high growth startup and experiencing burnout, Hector booked himself on a retreat in the Himalayas where he spent 10 days cut off from the outside world with no access to his phone.

When he returned to the UK, he realised how over-reliant we all are on our phones and the negative impact this has on our health and relationships. So he set up Unplugged, they provide 72 hour, off-grid digital detoxes in beautiful cabins in the countryside. 

In this episode Hector explains how addicted we are to our phones, the impact that has and how it’s only getting worse, how Unplugged are helping people break that unhealthy habit, and his lessons from being a Founder.  

Highlights:

• 01.52: Burnout and Hector’s Himalayan digital detox
• 04.24:  How addicted are we to our phones?  
• 07.90: The impact phones are having on our wellbeing and relationships
• 09.45: What does a health relationship with your phone look like? 
• 11.25: Unplugged overview and how it started
• 19.09: The science behind the 72 hour detox
• 25.49: Unplugged’s growth, word or mouth and PR  
• 33.59: Hector’s unconventional leadership approach 
• 37.45: What makes Unplugged a great place to work 

Our Host:
Craig Turner. Founder of Confido Talent, a business that helps Tech For Good startups to scale their product, design and engineering teams.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/craigturner7/ / www.confidotalent.com / [email protected]

Our Guest:
Hector Hughes, Co-Founder of Unplugged
https://www.linkedin.com/in/hector-hughes-10082195/ / https://unplugged.rest/

Our Sponsor:
Jobs For Good. The only job platform to find the best jobs in sustainability, impact and much more.
www.jobsforgood.io / https://bit.ly/3wjwJa0

Our Producer:
Jabriel Al-Suhaimi. Jabriel is a podcast aficionada, editing and producing podcasts for many, including himself.
https://www.jabrielalsuhaimi.com/ / https://twitter.com/jabealsuhaimi 

Ari Last is the Founder of Bubble. Bubble is the UK’s largest on-demand in-home childcare platform, with over 200,000 families and 100,000 carers on the app.  

In this episode we cover:

• Childcare options in the UK 
• Out-of-home vs in-home childcare options 
• The challenges with in-home childcare 
• Should employers be doing more to support working parents? 

Want to listen to the full interview, click below:

• https://www.foundersforgood.io/episodes/ari-last-building-the-uk-s-largest-on-demand-in-home-childcare-platform  

Jim Lovett is the CEO of Advetec. 

Advetec focus on tackling the problem of black bag waste. This is the waste created by businesses, that cannot be recycled and is difficult to process as it typically contains a mix of organic and inorganic material that is impossible to separate out. 

The impact this has on the planet is shocking. In the UK last year, 11 million tons of black bag waste ended up in landfill and 17 million tons ended up being burnt, which significantly contributes to greenhouse gases. 

Today Jim shares his knowledge about the UK waste management system and its inherent problems, the impact of black bag waste on the environment, Advetec’s revolutionary way of processing onsite waste and the lessons he’s learnt as an entrepreneur. 

Highlights:

• 01.56: Business waste and the problem with black bag waste
• 07.02: The impact poor waste management has on the planet
• 09.04: The waste management industry that doesn’t want to change
• 13.40: The push and pull factors causing businesses to improve 
• 18.34: Advetec’s revolutionary way of processing waste 
• 30.29: A snapshot of Advetec today
• 34.54: Their revenue model and value add to customers
• 43.58: Jim’s journey as an entrepreneur 
• 49.35: The key to retaining great people in your business

Our Host:
Craig Turner. Founder of Confido Talent, a business that helps Tech For Good startups to scale their product, design and engineering teams.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/craigturner7/ / www.confidotalent.com / [email protected] 

Our Guest:
Jim Lovett, CEO of Advetec.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jim-lovett-80a14938/ / https://advetec.com/uk

Our Sponsor:
Jobs For Good. The only job platform to find the best jobs in sustainability, impact and much more.
www.jobsforgood.io / https://bit.ly/3wjwJa0

Our Producer:
Jabriel Al-Suhaimi. Jabriel is a podcast aficionada, editing and producing podcasts for many, including himself.
https://www.jabrielalsuhaimi.com/ / https://twitter.com/jabealsuhaimi 

Emilia Molimpakis is the Co-Founder and CEO of Thymia. Thymia use voice, movement and behavioural data to identify conditions and symptoms of mental illness, and support clinicians in triaging, diagnosing and treating mental illness. 

In this episode we cover:

• Is people’s mental health getting better or worse? 
• The current way of assessing mental health
• The flawed, broken system and how it’s failing those who need help the most 
• How Thymia are offering a better solution

Want to listen to the full interview, click below:

https://www.foundersforgood.io/episodes/emilia-molimpakis-creating-the-new-gold-standard-for-mental-health-assessment 

Katy Cottam, is the Founder of Luna Daily.

At 19 years old, Katy was given antibiotics that changed her gut and skin microbiome which meant she could no longer use traditional body care products. She was forced to use “feminine hygiene” products that left her feeling ashamed and embarrassed. 

After that experience she created Luna Daily to fight the stigma attached to intimate skincare. A big part of this is education, people better understand their body and needs as well as what a healthy skincare routine looks like. The other aspect of this is creating a new category of product without stigma, that supports women of all ages and stages, and suitable for all skin types. Women shouldn’t need to buy one product for their body and one for their vulva. 

In this episode Katy enlightens me about the problems that exist, what needs to change and how Luna Daily are leading this movement. 

Highlights:

• 05.20: The “aha” moment for Luna Daily
• 06.25: The issues that exist with intimate skincare 
• 10.00: Normalising the word “vulva”?
• 12.30: How the beauty industry has failed women and creating a new “womanhood” category 
• 16.20: The early days of Luna Daily and their MVP
• 24.06: Luna’s three product pillars
• 32.24: Fundraising “the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life”
• 38.48: The toughest part of being a Founder 
• 43.11: Do Founders need to build a personal brand online? 
• 47.33: Hiring advice, attitude over aptitude and better to have a hole than an a**hole

Our Host:
Craig Turner. Founder of Confido Talent, a business that helps Tech For Good startups to scale their product, design and engineering teams.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/craigturner7/ / www.confidotalent.com / [email protected]

Our Guest:
Katy Cottam, Founder of Luna Daily
https://www.linkedin.com/in/katy-cottam-b6556043/ / https://luna-daily.com/
 
Our Sponsor:
Jobs For Good. The only job platform to find the best jobs in sustainability, impact and much more.
www.jobsforgood.io / https://bit.ly/3wjwJa0

Our Producer:
Jabriel Al-Suhaimi. Jabriel is a podcast aficionada, editing and producing podcasts for many, including himself.
https://www.jabrielalsuhaimi.com/ / https://twitter.com/jabealsuhaimi

Daniel George is the Founder and CEO of StepEx. StepEx enable the less wealthy majority to access the best qualifications in exchange for an affordable share of their future earnings.

In this episode we cover:

• The current routes to financing further education and associated issues
• The need for a fairer system so everyone can realise their potential 
• StepEx’s revolutionary way of financing education

Want to listen to the full interview, click below:
https://www.foundersforgood.io/episodes/daniel-george-removing-the-barrier-to-higher-education-to-help-people-reach-their-full-potential  

Tom McGillycuddy is the Co-Founder and CEO of CIRCA5000. 

After starting his career in finance Tom quickly realised there was more to life than just making money, but he also saw the potential for using investments to build a better world for everyone.

So Tom left job security to found CIRCA5000, a company solely focused on impact investing. This form of investing is where on top of risk and return, they look at a third factor which is how does company make money, i.e. does their product or service solve a major world problem. This ensures that money isn’t being used to fund arms dealers, coal or oil companies that you might be surprised to hear still exist in a lot of portfolios today.

Then CIRCA5000 make it super easy and simple by having a range of products from ISA’s, GIA’s and pensions so everyone can invest their money in a brighter future.

In this episode we cover a range of products from ESG vs impact investing, to lack of financial education in the UK to building a challenger brand and much more. 

Highlights:

• 02.05: Tom’s reluctant start in finance
• 05.50: Everyone that has a pension is an investor, where is that money invested? 
• 11.34: ESG vs impact investing – the big difference 
• 16.23: Impact investing is the future 
• 19.08: CIRCA5000 overview
• 32.32: The UK needs better financial education 
• 35.30: Creating a brand that challenges the norm
• 38.21: The toughest part of being a Founder
• 47.05: A bigger team doesn’t always mean better  

Our Host:
Craig Turner. Founder of Confido Talent, a business that helps Tech For Good startups to scale their product, design and engineering teams.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/craigturner7/ / www.confidotalent.com / [email protected] 

Our Guest:
Tom McGillycuddy, Co-Founder and CEO of CIRCA5000.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-mcgillycuddy-1a588037/ / https://circa5000.com/
Impact Investing podcast: https://circa5000.com/podcast 

Our Sponsor:
Jobs For Good. The only job platform to find the best jobs in sustainability, impact and much more.
www.jobsforgood.io / https://bit.ly/3wjwJa0

Our Producer:

Jabriel Al-Suhaimi. Jabriel is a podcast aficionada, editing and producing podcasts for many, including himself.
https://www.jabrielalsuhaimi.com/ / https://twitter.com/jabealsuhaimi 

Khyati Sundaram is the CEO of Applied. Applied is a tech platform that enables employers to build bespoke debiased hiring processes, so companies get access to a larger and more diverse pool of talent.

In this episode we cover:

• What is bias? Where does it come from?
• Where is bias most likely in hiring processes 
• The benefits of de-biasing your recruitment 
• Can humans train bias out of their thinking
• How is Applied solving this problem 

Want to listen to the full interview, click below:
https://www.foundersforgood.io/episodes/khyati-sundaram-removing-bias-from-recruitment  

Dr Anas Nader is the Co-Founder and CEO of Patchwork Health.

From working in the NHS, Anas witnessed first-hand the challenges with over-reliance on temporary agency staff costing the NHS millions of pounds each year. As well as the lack of flexible working, with NHS workers having very little say in their shift patterns and huge barriers existing to people working across multiple NHS sites. 

Seeing an obvious problem Anas left the NHS to build Patchwork Health, an end-to-end solution that helps the NHS more effectively manage their workforce and improve collaboration across teams and NHS sites. They’ve also created a truly flexible working environment for clinicians, giving them the power to choose when and where they work. No surprise then that they now work with over 100 NHS sites and 40,000+ workers, helping the NHS to solve their staffing problem and save millions every year.

Highlights:

• 04.07: Anas’ view on the current state of the NHS
• 10.01: Does change need to come from the government or NHS leadership? 
• 17.40: The issues with NHS workforce management and Patchwork Health’s work
• 24.21: The idea and start of Patchwork Health
• 34.07: Selling to the NHS 
• 39.17: What’s next for Patchwork Health
• 42.28: How hard was the decision to leave the NHS?  
• 53.04: The importance of a diverse team from day one 
• 56.52: When is the right time to build your own internal talent team 

Our Host:
Craig Turner. Founder of Confido Talent, a business that helps Tech For Good startups to scale their product, design and engineering teams.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/craigturner7/ / www.confidotalent.com / [email protected] 

Our Guest:
Dr Anas Nader, Co-Founder and CEO of Patchwork Health.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/naderanas/ / https://patchwork.health/ 
 
Our Sponsor:
Jobs For Good. The only job platform to find the best jobs in sustainability, impact and much more.
www.jobsforgood.io / https://bit.ly/3wjwJa0

Our Producer:
Jabriel Al-Suhaimi. Jabriel is a podcast aficionada, editing and producing podcasts for many, including himself.
https://www.jabrielalsuhaimi.com/ / https://twitter.com/jabealsuhaimi