Iron Foundry

In this conversation, Kyriakos Eleftheriou is joined by Tom Livesey, CTO and co-founder of Thriva, who discusses the journey of his health tech company, which has transformed the way individuals monitor their health through innovative blood testing solutions.

Full episode and show notes: https://tryterra.co/podcast/thriva-cto-tom-livesey

He shares insights on the challenges faced during the startup phase, the impact of COVID-19 on their operations, and the importance of consumer awareness in health diagnostics. Tom emphasizes the need for personalization in health insights and the role of technology in improving user experience.

He also touches on the fundraising journey, navigating the NHS landscape, and the future of health tech.

Chapters

00:00 Intro

02:44 Navigating the Challenges of Health Testing

05:30 The Evolution of Thriva's Product Offering

08:33 Fundraising Journey: From Startup to Success

11:15 COVID-19: A Catalyst for Change

14:11 The Future of Health Diagnostics

16:53 Building a Sustainable Business Model

19:29 Customer Acquisition and Marketing Strategies

22:27 The Role of Technology in Health Monitoring

24:56 The Impact of Consumer Awareness on Health

27:32 The Next Decade: Predictions for Health Tech

30:35 Addressing Consumer Anxiety in Health Testing

33:15 The Importance of Personalization in Health Insights

36:06 Navigating the NHS Landscape

39:00 The Future of Home Testing and Diagnostics

Full podcast and writeup → Tom Livesey on going from a shed behind a hackle tree to 4M blood tests and powering the NHS

The first Iranian entrepreneur to build a company worth over $1B in Europe, Dan Vahdat, founder of Huma, is joining Kyriakos Eleftheriou, founder of Terra API

Full episode and show notes: Terra

They discuss:

00:00 - Intro

02:10 - Communicating with @EmmanuelMacron and @kmitsotakis

08:55 - Why are Greece and Persia not empires today

13:40 - How the best people look like

18:30 - Short-term vs long-term thinking

24:27 - Dropping out of PhD

26:57 - The first months of Huma

32:00 - Early days

32:27 - 'I never had the ego of being turned down'

34:00 - First customers

37:21 - How to price expensive contracts

48:30 - Regulation as a moat

59:10 - Raising $300m from partners instead of VC

1:02:58 - AI

1:06:00 - Storytelling advice

1:09:55 - Running

1:14:32 - Cyrus, Darius, and Achaemenid inspirations

1:19:23 - The future

David Turner is the Group CTO of Virgin Active, a global health brand with more than 230 fitness clubs across 8 countries. He previously led NHS tech during Covid.

Full episode and show notes: https://tryterra.co/podcast/virgin-active-cto-david-turner

The host: Kyriakos

More about Virgin Active00:00 - Intro01:26 - UK Tech05:33 - F1 telemetry vs fitness data07:33 - Betting + health data09:30 - Getting into software engineering13:51 - Inside NHS tech: joining mid-Covid chaos14:00 - Leading the NHS Covid digital response, 24/720:56 - Building national-scale testing tech24:49 - The real data engine behind the Covid travel pass26:00 - Virgin Active after NHS30:40 - Inside Virgin clubs tech33:40 - 360° member view41:40 - Rewards45:19 - Why true gym innovation came from outsiders54:40 - Advice to young engineers: fail fast, fail often58:17 - The future of health: your constant digital twin

In this conversation with Kyriakos , David, the CTO of Virgin Active, discusses his journey in technology and health, emphasizing the importance of data-driven decision-making, personalization in fitness, and the impact of COVID-19 on digital services. He shares insights on engineering, the future of health systems, and offers career advice for aspiring professionals in tech. The discussion also touches on the role of AI in enhancing customer engagement and the evolving gym experience.

Chapters00:00 - Intro0:01:26 - What the UK market is good at0:05:33 - What F1 measures—and what fitness should be0:07:33 - Betting industry and health data0:09:30 - Getting into software engineering0:13:51 - Inside NHS tech: joining mid-Covid0:14:00 - Joining and leading NHS in Covid0:20:56 - Lockdown proof: testing at a national scale0:24:49 - The data behind the Covid travel pass0:26:00 - How David joined Virgin0:30:40 - How Virgin Clubs use technology0:33:40 - Building the 360° member view (and why it matters)0:37:23 - The tiny digital nudge that keeps you coming back0:41:40 - Rewards that actually reduce churn0:45:19 - Why gym innovation came from outsiders0:54:40 - Advice to younger folks: embrace failure0:58:17 - The future: your constant ‘digital twin’

The founder of Nucleus, Kian Sadeghi, joined Kyriakos Eleftheriou, in the second health day in San Francisco, and shared his learnings in front of a 300-person audience before the Y Combinator AI event.

Full episode and show notes: https://tryterra.co/podcast/nucleus-genomics-founder-kian-sadeghi

00:00 Intro

02:01 The Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson fight sponsorship story.

05:01 "Fundraising is an art."

08:01 Competing with Mr. Beast and the importance of storytelling.

11:01 The evolution and impact of genetic testing.

14:01 Future of genetics and embryo selection.

17:01 AI in genetics.

20:01 Narrative in startup success.

23:01 Regulatory challenges

26:01 Personal journey and insights on building a company.

29:01 Genetic testing market

32:01 The role of computational biology in genetics.

35:01 The impact of whole genome sequencing on healthcare.

38:01 The future of genetic engineering and its societal implications.

41:01 The intersection of AI and genetics.

44:01 The importance of storytelling in the tech industry.

50:01 Future vision.

53:01 Q&A

After the Y Combinator AI event, Kyriakos Eleftheriou sat down with Mark Gainey co-founder of Strava, who shared his entrepreneurial journey, discussing the evolution of Strava from a startup to a $2.2 billion fitness platform. 

Full episode and show notes: https://tryterra.co/podcast/strava-cofounder-mark-gainey

Chapters

00:00 Intro

04:15 How technology changed 

11:35 Should you be niche with AI

13:20 Building a Community

17:00 Dealing with big companies early on

20:53 User Feedback

23:00 Elimination process

25:10 Fundraising 

28:43 AI

30:50 Adding more sports

36:18 The Future of Fitness

42:20 Storytelling

46:00 Q&A

Full podcast and writeup → Mark Gainey on starting Strava in a Boston basement, growing 99% organically, and why focusing on engagement beat chasing growth

How do you build a $3B company from Portugal?

Full episode and show notes: https://tryterra.co/podcast/founder-of-remote-marcelo-lebre

In this episode, Marcelo Lebre (Co-founder of Remote), in a discussion with Kyriakos ,  shares how he went to building one of Europe’s top startups and why health, culture, and ruthless focus were key to scaling Remote globally.

We talk fitness, healthcare, European bureaucracy, and the mindset behind building a generational company.

Follow Marcelo → https://x.com/marcelo_lebre

Follow Kyriakos → https://x.com/kyriakosel

Chapters:

00:00 Intro

03:08 Training for Longevity

05:11 Nutrition and Wearables

08:14 What Doctors Miss

11:06 DIY Health and Data

14:10 Health Isn’t Just Avoiding Sickness

17:20 The Quote That Hit Hard

18:53 Building a Unicorn in Portugal

23:35 Why European Startups Die

27:12 Bureaucracy and Politics

32:03 What Governments Must Fix

35:50 Remote Still Feels Like a Startup

38:05 Europe’s Investment Problem

40:11 Remote Was Built Out of Frustration

44:03 Building a Global HR Platform

49:06 The Backbone of Global Hiring

52:04 No Ego No Politics

55:15 Not a Family A Team

57:52 How to Attract Top Talent

59:39 His 100-Year Vision

In the latest conversation at Imperial College London, Kyriakos is joined by George Robson, Partner at Sequoia.

Full episode and show notes: https://tryterra.co/podcast/sequoia-partner-george-robson

George went from leading global products at Revolut to joining Sequoia Capital - one of the most selective VC firms in the world.

At Revolut, he helped scale the team from a few hundred to thousands and launched products used by millions. Now at Sequoia, he backs Europe’s most ambitious founders.

In this episode, George shares:

• What made Revolut’s culture so intense and effective
• How Sequoia actually decides who to fund
• The founder red flag they won’t tolerate
• Why “talent density” beats speed in the early days

Whether you’re raising your first round, building a team, or just curious how the top VCs think this episode is packed with real insight from both sides of the table.

Follow George Robson on X

Follow Kyriakos Eleftheriou on X

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 – Intro: From Revolut to Sequoia

03:15 – What made Revolut’s culture brutally effective

06:40 – Nik Storonsky’s “gym” metaphor and hiring filter

10:30 – The pod structure that unlocked speed and ownership

13:50 – Why Revolut grew like a Darwinian startup lab

17:10 – Inside Sequoia: culture, filters, and pace

21:45 – What founders often misunderstand about VC

24:30 – 50/50 founder equity splits: why it’s a red flag

28:00 – How Sequoia filters for world-class founders

31:00 – The 4 traits George looks for before investing

35:20 – Working with founders after the check lands

38:50 – Europe vs US: what’s still misunderstood

43:00 – How to pitch Sequoia the right way

46:30 – What great founders don’t do in a pitch

50:15 – Why storytelling and obsession matter

53:45 – What George would do differently as a founder

56:00 – Lightning round: hot takes on VC, speed, AI

59:10 – Closing thoughts: how to build for the long game

In the latest episode, Kyriakos is joined by Dmitry Gurski , the CEO of Flo Health, the fastest growing health startup in the world, for 2024, in their conversation at Imperial College London

Full episode and show notes: https://tryterra.co/podcast/founder-of-flo-health-dmitry-gurski

Timestamps:

00:00 - Intro

02:10 - Early Failures & $60M Mistake 

05:45 - Smart Founders Fail 

08:20 - Launching Flo

11:10 - What Great Products Have in Common 

13:30 - Beating Max Levchin & a16z

16:00 - Winning against Apple

20:30 - Fundraising

23:10 - 300 Experiments

26:00 - What Almost Killed Flo

28:40 - From $1B to $10B Valuation 

30:00 - AI is too slow 

33:30 - Fast Decisions > Smart Decisions 

36:28 Q&A

Kyriakos is joined by Ethan Kurzweil, a founding partner at Chemistry and former managing partner at Bessemer Venture Partners.

Full episode and show notes: https://tryterra.co/podcast/managing-partner-at-chemistry-ethan-kurzweil

He’s led early investments in Twitch, Twilio, Intercom, and PagerDuty — and in this conversation, he shares what separates good founders from iconic ones.

In this episode, we discuss:

- Why the best founders are like cult leaders

- What makes a startup idea truly contrarian

- How to build a focused, high-conviction VC fund

- The future of AI-native companiesWhether you’re raising, investing, or building

— This is a must-listen for anyone serious about startups.

Follow Ethan on X: https://twitter.com/@ethankurz

Follow Kyriakos on X: https://twitter.com/@kyriakosel

Chemistry VC: @chemistry_fund | [https://chemistry.vc](https://chemistry.vc/)

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

02:10 - What Makes a Cult-Like Founder

05:20 - Why the Best Startups Start in SF

08:30 - The Origins of Ethan & Chemistry VC

10:20 - How He Spotted Twilio Early

13:45 - What Great Founders Have in Common

18:00 - Contrarian vs. Consensus Thinking

21:00 - Lessons from Bessemer + Transition to Chemistry

26:00 - Why Chemistry Focuses Only on Early Stage

30:30 - Building a High-Conviction VC Fund

35:00 - What Chemistry Invests In

38:00 - How to Build a Durable AI Company

43:00 - Why AI Will Reshape Healthcare First

47:10 - Ethan’s First Healthtech Investment

50:00 - Building Strong Startup Culture

52:00 - Advice for Founders Moving to SF

54:40 - Ethan’s 50-Year Future Vision

58:00 - The Future of Creativity & Learning

1:01:00 - Are Elite Universities Still Worth It?

1:03:00 - How to Reach Ethan & Final Words