Now We Build

What do Formula One engines, a $450M metaverse exit, and the return of Napster have in common? Sam Huber.

In this episode, Sam takes us through his journey from working on F1 engines to building Admix, rebranding it as LandVault, before it was acquired for $450M - right before pivoting into AI with Napster's relaunch as an AI agent company. He also unpacks the marginal-gains mindset he brought from racing, the trade-offs behind every founder decision, and why MENA is becoming a hotbed for AI innovation.

In this episode, they also discuss:

• The importance of marginal gains in business and racing
• Strategic trade-offs in product development and marketing
• Journey from Formula One engineering to startups
• Building Admix: solving in-game advertising monetization
• Fundraising and scaling in the tech industry
• Pivoting during market shifts and the Metaverse opportunity
• Rebranding Admix to LandVault before being valued at $450M
• The Infinite Reality acquisition and expansion into the Middle East
• Relaunching Napster as an AI agent company
• Building AI interfaces beyond the chatbot

Now We Build has partnered with CapQuest, an equity and investor relations management platform built for founders who need to track SAFEs, manage their cap table, and keep investors updated without the spreadsheet chaos. If you're raising capital or managing equity, CapQuest helps you stay organised from day one. Now We Build listeners can now get 20% off an entire annual subscription with the code nowwebuild20. Use the link here to claim the discount: https://capquest.io/book-demo 

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

01:45 Sam's background in Formula One

03:10 Lessons from Formula One: Marginal gains and trade-offs

07:18 Transition from F1 to entrepreneurship

09:04 Entering the gaming industry and early learnings

14:45 Identifying opportunities in in-game advertising

20:28 Fundraising journey and initial challenges

23:45 Rebranding to LandVault and strategic pivots

32:26 Acquisition of Infinite Reality and expansion into the Middle East

37:02 The future of AI and the MENA region

40:08 Quick fire questions and insights

43:45 Final thoughts and connecting with Sam

Learn more: https://linktr.ee/nowwebuild 

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Follow Sam Huber:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samhuber/ 

X: https://x.com/SamHuber 

https://www.napster.com/ 

Follow Sam:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-marchant/ 

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sammrchant 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sammrchant

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What separates fintech ideas that become billion-dollar businesses from the ones that quietly disappear? In this special episode, Sam brings together two of the most experienced fintech builders in the UK to answer that exact question.

Paul Staples built one of the internet's first B2B marketplaces in 1999, launched one of the world's earliest carbon credit platforms, and has spent the last decade as an angel investor across some of the UK's largest financial institutions. 

Anthony Thomson co-founded Metro Bank - the UK's first new high street bank in over 100 years - and Atom Bank, the UK's first mobile-only bank.

Between them, they've validated, launched, and exited multiple businesses worth billions. And they've both learned the same hard lesson: the idea is never the asset. The insight behind it is.

In this episode: 

• Why proving trust matters more than proving the product
• The data insight that built Metro Bank
• Why the customers with the highest satisfaction at Atom never spoke to anyone
• The real reason most VC-backed fintechs fail to scale.

Now We Build has partnered with CapQuest, an equity and investor relations management platform built for founders who need to track SAFEs, manage their cap table, and keep investors updated without the spreadsheet chaos. If you're raising capital or managing equity, CapQuest helps you stay organised from day one. Now We Build listeners can now get 20% off an entire annual subscription with the code nowwebuild20. Use the link here to claim the discount: https://capquest.io/book-demo 

Learn more: https://linktr.ee/nowwebuild 

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Follow:

Paul: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pauljestaples/

Anthony: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthony-thomson-55373531/

Follow Sam:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-marchant/ 

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sammrchant 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sammrchant

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What does it take to build great products across DTC subscriptions, quick commerce, and omnichannel retail - all while navigating corporate structures, IPOs and the unique demands of MENA markets?

In this episode of Now We Build, Sam Marchant sits down with Valentin Klein, Head of Product for Customer Experience at Eyewa, to unpack his career journey from Berlin startups to HelloFresh's new ventures team, to Talabat's IPO, and now into omnichannel retail across the GCC. Valentin shares the frameworks, hard-won lessons and honest failures behind building products that actually grow businesses - and why most people are looking for a silver bullet that doesn't exist.

Sam and Valentin also discuss:

• Validation of new ventures in corporate settings
• Building customer-centric products in diverse markets
• Localization strategies for GCC and MENA regions
• The role of data in entrepreneurship and growth
• Balancing offline and online customer experiences

Now We Build has partnered with CapQuest, an equity and investor relations management platform built for founders who need to track SAFEs, manage their cap table, and keep investors updated without the spreadsheet chaos. If you're raising capital or managing equity, CapQuest helps you stay organised from day one. Now We Build listeners can now get 20% off an entire annual subscription with the code nowwebuild20. Use the link here to claim the discount: https://capquest.io/book-demo 

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction 

01:45 Background

04:26 Startup Ecosystem: Dubai vs Berlin

07:30 Building New Ventures at HelloFresh

10:12 Challenges in Testing New Ventures

13:02 FactorForm: Validation and Challenges

15:45 Transition to Talabat: IPO and Growth

18:31 Vendor Growth and Monetization at Talabat

21:22 Connecting Online and Offline Experiences at IOWA

23:56 Cultural Nuances in MENA Markets

26:41 Advice for Founders Expanding in MENA

29:23 Quickfire Questions and Closing Thoughts

Learn more: https://linktr.ee/nowwebuild 

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Follow Valentin:

LinkedIn: https://ae.linkedin.com/in/valentinklein 

Follow Sam:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-marchant/ 

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sammrchant 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sammrchant

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How do you scale a startup from zero to $80M ARR without a playbook? In this episode, Sam sits down with Stephane Boghossian, former growth lead at Lovable, to break down the exact strategies behind one of AI's fastest-growing products, and what he's building next in legal tech.

Stephane shares what it was really like inside Lovable during hyper-growth: handling 1,000 support tickets per minute, writing pull requests as a non-technical marketer, and turning a GitHub outage into their biggest PR win. He also explains why he left to join HAQQ, and why he believes legal tech is the most underrated AI opportunity right now.

In this episode:

• How Lovable grew from 20 signups a day to 1,000 signups a minute
• Why having no playbook was actually a competitive advantage
• The rebranding from GPT Engineer to Lovable - and why it changed everything
• How non-technical team members shipped code directly to production
• Why you should never scale just one growth channel
• Stephane's move into legal tech and closing enterprise deals in 2–3 weeks

Now We Build has partnered with CapQuest, an equity and investor relations management platform built for founders who need to track SAFEs, manage their cap table, and keep investors updated without the spreadsheet chaos. If you're raising capital or managing equity, CapQuest helps you stay organised from day one. Now We Build listeners can now get 20% off an entire annual subscription with the code nowwebuild20. Use the link here to claim the discount: https://capquest.io/book-demo 

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro 

01:45 The Journey to Lovable

06:18 From Zero to Revenue: The Tipping Point

11:57 Building Scalable Systems for Growth

20:24 The Power of Team Dynamics and Culture

27:26 Building a Resilient Team Under Pressure

29:35 The Importance of Product Reliability

31:20 Hiring for Growth and Team Dynamics

32:00 Experimentation in Growth Strategies

35:54 Leveraging Data for Growth

37:53 Transitioning to the Legal Tech Space

43:57 Growth Strategies in a Regulated Industry

Learn more: https://linktr.ee/nowwebuild 

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Follow Stephane:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephane-boghossian/ 

Follow Sam:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-marchant/ 

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sammrchant 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sammrchant

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Most B2B SaaS founders set their pricing at Series A - and never revisit it. In this episode, Sam sits down with Roee Hartuv, Senior Pricing Advisor and Head of GTM Expertise at WillingnessToPay.com, to unpack why broken pricing is quietly leaking revenue across your entire funnel - and what to do about it.

Roee shares how 20+ years in B2B SaaS revenue roles, advising over 100 companies, taught him that pricing and packaging is the single highest-ROI lever most founders never pull. From value-based pricing frameworks to AI's impact on SaaS margins, this episode is essential listening for any founder navigating the zero-to-ten growth stage.

In this episode, Sam and Roee discuss:

• How Roee went from computer science to building a 20-year career in B2B SaaS sales
• Why sales is a science, not an art - and how to systematise it
• The most common pricing mistakes founders make and when to fix them
• How to package SaaS features around customer jobs to be done (not feature tiers)
• Why bad pricing breaks your financial model - not just your sales motion
• How AI is disrupting SaaS margins and forcing a new approach to pricing strategy
• The system thinking framework behind Roee's upcoming book

Now We Build has partnered with CapQuest, an equity and investor relations management platform built for founders who need to track SAFEs, manage their cap table, and keep investors updated without the spreadsheet chaos. If you're raising capital or managing equity, CapQuest helps you stay organised from day one. Now We Build listeners can now get 20% off an entire annual subscription with the code nowwebuild20. Use the link here to claim the discount: https://capquest.io/book-demo 

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

01:50 From Coding to Sales: A Unique Journey

04:33 Lessons from 20 Years in Revenue Roles

07:16 The Art vs. Science of Sales

10:08 Transitioning to Advisory Roles

12:45 The Power of Pricing and Packaging

18:07 Systemizing Sales Processes

23:35 Navigating Geographical Expansion

25:19 AI's Impact on Pricing Models

28:05 Insights from 'The Modern Go to Market System'

34:01 Quickfire Questions and Final Thoughts

Learn more: https://linktr.ee/nowwebuild 

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Follow Roee:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/roeehartuv/ 

Follow Sam:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-marchant/ 

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sammrchant 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sammrchant

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Loneliness is one of the defining crises of our time and Maxime Barbier is building the infrastructure to fight it. In this episode, we sit down with the Co-Founder and CEO of Timeleft, the world's fastest-growing IRL-tech company, to explore how a simple dinner with strangers became a global movement.

What you'll learn in this episode:

Maxime walks us through his entrepreneurial journey – from founding MinuteBuzz to launching Timeleft in 2023 – and the hard-won lessons in between. We get into what it really takes to scale a community-driven product across 47 countries and 162 cities, why focus is the most underrated startup skill, and how Timeleft's no-profile, no-feed approach is quietly rewriting the rules of social connection.

About Timeleft:

Timeleft is on a mission to make human connection a weekly habit. Every week, the platform curates real-life social experiences – dinners, runs, coffees, drinks – bringing strangers together in 160+ cities across 45+ countries. With over 3 million users, 1.2 million Instagram followers, and 150,000 people participating every month, it's become one of the world's largest communities built entirely around in-person connection.

Topics covered:

• The loneliness epidemic and why it's getting worse
• How Timeleft works – and why it's nothing like a dating app
• Lessons from MinuteBuzz and what Maxime would do differently
• Scaling a community product to 3M+ users in under two years
• Product design principles for real-life social experiences
• The role of focus and simplicity in building impactful startups
• What the future of IRL connection looks like

Now We Build has partnered with Capquest, an equity and investor relations management platform built for founders who need to track SAFEs, manage their cap table, and keep investors updated without the spreadsheet chaos. If you're raising capital or managing equity, Capquest helps you stay organised from day one. Now We Build listeners can now get 20% off an entire annual subscription with the code nowwebuild20. Use the link here to claim the discount: https://capquest.io/book-demo 

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

01:45 The Journey of Entrepreneurship

04:25 Lessons from MinuteBuzz to Timeleft

07:27 Navigating the French Startup Ecosystem

10:17 The Power of Persistence

13:10 The Breakthrough Moment

16:09 Scaling and Simplifying the Product

19:09 Paid Ads and Market Expansion

21:58 The Dinner Experience as Technology

24:10 The Power of Shared Experiences

28:59 Unpacking Loneliness and Human Connection

36:46 Navigating the Future of Human Interaction

38:42 Quickfire Insights and Reflections

Learn more: https://linktr.ee/nowwebuild 

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Follow Maxime:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maximebarbier/ 

Timeleft: https://timeleft.com/

Follow Sam:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-marchant/ 

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sammrchant 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sammrchant

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In this episode, Meri shares his journey from VC to founder, the evolution of Lindus, and the transformative role of AI in clinical trials and drug development. Discover key patterns in team building, fundraising strategies, and the future of AI-powered healthcare innovations. 

Meri Beckwith is Co-CEO at Lindus, an Accountable Research Organisation (ARO) designed to give biotech and pharma sponsors confidence and control over their clinical trials.

In this episode, Sam and Meri also discuss:

• Meri's transition from VC to founder
• Lindus' evolution and impact on clinical trials
• The role of AI and machine learning in healthcare
• Fundraising strategies and investor relationships
• Team building and hiring in a regulated environment

Now We Build has partnered with Capquest, an equity and investor relations management platform built for founders who need to track SAFEs, manage their cap table, and keep investors updated without the spreadsheet chaos. If you're raising capital or managing equity, Capquest helps you stay organised from day one. Now We Build listeners can now get 20% off an entire annual subscription with the code nowwebuild20. Use the link here to claim the discount: https://capquest.io/book-demo 

Timestamps:

00:00 Introductions & sponsors

01:45 Background

04:31 Transition from VC to Founder

07:16 The Birth of Lindus

10:06 Validating the Idea for Lindus

13:08 The Anti-CRO Model

15:46 Challenges in the Early Days

18:33 Scaling Operations and Hiring

21:33 Reflections on Growth Stages

24:48 Navigating Investor Relationships

26:27 The Evolution of Citrus and AI in Clinical Trials

29:50 AI's Impact on Clinical Trials

30:59 Building a Company with AI

35:03 Quickfire Insights and Reflections

Learn more: https://linktr.ee/nowwebuild 

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Follow Meri:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meri-beckwith/ 

Follow Sam:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-marchant/ 

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sammrchant 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sammrchant

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Jamie Mitchell shares his entrepreneurial journey from corporate life at BT to founding LOW6, a pioneering sports engagement and gaming platform. Discover how strategic pivots, international expansion, and relentless determination fueled his success, along with practical lessons on scaling, product development, and navigating investor challenges.

Sam and Jamie also discuss:

• Entrepreneurial transition from corporate to startup
• Scaling a sports engagement platform internationally
• Pivoting business models in response to market opportunities
• Challenges of fundraising and investor relations in gambling tech
• Leadership and team building in high-growth startups

Now We Build has partnered with Capquest, an equity and investor relations management platform built for founders who need to track SAFEs, manage their cap table, and keep investors updated without the spreadsheet chaos. If you're raising capital or managing equity, Capquest helps you stay organised from day one. Now We Build listeners can now get 20% off an entire annual subscription with the code nowwebuild20. Use the link here to claim the discount: https://capquest.io/book-demo 

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

01:50 From Corporate to Entrepreneurship: Jamie's Journey

04:33 The Birth of LOW6: Early Business Ventures

07:25 Navigating Challenges in the Sports Marketing Landscape

10:33 The Evolution of LOW6: From Betting to SaaS

13:01 Scaling the Business: Overcoming COVID and Investor Hurdles

15:44 The Shift to B2B: Lessons from the Gambling Sector

18:36 Global Expansion: Strategies for New Markets

21:22 The Role of AI in Gambling: Enhancements and Opportunities

24:01 Looking Ahead: Exciting Developments for LOW6

Learn more: https://linktr.ee/nowwebuild 

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Follow Jamie:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamie-mitchell-51a805168/ 

Follow Sam:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-marchant/ 

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sammrchant 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sammrchant

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In this episode, Francesco De Stefano shares his journey from consultancy to deep tech entrepreneurship, focusing on additive manufacturing, team building, product development, and international expansion. Gain insights into scaling hardware startups, navigating investor relations, and leveraging AI in manufacturing.

Sam and Francesco also discuss:

• Journey from consultancy to entrepreneurship
• Team building and co-founder dynamics
• Product development and market fit in manufacturing
• Fundraising strategies and investor relations
• International expansion and market entry in US, Middle East, Asia
• Use of AI in industrial manufacturing

Now We Build has partnered with Capquest, an equity and investor relations management platform built for founders who need to track SAFEs, manage their cap table, and keep investors updated without the spreadsheet chaos. If you're raising capital or managing equity, Capquest helps you stay organised from day one. Now We Build listeners can now get 20% off an entire annual subscription with the code nowwebuild20. Use the link here to claim the discount: https://capquest.io/book-demo

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction

01:50 Francesco's Career Path

02:46 From Consulting to Industrial Passion

04:08 The Birth of Caracol and Technological Vision

05:56 Lessons from Consulting vs Startup World

08:44 Building a Complementary Co-Founding Team

11:16 Hiring and Culture in Scaling Companies

13:57 Identifying Market Gaps in Aerospace Manufacturing

15:29 Service Model as a Commercial Strategy

19:32 Fundraising Journey and Investor Relations

25:48 Lessons from Early Failures and Mistakes

29:09 Global Expansion: Markets in US, Middle East, and Asia

32:35 Commercializing Deep Tech and Hardware Challenges

35:09 Integrating AI into Manufacturing Platforms

38:46 Why Keep HQ in Milan? The Italian Ecosystem

42:45 Closing Remarks and How to Connect

Learn more: https://linktr.ee/nowwebuild 

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Follow Francesco:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/francesco-de-stefano-8b4b4497/ 

Follow Sam:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-marchant/ 

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sammrchant 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sammrchant

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What does it actually take to build a financial business in a market most people overlook? In this special episode, we've brought together three of the most experienced builders in global fintech to answer exactly that. You'll hear from:

Oliver Hughes, who scaled Visa in Russia, built Tinkoff into a $25 billion digital bank, and is now scaling TBC in Uzbekistan.

Tommy Mermelshtayn, Chief Strategy Officer at Zip, who took the business from 30 people to nearly 2,000 across 30 markets. 

Sammy Ennebt, who has built five banks across two continents - and is doing it all over again in Saudi Arabia.

Together they cover:

• How to identify the right emerging market before everyone else does
• Why localisation is non-negotiable in fintech
• The mistakes most companies make when entering new geographies
• How to work with regulators rather than against them
• What the next wave of emerging market opportunities looks like

Now We Build has partnered with Capquest, an equity and investor relations management platform built for founders who need to track SAFEs, manage their cap table, and keep investors updated without the spreadsheet chaos. If you're raising capital or managing equity, Capquest helps you stay organised from day one. Now We Build listeners can now get 20% off an entire annual subscription with the code nowwebuild20. Use the link here to claim the discount: https://capquest.io/book-demo

Timestamps:

00:00: Intro

01:57: Oliver Hughes: Picking the right market 

12:20: Tommy Mermelshtayn: The emerging markets playbook

27:29: Sammy Ennebt: Why the back office makes or breaks a bank

Learn more: https://linktr.ee/nowwebuild 

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Full interviews:

Oliver: here

Tommy: here

Sammy: here

Follow:

Oliver: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oliver-hughes-0b5540247/ 

Sammy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sammyennebt/

Follow Sam:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-marchant/ 

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sammrchant 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sammrchant

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.