What happens when one conversation changes the direction of your business?

David Adjei is an architect, founder and entrepreneur building AICHITECT. In this episode of Portfolio & Principles, he joins Lee Anderson for a wide-ranging conversation about fundraising, property risk, failure, family, fitness and the principles behind his journey.

David explains how a conversation overheard in a private members’ club ultimately contributed to a £300,000 investment closing just 29 days later.

But the story goes far beyond fundraising.

We discuss why David believes founders need to become memorable, how his experience as a Black founder shaped the way he approached credibility and visibility, and why simply having a good business idea is not always enough.

David also breaks down the risks property developers often fail to identify early enough, why better information can prevent expensive mistakes, and what led him to build AICHITECT.

On the personal side, he talks about getting a third at university, struggling to find work in architecture, starting his first business, learning from early failure, finding ways to switch off from work and family responsibilities, and the unforgettable story of dislocating his shoulder during a boxing match before proposing to his wife in the ring.

In this episode:

How an overheard phone call led to a £300,000 investment
Why David felt he had to become a “superstar” founder
The importance of being memorable to investors
The hidden risks developers often discover too late
Why everyone around a property deal can become biased toward making it work
The story behind AICHITECT
Getting a third and struggling to enter the architecture industry
What David learned from his first failed client job
The role of fitness and downtime in managing pressure
Why sometimes you need time to simply “be you”
The boxing match that ended with a marriage proposal
Where AI can genuinely improve property and construction
Why David believes people are capable of swimming in deeper waters than they think

Portfolio & Principles explores the decisions, relationships and principles behind the visible outcomes — across business, family and health.

If you enjoyed the conversation, subscribe to the channel and share the episode with someone who would benefit from hearing it.

On their first episode, Lee & Shereen sit down to discuss why they created Portfolio & Principles.

This isn’t just a podcast about business or property. It’s about the principles behind the decisions we make, the relationships we build, the risks we take, and the life we’re ultimately trying to create.


In this episode:

• Shereen and Lee talk openly about our own journey, working and building together, balancing ambition with family, and why success means very little if you haven’t decided what it is actually for.
• The four separate relationships Lee says anyone in business with family has to invest in — and the one most people forget
• Why Shereen had to take the emotion out of the business, and what she learned about managing Lee
• Where values actually get tested: in business, in family, or in the overlap between them 
• What each of them has had to unlearn
• The £121,000 house in Southampton that went wrong in every way it could 

Together, they introduce the themes that will shape Portfolio & Principles — business, property, family, health, relationships, legacy and the lessons that usually sit behind the public version of success.

This is the starting point.

Why this podcast? Why now? And what happens when you look beyond someone’s portfolio and start asking about the principles that built it?

Welcome to Portfolio & Principles.