Sheaf Valley: A show about Sheffield's startups

Sheaf Valley: Sheffield's startup ecosystem is a podcast dedicated to the startups, their founders and all other stakeholders involved in our ecosystem. My mission as the show's creator is to increase the visibility of and connectedness between local high-growth ventures and to deliver a lot of value to you, the listeners of this podcast.

Season 2 of Sheaf Valley starts with part 2 of 'The Journey' rubric where I trace the development of a startup from pre-validation stage to its launch. My guest on the rubric is Tom Oates from MyDaas (connect with him on LinkedIn here). Tom created MyDaas to solve the problems around the difficult relationship between companies and users when it comes to online data.

When we first spoke back in May (link to episode), he was just starting the validation stage of MyDaas and now, catching up after three months, it was great to hear about all the progress his team has made.

On top of my conversation with Tom, I also decided to share one resource and one book per episode that I think will bring value to you as listeners. The resource this week is from Techstars and is their 'Startup Toolkit'(link), a wonderful website with 20 sections to help your entrepreneurial journey.

The book this week is Lean Customer Development by Cindy Alvarez - a practical guide towards learning more about your customer, why would they use your product and what features you need to be working on.

I also spoke about Samdai and their VIP Membership card, check the benefits you would get from getting one here or check my conversation with Darren Forde on the podcast here.

Here is the link to the Startup Meetup Sheffield event on September 21st, secure your free tickets as soon as possible!

If you want to support the podcast, make sure you follow the official account on Twitter or donate here. Alternatively, you can connect with me on LinkedIn to make sure you never miss an episode.

Thank you for listening and let's keep connecting Sheffield's startup ecosystem one episode at a time!

Sheaf Valley: a show about Sheffield's startup is a podcast dedicated to Sheffield's startup ecosystem with the goal to increase the connectedness between different parts and raise awareness about the great present and even better future of the startup scene!

 In episode 22, I spoke with Morgan Killick representing Business Sheffield. Business Sheffield is the brand name for the council's department supporting businesses and Morgan is part of the 'scale-up' team that supports tech businesses with growing potential to reach the next stage of their development. Morgan also specialises in supporting startups looking to raise funds.

 Having been a tech founder himself, Morgan has a plethora of experience in the tech space prior to the creation of smartphones and social media. In this episode he shares how interesting and different the time was but we also spoke about more recent topics such as the challenges businesses faced due to the Pandemic.

Sheaf Valley is supported by Sheffield Technology Parks, an important part of Sheffield's startup ecosystem. Follow the official Sheaf Valley Twitter account or connect with me on LinkedIn to never miss an episode.

Let's connect Sheffield's startup ecosystem one episode at a time!

'Sheaf Valley: a show about Sheffield's startups' is a podcast dedicated to Sheffield's startup ecosystem, its founders, the businesses they create and the wide network of support organisations that help them to thrive. The goal of Sheaf Valley is to increase the connectedness and visibility within our ecosystem by telling local stories to global audiences.

In episode 21, the first with Sheaf Valley's new format, I spoke with Manjit Sareen from Natterhub. Manjit is on the podcast for a second time having first guested with her co-founder Caroline Allams to talk about their digital literacy and safety for children startup. Now, she is back having put on her funding cape, discussing their investment journey and providing practical advice to founders from the area what they need to do to get funded and how to proceed once they've secured investment.

I also introduced my new rubric 'Stories, local and global' in which I talk about two startup-related stories, one from Sheffield and one global. In this episode I discussed Uni of Sheffield's pre-accelerator Demo Day that was held last Wednesday on June 9th and the global air taxi market.

Please send me your feedback whether you think the new format works, whether you enojyed the 'Stories, local and global' rubric, anything is appreciated as I'm trying to develop the podcast.

Subscribe to Sheaf Valley's official Twitter account or connect with my personal account on LinkedIn so you never miss an episode.

Sheaf Valley is supported by Sheffield Technology Parks, one of the integral part of Sheffield's ecosystem.

Click here if you want to support Sheaf Valley yourself

Thank you for listening and let's keep connecting Sheffield's startup ecosystem one episode at a time!

Sheaf Valley: a show about Sheffield's startups is a podcast dedicated to Sheffield's startup ecosystem, its fantastic founders, investors, program managers, etc., aiming to increase the connectedness and visibility of the ecosystem within the city.

Sheaf Valley celebrates a significant milestone with this episode, coming in at number 20!

In the episode I spoke with Tom Oates, founder of MyDaas. Tom built a career in tech having last created a thriving consultancy company. Last year around the pandemic and after the Cambridge Analytica scandal + the forming of a wider movement around data ethics and safety, he decided to finally pursue a life-long dream - build his own startup around data. But building a startup isn't as easy as deciding it, especially when you are in a moment of your life where your family depends on you.

That is why Tom went on the long and difficult road of validating his business first - is the problem I want to solve actually a problem, do people care about that problem, what would they use to solve that problem? Tom uncovers the secrets that no one in the startup world wants to talk about - validating is hard and if you don't succeed with it, you're wasting time and resources.

Tom also shares a nice spot in Sheffield to visit as the weather gets better and better, two fantastic books to read and ends on a high note with a goal that embodies the 'Big, Hairy, Audacious' principle.

Sheaf Valley is changing! From next episode I will start by telling two startup stories - a local one and a global one and then would proceed with a conversation which will either be founder-focused on topic-focused (e.g. talking about validating rather than talking for validating through talking about MyDaas). This is the best moment to subscribe to the podcast wherever you're listening, make sure to follow Sheaf Valley on Twitter or connect with my personal LinkedIn account.

Sheaf Valley is supported by Sheffield Technology Parks. Thank you for listening and let's connect Sheffield's startup ecosystem 20! episodes at a time!

Sheaf Valley: A show about Sheffield's startups is a podcast dedicated to Sheffield's startup ecosystem, its exciting founders and startups, investors and stakeholders from organisations supporting entrepreneurs. My goal with Sheaf Valley is to increase the visibility and connectedness within our city particularly when it comes to high-growth ventures.

In episode 19 I spoke with Tom Wolfenden and Rose Tran from Sheffield Technology Parks. Tom and Rose embody STP's mission - to help and uplift entrepreneurs from ideation to scaleup stage. In the episode we spoke about STP's different programs, what are the strengths and weaknesses of Sheffield's ecosystem currently, how can the investment landscape be improved and what makes our city unique.

Listen to the episode and subscribe wherever you do. Subscribe on Twitter too to get notifications for all new episodes, book recommendations and links to resources to use to develop your business. Connect with me on LinkedIn and visit the Sheaf Valley website to read about the initiatives that I'm trying to start in Sheffield.

Sheaf Valley is supported by Sheffield Technology Parks and it was a pleasure to have Tom and Rose on my podcast.

Let's keep connecting our ecosystem one episode at a time!

Sheaf Valley: A show about Sheffield's startups is a podcast that gives platform to Sheffield-based startups and their founders, investors and stakeholders from the local ecosystem to talk about their organisations, to increase the connectedness within the ecosystem and raise awareness and the visibility of all the great ventures that are being started in the Steel City.

In episode 18 I spoke with Chris Iveson from FourJaw Manufacturing, a startup dedicated to increasing UK's manufacturing productivity. That is an ambitious goal but Chris and his partner, Robin, have developed a tool that monitors machines and is as easy to get as subscribing to Netflix. Chris talks about it in depth and also shares his vision on creating something from nothing plus of course the usual book and place advice.

Subscribe to Sheaf Valley wherever you're listening or to the official Twitter page. Alternatively connect with my personal LinkedIn where I always post about new episodes. You can also visit Sheaf Valley's official website and check the initiatives that Sheaf Valley is trying to start.

Sheaf Valley is supported by Sheffield Technology Parks, one of the integral parts of our ecosystem. Thanks for listening and let's keep connecting Sheffield's ecosystem one episode at a time!

Sheaf Valley: a show about Sheffield's startups is a podcast dedicated to Sheffield's startup ecosystem, its exciting founders, investors and stakeholders with the goal to increase the connectedness and visibility in the Steel City.

In episode 17 I spoke with Samantha Deakin from Capital Enterprise. Sam has been involved with startups since early in her career and was the first organiser of Startup Weekends in Sheffield. She is widely known as one of the go-to people in Sheffield's startup ecosystem and is the right person to lead Capital Enterprise's initiatives in Yorkshire.

In the episode Sam and I spoke about building ecosystems, Startup Genome and the way they measure ecosystem success, startup weekends and what is Sam's goal as part of Capital Enterprise. While the episode is about an hour, at least one more will be needed to cover everything we wanted to!

Subscribe to Sheaf Valley wherever you're listening and to the official Twitter page or connect with my personal LinkedIn profile. Sheaf Valley is supported by Sheffield Technology Parks, one of the integral parts of our ecosystem.

Thank you for watching and let's keep connecting Sheffield's startup ecosystem one episode at a time!

Sheaf Valley: A show about Sheffield's startups is dedicated to Sheffield's inspiring startups and founders, organisations supporting the local ecosystems and investors funding it. The podcast's main goal is to increase the visibility and connectedness of the ecosystem.

In today's episode, first of the 'Building Ecosystems' rubric, I spoke with Jem Henderson, Tech Nation's entrepreneur engagement manager for Yorkshire. Jem is the go-to person when it comes to startups and startup support in our region and shared some great insights into the development of our ecosystems, why did Sheffield get severely underfunded in 2020 in comparison to Leeds and Hull and what can be expected to be 'the next big thing' in startups.

Sheaf Valley is supported by Sheffield Technology Parks, one of the integral parts of Sheffield's business ecosystem. If you want to never miss an episode, subsrcibe wherever you're listening or to the official Twitter account, connect with my personal account on LinkedIn or visit the official website to learn about initiatives I'm trying to set up.

Thank you for listening and let's keep connecting Sheffield's startup ecosystem one episode at a time!

Sheaf Valley: A show about Sheffield's startups is a podcast dedicated to Sheffield's startup ecosystem, increasing the visibility of its founders and the connectedness between the different stakeholders.

In episode 15 I spoke with Mark Asquith, THAT British podcast guy. Mark got into the podcast space very early - nearly 10 years ago, and since then has done it all - produced numerous podcasts, built software to help creators (Captivate - a podcast hosting platform, Podcast websites, Podcast Success Academy). It all falls down under the umbrella of Rebel Base Media which Mark leads from the center of Sheffield inside Sheffield Technology Parks.

In the episode you will hear Mark and I discuss the history of the podcast space, why did people start listening more and more. We talked about Captivate's success and how it was bootstarpped to 7 figures and what's the future for Rebel Base Media.

Subscribe to Sheaf Valley wherever you're listening or on Twitter to never miss an episode. Alternatively, feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn and check the official website of the podcast.

Sheaf Valley is supported by Sheffield Technology Parks, one of the integral parts of our ecosystem.

Thank you for attention, let's connect Sheffield's ecosystem one episode at a time!

Sheaf Valley: A show about Sheffield's startups is a podcast dedicated to Sheffield's startup ecosystem, its most exciting founders and startups and much more. Sheaf Valley's goal is to increase the visibility and connectedness within the ecosystem with the firm belief that our ecosystem has a lot to offer.

In episode 14 I spoke with Erdem Ozturk, founder of 'Productive Machines'. Erdem is exceptionally educated and when it comes to productivity and machines, I don't think I would want to talk to somebody else. In January 2021 he decided to build his own startup and fill gaps in the market that have already been validated - 'Productive Machines' was part of the Boeing Accelerator Cohort, a notable achievement for the young business.

Erdem also spoke about moving from Istanbul to Sheffield and what he likes and dislikes in South Yorkshire. A short conversation, but productive one - what else could be expected?

Subscribe to Sheaf Valley's official Twitter account or connect with my personal account on LinkedIn. Also visit the official website to learn about the initiatives that I'm trying to start in Sheffield.

Sheaf Valley is supported by Sheffield Technology Parks, an integral part of Sheffield's startup ecosystem.

Let's connect Sheffield's startup ecosystem one episode at a time!