In this episode of The Start & Scale Podcast, we’re joined by Jeff Watkins, a seasoned CTO with experience at companies like AND Digital and BJSS. Jeff shares the evolution of his career from hands-on coding to high-level leadership, and the growing need for ethical, people-first decision-making in tech.

We dive into the consequences of AI, why junior roles are being displaced, and how simply “writing code” isn’t enough anymore. Plus, we explore the importance of leadership training and learning from failure.

If you’re leading a tech team or scaling a product in the AI era — this one’s for you.

In this episode of The Start & Scale Podcast, we sit down with Richard Wainwright — a seasoned advisor to fast-growing tech companies and a firm believer in the power of people over just pure technical skill.

We dive into how his non-linear path in tech has shaped his advisory approach, why businesses often get product scaling wrong, and the underrated importance of soft skills when building teams. Richard also breaks down the biggest myths about growth, and what he actually does as a non-exec director.

If you’re leading a startup, building a product, or trying to scale a team — this one’s packed with sharp insights you can use today.

This week on The Start & Scale Podcast, we sit down with Andy Lole, a seasoned CTPO with experience at companies like eBay, Atos, and Schibsted.

Andy shares how taking 18 months out of the tech world changed his mindset, how his leadership style has evolved, and why failure is the best teacher. We dive into what it means to make an instant impact in a new role, how to manage distributed teams, and where the biggest opportunities lie for today’s engineers — especially in the age of AI.

If you’re in tech, leadership, or scaling a startup, this one’s full of real talk and smart insight.

In this episode of The Start & Scale Podcast, we sit down with Mic Streeter, who has experience working at companies like N Brown Group, OneAdvanced, and Microlise, to explore leadership, hiring, and innovation in the tech world. Mic shares his journey through multiple tech industries, how COVID reshaped his approach, and why strong leadership is critical to building winning tech teams. We also unpack the future of AI in tech and the biggest mistakes Mic’s learned from along the way. Whether you’re a founder, tech leader, or curious about how to hire and lead in today’s environment, this episode is packed with valuable insights.

In this episode, we sit down with Leigh Rathbone, Head of Quality Engineering and one of the UK’s most vocal advocates for forward-thinking tech leadership, with experience at companies like Sony, cinch, and The Very Group.

We explore the dizzying speed of Gen AI advancement, the role of self-development in leadership, and why software testing is a massively underrated career accelerator. Leigh also warns how badly we might be heading for disaster with AI — unless we act fast.

If you’re a founder, technologist, or future leader, this one's a must-listen.

In our brand new episode, we sit down with Dave Manton, Head of Architecture at Victorian Plumbing!

From starting his career as a Primary School Teacher before discovering Java and later being inspired by Manchester’s booming .NET scene, to now leading a growing architecture function, Dave’s story is one of career pivots, people-first leadership and building great tech teams without losing sight of the human side.

We talk:

→ Career transitions & juggling family life

→ Leadership and self-reflection

→ Building a bespoke tech stack for scale

→ How to get the best out of your people

→ Culture, collaboration and what good tech looks like

And SO much more!

If you're navigating leadership or a hands on role in tech, this one's packed with insight.

In this episode of #TheStartAndScalePodcast, we sit down with Daniel Glenn, Senior VP - Technical Operations at iVendi, to break down what really matters in tech leadership, AI adoption, and building influence—whether you're leading a team or driving impact as an individual contributor.

From navigating tech debt and bootstrapping challenges to the undeniable need for software engineers to embrace AI, Daniel shares hard-earned insights from his career in high-growth tech environments.

We also get into battling imposter syndrome at a big consultancy in the US to embracing the fast-paced, no-excuses world of a 12-person startup at MAG-O, all the way to shaping technical operations at scale today.

This is a must-listen if you’re a seasoned software engineer, an ambitious tech lead climbing the corporate ladder, or just obsessed with how great software gets built!

Ep Recs:

📰 The Pragmatic Engineer Newsletter – Gergely Orosz

📚 Good Strategy Bad Strategy – Richard P. Rumelt

📚 The Century Trilogy – Ken Follett

"The businesses that embrace change are the ones that survive.”

On this episode of The Start & Scale Podcast, we’re joined by Matthew Belcher, Head of Emerging Technology at Codurance, to talk about the reality of AI adoption, the pace of technological change, and what businesses need to do to stay ahead.

In this episode, we cover:

🚀 The AI hype cycle—are companies adopting AI for AI’s sake?

⚡ How to separate game-changing tech from passing fads

🔍 Why businesses that fail to embrace AI risk being left behind

💡 The inevitability of change—and how to design systems that thrive on it

Alongside conversation about the rise and fall of countless technologies, we also dive into robotics, RAG, and the emerging innovations that we actually need to be paying attention to!

Tune in for a jam-packed episode!

Note: This episode was recorded in August 2024.

The Start & Scale Podcast is BACK with a brand-new series—this time, we’re diving deep into the world of tech with the people who are coding the future from the frontlines! 🚀Kicking off the first episode of our tech-focused series, we’re joined by Gary Young, Head of Development at Regatta, to explore what it really takes to build and scale high-performing development teams.In this episode, we cover:✅ The qualities that make a great leader and foster collaboration✅ How to get the best out of your team and people✅ Spotting the right (and wrong) leadership qualities in an interview✅ Why bringing in digital partners to augment can often lead to failure✅ The number one factor for a successful development team: communicationAnd SO much more!Whether you’re an experienced dev, a team lead navigating leadership challenges, or someone looking to break into the industry, this episode is packed with insights you won’t want to miss!

Ep Recs:

📚 The Phoenix Project

📚 The DevOps Handbook

📚 Humankind

This week on The Start & Scale Podcast, we were lucky enough to sit down with the extraordinary Sean Brown, twice-exited Founder and CEO at Versori! 🚀

Sean’s episode unpacks:

🚀 How his business is unlocking 4.5 years worth of revenue in 2 quarters

🚀 How he successfully built and exited multiple businesses

🚀 The importance of surrounding yourself with like-minded people

🚀 The mentality he expects from employees

🚀 An addiction to problem-solving

🚀 The characteristics of successful people

🚀 The impact your romantic partner will have on your business success

🚀 Being in business with someone who is now in prison

🚀 The graveyard of ventures he’s launched over the years, including the cryptocurrency, SeanCoin

And SO much more!

Whether you are a founder, AI enthusiast, or simply curious to learn from a pioneer who’s built and exited multiple businesses, this is an episode you DO NOT want to miss! 

#AI #TechFounder #Fundraising #FounderContent #Scaling