The Startup Leap

🎙️ This week we’re excited to bring you the incredible story of Sameh Saleh, a three-time founder who’s taken his passion for building businesses to new heights.

From founding a dating app that led to a major acquisition to launching the fintech startup MNZL, Sameh's journey is a masterclass in entrepreneurship. 🌍✨🔑

What’s in this episode?

From Egypt to Malaysia: How Sameh's early life and career moves set the stage for his entrepreneurial journey,

Media Beginnings: Hear how Sameh started a travel media company with friends and the pivot that led to a successful exit.

Building for Family: Discover the personal story behind founding a dating app to help his sisters, and the strategies he used to acquire the first 1,000 users.

Big Win: Learn about the acquisition of his dating app by MATCH Group and what it taught him.

New Ventures: Dive into his latest venture, MNZL, and the valuable lessons he's applying from his past experiences.

Don't miss this insightful and inspiring conversation! 🚀

Connect with Sameh Saleh: Instagram, LinkedIn, & Twitter: @sameh_saleh_

Stay Updated with The Startup Leap:Instagram: @thestartupleappod

Twitter, YouTube, and TikTok: @thestartupleap

🔗 Subscribe to our newsletter to join the community: subscribe.thestartupleap.io

#TheStartupLeap #Entrepreneurship #Fintech #TechFounder #SamehSaleh #MNZL

🎙️ This week Yvonne and Maria bring you the unstoppable Michelle Kennedy, the powerhouse founder behind Peanut—the app that’s transforming how women connect across all stages of their experience; Fertility, Pregnancy, Motherhood, Menopause, you name it!

With over 3 million users and counting, Michelle’s journey from lawyer to tech founder is nothing short of inspiring.

Episode Highlights:

• From the courtroom to the boardroom: How Michelle’s background paved the way for her success in technology leadership roles and ultimately founding her own technology company.
• Badoo & Bumble: Michelle’s insider stories from her days as Deputy MD at Badoo and her early roles as Board Advisor and Director at Bumble.
• Taking the Leap: What inspired Michelle to create Peanut and build a platform by women, for women.
• Finding product-market fit: The strategic moves and go-to-market approaches, that led Peanut to become the go-to app for millions of women worldwide
• VC insights: Why Michelle believes in thinking deeply before chasing venture capital.

Don’t miss this candid and energizing conversation! 💬

New episodes drop every #Tuesday so follow across all channels and be the first to know!

Connect with Michelle Kennedy: Instagram, LinkedIn, & Twitter: @michellekennedylon

Stay Updated with The Startup Leap: Instagram: @thestartupleappod Twitter, YouTube, and TikTok: @thestartupleap

🔗 Subscribe to our newsletter to join the community: subscribe.thestartupleap.io

#TheStartupLeap #WomenInTech #Entrepreneurship #MichelleKennedy #PeanutApp #TechFounder

🎙️ In our first guest episode, we sit down with three-time founder Timothy Armoo @timarmoo, who shares his inspiring Leap story, starting his company while still at university and later starting @Fanbytes, which he sold for 8 figures at the age of 27.

Episode Episode Highlights:

Childhood and Early Influences: Discover how his journey from humble beginnings in Ghana to the UK fuelled his ambitions to be successful at an early age.

Growing as a CEO: Gain insights on how he evolved as a CEO as the company scaled and what he would do differently.

Team building: Hear valuable insights on what to optimise for when building a world-class team.

Fundraising: Tim shares his insights on why he chose to be very intentional around the type of funding he used to fuel his business.

Achieving an 8-figure exit: Hear about how Tim achieved that 8-figure exit and how his life has adjusted since.Join us for an intimate and enlightening conversation filled with gems, laughter, and lessons.

Stay Updated with The Startup Leap: Instagram: @thestartupleappod

Twitter, YouTube, and TikTok: @thestartupleap

New episodes drop every #Tuesday 🎙️

🔗 Subscribe to our newsletter to join the community: subscribe.thestartupleap.io

#entrepreneurship #business #startup #thestartupleap

🎙️ In our second "Meet the Host" episode, we sit down with the amazing @YvonneBajela who shares her inspiring journey from working at Goldman Sachs to living and investing across the globe, from Japan to Israel and now being a Partner at LocalGlobe

Episode Highlights:-

• Childhood and Early Influences: From humble beginnings in South London to learning about financial markets from as young as 8.
• Career Evolution and Resilience: Hear about her hustle to enter the venture world after a chance encounter on her way to Ghana.
• Investment Insights: Gain insights on her stellar investment track record investing in Europe and Africa like Wise, Marshmallow, and Flutterwave and how it took her across the globe to invest in Japan.

Join us for an intimate conversation filled with laughter, great insights, and valuable lessons.

Connect with Yvonne Bajela: Instagram, LinkedIn, & Twitter: @yvonnebajela

Stay Updated with The Startup Leap:

Instagram: @thestartupleappod Twitter, YouTube, and TikTok: @thestartupleap

New episodes drop every Tuesday - stay tuned for our first guest episode, 🎙️

🔗 Subscribe to our newsletter to join the community: subscribe.thestartupleap.io

#thestartupleap #technology #entrepreneurship #business #startup #Yvonnebajela

🎙️ In our first "Meet the Host" episode, we sit down with the incredible Maria Rotilu, who shares her inspiring Leap story, transitioning from Operator (Uber&Branch) to Investor (Oxford Seed Fund, Octopus Ventures), and now Founder and General Partner at Openseed VC.

Episode Highlights:

• Childhood and Early Influences: Discover how Maria's upbringing in Nigeria shaped her entrepreneurial journey.
• Educational Path: Learn about her decision to pursue a Computer Science degree, her emigration to the UK, and her enriching MBA experience at Oxford.
• Career Evolution: Hear about her pivotal MBA internship, her transition into venture capital, and her impactful role as Fund Manager at Octopus Ventures.
• Faith and Resilience: Maria opens up about the importance of faith in her journey, the profound impact of losing a loved one, and how it influenced her attitude towards risk.
• Professional Insights: Gain valuable lessons from her consulting days at Deloitte and her experience scaling tech giants like Uber and Branch.co.
• Founding Openseed VC: Maria shares the bold steps she took to establish Openseed.VC, even amidst the challenges of building a first-time VC fund.
• Join us for an intimate and enlightening conversation filled with gems, laughter, and lessons.

Connect with Maria

• Instagram, LinkedIn, & Twitter: @mariarotilu

Stay Updated with The Startup Leap:

• Instagram: @thestartupleappod
• Twitter, YouTube, and TikTok: @thestartupleap
• 🔗 Subscribe to our newsletter to join the community: subscribe.thestartupleap.io

Don't miss out on Yvonne's "Meet the Host" episode this Thursday! 🎉

#thestartupleap #technology #entrepreneurship #business #startup #MariaRotilu

Your Hosts; Yvonne and Maria share what to expect as you listen to The Startup Leap (TSL)

It promises to be packed with insights, real-life stories of entrepreneurs who took the bold step to launch their own companies. TSL your go-to podcast as you transform your business dreams into reality.

Considering taking the leap to entrepreneurship? Want to learn from the stories of founders?

Then this is the Podcast for you!

Follow us on our socials and be the first to know when new episodes drop every Tuesday.

Instagram: @thestartupleappod

Twitter, Youtube, and TikTok: @thestartupleap

🔗 Subscribe to our newsletter to join the community: subscribe.thestartupleap.io

Follow The Startup Leap on all channels, and you'll know when new episodes drop every Tuesday 🎙️

#thestartupleap #technology #entrepreneurship #business #startup #YvonneBajela #MariaRotilu