In this episode of The Unicorn Podcast, Simon Squibb sits down with Rishi Khosla as they dive deep into the highs and lows of building a bank worth $5 BILLION, as well as what it takes to disrupt an industry that is stuck in its traditional ways.

Rishi Khosla is the CEO and co-founder of OakNorth. He started his first business, Copal Partners, a financial research company, in 2002 with just $60k. Over 12 years, he and his co-founder, Joel Perlman, scaled it to a 3,000-employee organization across 13 markets, before selling it to Moody’s Corporation (NYSE: MCO) in 2014.

They then set out to build their second business, OakNorth, a financial technology company with a mission to empower the ‘Missing Middle’ - businesses that are the largest contributors of economic and employment growth, yet still struggle to access fast, flexible debt finance. OakNorth is addressing this funding gap with its Credit Intelligence software which it licenses to commercial lenders such as Fifth Third, PNC, and Old National, and that it uses within its own bank in the UK, OakNorth Bank.

Rishi Khosla is an early-stage investor in a number of leading technology companies, including PayPal. In 2019, he was awarded an OBE (Order of the British Empire) from her Majesty The Queen for services to business.

Rishi: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/rishikhosla1

Oaknorth: https://oaknorth.co.uk/investors/our-cofounder-rishi-khosla/

Get business help for free, and get rewarded for helping at HelpBnk!

https://helpbnk.com

In this episode of The Unicorn Podcast, Simon Squibb sits down with Rob Schimek, CEO of Bolttech, the groundbreaking unicorn insuretech company that has been making waves in the insurance industry. Simon and Rob delve into the rapid growth and success of Bolttech, discussing how it shot from startup to $1.6B valuation in such a short time frame. Rob shares the unique story behind Bolttech, revealing the pivotal moments that defined its path to success. Hear about the hurdles and triumphs of developing an innovative insuretech platform that disrupts traditional insurance models. Learn how Rob and his team leveraged technology and AI to drive growth and revolutionise customer experience in the insurance sector. Get ready for a deep dive into the process of building a unicorn with Rob Schimek and Bolttech's extraordinary journey. 

Rob: https://sg.linkedin.com/in/rob-schimek-59b37a1 

Bolttech: https://bolttech.io/ 

Get business help for free, and get rewarded for helping at HelpBnk! https://helpbnk.com

In this episode, we delve into the mind of Philip Belamant, the visionary Co-Founder and CEO of Zilch, a groundbreaking fintech company revolutionizing the way we think about and interact with finance.

Zilch has become the fastest European company EVER to reach double unicorn status, and in this episode, Simon and Philip go deep into the core values and mission that enabled Zilch to reach this huge level of success so quickly.

We also explore the origins of Zilch, the personal experiences that inspired Philip to create this unique platform, and how it's transforming the landscape of digital finance.

Zilch: http://bit.ly/3KeMwhr

Philip: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philip-belamant/

For more help start here: http://go.simonsquibb.com/

In this episode of The Unicorn Podcast, Simon sits down with James Watt, the co-founder of BrewDog, one of the fastest-growing craft beer companies in the world. James shares the truth behind the controversy surrounding his brand, as well as his revealing his marketing secrets.

We explore James's unique leadership style and the company's unconventional approach to business, including their plans to use beer to save the planet. James also admits why he chose to give away £100m of his shares in the business, while his co-founder did not.

Whether you're a craft beer enthusiast, an entrepreneur, or just interested in hearing from an incredible billion-dollar-founder, we know you’ll love this one. So grab a cold one and join us for a lively conversation with James Watt of BrewDog!

Follow James on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-watt

Follow James on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brewdogjames/?hl=en

Watch James on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JamesWattBrewDogCEO 

Brewdog’s Website: https://www.brewdog.com/uk

Table Yeti: https://www.brewdog.com/uk

For more help start here: http://go.simonsquibb.com

Tessa Wijaya is the Chief Operating Officer and Co-founder of Xendit. She graduated from The University of Sydney, has vast experience in the field of private equity from large companies such as Principia and Mizuho and grew up in Indonesia. Tessa describes herself as “a unicorn among unicorns among unicorns.” There are a lot of people in her family who are entrepreneurs who ran small canteens and hawker stalls. 

Tessa started a few side businesses before Xendit. she started a restaurant, which failed, and a batik brand with one of her closest friends, but they discontinued it to focus on their full-time jobs. she started a jewellery business as well with some friends, whom she is a silent partner right now. 

As an Indonesian woman running a $1 billion financial technology start-up in Southeast Asia, she is a rather rare breed. Women leaders in tech are uncommon. This is especially true in fintech, where they hold 7% of leadership positions.

Xendit is an Indonesian fintech platform that processes digital payments for businesses in Southeast Asia, like Grab, Wise and Traveloka. Xendit was founded by Moses Lo, Tessa Wijaya, Juan Gonzalez and Bo Chen. Since launching in 2015, Xendit has grown rapidly. in 2021, it processes more than 65 million transactions worth $6.5 billion annually. It reached the $1 billion “unicorn” status in September 2021.

Xendit currently has more than 3,000 customers. Xendit said its annualized transactions tripled from 65 million to 200 million over the last year. The total value of the transactions also jumped from $6.5 billion to $15 billion. Some of its clients are Traveloka, Transferwise, and Grab.

As a woman who strives in the technology field, Tessa Wijaya is very aware of gender issues in Indonesia. She asserted that Indonesia needs more platforms where women could take a part in the technology field and also could inspire other women. 

Tessa:https://www.linkedin.com/in/tessa-w-41043020/

Xendit:https://www.xendit.co/en/

For more help start here: https://purposefulproject.com/

We had the opportunity to interview John Caudwell LIVE on stage at Ideas Fest 2022. John founded Caudwell Group, the telco company which included Phones 4U, the UK’s largest independent mobile phone retailer with over 600 stores across the country. When he sold Caudwell Group in 2006, the business was selling 26 phones a minute!

But after all of his success, John says that “Nothing gives him the same feeling as helping people”. Living a life of purpose is what makes John feel complete, and while remaining active in the business world, he devotes most of his time to his lifelong philanthropic ambitions, pledging to donate 70% of his wealth to charitable causes!

John's site:

https://johncaudwell.com/

Buy John's autobiography:

https://amzn.to/3SIsA87

Ideas Fest: 

https://www.freshbusinessthinking.com/ideas-fest

For more help start here:

https://purposefulproject.com

Yat Siu is an entrepreneur and angel investor. Born and raised in Vienna, Austria, he moved to Hong Kong in 1996 to set up Hong Kong Cybercity, the first free web page and email provider in Asia. Before Hong Kong, he landed his first job at Atari in Germany, and later at graphic software company Lexicor, where he served as director and head of the U.S. East Coast division. In the late ‘90s, he set up Outblaze, which was sold to IBM in 2009 and incorporated into IBM's LotusLive suite of services.

In 2011, he founded Hong Kong-based Animoca, one of the world’s largest apps for developers and publishers. The company is behind hit apps such as Pretty Pet Salon (one of Apple's top apps of 2011) and Cinderella Cafe. Receiving early funding from venture capital firms Intel Capital and IDG-Accel, Animoca went on to develop and publish hundreds of apps across both Android and iOS platforms.

In 2014, Siu founded Animoca Brands, a company created through the spinoff of the licensing and publishing arms of Animoca, that uses technology like blockchain and artificial intelligence to develop and publish mobile products like The Sandbox, and it’s the official distributor of CryptoKitties in China.

During his fruitful career, Yat Siu was named “Global Leader of Tomorrow” and a “Young Global Leader” by the World Economic Forum and received various other awards for his contributions to business and society. In this episode, Yat tells Simon exaclty how Web 3.0 can save the world if navigated in the right way, as well as giving his advice to young people looking to start a business in the modern world of crypto, Web 3.0 and the metaverse.

Topics

• 0:00 - Intro
• 2:16 - Who is Yat Siu and what are Animoca brands?
• 4:00 - What is a digital dictatorship?
• 10:40 - Is there an alternative to big platforms like Facebook?
• 14:20 - Will we see the fall of the big platforms?
• 19:40 - What should young people build today?
• 23:51 - What do you look for when investing in companies?
• 31:00 - What is the future of crypto?
• 39:22 - How Yat raised 75 million in the bear market
• 41:05 - NFTs and the truth about crypto
• 49:44 - ‘F*ck the metaverse’?
• 55:50 - Purpose
• 01:02:22 - Yat’s net worth
• 01:10:00 - The education system is broken, how we fix it

Animoca Brands: 

https://www.animocabrands.com/

StartmeupHK: 

https://www.startmeup.hk/startmeuphk-festival-2022/

HKBN / HKBN Enterprise Solutions:

www.hkbn.net / www.hkbnes.net

Steven Lam is the co-founder, executive director & co-CEO of GOGOX Holdings Limited, the first app-based logistics platform in Asia committed to providing extensive logistics services through innovative technology. Steven built the company with the vision of “Simplify Logistics”, aiming to resolve logistics inefficiencies and enable users to enjoy seamless logistics services.

Over the years, GOGOX has evolved from a van-hailing platform to a diversified logistics platform that supports instant delivery to customised logistics solutions. GOGOX instantly connects individuals and businesses with millions of logistics partners to fulfil all sorts of delivery needs, redefining the delivery experience by providing speedy, agile and convenient logistics services that are unmatched. 

Steven’s wealth of experience in entrepreneurship has brought him accolades in different categories, including Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Asia in 2016, Hong Kong’s Ten Outstanding Young Persons Selection in 2018, and 50 Asians to watch of The Straits Times in 2018. In this episode, Steven and Simon go deep on how to start a business with little money, how to find the right investors and much more.

Topics

• 0:00 - Intro
• 1:59 - How GOGOX was born
• 3:07 - How did you start with so little capital?
• 14:16 - Supply first
• 18:17 - Founder structure
• 25:04 - Getting investment
• 35:30 - Steven’s family opinions
• 38:09 - Have you ever thought about quitting?
• 41:18 - Company Culture
• 45:04 - Do you have any regrets?
• 48:27 - Advice for young people

GOGOX:

https://www.gogox.com/index/

StartmeupHK: 

https://www.startmeup.hk/startmeuphk-festival-2022/

HKBN / HKBN Enterprise Solutions:

www.hkbn.net / www.hkbnes.net

Max Li is Co-founder and Head of Design of Airwallex , where he provides the creative vision for the business, and is responsible for developing and managing Airwallex’s product design initiatives. Leading a global team, Max drives the implementation for designing functional and human-centric products that enable quality user experience in every market where Airwallex operates.

Previously,  Max was a professional architectural designer with extensive experience in architecture, product design and user experience. Max also ran a coffee business prior to founding Airwallex, making his entrepreneurial experience so far both diverse and unique.

In this episode, Simon and Max discuss his biggest lessons in building a unicorn company, how self-belief plays a huge part in success, and the future of business + technology. 

5 books that Max recommends:

For an excellent cover all guidebook to building products: Build, by Tony Fadell

For emotional baseline: The subtle art of not giving a fuck, by Mark Manson

For perspective: 21 lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Harari

Books with behind-the-scene, detailed processes for different industries are always good reads, recently: Secret Life Of Groceries, by Benjamin Lorr

If language (especially writing) is not your forte: On Writing Well, by William Zinsser

Topics

• 0:00 - Intro
• 1:25 - How Airwallex was born
• 6:33 - Raising money
• 7:46 - Transitioning from a cafe to Airwallex
• 8:40 - Staying focused
• 12:41 - Max’s Family Background
• 14:23 - Working with co-founders
• 18:10 - Changing roles
• 19:40 - Self belief
• 21:00 - Biggest lessons on reflection
• 23:10 - Imposter syndrome
• 25:05 - What motivates you
• 26:51 - The future
• 30:51 - Regulation challenges
• 32:35 - Max’s thoughts on the Metaverse
• 35:03 - Approaching competition
• 37:24 - Luck
• 39:36 - Startup culture
• 44:52 - Advice for your younger self
• 47:20 - Do you have any regrets
• 50:31 - Outro

Max Li: 

https://www.airwallex.com/uk

StartmeupHK: 

https://www.startmeup.hk/startmeuphk-festival-2022/

HKBN / HKBN Enterprise Solutions:

www.hkbn.net / www.hkbnes.net