Ventures

They'll watch anything that provides value from the start - whether it's street interviews or Wimbledon mic'd up content. What they won't tolerate is the same boring corporate ads everyone else is making.

Erifili, founder and CEO of The Z-Link, operates a global Gen Z-focused agency with 30,000 members across 50+ countries, helping brands from Pepsi to IKEA authentically connect with younger audiences. Author of "Design Your Life, Your Career, Your Way" and builder of a 13,000-subscriber Substack reaching every US state except Wyoming, she reveals why the 8-second attention span myth is misleading and how Gen Z actually craves long-form content when it provides genuine value. In the conversation, she breaks down successful strategies like community-first content pillars, authentic brand engagement in unexpected spaces, and the power of interactive co-creation, while explaining how her team's group chats serve as the primary research tool for understanding viral content patterns.

Rami, co-founder and CEO of Querio, has developed an AI data analytics SaaS that enables teams to query databases without SQL knowledge while pioneering breakthrough strategies in AI Engine Optimization (AEO). Lebanese-born and London-based, he recently gained ChatGPT recommendations for his platform through systematic manipulation of search algorithms, understanding that different AI models prefer different sources (ChatGPT favors TechCrunch via Bing, Claude prefers Wikipedia via Brave, Perplexity targets Reddit and LinkedIn). In the conversation, he explains his contrarian approach to capital efficiency despite investor pressure to spend faster, arguing that fundraising should be treated as an operational necessity rather than a validation milestone, while revealing the dark tactics some startups use to game Wikipedia and other trusted sources for AI visibility.

Becky is part of the talent function @ ElevenLabs, one of the UK's leading frontier AI companies, where she's building world-class teams at the forefront of voice AI innovation. With extensive experience scaling talent functions from Facebook's structured corporate environment to high-growth AI startups.She's passionate about transforming traditional hiring practices through systems thinking and leverages ElevenLabs' own voice AI technology to create innovative candidate experiences. Previously, she served as Head of Talent Acquisition at Delivery Associates, scaled EMEA talent functions at Segment, and spent nearly three years as a Lead Recruiter at Facebook, where she facilitated 200+ hires and pioneered data-driven recruitment strategies.In this episode, we dive deep into the evolving world of talent acquisition with Becky from Eleven Labs, exploring how AI is transforming hiring practices and what it means for the future workforce. From Facebook's corporate structure to AI startup dynamics, discover how talent acquisition has evolved from transactional function to strategic business imperative.🎯 On the Docket:00:00:00 - From Facebook to Eleven Labs: The evolution of talent strategy in AI companies00:06:00 - Beyond technical skills: Assessing soft skills and independent thinking in candidates00:09:00 - Specialists vs Generalists: Why T-shaped professionals thrive in startups00:15:00 - Competing for top talent: Why people choose Eleven Labs over other AI companies00:27:00 - AI fluency as baseline requirement: How to evaluate and develop this critical skill00:35:00 - Building talent assistants with voice AI: Eleven Labs' innovative hiring approach00:42:00 - Candidate experience transformation: From breakup training to AI-powered feedback00:48:00 - Preparing the next generation: Raising AI-native children with critical thinking skills00:56:00 - The one question every candidate should ask that no one ever does⚡ Key Insights:Why AI companies need generalists who can execute across multiple functions during early growth phasesHow to assess candidates for systems thinking and problem-solving abilities through real-time scenariosThe importance of AI fluency in modern hiring and practical ways to evaluate this skillWhy "drinking your own champagne" creates better products and candidate experiencesHow flat organisational structures without titles screen for humility and collaborationThe critical role of curiosity and independent thinking in an AI-augmented workforceWhy human connection remains essential even as AI transforms the hiring process🔗 Where to find Becky:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/beckylr/Eleven Labs: https://elevenlabs.io

🎯 On the Docket:00:00 – Breaking News & Analysis01:22 – Meta's Billion-Dollar AI Talent Raid and Zuck's Leadership Crucible06:00 – The Soham Parekh Scandal: Serial Engineer Moonlights for Multiple YC Startups11:00 – UK Innovation Surge: AI Drives 30% of Venture Capital to Record Highs13:00 – Wimbledon's AI Controversy and OpenAI's Security Crackdown28:43 – Yunsu (鄧潤雪) Tang, CEO of Synchro, is building a stakeholder intelligence platform that synchronizes data from policy announcements, news, and social media to generate actionable insights. A two-time founder and TEDx speaker who moved from Hong Kong's growth-obsessed startup culture to London's detail-oriented product focus, she discusses how her background in financial communications at FGS Global (acquired by KKR) informs her AI-powered approach to stakeholder mapping. Tang emphasizes the importance of integrated communications strategy, arguing that business development, sales, marketing, and PR cannot be separated in today's market, while leveraging both Western and Chinese platforms to maintain her competitive advantage in cross-cultural market research.58:59 – Ivan Suhinin, CTO of wcard & malagastartups, has assembled the largest English-speaking tech community in Andalusia with 1,400+ members while organizing 110+ events annually. Originally from Belarus with 20 years in IT, he's working with co-founder Dan Marquez to transform Spain's Costa del Sol into a startup hub by connecting Malaga's talent pool with Marbella's capital and government support. In the conversation, he outlines his ambitious plan to create a founders factory through quarterly 3-month bootcamps, targeting aerospace and agritech as regional strengths while building bridges between traditionally risk-averse Spanish culture and entrepreneurial ambition, with expectations of billion-dollar companies emerging within the decade.01:30:26 – Erifili, founder and CEO of The Z-Link, operates a global Gen Z-focused agency with 30,000 members across 50+ countries, helping brands from Pepsi to IKEA authentically connect with younger audiences. Author of "Design Your Life, Your Career, Your Way" and builder of a 13,000-subscriber Substack reaching every US state except Wyoming, she reveals why the 8-second attention span myth is misleading and how Gen Z actually craves long-form content when it provides genuine value. In the conversation, she breaks down successful strategies like community-first content pillars, authentic brand engagement in unexpected spaces, and the power of interactive co-creation, while explaining how her team's group chats serve as the primary research tool for understanding viral content patterns.02:00:20 – Cory Johnson, email marketing specialist at Synthesia responsible for 14+ million annual emails, has pioneered an unconventional approach to LinkedIn content by live-streaming business-adjacent games like Tomb Raider and Schedule One to build authentic engagement.02:30:25 – Rami, co-founder and CEO of Querio, has developed an AI data analytics SaaS that enables teams to query databases without SQL knowledge while pioneering breakthrough strategies in AI Engine Optimization (AEO). Lebanese-born and London-based, he recently gained ChatGPT recommendations for his platform through systematic manipulation of search algorithms, understanding that different AI models prefer different sources (ChatGPT favors TechCrunch via Bing, Claude prefers Wikipedia via Brave, Perplexity targets Reddit and LinkedIn). In the conversation, he explains his contrarian approach to capital efficiency despite investor pressure to spend faster, arguing that fundraising should be treated as an operational necessity rather than a validation milestone, while revealing the dark tactics some startups use to game Wikipedia and other trusted sources for AI visibility.

Moises Barbera, founder of Drill Surgeries and theoretical physicist, builds "Google Maps for the operating room" solving 80-year-old broken bone surgery problems. Growing up in OR lobbies while his father sold medical equipment, he used ML software & mixed reality for 87% drilling time reduction. He reveals the personal toll of 200+ doctor interviews while sleeping in train stations, explains US-focused strategy, and outlines his vision for foundational orthopedic surgery model impacting 60+ million patients annually.

🎯 On the Docket:00:00:00 – Breaking News & Analysis00:02:00 – Lovable's Record $2B Valuation and the AI Coding Revolution00:08:00 – Apple's AI Strategy: Why Claude Might Power Siri00:12:00 – Grammarly Acquires Superhuman in Billion-Dollar Productivity Play00:16:00 – Anthropic's Failed Experiment: Can Claude Run a Business?00:23:00 – UK Policy News: EU Blocks Britain's Trade Bloc Attempts00:38:00 – Chris Smith, Head of Agency and Partnerships at Gold Studios, represents 300+ digital comedy creators across US and UK markets. In the conversation, he discusses the creator economy's explosive presence at Cannes 2025, noting how brands are finally treating creators as legitimate media partners rather than afterthoughts. Smith emphasises the missed opportunity for deeper case study discussions between traditional advertising and creator partnerships, highlighting successful campaigns like Airbnb's collaboration that generated 140 million organic views through strategic social-first thinking.01:18:00 – Amardeep Parmar, co-founder of BAE HQ and host of 400+ podcast episodes, has built Europe's leading community for British Asian entrepreneurs with 7,000+ event attendees. In the conversation, he reveals key insights from interviewing top-tier founders, identifying that the best entrepreneurs combine high standards with strategic laziness, forcing innovation through efficiency. He discusses launching the Bay Accelerator, positioning it as the "YC of the UK" for underrepresented founders, and explains his contrarian approach of providing free programs while building trust to eventually invest in the most promising participants.01:53:00 – Jonny Burch, founder of Toy Studio and fr Founder of progression (acquired), discusses the democratization of design through AI tools like Lovable and V0. He explains how traditional design workflows are being disrupted as anyone can now create functional prototypes, but emphasises that taste and strategic vision remain irreplaceable human qualities. Burch advocates for rapid iteration over perfectionism, arguing that AI enables designers to test concepts in days rather than weeks while maintaining the need for long-term creative direction.02:16:00 – Dhruv Sengupta, CEO and co-founder of Nusmark, has built an AI secretary platform operating within WhatsApp's ecosystem, focusing on zero-click customer journeys for scheduling and bookings. In the conversation, he explains the contrarian bet on building within Meta's infrastructure despite concerns about platform dependency, noting that consumers increasingly trust AI with personal data when the utility is compelling. Dhruv also discusses his recent House of Lords debate experience, arguing the proposition that the UK is no longer viable for high-growth startups while emphasizing the need for founders to embrace difficulty as competitive advantage.02:42:00 – Anna Maria Pricop, transitioning from cybersecurity entrepreneurship to healthcare innovation, plans to build a chain of clinics integrating classical and alternative medicine. In the conversation, she describes her vision for comprehensive healthcare that combines traditional medical practices with modern technology, emphasizing preventative care and holistic treatment approaches. She discusses the challenge of building authentic content in an oversaturated social media landscape while staying true to her mission of bridging the gap between conventional and alternative medicine.

Most SaaS products aren't technological marvels.

The real moat isn't in the code

It's in solving problems well in ways that are hard to replicate.

Don't confuse vibe coding with actual engineering.

In this episode, we sit down with Rami, co-founder of Querio, for an in-depth exploration of AI-native data analytics, the future of business intelligence, and the surprising journey from Amazon warehouse optimisation to building a revolutionary data platform. Discover how his unconventional path from winning a US green card lottery to saving Amazon $55 million annually shaped his contrarian views on AI development and why he believes most companies are fundamentally broken when it comes to data access.

🎯 On the Docket:

00:07:20 - From Lebanon to Texas: The green card lottery story that changed everything

00:11:01 - Community college to Amazon: Building resilience through adversity

00:19:20 - Inside Amazon's warehouse evolution: Optimising 2000 Kiva robots

00:24:00 - The $55 million algorithm: How first-principles thinking drives innovation

00:41:00 - Why "vibe coding" won't replace engineers (and why that's good)

00:46:28 - Querio AI-native approach: Beyond chatbots to functional data products

00:49:00 - Demystifying large language models: Why they're simpler than you think

01:05:11 - The art of balancing AI automation with manual controls

⚡ Key Insights:

Why most SaaS products aren't technological marvels (and what that means for AI)

The critical difference between AI-native products and AI-bolted-onto-existing-products

How Query solved the "5-week data team ticket" problem plaguing the enterprise

Why understanding LLMs as "next word predictors" makes them less magical and more useful

The psychology behind effective product design (the Dallas airport baggage claim lesson)

How authentic relationship building creates compound opportunities over time

Why technical founders need to balance curiosity with execution focus

🔗 Where to find Rami

LinkedIn

Querio

Most companies are still buying Google ads like it's 2010. Meanwhile, AI platforms with half a trillion dollars invested are building commerce models that completely bypass traditional advertising channels. Kieron and Andrew are weekly regulars on Ventures, bringing decades of business strategy and marketing expertise to dissect how AI will reshape commerce forever.🎯 On the Docket:00:48 - Ripping up the rulebook of digital advertising in the AI era01:11 - Why Google's advertising console is deliberately designed to be difficult09:01 - How AI agents will eliminate the need for traditional websites13:03 - Real examples of AI recommendation systems bypassing Google entirely20:21 - The psychology behind impulse purchases and shopping behavior changes34:02 - What separates sustainable businesses from viral marketing failures50:51 - Why marketing accountability stops at awareness (and shouldn't)My 5 Key Takeaways 👇1. The Entire Advertising Model Is About To Be Bypassed"The entire advertising model is completely bypassed by using agents. There's no cookies to be taken off an AI agent for its browsing behavior." AI platforms won't make money from $200 subscriptions—they'll take a slice of the billions flowing through advertising agencies and Google's revenue streams.2. AI Platforms Must Monetise Half a Trillion in Investment"$400 billion invested in AI platforms. Somebody wants their money back. That's your answer." When OpenAI loses money on $200/month subscriptions, they're not building a subscription business they're building the infrastructure to own commerce itself.3. Websites Will Become Obsolete in Agent-Driven Commerce"What use is there for that information to be presented in the way it is on a website? There's no purpose for the website." AI agents only need data, not human-friendly interfaces. The entire web design industry is about to face its iPhone moment.4. Sustainable Businesses Think in Decades, Not Viral Moments"Success isn't what you achieve in the first six months. Success is having a sustainable business over three to five years." Prime drinks and Liquid Death mastered viral marketing but failed at business fundamentals. Century-old companies keep cash in the business and focus on customer experience over hype.5. Marketing Has Been Demoted to "Colouring In Department""The amount of times I've sat in meetings where CFOs have said 'oh you know you mean marketing, are you talking about that colouring in stuff.'" True marketing should own awareness, consideration, AND selection phases.

AI adoption fails when you focus on the tech instead of the humans using it.Middle managers are the key to successful implementation, not executives.Show people how it solves THEIR problems, and they'll sell it to themselves.Jo is an Enterprise Customer Success leader at Microsoft, where she guides some of the world's largest organisations through their AI transformation journeys with Copilot and M365. With over 13 years of enterprise customer success experience spanning Oracle's SaaS platforms to Microsoft's cutting-edge AI solutions, Jo specialises in turning complex technology adoption into human-centred change management success stories.As a Sr Copilot Cloud Solution Architect, she helps global enterprises build and deploy AI transformation strategies, creating "sticky AI habits" that drive real productivity gains from boardroom to shop floor. Previously, she architected customer success operations across EMEA and APAC regions at Oracle, managing business processes for global customer lifecycle platforms and specialising in gaming sector implementations.In this episode, discover how the world's largest organisations are navigating the transition to AI-powered workflows, the unexpected challenges of implementing Microsoft Copilot, and why the human element remains the most critical factor in technological transformation.🎯 On the Docket:00:00:00 - Why customer success has become more vital than ever in the AI era00:02:40 - Building AI adoption playbooks without established ROI benchmarks00:03:50 - Security concerns and data privacy: the top enterprise AI fears00:04:30 - The data readiness challenge: cleaning up 20 years of SharePoint chaos00:05:20 - From keyword searching to natural language: retraining human behavior00:08:00 - Art of the possible: showing executives what AI can actually do00:11:00 - Why executives are easier to convince than IT departments00:13:20 - Managing expectations: when business wants to move at 90 mph00:14:20 - Customer advisory boards: how enterprises shape AI product development00:18:00 - The ADKAR change methodology: building sustainable AI adoption00:22:00 - The middle management bottleneck: where AI transformation gets stuck00:26:00 - Making people feel safe with AI: addressing job security fears00:30:00 - Teams evolution: from email to chat to AI-powered workflows00:34:00 - Burnout as the unexpected driver for AI workplace adoption00:39:00 - What's in it for me: making the personal case for AI tools00:42:00 - Setting expectations: teaching what AI can't do vs. what it can⚡ Key Points:78% of knowledge workers are already bringing personal AI tools to work without organisational oversightThe biggest AI implementation challenge isn't technical—it's human behavioural changeData quality and security must be addressed before any AI deployment can succeedMiddle managers are the key to scaling AI adoption, yet they're often overlooked in implementation strategiesPeople resist change instinctively as a safety mechanism—successful adoption requires addressing emotional needsOrganisations without AI plans risk losing control as employees adopt unsecured AI tools independentlyThe most effective AI demonstrations focus on eliminating daily admin tasks rather than complex transformationsChange reinforcement is critical—showing people new capabilities as they're released prevents license waste🔗 Where to find Jo:LinkedIn

Every solution we create becomes tomorrow's problem. When Google solved search, they created monopoly concerns.

When telecoms solved communication, they created customer experience nightmares.

When AI solves thinking, it creates cognitive dependency.

This isn't a bug it's human nature.

Today, we're venturing into what appears to be innovation is actually an endless cycle of problem-shifting. As you'll hear, Andrew and Kieran possess a rare ability to see through corporate theater to the unchanging human behaviors underneath the same "strange apes" we've always been, just with better tools to create chaos.

From AI tarpits designed to trap greedy bots to food manufacturers engineering around ozempic, this conversation reveals why we still find satisfaction in doing things ourselves, why companies refuse to admit what they actually are, and how peer-to-peer networks are enabling communication without permission.

🎯 On the Docket:

00:00:00 - Ideas, attention, and systems in modern business

00:02:22 - Google's 20-year monopoly: Innovation killer or accelerator?

00:04:57 - AI scraping bundled with search: Google's "blackmail" strategy

00:05:04 - AI tarpits: Websites fight back with infinite bot loops

00:09:58 - Digital drugs for AI: Psychedelic models for creativity

00:15:17 - Peer-to-peer mesh networks bypass telecom infrastructure

00:20:47 - How governments secretly shut down mobile networks

00:23:22 - Open source economics: Altruism or corporate weapon?

00:32:39 - Telcos as reluctant utilities refusing their identity

00:40:25 - Death of telephone revenue, rise of bandwidth commoditization

00:50:01 - Why telcos suck at customer experience

00:54:18 - The 10-touchpoint trap: Why 8/10 scores create failure

00:58:16 - Is AI harming our brains and cognitive abilities?

01:05:07 - The satisfaction paradox of making things yourself

01:12:27 - Human nature unchanged: Still "strange apes" after millennia

⚡ Key Points:

Why monopolies create a paradox of both accelerating and suppressing innovation simultaneously

Google's bundling of AI scraping with search indexing is essentially "blackmail" against content creators

AI tarpits represent humanity's fundamental urge to "fuck with shit" when systems try to exploit them

Open source serves as both genuine collaboration tool and strategic weapon against competitors

Telcos spend billions trying to avoid admitting they're utilities, leading to terrible customer experiences

The cumulative effect of multiple "good enough" touchpoints creates overall poor customer journeys

AI may be creating cognitive dependency similar to how office work created physical fitness industries

Satisfaction comes from the journey of creation, not just the destination or outcome

Every technological breakthrough creates new problems requiring new solutions in endless cycles

🔗 Where to find A Few Good People:

AFGP:https://www.afewgoodpeople.co.uk/

Andrew Radley: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-radley-6ab365/

Kieron McCann: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kieronmccann/