When Unicorns Fly - The Startup Podcast

Christian Gabriel is co-founder and CEO of Capdesk, a tech start-up that helps private companies use their equity to attract, incentivise and reward their employees. In this episode, we cover: 

Martijn De Wever is the founder & CEO of the successful VC firm 'Force Over Mass' and also the Fintech SaaS platform 'Floww'. In this episode we caught up with Martijn to discuss measuring internal performance, sharing your data with investors and the importance of the data room when fundraising. We covered:

- Using a model to measure internal performance

- Trust & data sharing considerations

- Common pitfalls to avoid when creating your data room

- Transparency & the future of fundraising 

Itxaso del Palacio is a Partner at Notion, a leading European B2B SaaS focused VC. Prior to this, Itxaso was the Investment Partner for M12. In this episode, we discuss key strategic areas of early-stage B2B enterprise SaaS. We cover:

Manu Gupta is one of the most influential VC investors in European tech, who as a founding team member and partner at Lakestar, helped raise $1.4bn in 6 years to become one of Europe’s largest tech venture funds. In this episode we had an open conversation with Manu around how to structure your thinking when looking at your business model. In particular we discussed the business models of successful unicorns, how your overall business model strategy will impact your decisions and finally when you should be considering changing your approach. Key topics covered:

- Deciding on your business model at an early stage

- Considerations when changing your business model

- Scenario analysis and spending strategy

- Monetising & retaining users

- Pivoting your payment model with existing customers


 

Owen Richards is the founder & CEO of Air Marketing, the UK's leading outsourced business development agency specialising in outsourced SDR, B2B telemarketing and lead generation. In this episode we welcomed Owen to discuss the benefits and costs of integrating outsourced sales development representatives (SDRs) into your team. We specifically went into detail on what to expect from an SDR, how to stay involved in the process and tracking your sales metrics. Key topics covered:

- Expectations for outsourced sales development representatives (SDRs)

- Benefits and costs of outsourcing this function

- Tracking your key sales metrics

- A journey through onboarding and the ongoing relationship between founder & agency 

Daniella Raffel is an Associate at Dawn Capital, the Series A and B venture capital fund. In this episode, we welcome Daniela to unbox the deal-flow process. We cover each step of the journey, from reaching out to the investor and the initial pitch meeting through to the IC process. 

In this episode, we welcome Rachel Gilley to discuss how to create and implement your PR and Marketing strategy, budgeting and cost allocation, and measuring performance and ROI. Specifically, we covered:

Henry Whorwood is Head of Research & Consultancy at Beauhurst, the UK's leading company data platform. In this episode we welcomed Henry Whorwood to reflect on 2020 as a year for UK startup & scale-up fundraising. We specifically unpick the driving factors behind the UK fundraising market and explore data trends by both company size & sector. We also look to the future and predict what kind of year 2021 will be for fundraising and the impact this may have on you as a prospective fundraising founder. In detail we covered:

- The headline fundraising figures for 2020

- Assessing the factors influencing fundraising in 2020

- Analysis for first time fundraisers

- Fundraising sentiment today & outlook for 2021

- Early stage vs later stage fundraising trends  

Lu Li is the General Manager & Head of Global Strategy at Indiegogo, one of the first ever crowdfunding platforms allowing backers to invest in new and innovative products. Previously, Lu held positions at Euromoney & Dailymotion in account management, social media and cross border marketing positions. In this episode, we discuss product crowdfunding, how to assess whether it would be right for your business and how to give yourself the best chance of success. Lu also gives us insight into the cool products typically launched and the things not to do when product crowdfunding.

Nigel Walker is the Deputy Director at Innovate UK responsible for lending & investor partnerships to support innovative SMEs. Nigel has a combination of financial services and operational experience, having spent over 10 years at each of Deutsche Bank, General Electric & Innovate UK. In this episode, we discuss the end-end process of applying for grant funding with Innovate UK and how to maximise your chances of success.