🔥 “Tech is reshaping recruitment, and AI is leading the charge.” – Luke Morton 🔥
In this episode, we sit down with Luke Morton, founder of FirstStage, to explore how AI and automation are transforming the world of recruitment. From AI-generated CVs to the future of hiring, Luke shares insights on how technology is changing the way companies find and hire talent.
#AI #TechFounder #Recruitment #StartupLife #Scaling
Ross Tyler has led tech at Moneysupermarket Group, Car Finance 247, and Shield Safety — but he’s still learning something new every week. On The Start & Scale Podcast, Ross opens up about the realities of modern tech leadership: why communication is a CTO’s most powerful tool, what it really takes to rebuild a product platform, the importance of staying close to the code, and how AI is transforming the way his team works.
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:
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
This week on The Start & Scale Podcast, we were lucky enough to sit down with Co-founder and CEO at ThinkCyber, Tim Ward! 🚀 Tim’s episode explores: ✅ When to transition from founder-led sales to a dedicated sales team ✅ Building out high-performing tech teams ✅ The importance of revisiting your value proposition ✅ How to successfully fundraise ✅ Leading with a desire to solve a problem ✅ What accelerator programmes could be doing better ✅ How to build an engaged community We also unpack his career as a technical-founder and how ThinkCyber is revolutionising people-centric security plus SO much more. Whether you're a founder, tech enthusiast, or just curious about the process of scaling a successful tech venture, this is an episode you won't want to miss! #Fundraising #Accelerator #CyberSecurity #VC #TechCommunity
On this episode of #TheStartAndScalePodcast, you can listen and learn from the COO at Codurance, Steve Lydford! We discuss: ✅ The art of crafting scalable software solutions ✅ Building high-performing tech teams ✅ Avoiding common pitfalls as a founder in software development ✅ How to handle being a non-technical founder ✅ What Private Equity firms are seeking in a software company And SO much more! Whether you're a founder, tech enthusiast, or just curious about the magic behind successful tech ventures, this is an episode you won't want to miss. Codurance Steve Lydford #SoftwareDevelopment #TechFounder #FounderContent #Entrepreneur #TechEntrepreneur #PrivateEquity #CodeBase #Scaling
On this episode of #TheStartAndScalePodcast, you can listen and learn from the CEO and Co-founder of Finboot, Juan Miguel Pérez Rosas! Juan's episode discusses the challenge of establishing product-market fit in emerging markets, first-hand fundraising advice and the key things you need to balance to be a successful founder. We also explore leveraging feedback to make gradual improvements that enable you to achieve your vision, embracing both soft and hard pivots throughout the journey, the clearest example of customer validation in Juan's experience and Juan's biased and unpopular opinion... 👀 If you’re a founder or early-stage entrepreneur, this is a must-listen! 🚀 Finboot Juan Miguel Pérez Rosas #Founder #TechContent #FounderContent #TechEntrepreneurs #Blockchain
On this episode of #TheStartAndScalePodcast, you can listen and learn from 4x Founder, Successful Exiter, Entrepreneur in Residence and Founder of his latest venture Trimontium.io, Mark Kuhillow!
Mark's jam-packed episode discusses product-market fit and how to find it, the metrics you should be measuring, what to do if you don't know how to sell and the positive impact of neurodivergence.
We also discuss using data to validate every decision, leaning into strengths in strategy and delivery, the importance of continuous iteration, Mark's scepticism around some founders and why neurodivergence is common amongst entrepreneurs.
If you’re a founder or early-stage entrepreneur, this is a must-listen! 🚀
On this episode of #TheStartAndScalePodcast, you can hear from Ben Davies, Group Marketing Director at Praetura Group. We explore the biggest mistakes startups make when marketing, how to build a community and where to start with your marketing strategy. Together we also unpack companies' tendency to focus too heavily on channels rather than messaging, the true cost of customer acquisition through paid marketing and what it takes to have a solvent company. Plus, why businesses should boycott focusing purely on benefits to stand out in the market, the importance of trying and failing fast and why simplicity is key. And we’ve said it before but honestly, SO much more! A must-listen for all startup founders, entrepreneurs and CEOs navigating both brand and growth marketing, with budgets of varying sizes. Ben Davies Praetura Group #Marketing #StartupMarketing #FounderContent #GrowthMarketing #Entrepreneurs
On this episode of #TheStartAndScalePodcast, you can listen and learn from the very successful Founder & CEO at Workspace 365, Erik Nicolai. Erik’s jam-packed episode explores how different cultures buy, the importance of personal development as your business grows and what’s more important. The problem or the solution? 🤔 We also unpack how hiring more people doesn’t equate to growth, why the solution you’re offering will inevitably evolve and why your ability to listen to customers and adapt is critical for success. Plus SO much more! A must-listen for all startup founders and aspiring tech entrepreneurs navigating the development, launch and iteration of a SaaS product as well as international expansion. 🚀 Erik Nicolai - https://www.linkedin.com/in/eriknicolai/ Workspace 365 - https://www.linkedin.com/company/workspace-365/ #SaaS #TechContent #FounderContent #TechEntrepreneurs #PersonalDevelopment
On this episode of #TheStartAndScalePodcast, you can listen and learn from former Head of Product at Co-op and Fractional CPO at Product Rebel, Holly Donohue.
Holly’s jam-packed episode explores the number one thing businesses get wrong when it comes to product, traction vs validation and the grave importance of customer feedback.
We also unpack the detrimental and sometimes (very!) costly impact founders can have on a business. From unvalidated assumptions and ignoring evidence to being wedded to a solution rather than building a product designed to fulfil a customer need, Holly reveals the common product pitfalls experienced by organisations of all sizes.
A must-listen for all startup founders and aspiring tech entrepreneurs navigating the development, iteration and launch of a product. 🚀
On this episode of #TheStartAndScalePodcast, we have the pleasure of sitting down with Ed Abis, CEO at Dizplai, the leading content sourcing and engagement platform for broadcasters, sports organisations and brands! 🚀
We dive into the impact and experience being part of the Comcast SportsTech accelerator programme has had on both Ed and Dizplai, why in Ed’s opinion you should never be selling, leaning into your network for soundboarding and support, and why there’s nothing wrong with showing vulnerability to your team as a leader.
Plus, you can learn how Dizplai is empowering brands and broadcasters globally to connect with consumers through active and engaging content campaigns and solutions. 🌎
If you’re a founder considering accelerator programmes to support your growth goals or simply seeking guidance from a successful CEO, this is a must-listen! 🚀
The jam-packed episode explores:
🏎 Being part of an accelerator programme and how that’s empowered Dizplai to scale
💦 The trickle-down effect of investors' attitudes
🗣 Being unguarded around other CEOs and Founders
🌀 A fail-fast mentality and embracing mistakes
🤝 Using your network to de-risk ideas
🪦 The graveyard of mistakes behind every success
💉 The impact that COVID has had on the production sector
❤️🔥 Audiences expectations in 2024
📲 The democratisation of content creation
✂️ Why realness is the content that’s cutting through
And SO much more!
#TechContent #TechEntrepreneurs #FounderContent #ContentCreation #EngagingContent