In this conversation, Kyriakos Eleftheriou is joined by Tom Livesey, CTO and co-founder of Thriva, who discusses the journey of his health tech company, which has transformed the way individuals monitor their health through innovative blood testing solutions.
He shares insights on the challenges faced during the startup phase, the impact of COVID-19 on their operations, and the importance of consumer awareness in health diagnostics. Tom emphasizes the need for personalization in health insights and the role of technology in improving user experience.
He also touches on the fundraising journey, navigating the NHS landscape, and the future of health tech.
Chapters
00:00 Intro
02:44 Navigating the Challenges of Health Testing
05:30 The Evolution of Thriva's Product Offering
08:33 Fundraising Journey: From Startup to Success
11:15 COVID-19: A Catalyst for Change
14:11 The Future of Health Diagnostics
16:53 Building a Sustainable Business Model
19:29 Customer Acquisition and Marketing Strategies
22:27 The Role of Technology in Health Monitoring
24:56 The Impact of Consumer Awareness on Health
27:32 The Next Decade: Predictions for Health Tech
30:35 Addressing Consumer Anxiety in Health Testing
33:15 The Importance of Personalization in Health Insights
36:06 Navigating the NHS Landscape
39:00 The Future of Home Testing and Diagnostics
The first Iranian entrepreneur to build a company worth over $1B in Europe, Dan Vahdat, founder of Huma, is joining Kyriakos Eleftheriou, founder of Terra API
They discuss:
00:00 - Intro
02:10 - Communicating with @EmmanuelMacron and @kmitsotakis
08:55 - Why are Greece and Persia not empires today
13:40 - How the best people look like
18:30 - Short-term vs long-term thinking
24:27 - Dropping out of PhD
26:57 - The first months of Huma
32:00 - Early days
32:27 - 'I never had the ego of being turned down'
34:00 - First customers
37:21 - How to price expensive contracts
48:30 - Regulation as a moat
59:10 - Raising $300m from partners instead of VC
1:02:58 - AI
1:06:00 - Storytelling advice
1:09:55 - Running
1:14:32 - Cyrus, Darius, and Achaemenid inspirations
1:19:23 - The future
David Turner is the Group CTO of Virgin Active, a global health brand with more than 230 fitness clubs across 8 countries. He previously led NHS tech during Covid.
The host: Kyriakos
More about Virgin Active00:00 - Intro01:26 - UK Tech05:33 - F1 telemetry vs fitness data07:33 - Betting + health data09:30 - Getting into software engineering13:51 - Inside NHS tech: joining mid-Covid chaos14:00 - Leading the NHS Covid digital response, 24/720:56 - Building national-scale testing tech24:49 - The real data engine behind the Covid travel pass26:00 - Virgin Active after NHS30:40 - Inside Virgin clubs tech33:40 - 360° member view41:40 - Rewards45:19 - Why true gym innovation came from outsiders54:40 - Advice to young engineers: fail fast, fail often58:17 - The future of health: your constant digital twin
The founder of Nucleus, Kian Sadeghi, joined Kyriakos Eleftheriou, in the second health day in San Francisco, and shared his learnings in front of a 300-person audience before the Y Combinator AI event.
00:00 Intro
02:01 The Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson fight sponsorship story.
05:01 "Fundraising is an art."
08:01 Competing with Mr. Beast and the importance of storytelling.
11:01 The evolution and impact of genetic testing.
14:01 Future of genetics and embryo selection.
17:01 AI in genetics.
20:01 Narrative in startup success.
23:01 Regulatory challenges
26:01 Personal journey and insights on building a company.
29:01 Genetic testing market
32:01 The role of computational biology in genetics.
35:01 The impact of whole genome sequencing on healthcare.
38:01 The future of genetic engineering and its societal implications.
41:01 The intersection of AI and genetics.
44:01 The importance of storytelling in the tech industry.
50:01 Future vision.
53:01 Q&A
After the Y Combinator AI event, Kyriakos Eleftheriou sat down with Mark Gainey co-founder of Strava, who shared his entrepreneurial journey, discussing the evolution of Strava from a startup to a $2.2 billion fitness platform.
Chapters
00:00 Intro
04:15 How technology changed
11:35 Should you be niche with AI
13:20 Building a Community
17:00 Dealing with big companies early on
20:53 User Feedback
23:00 Elimination process
25:10 Fundraising
28:43 AI
30:50 Adding more sports
36:18 The Future of Fitness
42:20 Storytelling
46:00 Q&A
How do you build a $3B company from Portugal?
In this episode, Marcelo Lebre (Co-founder of Remote), in a discussion with Kyriakos , shares how he went to building one of Europe’s top startups and why health, culture, and ruthless focus were key to scaling Remote globally.
We talk fitness, healthcare, European bureaucracy, and the mindset behind building a generational company.
Follow Marcelo → https://x.com/marcelo_lebre
Follow Kyriakos → https://x.com/kyriakosel
Chapters:
00:00 Intro
03:08 Training for Longevity
05:11 Nutrition and Wearables
08:14 What Doctors Miss
11:06 DIY Health and Data
14:10 Health Isn’t Just Avoiding Sickness
17:20 The Quote That Hit Hard
18:53 Building a Unicorn in Portugal
23:35 Why European Startups Die
27:12 Bureaucracy and Politics
32:03 What Governments Must Fix
35:50 Remote Still Feels Like a Startup
38:05 Europe’s Investment Problem
40:11 Remote Was Built Out of Frustration
44:03 Building a Global HR Platform
49:06 The Backbone of Global Hiring
52:04 No Ego No Politics
55:15 Not a Family A Team
57:52 How to Attract Top Talent
59:39 His 100-Year Vision
In the latest conversation at Imperial College London, Kyriakos is joined by George Robson, Partner at Sequoia.
George went from leading global products at Revolut to joining Sequoia Capital - one of the most selective VC firms in the world.
At Revolut, he helped scale the team from a few hundred to thousands and launched products used by millions. Now at Sequoia, he backs Europe’s most ambitious founders.
In this episode, George shares:
Whether you’re raising your first round, building a team, or just curious how the top VCs think this episode is packed with real insight from both sides of the table.
Follow George Robson on X
Follow Kyriakos Eleftheriou on X
TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 – Intro: From Revolut to Sequoia
03:15 – What made Revolut’s culture brutally effective
06:40 – Nik Storonsky’s “gym” metaphor and hiring filter
10:30 – The pod structure that unlocked speed and ownership
13:50 – Why Revolut grew like a Darwinian startup lab
17:10 – Inside Sequoia: culture, filters, and pace
21:45 – What founders often misunderstand about VC
24:30 – 50/50 founder equity splits: why it’s a red flag
28:00 – How Sequoia filters for world-class founders
31:00 – The 4 traits George looks for before investing
35:20 – Working with founders after the check lands
38:50 – Europe vs US: what’s still misunderstood
43:00 – How to pitch Sequoia the right way
46:30 – What great founders don’t do in a pitch
50:15 – Why storytelling and obsession matter
53:45 – What George would do differently as a founder
56:00 – Lightning round: hot takes on VC, speed, AI
59:10 – Closing thoughts: how to build for the long game
In the latest episode, Kyriakos is joined by Dmitry Gurski , the CEO of Flo Health, the fastest growing health startup in the world, for 2024, in their conversation at Imperial College London
Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro
02:10 - Early Failures & $60M Mistake
05:45 - Smart Founders Fail
08:20 - Launching Flo
11:10 - What Great Products Have in Common
13:30 - Beating Max Levchin & a16z
16:00 - Winning against Apple
20:30 - Fundraising
23:10 - 300 Experiments
26:00 - What Almost Killed Flo
28:40 - From $1B to $10B Valuation
30:00 - AI is too slow
33:30 - Fast Decisions > Smart Decisions
36:28 Q&A
Kyriakos is joined by Ethan Kurzweil, a founding partner at Chemistry and former managing partner at Bessemer Venture Partners.
He’s led early investments in Twitch, Twilio, Intercom, and PagerDuty — and in this conversation, he shares what separates good founders from iconic ones.
In this episode, we discuss:
- Why the best founders are like cult leaders
- What makes a startup idea truly contrarian
- How to build a focused, high-conviction VC fund
- The future of AI-native companiesWhether you’re raising, investing, or building
— This is a must-listen for anyone serious about startups.
Follow Ethan on X: https://twitter.com/@ethankurz
Follow Kyriakos on X: https://twitter.com/@kyriakosel
Chemistry VC: @chemistry_fund | [https://chemistry.vc](https://chemistry.vc/)
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 - Intro
02:10 - What Makes a Cult-Like Founder
05:20 - Why the Best Startups Start in SF
08:30 - The Origins of Ethan & Chemistry VC
10:20 - How He Spotted Twilio Early
13:45 - What Great Founders Have in Common
18:00 - Contrarian vs. Consensus Thinking
21:00 - Lessons from Bessemer + Transition to Chemistry
26:00 - Why Chemistry Focuses Only on Early Stage
30:30 - Building a High-Conviction VC Fund
35:00 - What Chemistry Invests In
38:00 - How to Build a Durable AI Company
43:00 - Why AI Will Reshape Healthcare First
47:10 - Ethan’s First Healthtech Investment
50:00 - Building Strong Startup Culture
52:00 - Advice for Founders Moving to SF
54:40 - Ethan’s 50-Year Future Vision
58:00 - The Future of Creativity & Learning
1:01:00 - Are Elite Universities Still Worth It?
1:03:00 - How to Reach Ethan & Final Words
Ivan Selin is the Chief Product Officer of Alltrails. In this conversation with Kyriakos Eleftheriou, he discussed his previous experience building world-class products with Apple, Airbnb, and Uber and how he is currently shaping the future of the outdoors with Alltrails.Chapters00:00 Intro02:52 Career06:01 Lessons from Leading the Best Product Companies12:04 Joining AllTrails17:54 User Experience21:09 Product Focus23:55 Organizational Structure27:02 Growth Planning31:23 SEO35:43 AI38:29 Competition40:19 Crafting a User-Centric Product44:31 Culture49:08 Technology's Role in Outdoor Experiences51:01 Mental Models
Kyriakos is joined by Kian Sadeghi, the CEO of Nucleus Genomics, the leading company in the world, in genome testing.
As of today, Nucleus has raised $32m, from some of the best investors in the world, such as Founders Fund, Seven Seven Six, and many more.
00:00 Introduction
02:00 Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson: How the deal happened
05:40 Make America Healthy Again in Fox News
08:00 How to generate attention
21:20 How Nucleus started
28:00 Raising the first $
33:00 How Kian raised from Keith Rabois from Founders Fund
45:25 'The modern day emperor is founders'
48:40 'The companies that win don't care about trends'
49:30 'The two startup models'
52:00 'AI is a negative signal'
55:50 'Join the founder that is insane'
56:50 Nucleus product evolution
57:20 The 23andMe acquisition
1:08:00 'DNA future and family planning'
1:16:00 Raising the Series A
1:21:00 Deadlifts
In the latest podcast, Vanessa, who leads design engineering at Terra, in a discussion on how to speak to users and create products
In the latest podcast,Kyriakos Eleftheriou is joined byGeorge Hadjigeorgiou, who's the cofounder of ZOE, efood, GoldenGroup and others, in their discussion at Imperial College London.
00:00 Intro
4:10 Founding ZOE
10:10 Launching the biggest study in the world in nutrition
13:45 How to convince a scientist to join
19:55 Using clinical studies as an early version of the product
23:20 COVID and go to market
26:12 Scaling the go to market
27:00 Thinking of product lines - Supplements for the Gut
29:10 Culture is what you do, not what you say
34:15 What to eat for longevity
36:45 How to invest
39:15 Action produces information
42:20 Take on the 'founder mode'
47:40 Q&A
In the latest podcast,Kyriakos is joined by Matt Robinsonwho's a partner at Accel, and the cofounder of GoCardless and Nested, in their discussion at Imperial College London.
00:00 Intro
2:12 Launching GoCardless
7:10 Leaning into real relationships
8:48 'If you take everything you need to do in a successful business, we did the opposite.'
12:08 There's no idea that two smart people can't tear apart in a day
13:35 Finding the best idea is an irrational endeavor
18:13 Paul Graham and Sam Altman as advisors in @ycombinator
22:15 Be a King or Rich
24:35 Ensure you understand how a VC functions
29:10 Customers knew before we did
31:27 Overcorrecting as a second-time founder
35:50 Everything you do creates culture
39:00 'Being the angel investor I wanted as a founder'
40:39 Founder archetypes
43:30 Angel vs VC
46:10 Life is really easy
48:25 If you change one thing you change everything
49:45 Life is not a 0 sum game
52:10 Q&A
In this conversation, Kyriakos discusses with Vadim - CEO of Bioniq on his journey from being a professional athlete to leading the personalised health supplement company.Vadim shares insights on fundraising challenges, the significance of early adopters, and the impact of celebrity endorsements, particularly https://twitter.com/Cristiano Ronaldo's involvement with Bionic. He also explores the future of personalized supplements and the need to address the broken food system that necessitates supplementation.Chapters00:00 Introduction01:58 Vadim's Personal Journey from Athlete to CEO08:50 Lessons from a Billion Dollar Company13:05 The Search that led to Founding Bioniq23:44 Shifting from Blood Tests to Questionnaires30:17 Integrating Wearables for Data-Driven Insights32:00 How Does it Work32:58 Making It Scale37:26 Navigating Fundraising for Complex Businesses41:42 Make or Break: First 1000 Users43:23 Cristiano Ronaldo Used Bioniq for Years49:10 Vadim's Take on the Future of Supplements50:43 Future Plans of Bioniq52:07 Addressing the Broken Food System
On the first Terra Health day, Kyriakos - CEO of Terra, is joined by Lance Armstrong, who shares his story with 300 Y Combinator founders, live from San Francisco.
Lance shares his remarkable journey from a young athlete to a world-renowned cyclist, detailing his early struggles, his battle with cancer, and his eventual rise to fame. He discusses the challenges of competing in the Tour de France, the mindset required for success, and the impact of his fall from grace. Lance also reflects on the importance of resilience, the power of content creation in rebuilding his life, and his experiences in investing, particularly in Uber, Docusign, Terra, and others.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction
03:30 The Early Years: From Swimming to Triathlon
05:52 Transition to Cycling and Olympic Aspirations
10:00 Facing Cancer: A Life-Changing Diagnosis
12:20 The Comeback: Returning to Cycling
14:51 The Challenge of the Tour de France
18:00 Winning Mindset: The Drive for Success
20:00 From Hero to Zero: The Fall from Grace
24:04 Rebuilding Life: The Power of Content Creation
24:20 Investing in Uber: The Chris Sacca Story
27:00 Investing in Docusign and Terra
30:06 Podcasting Success: Keys to Engaging Content
33:00 Reimagining the Future of Cycling
36:20 How to bet on people
36:42 Adapting Training as We Age
40:20 Reflections on Competition and Legacy
42:38 The Balance of Range and Consistency
45:30 'I Love Golf'
47:00 The Future of American Cycling
50:30 Motivation Beyond Winning
54:02 The Long Game in Venture Capital
57:30 Thoughts on Mindset
“Don’t Die is the only practically relevant framework that is equal to this moment in time considering the birth of superintelligence.” For the first Terra Health Day, Bryan Johnson educated 300 Y-Combinator founders about longevity. Here’s the full discussion:
03:20 The thought experiment from the 25th century
04:00 Transitioning from Die to Don’t Die
06:15 Sleep is the most important thing in our lives
13:45 Never ask yourself to have willpower
14:40 We are a family of sleep
22:35 What the evidence says about lifespan and healthspan
27:00 Don’t trust any doctor
29:00 Stem Cells
31:00 Irony is the biggest risk in Bryan’s life
39:00 Longer living species have lower basal temperature
42:25 The healthcare system is shockingly bad
44:55 The genocide score
49:30 Travel is very expensive biologically
The host: https://twitter.com/kyriakosel
More on Blueprint: http://blueprint.bryanjohnson.com
More on Terra: https://tryterra.co
"The best companies are bought, not sold." In the latest podcast, Kyriakos is joined by @RealAnttoni, CEO of @veristable, the company that helps users discover better metabolic health, who just completed an acquisition with @ouraring. 03:55 How Veri Started11:00 The first Growth Hack12:10 The First Launch15:45 Evolution of the Product22:07 Meal Scores Using LLMs26:30 From the First Users to Fifty Thousand Users34:00 Initial discussions with Oura for an acquisition37:55 How to think about an acquisition44:00 Tactical acquisition advice for founders49:05 Take on The Future of Health Tech53:37 What To Expect From the Future Products of Oura55:21 Looking Back 100 Years From the Future
'If you find cancer too early, we as doctors might not know what to do with it.' In the latest podcast, we discuss with @andrewlacy, founder and CEO of @prenuvo, the company that helps find conditions before they become crises.01:30 Midlife crisis06:40 the ‘Secret Society’08:30 Quote from a doctor: ’ If you find lung cancer too early, I don’t know what to do with it.’09:28 Bootstrapping the business early on11:00 The first clinic12:35 Early-stage growth16:30 Differences in MRI and CT18:10 Where CT scan is better19:10 The main innovations in MRI24:30 What technologies are funded in healthcare26:05 Convincing investors27:00 Learnings for entrepreneurs29:40 How Prenuvo became viral to celebrities33:40 ‘The way we do healthcare is completely wrong’
Amber Taylor is the Chief Digital Product Officer at Les Mills. In a discussion with Kyriakos , Amber discusses about her journey with Amazon, Nike, and joining Les Mills, the company behind the fitness classes offered in over 20,000 clubs across more than 100 countries.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Background
03:18 Training for Marathons and Mental Resilience
06:50 The Customer-Centric Approach at Les Mills
24:46 Moving Abroad for Career Opportunities
26:15 Navigating Cultural Differences and Joining a New Company
28:14 First things to do when joining as an executive
30:30 Understanding Company Culture and Ways of Working
39:08 Consistency in Fitness Programs and Personalization
49:53 The Role of VR and XR in the Fitness Industry
56:23 Creating Safe and Effective Fitness Content in VR
58:30 Les Mills' Roadmap: Helping Clubs Excel and Improving Digital Experiences
01:01:17 The Future of Fitness
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