Vadim Fedotov, CEO of Bioniq, the leading personalised health supplement brand, learned brutal scaling lessons as Groupon Eastern Europe CEO in the fastest-growing company in history, then applied those insights to build a successful health company that caught Cristiano Ronaldo's attention.
We’re diving into how Bioniq went from founder-led hustle to systematic scaling across 73 countries and why Vadim nearly quit multiple times before breakthrough partnerships transformed the business into the global success it is today.
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00:00 Introduction
01:20 Joining Groupon at its peak and the Rocket Internet playbook
04:57 Cold calls, sales culture and the IPO rollercoaster
09:01 What intense urgency actually looked like in practice
13:52 The doctor visit that broke his faith in traditional medicine
15:41 Discovering a performance protocol used by Olympic athletes
17:41 Buying the IP and starting Bioniq from scratch
19:23 Going all-in on the Bioniq brand
21:22 Hustling to 1,000 customers without a website
23:34 Why early partnerships mattered more than marketing
25:40 Realising a hustle-only model wouldn’t scale
27:14 Cracking different countries’ go-to-market strategies
28:28 Raising the first funding round with pure conviction
31:46 Almost walking away to take a big corporate job
35:22 How Cristiano Ronaldo became a surprise customer
37:06 Turning Ronaldo from user to investor
38:56 5-10x growth and the risk of over-partnering
40:29 Wasting time chasing logos and too many verticals
43:08 Returning to simplicity with two core products
45:41 Future plans: acquisitions and a Bioniq-powered clinic
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Website: https://www.bioniq.com/
Actor, entrepreneur and investor Mohammed Mostafa, known for his roles in international productions like Hijack and building Versatile Synergy, has mastered the art of ecosystem development in the UAE. Rather than pursuing traditional business approaches, he leverages his position as a prominent local figure to create partnerships with family businesses, government entities, and entertainment industry leaders through deal-making.
You'll hear why he believes doing business with friends strengthens relationships, his honest approach to government support systems in the UAE, and how entertainment industry experience translates into business resilience.
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00:00 Introduction
01:20 Starting Versatile Synergy
04:04 Pivoting from high street focus to scaling a full agency
07:00 Joining the family business and finding synergy with Versatile
11:41 Business with friends and when it works (or doesn’t)
12:36 What people get wrong about UAE go-to-market
16:14 Product placement in film as a subtle, lasting brand strategy
19:42 Using AI to mock up film ideas and pitch brands
22:03 Cross-territory filmmaking and building global partnerships
26:08 Lessons from acting and sport in handling rejection
29:22 Almost becoming Aladdin and finding direction in acting
33:40 Acting prep, emotional stamina, and becoming a character
38:04 Impact of Khataf character on Emirati youth
39:15 Journey Flow yoga and poetry as a tool for mental health
42:47 Depression, perspective, and designing a lifestyle that heals
46:27 Sharing struggles and the power of good people around you
49:23 Gratitude, reflection, and staying grounded with self-awareness
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Website: https://mohammedfmostafa.com/
Callum Laing co-founded Unity Group along with Jeremy Harbour after discovering that most entrepreneurs are terrible at fundraising because they think like operators instead of investors – focusing on client value while ignoring shareholder value entirely.
Most capital raising advice hasn't evolved in decades: build a deck and knock on a thousand doors. Callum's approach reverses this by building networks first, adding value through introductions, and creating five-year lockup structures that control supply and demand in public markets.
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00:00 Introduction
04:31 Shifting mindset from client value to shareholder value
07:46 How advisory boards can 10x your company valuation
08:46 The Elon Musk text that explains real investing dynamics
11:57 Add value before pitching and build investor circles
14:24 Using introductions to build trust and accelerate deals
17:15 Partnership strategy built from being bad at sales
19:32 How low-stakes partnerships lead to high-value deals
21:15 Why board members should avoid solving problems themselves
24:43 The upside of launching companies in unfamiliar industries
26:22 Why public markets clash with entrepreneurial instincts
30:13 Building the investor-friendly IPO by rewiring supply and demand
34:02 Constrained stock model and creating long-term upside
37:19 Why public stock is a powerful tool for acquisitions
40:13 How the agglomeration model de-risks acquisition roll-ups
44:23 Reverse engineering private equity deals with guaranteed buyers
48:37 Taking chips off the table and building freedom
52:59 Most first-time founders get outplayed at the exit stage
57:17 How low expectations make long-term partnerships thrive
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Website: https://callumlaing.com/
The difference between founders who build hundred-million-dollar companies and those who plateau isn't luck or timing - it's having a systematic approach to reverse engineering exactly what success looks like.
This week on Open Equity, we're going over the four-step framework for reverse engineering success for building companies that buyers actually want to acquire. You'll hear why great companies are bought not sold, the specific valuation mechanics most founders get wrong, and how to close the gap between where you are and where you want to be using 100-day sprint plans.
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Raoul Plickat scaled multiple companies by solving the creator economy's biggest problem , talented creators with massive reach who couldn't convert audiences into profitable businesses.
Most digital brands plateau around $1 million because they're doing what everyone else does. Raoul's methodology starts with deep customer research to find the specific metaphors and language patterns that create instant emotional connection.
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00:00 Introduction
01:40 Launching in the creator economy after early agency success
04:57 Why creators struggle to monetise their massive reach
08:32 Performance marketing meets brand storytelling to drive growth
12:42 Most brands plateau because they stop thinking creatively
16:12 Building teams that complement your strengths, not clone them
18:22 Letting go and hiring CEOs without losing company culture
21:20 Scaling a business from $10M to $100M with insights
25:30 Real examples of turning customer research into strategy
29:31 What great copywriting really looks and feels like
31:32 How personal frustration led to launching CopeCard
33:47 Scaling SaaS by eliminating friction from day one
35:20 What Whoop got right about gamification and product education
38:27 Next moves in software, advertising and building with AI
42:26 Trying to clone himself through AI to scale expertise
46:30 Why asymmetric leverage beats following the hype
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This week on the Open Equity show, we’re doing something a little different.
I’m joined by Jasper the founder of Nalu, our podcast production partner, and we’re breaking down the exact three-step plan to take his agency from $20K to $100K monthly and potentially position for exit within 12-24 months.
You'll hear why moving from small business to enterprise clients unlocks scale, the specific hiring and onboarding framework that removes founder dependency, and how to identify your five most likely acquirers before you're ready to sell.
Do you want to scale? We’re looking for more great companies to invest in and scale: https://www.openequity.co.uk
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Obediah Ayton built the region's leading family office summit from scratch, creating a platform where multi-million dollar deals get done and emerging fund managers raise capital – all while running a growing accounting practice across the UK and UAE.
This week on the
Open Equity
show, we’re discussing his framework for building authentic networks through giving rather than taking, why he moderates every panel personally to protect speaker privacy, and the specific mistakes that kill most fundraising approaches to family offices.
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Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
02:00 Building around family values and the roots of family offices
11:05 Common mistakes people make when approaching family businesses
13:57 Why long-term commitment is critical to doing business in the Gulf
16:38 Emotional weight of family legacy in Middle Eastern business deals
19:35 Moving from UK to US to Dubai and starting from zero
22:31 Launching a VAT business in the UAE without a clear roadmap
25:28 Pivoting from deal brokering to community building through events
28:33 Giving vs chasing short-term wins
34:46 Starting from zero and trusting the process
37:52 Tactical tips for launching meaningful, high-quality events
43:46 Managing speakers, structure and momentum at scale
49:50 Choosing long-term brand value over short-term ticket sales
52:53 Moderating your own panels to protect flow and trust
55:51 Thinking ahead to investment and small-scale private equity
01:01:47 Why the Middle East is a tough but motivating place to grow
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