#465 Building Startups That Outlive You: Steve Endacott on AI, Legacy, and Bold Innovation

In this bold and thought-provoking episode of The CTO Show with Mehmet, UK-based serial entrepreneur and investor Steve Endacott joins the show to discuss the intersection of AI, entrepreneurship, and legacy. From backing disruptive startups to launching Neural Voice, a conversational AI platform for the travel industry, and Life’s Echo, a digital legacy tool that lets people speak at their own funerals—Steve is turning ambitious ideas into impactful ventures.

You’ll hear why Steve believes AI is still at the “engine” stage, why implementation is the real frontier, and how his AI incubator is matching technical founders with seasoned business leaders to accelerate market-ready innovation.

🎯 Key Takeaways

• Why AI startups need real business models, not just tech

• The danger of overestimating big tech’s dominance in AI

• Why UK founders struggle to scale—and how Dubai is emerging as an alternative funding hub

• How AI can preserve human stories through voice and memory

• The funding death zone: why early UK startups thrive but Series A remains elusive

• Why failure is embraced in the US—but still taboo in the UK

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🎓 What You’ll Learn

• How to build scalable AI startups with B2B2C models

• What it means to “build a car, not just the AI engine”

• How to make your startup fundable through SEIS and EIS

• Real examples of AI products in travel, legacy tech, and politics

• Why founders need to surround themselves with “gray hair” and business realism

👤 About the Guest: Steve Endacott

STEVE ENDACOTT (AI-STEVE)

NON-EXEC CHAIRMAN NEURAL RIVER (AI), NEURAL VOICE (AI) AND TRAVEL SOLUTIONS NETWORK AND FOUNDER OF ECO–ELECTRIC CAR ORGANISATION.

He had an extensive business career before Steve created the SmarterUK party and exploded into political work by standing as AI Steve to become the UK's first AI Member of Parliament in Brighton Pavilion. 

Steve has the unusual distinction of having successful careers within both corporate and entrepreneurial environments. 

Steve is now “Semi-Retired”, having sold Holiday Taxis Ltd (Jan 2019) and Rock Insurance Ltd in multimillion-pound deals. He, however, continues to invest in startup businesses and has recently launched a range of new companies.

⏱ Episode Highlights (Timestamps)

00:00 – Intro and Steve’s entrepreneurial background

03:00 – The “AI car” metaphor: why implementation is everything

06:00 – Neural Voice: building travel-focused conversational AI

10:00 – Running for office as AI Steve

14:00 – Politics vs AI: fear of disruption

17:00 – The UK startup environment: good for early-stage, hard for scaling

20:00 – Why Steve is looking to Dubai for follow-on funding

22:00 – Life’s Echo: creating digital legacies and posthumous storytelling

27:00 – Public reactions: love, hate, and death threats

32:00 – Startup building lessons: team balance, sweat equity, and valuation realism

38:00 – Global-first thinking: building 25-language, 24/7 AI products

42:00 – Final advice: move fast, go global, and build meaningful businesses