Upside Special - Poker Power For Founders & Investors

🎙️ Upside: Special Edition with Jo Living — Poker, Pressure & Performance in Business, Startups and Investing

Host: Dan Bowyer
Guest: Jo Living, Founder of ACES High

Jo Living joins Dan to explore the high-stakes parallels between poker and the business world. From her upbringing around cards to founding a FemTech startup and launching ACES High, Jo unpacks how poker has helped her navigate negotiations, raise capital, build teams—and teach others to perform under pressure.

01:07 – Jo’s Career Journey
From investment banking to FemTech founder to poker circuit regular, Jo traces the experiences that led to ACES High.

03:29 – The Trigger Moment
A trip to Morocco, winning a poker tournament while pregnant, and launching informal poker nights back home.

05:19 – Skills Poker Builds for Business
Jo outlines the key transferable skills: deep listening, risk management, performance under pressure, and reading the room.

05:59 – Poker & Gender Imbalance
Despite the male-dominated scene, Jo shares how the environment is evolving and why inclusivity—not 50/50 parity—is the goal.

07:44 – Lessons for Startup Teams
Jo compares limited data in poker and startups, bankroll/runway management, and the importance of making high-quality decisions consistently.

09:49 – Playing the Long Game
Resilience, persistence, and strategic decision-making.

10:29 – Aura Fertility & Negotiating as a Founder
Jo shares how she raised £600k for her FemTech startup and used poker instincts to navigate valuation and investor conversations.

13:55 – Negotiation Mistakes: The "All-In" Fallacy
Jo unpacks why some founders or investors go "all in"—and what they’re really signaling about negotiation ability and ego.

14:37 – Executive Presence & Investor Psychology
Playing not just the cards, but the perceptions. Jo explains how table presence mirrors founder confidence in boardrooms.

15:10 – Poker Misconceptions
Debunking myths: poker isn’t all bluffing. Jo explains the difference between bluff-based games and Texas Hold'em.

16:20 – Why Texas Hold’em is a Business Masterclass
Community cards mean shared data, emphasising logic, negotiation, and risk evaluation—not deception.

17:22 – Should All Founders Learn Poker?
Jo makes a strong case for poker as a self-awareness tool—revealing how we handle stress, risk, and conflict.

20:56 – Biggest Founder Lesson from Poker
Avoiding "tilt" after a setback and how to bounce back with focus and discipline.

21:45 – Bankroll Strategy & Knowing Your Levers
Jo explains why you need "enough chips to do damage"—and how that applies to leverage in business negotiation.

23:16 – Poker as a Hiring Tool?
Jo suggests poker simulations may outperform psychometric tests in surfacing resilience, strategy, and interpersonal savvy.

24:56 – Duplicate Bridge & Gamified Hiring
A thought-provoking take on creating controlled poker challenges to assess talent and founder potential.

26:07 – Poker is Not Just for the Bros
Jo highlights how beginner women often outperform overconfident players through disciplined, strategic play.

27:15 – Final Thoughts: A Tool for Strategic Insight
Poker as a lens for understanding investment decisions, founder mindset, and long-term success.

• Website: aceshighlondon.com
• Instagram: @aceshighlondon
• LinkedIn: Jo Living