The Twenty Minute VC (20VC): Venture Capital | Startup Funding | The Pitch Founding WIRED 2014's Winner, with Mutaz Qubbaj, Founder @ Squirrel
Mutaz Qubbaj is Founder @ Squirrel, a financial wellbeing platform that allows employees to regain control of their financial lives. Mutual has celebrated much recent success with Squirrel having been named winner of WIRED 2014 and Pitch @ The Palace. Mutaz is also an expert on all things accelerator having been an alum at Barclays Techstars London with Squirrel, which you may remember from our interview with Greg Rogers, where Greg named Squirrel the next company to disrupt an industry. Prior to Squirrel, Mutaz has had a financial career that includes an LBS Masters in Finance and more than a decade at Morgan Stanley, Credit Suisse and PIMCO as a trader, strategist and marketer.
In Today's Episode You Will Learn:
- How Mutaz made his movement from banking to being a startup founder?
- Was it difficult for Mutaz to leave the security of banking for the risky journey of entrepreneurship?
- What would Mutaz advise anyone looking to make the jump into the world of entrepreneurship?
- How did joining Techstars, help Squirrel as a company and Mutaz as a Founder?
- What is the Barclays Techstars process like?
- How can Founders decide which accelerator is right for them?
- What red flags should founders look for when investigating accelerators?
- How much equity do traditional accelerators take?
- What tips does Mutaz have to get the most out of the accelerator experience?
- How do individuals know when to give up the day job and become an entrepreneur?
Items Mentioned in Todays Show:
- Mutaz's Fave Book: Exponential Organisations: Why New Organisations Are 10 Times Cheaper, Faster and Better Than Yours by Salim Ismail and Michael Malone
- Mutaz's Fave Reading Material: TechCrunch
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