Unicorn Podcast

In season 2 episode 2, Simon talks to Hugh. Hugh Thomas is the NYC-based CEO and Founder of Ugly Drinks. Ugly is a flavored sparkling water brand, now available in over 15,000 stores globally and with offices in both the UK and US. Ugly believes in an omni-channel approach to business, and has built its business online as well as in traditional retail. Before starting Ugly, Hugh worked at Vita Coco in Europe, leading bra

In season 2, episode 1, Simon talks to William Reeve. William is CEO of fast growth technology business Goodlord, a role he's held since 2018. Alongside this, he's non-Exec Chairman of Nutmeg and non-Exec Director at Dunelm PLC. William is a serial entrepreneur, having co-founded Fletcher Research, LOVEFiLM.com, and Secret Escapes. He is also an experienced angel investor.

In episode 60, Simon talks to Pippa Murray. Pip Murray, 32, is the Founder of Pip & Nut, an award-winning food brand that launched to market in January 2015. Over the last five years, she’s been shaking up the healthy food and drink sector with her range of naturally nutritious nut butters and recently launched nut butter cups. Pip & Nut is now the fastest growing nut butter brand in the UK and is a certified B corporation. As a self-confessed peanut butter addict, Pip had the inspiration for the brand after searching, unsuccessfully, in the supermarkets for a range of peanut butters that were free from palm oil. With no options available, she started making her own natural range of products in her kitchen with her blender, before trailing them at Maltby Street Market. Today Pip & Nut can be found in over 5,500 stores around the UK and Ireland. Her mission for the brand is to help people love food that loves them and break down the perception that choosing a ‘better for you’ option has to feel like a sacrifice. Amongst other accolades, Pip was most recently named in the Evening Standard Progress 1000, London’s Most Influential People 2019 and the ‘Start-Up Entrepreneur of the Year’ at the Natwest Great British Entrepreneur Awards.

In episode 59, Simon talks to Nick Telson. Nick co-founded DesignMyNight 10 years ago. Coming from a marketing background at L’Oreal, where he launched 2 brands in the UK, he grew DesignMyNight into 8 million views a month website with three ground-breaking B2B hospitality systems with over 15,000 customers. DesignMyNight was acquired by The Access Group in November 2017. He now hosts a top 10 global business podcast, Pitch Deck and has founded a new spin on venture for startups; Horseplay Ventures - a Startup Playground, where he has already invested in 25 startups in the UK and US.

In episode 58, Simon talks to John Elkington, Co-Founder & Chief Pollinator at Volans. John is one of the founders of the global sustainability movement, an experienced advisor to business, and a highly regarded keynote speaker and contributor, from conferences to advisory boards. In 2008, The Evening Standard named John among the ‘1000 Most Influential People’ in London, describing him as “a true green business guru”, and as “an evangelist for corporate social and environmental responsibility long before it was fashionable”. In 2009, a CSR International survey of the Top 100 CSR leaders placed John fourth: after Al Gore, Barack Obama and the late Anita Roddick of the Body Shop, and alongside Muhammad Yunus of the Grameen Bank. John has addressed over 1,000 conferences around the world. He was a faculty member of the World Economic Forum from 2002-2008. He has served on over 70 boards and advisory boards. John has won numerous awards and is the author or co-author of 19 books. The 20th book was published in April: Green Swans: The Coming Boom in Regenerative Capitalism (Fast Company Press).

In episode 57, Simon talks to Norris Koppel. Norris is Founder & CEO of the European banking service Monese. He launched Monese in 2015, after his first-hand experience of the hassle involved with opening a bank account in a new country. With its multi-currency current accounts that are available in 31 countries, Monese enables people to bank like a local across the UK and Europe. Since 2007, Norris has co-founded and built a number of fintech companies. He is passionate about financial education and is founder of the Artha Foundation that focusses on educating children about money.

In episode 56, Simon talks to Jeff Rotmeyer. Jeff Rotmeyer is the Founder and CEO of ImpactHK, a charity transforming the lives of the homeless in Hong Kong. ImpactHK started with just a few individuals wanting to show kindness to those in need. It has now grown into a humanitarian movement, involving thousands of participants, that is truly saving lives. Jeff is also the Founder and CEO of Love 21 Foundation, a charity supporting the down syndrome and autistic community with sport and nutritional programmes. Originally from Vancouver Canada, Jeff has lived in Hong Kong for 14 years and spent his first 13 years teaching in a government primary school. Jeff is dedicated to living a meaningful life through social work and is passionate about making positive impact for those in need.

In Episode 55, Simon talks to Rich Goldsmith. Rich founded MOJU in 2015, alongside his best mate, Charlie Leet-Cook. Rich has a degree in Engineering and worked in commercial and finance roles before discovering his passion for innovation in food & beverage. MOJU has grown from a craft juice made in a home kitchen and sold at local markets and music festivals, into the market leader of juice shots and the fastest growing brand in the UK juice & smoothie category. Rich is forever fascinated by how things work and connecting the dots. He’s a huge believer in the power of collaboration and the ability of teams to bring big ideas to life, that has the potential to help drive positive societal change. Rich was named a Young Gun in the startups.co.uk awards in 2018 and is a steering committee member of 1% for the Planet, a community of businesses that donate 1% of their annual sales to environmental impact causes.

In episode 54, Simon talks to Jeff Lynn. One of the world's largest platforms for investing in private companies. He also serves as Chairman of The Coalition for a Digital Economy (Coadec), a non-profit advocacy group for UK startups and scaleups. Jeff began his career as a corporate lawyer at Sullivan & Cromwell LLP in New York and London. He has been named one of the 100 most influential men in the UK by GQ and one of the 10 coolest people in tech by Business Insider.

In episode 53, Simon talks to James Chase. As a member of the family that invented Tyrrell’s Crisps in the nineties before going on to found Chase Distillery in 2008, it is little wonder that entrepreneurialism is in James Chase’s blood. The Director at Chase Distillery cut his teeth on the family farm, helping his father to challenge the status quo of the spirits industry. They did this by adopting a unique field-to-bottle process, using the potatoes grown on the farm to distill into vodka and then gin. James was inspired having spent time in the USA, where he witnessed the success of the hard seltzer market; catering for the demand for alcoholic drinks with lower calories that were still big on flavour.