This Much I Know - The Seedcamp Podcast

Jon Bradford has played a key role in shaping the European tech ecosystem. Through his involvement in many accelerators (Springboard, Techstars, Ignite 100) and numerous supportive initiatives, he has had a big impact shaping the infrastructure that helps develop and build great startups across many Cities throughout Europe. Carlos sits down with Jon in this Seedcamp podcast to talk through his personal journey, share insights into the many lessons learned from accelerating early-stage companies and what the future holds for him next.

Scott Sage, Expert in Residence at Seedcamp, sits down with Carlos Espinal for the second in a three-part series. In this episode, Scott and Carlos discuss sales. They talk through sales execution, how to scale your sales process as your company grows, how this first develops outside of the core team when your product is ready to go to market and how to make your first sales hire.

In this episode, Carlos was joined by Yodit Stanton and Verena Wimmer, to unpick exactly what we mean when we talk about Data Science, the role of the Data Scientist, how startups can think about using data and when to consider hiring for the role, which tools are best and what we'd like to see in the future. If you're ready to learn more about the power of data, this podcast provides a great place to start. Yodit Stanton is Founder of new Seedcamp company Open Sensors, the Internet of Things startup providing public and private infrastructure for real-time data, she is also the organiser of Women in Data Meetups in London. Verena Wimmer is Lead Data Analyst at Hassle, the online cleaning marketplace recently acquired by Helpling. Verena also organises Data Mates, which brings together data-wizards, journalists, and data-driven designers to tell beautiful stories with data every eight weeks in London.

Seedcamp Co-Founder Saul Klein joined Carlos for this podcast on everything from the importance of knowing your positioning to the origins of Seedcamp. Aside from being the Co-Founder of Seedcamp, Saul is a prominent figure in the global tech scene, currently he is Co-Founder of LocalGlobe, which announced a dedicated Seed fund last year, and Co-Founder of Kano, a new kind of computer company. In his conversation with Carlos, Saul talks through his career journey working in successful startups Lovefilm and Skype, and his role as an Investor at Index Ventures, Seedcamp and LocalGlobe. He highlights the importance that design and communications play in building great startup companies, and that the best creatives will only produce the best work if they can work with great positioning, which is key for the founding team to drive.

Jeff Lynn, CEO and co-founder of Seedrs, joined Carlos for the first podcast of 2016 to talk about the fintech revolution taking place in London and the state of equity crowdfunding. Jeff discusses why the UK was the right place to form Seedrs in 2009, why it is still early days for crowdfunding, why Founders are learning that it isn't just about capital but opens you up to a community who can support you in your journey, and which sectors are most successful when using platforms such as Seedrs. Jeff also provides insight into what you should consider when looking at equity crowdfunding as a way to raise funds.

We recently welcomed Gerard Grech, CEO of Tech City UK, to the Seedcamp office to join Partner Carlos Espinal to discuss how to build and create environments to support tech startups. Gerard talks through his experience in the music and telecoms industries and why he embarked on the challenge to help shape the UK tech scene, working alongside entrepreneurs and Government. Discussing everything from the Tech Entrepreneur Visa to the Future Fifty, Gerard provides insight into how other countries can create initiatives to support startups and entrepreneurs.

Ben Drury, Founder of 7Digital, joined Seedcamp’s Dave Haynes for this interview talking through his journey as an entrepreneur. From starting in the first dot-com boom within early online music tech to building 7Digital during the dot-com crash, Ben discusses everything from building new services for a new era of technology, acquiring and selling other companies, to 7Digital’s own IPO.

Keith Wallington, Expert in Residence for Seedcamp and ex-Chief Group Officer of Mimecast, joins Carlos for this Podcast to explore key lessons learned from his experience helping operationalise businesses as a mentor, and internally at Mimecast through his multiple C-level roles. Looking at how these processes can be implemented in different organisations for their own benefit.

Phil Libin, Co-Founder and Chairman of Evernote and Managing Partner of General Catalyst Partners, joined Carlos Espinal for a chat at Web Summit in Dublin. Phil and Carlos discuss everything from his long-standing career as a CEO, looking at his key advice for managers making the transition from early-stage leader to the CEO of a growth company, to the origins of Evernote and, in Phil’s new role in Venture Capital, what the future of apps looks like. Phil gives insight into the thoughts that led to him stepping down as CEO of Evernote as the company scaled. Debating when to recognise that someone skilled in running larger organisations makes sense for your business and that you can hire the best talent.

Rob Moffat, Principal at Balderton, recently hosted an Academy session at Seedcamp. Following his presentation to our Founders, Rob joined our own Dave Haynes for this podcast to give his investor view on understanding customer acquisition costs. Rob talks through different marketing channels and how more startups are using mobile, TV and even direct mail, as search engine marketing becomes more expensive. Pulling on his experiences working with Balderton investments such as Wooga, Qubit and HouseTrip, Rob provides an overview of cost per acquisition (CPA) and lifetime value (LTV) and the risks of blending the two. Giving a summary of what VC’s look at when analysing your marketing data. The full presentation Rob gave our teams is available here: http://www.slideshare.net/robmoff/understanding-customer-acquisition-costs-a-vcs-view