Riding Unicorns: Venture Capital | Entrepreneurship | Technology

Edwina Johnson is the General Manager of MoneyGram Online International, responsible for overseeing the company’s digital consumer business outside of North America. In this episode of Riding Unicorns, Edwina joins James Pringle and Hector Mason to talk about her diverse career, ranging from working with startups to corporate roles, as well as her experience as an angel investor and startup advisor.Edwina shares her unique journey, beginning in digital media and advertising, co-founding an ad tech startup, and eventually moving into fintech, where she played a pivotal role at Startup Bootcamp and Alloy. She discusses the challenges and rewards of transitioning from a fast-growing startup to a well-established institution like MoneyGram, shedding light on the major shifts needed for traditional businesses to stay competitive in a digital age.Throughout the conversation, Edwina emphasises the importance of supporting underrepresented founders and shares insights from her own angel investing criteria, which focuses on B2B fintech, regtech, and SAS businesses led by founders from underestimated backgrounds. She also highlights the need for diversity in tech, particularly in the fintech space, and the barriers still present in early-stage investment networks.This episode offers valuable lessons in career adaptability, building diverse teams, and fostering innovation across sectors. If you’re interested in the intersection of fintech, startup culture, and angel investing, you won’t want to miss this episode.Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and follow *The Riding Unicorns* podcast on your favourite podcast platform and stay connected with us on social media for more exciting episodes! 🎙️🦄

Paul Yacoubian is the Founder and CEO of Copy.ai, a company revolutionising the way businesses create marketing and sales copy by automating workflows with AI. Founded in 2020, Copy.ai initially helped distribute the value of GPT-3, but has since expanded to build an enterprise product streamlining go-to-market efforts for companies globally. In this episode, Paul joins hosts James Pringle and Hector Mason to discuss his journey from an accounting and hedge fund career to becoming a leading AI entrepreneur.They dive deep into Paul's entrepreneurial roots, the early days of Copy.ai, and how his experience working with venture-backed companies influenced his approach to building scalable solutions. Paul also shares insights on the evolving role of AI, how large language models are reshaping business processes, and why he believes in the future of automated business operations.The conversation touches on the challenges and opportunities in the AI space, the importance of talent density in startups, and how companies can leverage AI to drive growth. Paul’s passion for innovation shines through, offering founders, VCs, and anyone interested in the tech space valuable takeaways about building, scaling, and navigating the future of AI-driven companies.Don't forget to like, subscribe, and follow The Riding Unicorns Podcast on your favourite podcast platform and stay connected with us on social media to never miss an episode! 🎙️🦄

Charles Wells is the Founder and CEO of HelloSelf, a technology business focused on personalised psychological advice aimed at self-betterment. In this episode, Charlie joins hosts James Pringle and Hector Mason to discuss his eclectic career in marketing, charity, angel investing, and entrepreneurship, as well as the story behind HelloSelf. The business provides personalised online therapy designed to help people feel better, faster and stay better, longer, and Charlie shares how his near-death experience inspired him to dive into the brain tech space and focus on mental health.Throughout the conversation, Charlie discusses his mapping of the emerging neurotechnology space, breaking it down into chemicals, hardware, and software categories. He also talks about the massive potential of AI in understanding our brains, while highlighting the importance of therapy that empowers individuals to become their own therapists.Charlie’s extraordinary journey, which includes surviving a category five brain haemorrhage and undergoing extensive neuro-rehabilitation, has profoundly shaped his outlook on life and business. His commitment to brain health and earth health drives his work, and his story offers valuable lessons about resilience, focus, and the power of incremental self-improvement.Curious about how HelloSelf could help you? HelloSelf are offering taster sessions with psychologists to give you a personalised glimpse into their services. Whether you're considering therapy for yourself or want to learn more about their approach to mental wellbeing, these no-obligation sessions are designed to help you take the first step toward feeling better, faster. Learn more and book your session here.Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and follow The Riding Unicorns Podcast on your favourite podcast platform and stay connected with us on social media for more episodes! 🎙️🦄

Simon Mellin is the Founder and CEO of The Modern Milkman. ​Their business started as a local milkround inspired by David Attenborough's Blue Planet and the need to reduce plastic waste. In the space of a few short years, they've grown from four friends and a truck to a vast network of milkmen and women working tirelessly to reduce consumer waste. Their mobile tech supports their 'eco-warriors on earlies' by connecting them to their customers via online ordering and driver apps, facilitating convenient doorstep deliveries. The tech also connects them to their network of independent dairies, farmers and suppliers who are mutually committed to sustainable produce and plastic-free packaging. Their mission is to revolutionise consumer habits by delivering fresh ways to return and reuse packaging, shop ethically and feel good about convenience.Simon joins James Pringle and Hector Mason to discuss key lessons from moving from farmer to founder, the idea behind The Modern Milkman, business expansion to the US, & so much more. Don't forget to like, subscribe, and follow The Riding Unicorns Podcast on our socials and your chosen podcast platform to stay up to date! 🎙️🦄

David Jarvis is the Co-Founder and CEO of Griffin. ​Griffin puts the bank in Banking as a Service. They combine the secure, regulated infrastructure of a bank with the speed and power of modern software into one powerful full-stack BaaS platform. Their goal is to empower companies to embed banking into their products quickly and safely. With purpose-built APIs and an all-access developer sandbox, they’re helping customers build and launch payment platforms, financial wellness apps, client account products, business loans, and more.David joins James Pringle and Hector Mason to discuss the founding principles of Griffin, company culture and management, the future of embedded finance, & so much more. Don't forget to like, subscribe, and follow The Riding Unicorns Podcast on our socials and your chosen podcast platform to stay up to date! 🎙️🦄

Mike Soutar worked in the media and entertainment industry since the mid-1980s, starting as a magazine journalist and editor before becoming a Publisher and Managing Director working across print, digital, and broadcast platforms in the UK and America. In 2000 Mike joined the Board of Britain’s largest magazine publisher, IPC, and was part of the Board team which sold that business to Time Warner. In 2006 Mike co-founded Shortlist Media, one of the fastest-growing media companies of the early 2000s. As CEO he led the business from a 5-strong start-up to an award-winning enterprise employing 180 staff, with operations in the UK and Europe, across print, digital and events. He led the ultimate successful sale of the business to legendary Scottish publishers DC Thomson, the company he joined from school as a trainee journalist aged 17.Mike joins James Pringle and Hector Mason to discuss the winning formula for a successful media brand, what he enjoys about being a CEO, the future of media, & so much more. Don't forget to like, subscribe, and follow The Riding Unicorns Podcast on our socials and your chosen podcast platform to stay up to date! 🎙️🦄

George Henry is a General Partner at LocalGlobe. LocalGlobe is a venture capital firm that focuses on seed and impact investments. They have seeded impactful founders since 1999 at places like Citymapper, Improbable, Lovefilm, Moo, Wise, and Zoopla. They invest in startups selling to consumers, small businesses, and enterprises. They are lean, data-driven, and move fast in decision-making. They offer highly structured, collaborative support to investee companies, and have an excellent track record in getting their startups to a Series A raising (almost 90% vs less than 40% EU average).George joins James Pringle and Hector Mason to discuss founder evaluation, the 4 investment themes they’re excited about, what the next 10 years potentially hold for VC, & so much more. Don't forget to like, subscribe, and follow The Riding Unicorns Podcast on our socials and your chosen podcast platform to stay up to date! 🎙️🦄Read George's 4 investment themes for 2024 here: https://digitalculture.substack.com/p/4-investment-themes

Richard Anton, Co-Founder and General Partner at Oxx, dives into the world of B2B SaaS investing. He discusses the importance of developing a repeatable growth engine for startups and how experienced leadership can transform venture outcomes. The conversation also covers the evolution of venture funding in Europe, navigating IPOs, and the impact of AI on the SaaS landscape, highlighting both opportunities and challenges. With insights on strategic partnerships, Anton reveals how Oxx aims to bridge funding gaps and foster sustainable growth.

Tim Creswick is the CEO and Founder of Vorboss. Vorboss is a dedicated fibre network and internet service purpose-built for the needs of London’s most demanding businesses. They are the only internet service provider that offers 10Gbps as a minimum—meaning that their network can cope with the demands of the most data-hungry businesses for the next decade and beyond.Tim joins James Pringle and Hector Mason to discuss infrastructure operations, significant business pivots, network security, & so much more. Don't forget to like, subscribe, and follow The Riding Unicorns Podcast on our socials and your chosen podcast platform to stay up to date! 🎙️🦄

Oana Andreea Jinga is a CCO and Co-founder of Dexory. They develop robotics and AI logistics solutions to drive better business decisions. Through their DexoryView platform, they automate data collection and build real-time fed digital twin technology that unlocks insights across all levels of warehouse operations.Oana joins James Pringle and Hector Mason to discuss what problem Dexory solves, leaving Google to start Dexory, her view on humanoid robots, & so much more. Don't forget to like, subscribe, and follow The Riding Unicorns Podcast on our socials and your chosen podcast platform to stay up to date! 🎙️🦄