

Riding Unicorns: Venture Capital | Entrepreneurship | Technology
Riding Unicorns Productions
Riding Unicorns is the go-to podcast for anyone interested in venture capital and high-growth startups. Hosted by VCs James Pringle and Hector Mason, the show explores what it takes to build and back successful tech unicorns.Each episode features candid conversations with top founders, operators, and investors—unpacking the strategies, challenges, and insights behind scaling category-defining companies. From fundraising and product-market fit to hiring, growth, and beyond, no topic is off-limits. Whether you're a founder, VC, angel investor, or just curious about the world of startups, you’ll find valuable takeaways in every episode.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Dec 20, 2023 • 50min
James Evans, Founder & CEO @ CommandBar
James Evans is the Co-Founder and CEO of CommandBar; an AI-powered user assistance platform that makes your product easier to use. Activate and retain more users to grow faster.James joins James Pringle and Hector Mason to discuss how to determine product-market fit, CommandBar’s hiring philosophy, their fundraising strategy, & 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! 🎙️🦄

Dec 13, 2023 • 46min
Christian Gabriel, CEO & Co-Founder @ Capdesk (Acquired by Carta)
Christian Gabriel is the Co-Founder and former CEO of Capdesk (acquired by Carta), a platform that helps people manage equity, build businesses, and invest in the companies of tomorrow. Their mission is to unlock the power of equity ownership for more people in more places. Carta is trusted by more than 40,000 companies, over 5,000 investment funds, and half a million employees for cap table management, compensation management, liquidity venture capital solutions, and 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! 🎙️🦄

Dec 6, 2023 • 43min
David Bateman, Managing Partner @ Claret Capital Partners
David Bateman is a Managing Partner at Claret Capital Partners. The Claret team has been active in the technology financing markets for over 20 years and provides debt solutions to help entrepreneurs and private equity investors grow their companies while minimizing dilution. Since 2013 Claret has backed over 140 European SMEs from a wide range of geographies across Europe.David joins James Pringle to talk about the company profile they prefer to back, what success looks like for a venture fund, the biggest misconception about venture debt, & 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! 🎙️🦄

Nov 29, 2023 • 31min
Agate Freimane, General Partner @ Norrsken VC
Agate Freimane is a General Partner at Norrsken VC, an Article 9, or "dark green," investment fund. They operate as a pure impact fund, exclusively investing in companies that have a sustainable objective for the product or service they develop. They provide extensive support to their portfolio companies, assisting them in implementing impact workshops and training programs. This enables them to measure their company's impact incrementally over time and establish long-term ESG goals.Agate joins James Pringle to discuss important founder traits, what sets Norrsken VC apart from other VCs, the person who made an impact on her career, & 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! 🎙️🦄

Nov 22, 2023 • 31min
Christian Noske, Partner @ NGP Capital
Christian Noske is a Partner at NGP Capital. They back early-stage B2B companies from Series A onwards in Europe, the US, Israel, and China within enterprise software, industrial tech, cybersecurity, and infrastructure. Their current portfolio includes Coda, DataLoop, Clue, Nova Labs, Scandit, Shippeo, & SecurityScorecard, while their exits include Deliveroo, Xiaomi, Moovit, Kaltura, and many more.Christian joins James Pringle to talk about investment process fundamentals, market changes, company expectations for Series A funding, & 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! 🎙️🦄

Nov 15, 2023 • 50min
Lopo Champalimaud & Raphael Thiolon @ Verlinvest
This episode is with Raphael Thiolon (Managing Director) and Lopo Champalimaud (Co-Founder & Managing Partner at V3 Ventures) at Verlinvest, an international, family-backed evergreen investment company. They partner with visionary entrepreneurs who are driving consumer revolutions and building the next generation of category-defining brands that will positively impact the consumer sector for years to come. Raph and Lopo join James Pringle and Hector Mason to talk about the story behind Verlinvest, why they are focused on the consumer space, how different investor perspectives help with company building, & 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! 🎙️🦄

Nov 8, 2023 • 24min
Audrey Handem, VC @ Speedinvest
Audrey Handem is a VC at Speedinvest; one of Europe’s most active early-stage investors with more than €1 billion AuM and 40+ investors based in Berlin, London, Munich, Paris, and Vienna.Founder success is Speedinvest’s top priority, so they don’t just send some money and "check in" at board meetings. Their mission is to empower founders with game-changing support through every stage of their journey. Audrey joins James Pringle to discuss the mistakes founders make in fundraising, what she looks for in investments now, what sets SpeedInvest apart from other VCs, & 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! 🎙️🦄

Nov 1, 2023 • 48min
Jay Radia, Managing Partner @ Blissgrowth
Jay Radia is the Founder and Managing Partner of Blissgrowth. They ideate, build, and scale industry winning B2B software technology companies with the best second-time founders.Jay joins Hector Mason to talk about decision-making, how happiness affects the business, startup process for his different companies, & 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! 🎙️🦄

Oct 25, 2023 • 57min
Roger Wade, Chairman @ Boxfund VC
Roger Wade is the Chairman of Boxfund VC, a venture capital fund established by entrepreneurs, funded by entrepreneurs, and dedicated to supporting entrepreneurs. They possess a deep understanding of the qualities required for entrepreneurial success and actively seek out exceptional individuals with brilliant ideas. They provide them with financial backing and expert guidance to help them thrive.Roger joins James Pringle and Hector Mason to discuss the impact of emotional intelligence, embracing change, using his voice to create a better world, & 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! 🎙️🦄

Oct 18, 2023 • 48min
Sir Martin Sorrell, Executive Chairman @ S4 Capital (Follow Up Episode)
Sir Martin Sorrell is the Founder and Executive Chairman of S4Capital plc, the tech led, new age / new era digital advertising and marketing services company for global, multinational, regional and local clients, and millennial-driven influencer brands.To commemorate the launch of Riding Unicorns in 2020, Sir Martin joins James Pringle and Hector Mason the second time around to talk about the latest developments at S4 Capital, his perspective on the global market, how he has navigated the profound changes in our world, & 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! 🎙️🦄