Riding Unicorns: Venture Capital | Entrepreneurship | Technology

Chris Smalling is a professional footballer and is also the Co-Founder of The Player's Fund. Chris currently plays for AS Roma in Italy.  He has 31 caps and 1 goal for England.A few year's ago Chris started investing in companies that align with his plant-based lifestyle and he has now helped launch The Player's Fund alongside other top investing athletes such as Ben Stokes, Stuart Broad and Hector Bellerin.We learn more about Chris's journey as an athlete investor. 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! 🎙️🦄

Niccolo Perra is the Co-Founder of Pleo.Pleo offers smart company cards that enable employees to buy the things they need for work, all while keeping a company's finance team in control of spending. Simplify bookkeeping, eliminate expense reports, and revolutionize your business.Niccolo joins James Pringle and Hector Mason in this episode to talk about Co-Founder relationships, product feedback, management and iteration, learnings from launching into new markets, & 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! 🎙️🦄

Jimmy Fussing Nielsen, Partner and Co-founder of Heartcore Capital, joins James Pringle and Hector Mason to discuss high-risk investing, the evolution of investment strategy, comfort in moving into new spaces, venture capital landscape, choosing the right co-founder, and emphasizing concerns and curiosity.

Babs Ogundeyi is the Founder and CEO of Kuda, a fintech company on a mission to make financial services more accessible, affordable and rewarding for every African on the planet. They've built the money app for Africans around the world, giving them a better alternative to traditional finance by delivering services including free money transfers, smart budgeting, investments and instant access to credit through digital devices. Babs joins James Pringle and Hector Mason in this episode to share about the first key actions he took to start the business, what makes building a bank in Africa different from building one in the US or UK, what is the big vision for Kuda, & 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! 🎙️🦄

Kirsty Grant is Managing Director at Seedrs. Seedrs is Europe’s leading online private investing platform that enables individuals to invest in startups, growth companies, and, if eligible, top VC funds, as well as supporting entrepreneurs in all sectors to raise capital from their communities, angels and institutional investors.Since its launch in 2012 as an equity crowdfunding platform, Seedrs has funded over 2,000 deals, with over £2.5 billion invested on the platform to date. With the recent acquisition of Seedrs by Republic, it is now part of the largest private investing platform in the world, with more than 2.5 million members globally that have invested in over 2,400 deals. The combined strength of Seedrs and Republic gives both investors and entrepreneurs unprecedented access to capital and investment opportunities across the globe. Kirsty joins James Pringle and Hector Mason in this episode to discuss where crowdfunding is at now, creating products that cater to different kinds of investors & 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! 🎙️🦄

Henry Irish and Donald Gillies, Co-Founders of PassFort, discuss their experience as CEOs, building a strong founder relationship, navigating the impact of COVID-19, and life after the acquisition. They also share their plans for their new venture, Platformed, and reveal their ideal dinner party guests.

Saif Hameed is Founder and CEO of Altruistiq. The platform enables large enterprises with complex supply chains to automate sustainability data measurement, management and exchange - with unparalleled accuracy and ease. They believe that business has the power to be a force for positive change in the world.Their mission is to help businesses do more of what is measurably good, and less of what is immeasurably wrong.Saif joins James Pringle and Hector Mason in this episode to talk about working on green initiatives, leaving the corporate world to become a founder, the challenges of building a business, & 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! 🎙️🦄

Jack Durling is Co-Founder of Lockdown Liquor & Co. The brand offers award-winning premium blended cocktails, crafted by expert mixologists using the best quality ingredients resulting in unique and great tasting cocktails. Having initially traded direct to consumers, Lockdown Liquor is now retailed in a selection of prestigious outlets including Daylesford Organic, Anthropologie to name a few, as well as a diverse selection of customers in the on trade from national restaurant groups, 5* hotels, members clubs, theaters to private aviation.Jack joins James Pringle and Hector Mason in this episode  to talk about how to break out as a brand, the signals of a growing business, venturing to the on-trade industry, & 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! 🎙️🦄

Alex Macdonald Co-Founded Velocity Black which went on to be acquired by Capital One and is now the Co-Founder at sequel helping the world's best athletes invest in the world's best startups, making a positive impact.They are on a mission to help athletes build legacies for their families and for the world. They harness cutting-edge technology and a network of founders, angels, and venture capitalists built over a decade to enable athletes to invest in the most promising startups changing the world for the better. Alex joins James Pringle and Hector Mason in this episode to discuss investing in startups, the competitive advantage of athletes against other investors, helping worthy young entrepreneurs & 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! 🎙️🦄

Saasha Celestial-One is the co-founder & COO of Olio, a sharing app for local communities, on a mission to fight waste. They make it easy to pass on the things we no longer need — from food to furniture, and clothes to books — to people who live nearby. They also work with businesses to redistribute unsold or unserved food. That way, every last bit of edible food ends up benefitting local people, rather than it ending up in the bin. Prior to founding Olio, Saasha spent 13 years in finance, strategy and business development roles at Morgan Stanley, McKinsey & American Express, and also founded My Creche, London's first PAYG provider offering flexible childcare for busy parents.Saasha joins James Pringle and Hector Mason in this episode to share about the food waste problem that sparked the idea for Olio, the challenge of building a business around it, dealing with doubters, & 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! 🎙️🦄