Is the metaverse really dead? – Herman Narula, co-founder & CEO, Improbable

Flexa CEO and co-founder Molly Johnson-Jones discusses the future of flexible working, how companies can “turn hiring into marketing” and why she thinks some corporate CEOs are using flexible working as a scapegoat for innovation failures.  Flexa is a careers platform that aggregates a company’s workplace benefits to give job candidates more information when applying for a role. Johnson-Jones co-founded the company in 2020 – alongside Maurice O’Brien, and Tim Leppard – after she was told to leave her job in investment banking. It came after Johnson-Jones, who has an auto-immune disease, had submitted a flexible work request. Flexa aims to inform job candidates about a company’s remote working and benefits policies. Approved companies, which include the likes of Atom Bank and Improbable, can then advertise open roles on the platform and applicants can filter by criteria. More than 2.5 million people now use the platform. In 2022, the startup raised £2m in a seed funding round led by Ada Ventures. Elsewhere in this episode, the Flexa CEO looks at the different approaches startups and corporates are taking for flexible working. 

Sam Grice, founder and CEO of Octopus Legacy, discusses how the administrative side of death can make the grieving process much harder, why we need to be able to talk about death to plan our lives properly and keeping the ethos of his business alive after it was acquired.  Grice founded the company, originally called Guardian Angel, in 2016 after facing difficulties when dealing with the sudden death of his mother. The London-based company provides digital tools for people to prepare for end of life and to support those dealing with an unexpected loss through the process. Guardian Angel was acquired by Octopus Group in 2022, prompting the rebrand to Octopus Legacy. Grice discusses dealing with an acquisition from a major corporation and his approach to keeping the startup human centric. 

Improbable CEO and co-founder Herman Narula makes the case for the metaverse amid claims it is dead before it started, unpacks his company’s recent commercial deals and explains the impact AI is having on virtual world-building.  Improbable develops the infrastructure for virtual worlds. Backed by the likes of SoftBank and Andreessen Horowitz, the London-based company designs, builds and operates metaverse experiences for brands. Recent projects include screening a Major League Baseball match in a virtual ballpark. Last year, Improbable sold its defence business and one of its gaming ventures. In this episode, Narula explains how these commercial deals have made Improbable a more sustainable business that doesn’t need to rely on venture capital. Elsewhere, he responds to what he sees as misconceptions about the metaverse and explains the role he sees web3 playing in preventing large tech companies from dominating the metaverse.

Max Jamilly, co-founder of Hoxton Farms, discusses why developing lab-based fat is the secret ingredient for the cultivated meat industry, why some people oppose lab-grown meat and how the regulatory progress for getting new alternative proteins in shops is going.  Jamilly co-founded the London-based cultivated fat startup in 2020 alongside his lifelong friend Ed Steele. Jamilly breaks down the science of how meat can be grown in a lab, and how Hoxton Farm’s cultivated fat can extend lab-grown meat beyond sausages and nuggets to high-quality cuts such as steaks, pork belly and bacon. Jamilly also discusses the health implications of his company’s technology and why he feels people will be better off when the last animal factory farms have shut down. Jamilly has a PhD in synthetic biology from Oxford, an MPhil in bioscience enterprise from Cambridge and an MA in natural sciences (biological) from Cambridge. 

Lord Tim Clement-Jones, Liberal Democrat peer, explains why a lack of consistency from the government hasn’t helped startups, weighs in on the debate around using copyrighted material to train AI systems, and unpacks why regulation isn’t the enemy of innovation.    Lord Clement-Jones was chair of the Liberal Party from 1986-1988. He was made CBE for political services in 1988 and a life peer in 1998. He is the Liberal Democrat House of Lords spokesperson for science, innovation and technology. He is the former chair of the House of Lords Select Committee on Artificial Intelligence. He co-founded and has co-chaired the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Artificial Intelligence since 2016. In addition to his political work, Lord Clement-Jones is a Consultant on AI policy and regulation with global law firm, DLA Piper. 

Louise Harris, co-founder and CEO of Tramshed Tech, discusses the challenges and opportunities for the Welsh tech sector, unpacks the country’s sub-sector strengths from semiconductors to creative, and mulls what a changing political landscape might mean for businesses.  Harris co-founded Tramshed with Mark John in 2015. It now has six co-working sites across Wales and provides startup support through programmes on topics such as investor readiness and exports. Tramshed is supported by strategic partners in the UK and Europe, including Google for Startups, Microsoft, Barclays Eagle Labs and SQY. Harris is also a member of the Welsh Government International Strategy Board and UK Tech Cluster Group.  

Oxa CEO Gavin Jackson explains why the UK is well-positioned to be a leader in autonomous vehicles, breaks down Oxa’s strategy for commercialisation, and unpacks who is liable in the event of an autonomous vehicle crashing.  Oxa, formerly known as Oxbotica, is developing software for autonomous vehicles. Founded in 2014, it is focusing on passenger transportation and industrial autonomy. It has raised more than £150m in funding, including from Google parent company Alphabet. The Oxford-headquartered company recently announced a commercial partnership with a passenger shuttle service in Florida, US. Oxa has been sharing industry input into the UK’s Automated Vehicles Bill, which is currently progressing through parliament. Jackson, who previously held senior leadership positions at Microsoft and Amazon Web Services, was appointed CEO of Oxa in December 2021. 

Allan Nixon, head of science of technology at Onward, shares his assessment of the Spring Budget, outlines steps he thinks Whitehall could take to improve tech sector growth, and compares the Labour and Conservative parties' approach to tech policy.   Nixon joined Onward, a centre-right think tank, in April 2023. In this episode, he unpacks Spring Budget announcements – from pension fund reform to PISCES. He explains why DSIT and the Treasury need to revamp their spending processes to ensure investments keep pace with the tech sector, particularly in areas like compute infrastructure. Elsewhere, Nixon shares suggestions for Whitehall to cut "bureaucratic red tape" that could support the UK's science and tech sector. Prior to joining Onward, Nixon served in various special advisor roles for the UK government – including to the prime minister, security minister and health secretary. He has also worked in Parliament.

Janine Hirt, CEO of Innovate Finance, unpacks what the UK must do to maintain its historical strength in financial technology, why clarity in regulation for crypto, BNPL and open banking is vital, and what needs to be done to tackle rising financial scams.   Hirt has been with Innovate Finance, the UK fintech industry body, for the past nine years after joining as a community lead in 2015. Hirt then became the group’s ecosystem director, then COO before rising to the rank of chief executive in 2021. The independent group is responsible for championing the efforts of British fintech and advising government policy to support its growth. Before joining Innovate Finance, Hirt held roles at the think tank Chatham House and the Brazilian-American Chamber of Commerce. Elsewhere in this episode, Hirt looks at where fintech clusters are in the UK, why Big Tech must take some responsibility for financial crime, and what she’s hoping to see for the fintech sector in the Spring Statement. 

Jess Jackson, investment manager at Praetura Ventures, discusses the challenges startups in the north face, the stark gender divide in the tech and investment industries and how the government should be supporting small businesses and underrepresented entrepreneurs.  Jackson joined the Manchester-based venture capital firm in 2022 after years of managing investments in the city at GC Angels. Praetura Ventures prides itself on its commitment to backing companies in the north of England, which traditionally have less access to funding than their counterparts in the south. Jackson is also a founding member of Fund Her North, a collective of northern women investors that campaigns for better treatment and opportunities for northern women in tech.