SEEKERS

Send us Fan MailIn 2015, Tessa Clarke was told to throw away all her uneaten food on moving day. She couldn’t do it, and ended up smuggling vegetables across the border instead. A decade later, Olio is a scale-up backed by more than $50 million from investors including Accel, Octopus Ventures and VNV Global: a community of 10 million people giving away food and household goods to their neighbours, 100,000 trained volunteers collecting unsold food from Tesco and other big food businesses, and more than 150 million meals saved from the bin.Along the way, Tessa made the kind of calls most founders talk themselves out of. She launched an app that was only slightly better than a WhatsApp group. She waited two years before making a penny. She raised five rounds as a female founder of a tech-for-good business, fighting to be taken seriously in rooms that saw “two girls with a project”. And after years of refusing, she let advertising in, not for the revenue but to push people to pay.Beyond being a business, Olio is a bet against overconsumption, and Tessa is honest about where that bet stands: most of us aren’t ready to consume less, and we won’t be while GDP growth is humanity’s north star metric. She makes the case for redefining what success means, and for why wellbeing economies keep emerging in countries led by women.We get into what each of those decisions cost, the 2023 restructuring that shrank the company she’d only just scaled up, and why she’d rather be alive and having impact than perfectly principled and dead.About TessaBefore Olio, Tessa spent nearly twenty years in the corporate world: a Cambridge degree, strategy consulting at BCG, a Stanford MBA (where she met her co-founder Saasha Celestial-One), then managing director roles at Emap, Dyson and finally Wonga, which she left in 2014. She co-founded Olio in February 2015 while on maternity leave. The company is a certified B Corp, and it has outlived Wonga, which collapsed in 2018. Outside Olio, Tessa writes for Sifted and campaigns for the Better Business Act.What we cover:00:00 From turning around Wonga to building Olio02:06 A farmer’s daughter and the moving-day lightbulb04:25 Launching a food marketplace in five postcodes, with a WhatsApp proof of concept 08:03 Flyers and community events before performance marketing 09:31 The one day Olio was a paid app 10:45 Food Waste Heroes: how a food-sharing app with no food found its business model 13:53 Corner shops, then Pret, then Tesco 19:08 Running 100,000 unpaid volunteers 20:37 Business or charity: the decision, and what it still costs 23:57 Raising five rounds against the odds 29:46 2023: scaling up, then shrinking back 38:11 Where profit and purpose actually collide 41:53 Inside the ads decision 42:52 Are we ready to consume less? GDP, wellbeing economies and women in power 47:55 Confidence, gut, and making calls at 40 to 70% certainty 52:05 What Tessa is still seekingCheck out Olio.Connect with Tessa.

Send us Fan MailThe odds are… you're afraid of public speaking.And if not, you've definitely cringed through enough presentations to know it's a real struggle for many.In this episode of SEEKERS, we speak with Dr. Alexander McWilliam - actor, coach, and one of the few people in the world with a PhD in public speaking anxiety. He’s also the founder of Improv4Business, where he uses improvisation and performance psychology to help people become confident, engaging communicators.We talk about:Why public speaking makes people panic—and how to rewire that fearWhat most people get wrong about delivering a messageThe power of voice, body, and presenceHow improv techniques can transform how you speakWhy storytelling matters, even in boring meetingsAnd whether “fake it till you make it” actually worksWhether you're pitching investors, leading meetings, or just want to stop dreading Zoom calls - this episode is for you. Connect with Alex:🌐 improv4business.co.uk 🔗 LinkedIn – Dr. Alexander McWilliam 

Send us Fan MailAmos Whitewolf is the co-founder and CTO of PerionXP, a platform that’s redefining how gamers interact with Web3 by layering gamified quests and crypto rewards on top of massive mainstream games like Fortnite.A lifelong gamer and entrepreneur, Amos went from boosting League of Legends accounts as a teenager to becoming the #1 ranked player on Axie Infinity, before launching a startup that’s now onboarded over 100,000 verified players.In this episode, Desi sits down with Amos to uncover: How PerionXP gamifies gaming itself, letting players choose the missions they actually love and earn rewards The real reasons Web3 gaming got such a bad reputation (hint: it wasn’t just NFTs) Why community-led onboarding crushed every paid marketing tactic they tried What it takes to build a crypto-native platform that feels fun and sticky, not just speculative Amos’s bold vision for a Ready Player One–style future, where your in-game identity might be more valuable than your real one The return of “play for keeps” — how Amos sees in-game ownership reshaping the future of gamingThe billion-dollar question: how do we onboard Web2 gamers into Web3 without alienating them?If you’re curious about the future of gaming, Web3, or how to build a product that grows organically through genuine love (not hype!) this one’s for you.Connect with Amos on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/amos-whitewolf-258b70140/ PerionXP website - https://xp.gg/PerionXP on Twitter https://x.com/PerionDAO

Send us Fan MailAdam Robinson is the founder of two successful SaaS companies - RB2B, a platform that identifies anonymous B2B website visitors and turns them into actionable sales signals, and Retention.com, which helps eCommerce brands recover abandoned carts and reconnect with lost visitors through identity resolution. He bootstrapped RB2B to $5M in Annual Recurring Revenue in just 15 months, and hit $1M ARR with Retention.com in only 27 weeks - all built with a lean team, no outside investment, and a strong founder-led growth strategy.In this episode we dive deep into:Why cold outreach is dying and what’s replacing itWhy freemium can backfire and the danger of selling to the wrong customerWhat most early-stage founders get wrong about lead gen and product-market fitThe real stories behind Rb2b and Retention.com (if you're wondering this domain costed him $800K)How Adam built a $20M ARR business with just a LinkedIn account and some gutsThe power of maximizing humanity in a world flooded with AI-generated contentWhy building an audience-first is the most efficient launch strategy todayThe exact mistakes founders make when they try to “automate” sales too earlyWhy being brutally honest about your startup is a growth moat in itselfWhy Adam believes most B2B startups should forget about outbound (for now)The mindset shift that took him from email copycat to a differentiated category leaderConnect with Adam on LinkedIn

Send us Fan MailJoe Leech is a seasoned CEO coach with over 20 years in tech and a track record of adding $20 billion in revenue across various companies.In this episode of SEEKERS, Joe shares his insights on the human challenges that often hinder business growth and the mindset shifts necessary for leaders to evolve from founders to successful CEOs. With a background in tech, user experience, and product management, Joe brings a unique perspective to leadership coaching.Key Topics Discussed:Identifying Personal Bottlenecks: How leaders can recognise when they are the primary obstacle to their company's growth.Mindset Shifts: The essential changes in perspective that differentiate a founder from a CEO.The Inner vs. Outer Game of Leadership: The concept of the "inner game" (beliefs, values, identity) and the "outer game" (strategy, communication, execution), explaining why mastering both is crucial for CEOs.Evaluating Team Members: Approaches to assess long-standing team members who may not meet evolving company needs.Strategic Hiring: Determining the next key hire to push your business forward and avoiding hiring mistakes that cost momentum.The Founder’s Dilemma – Visionary vs. Integrator: Understanding whether you're a "track-layer" (visionary) or a "train-runner" (integrator) and how hiring the right counterpart can dramatically improve your company’s execution.Letting Go: The importance of delegation and trusting your team to take the reins.Scaling Company Culture Beyond the Founder: Why early-stage founders’ values naturally shape company culture but become diluted as the business grows, and how to intentionally maintain or evolve culture at scale.Avoiding Hiring Mistakes That Cost You Six Months (or More): The real cost of hiring the wrong person isn’t just financial – it’s lost momentum. Joe explains how to spot hiring mistakes early and avoid them altogether.The CEO’s Role in Creating Effortless Success: How great leaders reduce friction in their companies by setting up systems that make success feel "effortless" rather than constantly pushing uphill.Joe's Website: https://mrjoe.uk/modernceo/Joe's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joeleech/Joe's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@mrjoe-coach

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, Desi sits down with Sanjay Lobo, the CEO of OnHand, the leading volunteering platform revolutionising employee engagement. From his humble beginnings in South London, to his impressive career trajectory through senior roles at Lastminute.com and Vistaprint, Sanjay shares his unique journey from lawyer to tech founder. Discover how his background as a lawyer shaped his innovative approach to business and learn about the pivotal moments that led to the success of OnHand. Key Takeaways:Early Life & Inspiration: Sanjay reflects on his childhood in Tooting, the challenges he faced, and the aspirations that guided him towards a career in law and eventually tech entrepreneurship.Career Path: Insight into Sanjay’s transition from law to senior roles at lastminute.com and Vistaprint, highlighting the skills and experiences that prepared him for founding OnHand. Unlike most lawyers, Sanjay was obsessed with using the law to find loopholes that could drive growth.Founding OnHand: The motivation behind OnHand's inception, the initial business model, and the strategic shift to a B2B model that focuses on employee engagement and corporate social responsibility.Challenges & Growth: The critical decisions and challenges faced by OnHand, including the impact of COVID-19 and the transition from a consumer-focused to a corporate-focused platform.Dragon’s Den Experience: Sanjay shares his experience on Dragon’s Den, securing offers from four dragons, and the subsequent impact on OnHand’s growth and visibility. But are the dragons part of the business today?Personal Insights: Sanjay discusses the personal and professional transformation he has undergone as a founder, the importance of confidence, and his dedication to making a social impact.Connect with Sanjay on LinkedIn.Check out OnHand.

Send us Fan MailIf you're a football fan, you might remember Thomas Robson-Kanu from his Premier League days at Reading F.C. or his spectacular goal in Euro 2016, which helped Wales reach the semi-finals. Today, Thomas is the founder and CEO of The Turmeric Co., one of the UK's leading functional beverage companies. Born from his personal health journey, The Turmeric Co. was established in 2018 and quickly grew to prominence with its unique turmeric shots designed to promote wellness, boasting over 15,000 life-changing customer testimonials.In this episode, we discussed Thomas's transition from football to entrepreneurship, the origins of The Turmeric Co., and the science behind their products. Thomas shares how his father's turmeric blend helped him recover from severe knee injuries, leading to the creation of their signature turmeric shots. The blend proved so effective that it became Thomas' "secret weapon" throughout his successful football career. Realising the potential to help others, Thomas and his father founded The Turmeric Co. in 2018 to bring this clinically-backed, natural solution to the market.Thomas shared the challenges of maintaining high product quality while scaling up the business, the strategic decisions that have fuelled their growth, and the importance of a subscription model for customer retention. He also provides valuable advice for aspiring entrepreneurs, emphasising the need for passion, perseverance, and continuous learning.We also discussed how his background as a professional footballer shaped him into the CEO he is today and the qualities he gained back then that help him grow the company."If you have a standard that you're not willing to drop below, then that standard becomes the norm. So you standardise the standard, and if you then have a mentality and a mindset around continuous improvement, all you're doing is increasing and improving that standard all of the time, and that then creates an A-star culture with A-star players within an A-star team."As a former elite athlete and now passionate wellness entrepreneur, Thomas offers a unique perspective on the importance of prioritising health through nutrition. Tune in to hear his inspiring story and vision for The Turmeric Co.Connect with Thomas Robson-Kanu and The Turmeric Co.:The Turmeric Co. https://theturmeric.co/Follow Thomas on social media:https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomashalrobsonkanu/https://www.instagram.com/robsonkanu/https://x.com/RobsonKanu

Send us Fan MailDiego Borgo is a seasoned Web3 and Metaverse advisor with a track record of guiding Fortune 500 brands and boasting collaborations with companies like adidas and Mastercard. He’s also the co-founder of BorgoLabs, a consultancy that helps companies position themselves and drive growth in the Web3 space.We recently collaborated with Diego on a client's project and, as usual, was impressed by the innovative yet practical approach he takes to his projects. He's the first person we invite for a second interview on this podcast, mainly because we wanted to delve deeper into why we're still in the web3 dip and when the space might recover. We discussed the reasons why web3 and blockchain have yet to become strong, independent industries. We also touched on some fresh new projects that offer real value and explored where the space is heading in the next few years. And of course, no podcast would be complete without bringing AI into the equation - that's where things really get interesting!You can find Diego on LinkedIn.Check out Borgo Labs

Send us Fan MailToday, we’re speaking with Jack Parsons and Leon Marseglia - the forces behind the UK’s largest community for young people, The Youth Group.Since launching the company 4 years ago, "Young Jack," as he's often called, has managed to grow their community to 1.7 million young individuals and connect thousands of them with some of the best UK companies offering jobs, upskilling, and mentorship. Their exceptional accomplishments have been recognized by countless awards and honors, one of which is Jack's 'UK's Kindest Leader' award by the Financial Times. When Leon came onboard, they took The Youth Group to one of the top 25 startups in the UK.What we discussed:The inspiring journeys that led Jack and Leon to become successful entrepreneurs in their 20s.The pressing issue of mental health among young people in the UK - why 1 in 6 children in the UK has been identified with a probable mental health problem.The importance of instilling resilience from a young age - why and how.Navigating Choices: With a plethora of opportunities at their fingertips, how can young people find their passions and areas of expertise? Jack and Leon share practical advice.What are the most pressing needs of young people in 2023, and how can we address them effectively?What are the top skills that employers are looking for in young individuals? (Some of them will surprise you!)The growing gap between educational institutions and workforce expectations and what are some practical changes to bridge it.Opportunities Beyond Cities: While cities often take the spotlight, we'll explore actions to create more opportunities for young people in rural areas.Check out Youth GroupConnect with Jack Parsons on LinkedinConnect with Leon Marseglia on LinkedIn

Send us Fan MailWhether you're into crypto or not, many foresee blockchain as the foundational layer for future technologies. From finance and healthcare to entertainment and sports, the consensus seems clear: "The Future Will Be Tokenised."Join us in this super interesting conversation with Brent Annells, CMO of Smart Token Labs. With a background that boasts senior roles at Facebook and Uber, Brent offers a uniquely informed perspective on the revolution that tokenisation promises to bring, especially in reshaping customer engagement.In this episode, we dive into:- An introduction to Smart Token Labs and their mission in the tokenization landscape.- Demystifying tokenisation: What it is and its future significance.- Real-world tokenisation applications and intriguing projects Smart Token Labs is currently working on.- The project "Catch Max": a real-world example of Open Loyalty- The evolution of loyalty programs: The rise of "Open Loyalty" and why this is a game changer - Delving into the challenges: Why are we still in the tokenisation experimentation phase?- The balance between decentralisation and compliance in web3: what do we need to do for better regulation and security- Global leaders in Web3 adoption: Countries at the forefront- Brent's journey: Contrasting Web3 marketing strategies with his experiences at Facebook and Uber.- The educational divide: Can you sell and educate at the same time?- Predictions on the next big wave in the Web3 universeYou can connect with Brent on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brentannells/Check out Smart Token Labs: https://smarttokenlabs.com/Check out Smart Layer Network: https://www.smartlayer.network/ Learn more about CatchMax: https://www.catchmax.io/