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In this episode of The Unicorn Podcast, Simon Squibb sits down with Rishi Khosla as they dive deep into the highs and lows of building a bank worth $5 BILLION, as well as what it takes to disrupt an industry that is stuck in its traditional ways.
Rishi Khosla is the CEO and co-founder of OakNorth. He started his first business, Copal Partners, a financial research company, in 2002 with just $60k. Over 12 years, he and his co-founder, Joel Perlman, scaled it to a 3,000-employee organization across 13 markets, before selling it to Moody’s Corporation (NYSE: MCO) in 2014.
They then set out to build their second business, OakNorth, a financial technology company with a mission to empower the ‘Missing Middle’ - businesses that are the largest contributors of economic and employment growth, yet still struggle to access fast, flexible debt finance. OakNorth is addressing this funding gap with its Credit Intelligence software which it licenses to commercial lenders such as Fifth Third, PNC, and Old National, and that it uses within its own bank in the UK, OakNorth Bank.
Rishi Khosla is an early-stage investor in a number of leading technology companies, including PayPal. In 2019, he was awarded an OBE (Order of the British Empire) from her Majesty The Queen for services to business.
Rishi: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/rishikhosla1
Oaknorth: https://oaknorth.co.uk/investors/our-cofounder-rishi-khosla/
Get business help for free, and get rewarded for helping at HelpBnk!
https://helpbnk.com
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In this episode of The Unicorn Podcast, Simon Squibb sits down with Rob Schimek, CEO of Bolttech, the groundbreaking unicorn insuretech company that has been making waves in the insurance industry. Simon and Rob delve into the rapid growth and success of Bolttech, discussing how it shot from startup to $1.6B valuation in such a short time frame. Rob shares the unique story behind Bolttech, revealing the pivotal moments that defined its path to success. Hear about the hurdles and triumphs of developing an innovative insuretech platform that disrupts traditional insurance models. Learn how Rob and his team leveraged technology and AI to drive growth and revolutionise customer experience in the insurance sector. Get ready for a deep dive into the process of building a unicorn with Rob Schimek and Bolttech's extraordinary journey.
Rob: https://sg.linkedin.com/in/rob-schimek-59b37a1
Bolttech: https://bolttech.io/
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In this episode, we delve into the mind of Philip Belamant, the visionary Co-Founder and CEO of Zilch, a groundbreaking fintech company revolutionizing the way we think about and interact with finance.
Zilch has become the fastest European company EVER to reach double unicorn status, and in this episode, Simon and Philip go deep into the core values and mission that enabled Zilch to reach this huge level of success so quickly.
We also explore the origins of Zilch, the personal experiences that inspired Philip to create this unique platform, and how it's transforming the landscape of digital finance.
Zilch: http://bit.ly/3KeMwhr
Philip: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philip-belamant/
For more help start here: http://go.simonsquibb.com/
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In this episode of The Unicorn Podcast, Simon sits down with James Watt, the co-founder of BrewDog, one of the fastest-growing craft beer companies in the world. James shares the truth behind the controversy surrounding his brand, as well as his revealing his marketing secrets.
We explore James's unique leadership style and the company's unconventional approach to business, including their plans to use beer to save the planet. James also admits why he chose to give away £100m of his shares in the business, while his co-founder did not.
Whether you're a craft beer enthusiast, an entrepreneur, or just interested in hearing from an incredible billion-dollar-founder, we know you’ll love this one. So grab a cold one and join us for a lively conversation with James Watt of BrewDog!
Follow James on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-watt
Follow James on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brewdogjames/?hl=en
Watch James on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JamesWattBrewDogCEO
Brewdog’s Website: https://www.brewdog.com/uk
Table Yeti: https://www.brewdog.com/uk
For more help start here: http://go.simonsquibb.com
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Tessa Wijaya is the Chief Operating Officer and Co-founder of Xendit. She graduated from The University of Sydney, has vast experience in the field of private equity from large companies such as Principia and Mizuho and grew up in Indonesia. Tessa describes herself as “a unicorn among unicorns among unicorns.” There are a lot of people in her family who are entrepreneurs who ran small canteens and hawker stalls.
Tessa started a few side businesses before Xendit. she started a restaurant, which failed, and a batik brand with one of her closest friends, but they discontinued it to focus on their full-time jobs. she started a jewellery business as well with some friends, whom she is a silent partner right now.
As an Indonesian woman running a $1 billion financial technology start-up in Southeast Asia, she is a rather rare breed. Women leaders in tech are uncommon. This is especially true in fintech, where they hold 7% of leadership positions.
Xendit is an Indonesian fintech platform that processes digital payments for businesses in Southeast Asia, like Grab, Wise and Traveloka. Xendit was founded by Moses Lo, Tessa Wijaya, Juan Gonzalez and Bo Chen. Since launching in 2015, Xendit has grown rapidly. in 2021, it processes more than 65 million transactions worth $6.5 billion annually. It reached the $1 billion “unicorn” status in September 2021.
Xendit currently has more than 3,000 customers. Xendit said its annualized transactions tripled from 65 million to 200 million over the last year. The total value of the transactions also jumped from $6.5 billion to $15 billion. Some of its clients are Traveloka, Transferwise, and Grab.
As a woman who strives in the technology field, Tessa Wijaya is very aware of gender issues in Indonesia. She asserted that Indonesia needs more platforms where women could take a part in the technology field and also could inspire other women.
Tessa:https://www.linkedin.com/in/tessa-w-41043020/
Xendit:https://www.xendit.co/en/
For more help start here: https://purposefulproject.com/
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We had the opportunity to interview John Caudwell LIVE on stage at Ideas Fest 2022. John founded Caudwell Group, the telco company which included Phones 4U, the UK’s largest independent mobile phone retailer with over 600 stores across the country. When he sold Caudwell Group in 2006, the business was selling 26 phones a minute!
But after all of his success, John says that “Nothing gives him the same feeling as helping people”. Living a life of purpose is what makes John feel complete, and while remaining active in the business world, he devotes most of his time to his lifelong philanthropic ambitions, pledging to donate 70% of his wealth to charitable causes!
John's site:
https://johncaudwell.com/
Buy John's autobiography:
https://amzn.to/3SIsA87
Ideas Fest:
https://www.freshbusinessthinking.com/ideas-fest
For more help start here:
https://purposefulproject.com
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Yat Siu is an entrepreneur and angel investor. Born and raised in Vienna, Austria, he moved to Hong Kong in 1996 to set up Hong Kong Cybercity, the first free web page and email provider in Asia. Before Hong Kong, he landed his first job at Atari in Germany, and later at graphic software company Lexicor, where he served as director and head of the U.S. East Coast division. In the late ‘90s, he set up Outblaze, which was sold to IBM in 2009 and incorporated into IBM's LotusLive suite of services.
In 2011, he founded Hong Kong-based Animoca, one of the world’s largest apps for developers and publishers. The company is behind hit apps such as Pretty Pet Salon (one of Apple's top apps of 2011) and Cinderella Cafe. Receiving early funding from venture capital firms Intel Capital and IDG-Accel, Animoca went on to develop and publish hundreds of apps across both Android and iOS platforms.
In 2014, Siu founded Animoca Brands, a company created through the spinoff of the licensing and publishing arms of Animoca, that uses technology like blockchain and artificial intelligence to develop and publish mobile products like The Sandbox, and it’s the official distributor of CryptoKitties in China.
During his fruitful career, Yat Siu was named “Global Leader of Tomorrow” and a “Young Global Leader” by the World Economic Forum and received various other awards for his contributions to business and society. In this episode, Yat tells Simon exaclty how Web 3.0 can save the world if navigated in the right way, as well as giving his advice to young people looking to start a business in the modern world of crypto, Web 3.0 and the metaverse.
Topics
0:00 - Intro2:16 - Who is Yat Siu and what are Animoca brands?4:00 - What is a digital dictatorship?10:40 - Is there an alternative to big platforms like Facebook?14:20 - Will we see the fall of the big platforms?19:40 - What should young people build today?23:51 - What do you look for when investing in companies?31:00 - What is the future of crypto?39:22 - How Yat raised 75 million in the bear market41:05 - NFTs and the truth about crypto49:44 - ‘F*ck the metaverse’?55:50 - Purpose01:02:22 - Yat’s net worth01:10:00 - The education system is broken, how we fix itAnimoca Brands:
https://www.animocabrands.com/
StartmeupHK:
https://www.startmeup.hk/startmeuphk-festival-2022/
HKBN / HKBN Enterprise Solutions:
www.hkbn.net / www.hkbnes.net
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Steven Lam is the co-founder, executive director & co-CEO of GOGOX Holdings Limited, the first app-based logistics platform in Asia committed to providing extensive logistics services through innovative technology. Steven built the company with the vision of “Simplify Logistics”, aiming to resolve logistics inefficiencies and enable users to enjoy seamless logistics services.
Over the years, GOGOX has evolved from a van-hailing platform to a diversified logistics platform that supports instant delivery to customised logistics solutions. GOGOX instantly connects individuals and businesses with millions of logistics partners to fulfil all sorts of delivery needs, redefining the delivery experience by providing speedy, agile and convenient logistics services that are unmatched.
Steven’s wealth of experience in entrepreneurship has brought him accolades in different categories, including Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Asia in 2016, Hong Kong’s Ten Outstanding Young Persons Selection in 2018, and 50 Asians to watch of The Straits Times in 2018. In this episode, Steven and Simon go deep on how to start a business with little money, how to find the right investors and much more.
Topics
0:00 - Intro1:59 - How GOGOX was born3:07 - How did you start with so little capital?14:16 - Supply first18:17 - Founder structure25:04 - Getting investment35:30 - Steven’s family opinions38:09 - Have you ever thought about quitting?41:18 - Company Culture45:04 - Do you have any regrets?48:27 - Advice for young peopleGOGOX:
https://www.gogox.com/index/
StartmeupHK:
https://www.startmeup.hk/startmeuphk-festival-2022/
HKBN / HKBN Enterprise Solutions:
www.hkbn.net / www.hkbnes.net
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Max Li is Co-founder and Head of Design of Airwallex , where he provides the creative vision for the business, and is responsible for developing and managing Airwallex’s product design initiatives. Leading a global team, Max drives the implementation for designing functional and human-centric products that enable quality user experience in every market where Airwallex operates.
Previously, Max was a professional architectural designer with extensive experience in architecture, product design and user experience. Max also ran a coffee business prior to founding Airwallex, making his entrepreneurial experience so far both diverse and unique.
In this episode, Simon and Max discuss his biggest lessons in building a unicorn company, how self-belief plays a huge part in success, and the future of business + technology.
5 books that Max recommends:
For an excellent cover all guidebook to building products: Build, by Tony Fadell
For emotional baseline: The subtle art of not giving a fuck, by Mark Manson
For perspective: 21 lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Harari
Books with behind-the-scene, detailed processes for different industries are always good reads, recently: Secret Life Of Groceries, by Benjamin Lorr
If language (especially writing) is not your forte: On Writing Well, by William Zinsser
Topics
0:00 - Intro1:25 - How Airwallex was born6:33 - Raising money7:46 - Transitioning from a cafe to Airwallex8:40 - Staying focused12:41 - Max’s Family Background14:23 - Working with co-founders18:10 - Changing roles19:40 - Self belief21:00 - Biggest lessons on reflection23:10 - Imposter syndrome25:05 - What motivates you26:51 - The future30:51 - Regulation challenges32:35 - Max’s thoughts on the Metaverse35:03 - Approaching competition37:24 - Luck39:36 - Startup culture44:52 - Advice for your younger self47:20 - Do you have any regrets50:31 - OutroMax Li:
https://www.airwallex.com/uk
StartmeupHK:
https://www.startmeup.hk/startmeuphk-festival-2022/
HKBN / HKBN Enterprise Solutions:
www.hkbn.net / www.hkbnes.net
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Tony was born in Beirut, Lebanon, during a violent civil war, and was lucky enough to travel to France at the age of seventeen to study for a computer sciences degree, then attended the IMD Business School in Switzerland.
After graduating, Tony founded Nexmo, a pioneer in the Communications Platform as a Service (“CPaaS”) category. Nexmo made it easy for software developers to add essential communications capabilities (like sending messages between ride-sharing drivers and passengers) to their applications, on a global scale. Nexmo went public via a merger with Vonage in 2016.
After the Nexmo exit, Tony took some time off to consider what to do next. He began to invest in “platform models that can change the world”, Tony’s investments include Pento, Truelayer, Dialpad, Hopin, and Claap.
That other talented individual in emerging economies should enjoy similar career opportunities, without the need for geographic displacement, is a persona, passion and the ideological cornerstone of Tony’s career. It is where the idea of Oyster was born.
For most people in emerging economies, career fulfilment means moving to another country. Tony believes this necessity to be in the office sets up unassailable inequalities for many people in emerging economies. Why should they have to move halfway around the world, away from their community and support system, to have a successful career?
Tony created Oyster to remove the remaining barriers to successful remote work, including hiring, compensating and managing team members who are physically far away from the office.
In this episode, Tony reveals the secrets that helped him scale Oyster to 1$ Billion valuations, as well as his unique journey to success. Simon and Tony also go deep on how to get investment, purpose and Web3.
Topics
How Tony Became An EntrepreneurGetting InvestmentChoosing The Right InvestorHow Tony Came Up With The Idea Of OysterBuilding Oyster From ScratchConnecting World LabourBeing Purpose-DrivenWeb3Are Entrepreneurs Born Or Bred?Tony Jamous:
https://www.tonyjamous.com/
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Tech titan Michele Romanow is the Co-founder and CEO of Canadian unicorn, Clearco - the world's largest e-commerce investor. The company has invested $3.2 billion in over 7,000 ecommerce and SaaS companies. Michele is a serial entrepreneur having started six companies before her 35th birthday. In addition to her work as an entrepreneur, Michele is a “Dragon” on the Canadian hit TV show Dragons’ Den (Canada’s Shark Tank).
She previously co-founded SnapSaves, which was acquired by Groupon and was also the Co-Founder of Buytopia.ca. A prolific investor, Michele was recently named as one of Fortune’s 40 under 40, a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum and Canada’s Angel Investor of the Year.
Michele is a regular media commentator and her work has been profiled in Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Fortune, TechCrunch, and The Globe and Mail. Michele is a director for Vail Resorts, BBTV and Queen’s School of Business. Previously she was a director for Freshii, Whistler Blackcomb, SHAD International and League of Innovators. Michele also co-founded the Canadian Entrepreneurship Initiative non-profit with Sir Richard Branson.
In this episode, Michele teaches us how she approaches investments, what it takes to build a billion dollar company, her experience working with romantic partners and much more!
How Michelle Approaches Investments What Michelle looks for in an investmentFailureWork/Life Balance and The Entrepreneur LifestyleWorking With Romantic PartnersRebranding from Clear Bank to ClearcoChanging Position From President To CEOFrom Entrepreneur To Employee To Entrepreneur AgainRevenue-Based FundingInvesting In Under-Represented EntrepreneursSolving The ‘University Route’ NarrativeAre Entrepreneurs Born Or Bred?What Makes An Entrepreneur?It’s Not The Years It’s The Miles.Entrepreneurship From A Young AgeMichelle’s Favourite Dragons’ Den InvestmentsClearco Funded Companies Where Does All The Money Come From?Experience vs BooksDo You Have Any Regrets?
Michele:
https://instagram.com/micheleromanow?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
ClearCo
Www.clear.co
For more help start here: www.purposefulproject.com
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Suneera Madhani is a payments innovator who has disrupted the industry with her unicorn company Stax. After seeing the need for a better payment experience for merchants, her entrepreneurial spirit took hold and she decided to solve the problem herself. She built Stax from the ground up, providing a sophisticated and business-friendly platform
Stax is a subscription-based payments processor that charges merchants a flat subscription fee rather than a percentage of sales for in-person and digital transactions. Over the past eight years, the 300-person company has processed $23 billion in payments for more than 20,000 customers across retail, professional services, and health care.
On top of being CEO at Stax, Suneera also runs CEO school, a platform that empowers women to understand the power they have to change their lives, shift their legacy, and alter the course of history. In this episode, Suneera reveals the 3 steps to building a billion-dollar business, the TRUTH about why less than 2% of female founders make it to $1 Million, and much more
Topics
What makes the perfect co-founderShareholder agreementsAre you having fun?The tough task of raising investment as a womanAre accelerators worth the hype?Rebranding StaxKeeping your ego in checkCulture building“You have it”Are entrepreneurs born or bred?Suneera’s Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/suneeramadhani/
CEO School:
https://theceoschool.co/
Stax:
https://staxpayments.com/
FOR MORE HELP START HERE: https://purposefulproject.com
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Tony Fadell is the creator of the iPod, co-creator of the iPhone, and founder of Nest Labs, which was acquired by Google for $3.2 Billion. Named as one of the top 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine in 2014, Tony believes that instead of building artificial platforms like the Metaverse, we need to focus on building products that fix and improve the real world.
Tony’s first job out of college was such a disaster that it killed all new development in consumer-oriented personal computers for a decade. The next products he built were commercial failures, then he started his own company – a year before the .com bubble burst. But after 10 years he learned – with every team, every product, every disaster – how to design, manufacture, market and sell something people actually wanted.
In this podcast, Tony goes deep on why failure is good, the problems with the metaverse, and the key to work/life balance and he also tells us his biggest regret. We’re so excited to bring you this interview with such an incredible entrepreneur and Unicorn. We know you’ll love this one, if you enjoy the episode all we ask is that you share it online so that we can help more people start and grow a business of their own. Enjoy!“You only fail if you give up. If you don’t give up and you learn from your mistakes, that’s a normal cycle of learning and it’s okay! Failure sounds like such a harsh word but I don’t see it that way. You only learn what you love to do by doing a lot of things that you don’t like doing.”
Topics
Reinventing yourselfFailureOvercoming fearWhen to quitHow to find balanceWorking with familyHow to find a co-founderNaming the book"Fuck the metaverse"Device AddictionSteve Jobs deleted Tony's numberDevice moderationDo you have any regrets?What do you want to learn?If you could interview anyone, who would it be?Get Tony’s Book ‘Build’:
https://tonyfadell.com/https://amzn.to/3sP4s8V
📚 FOR MORE HELP START HERE: https://purposefulproject.com
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Unicorn Podcast Trailer by Simon Squibb
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Chris Barton is a well-respected entrepreneur and one of the masterminds behind the music recognition app, Shazam. Shazam was created in London over 20years ago and caught the interest of Apple who went on to purchase the technology for a speculated $400 million in 2017. The app is now among the most popular apps on both iPhone and Android with over 1 billion downloads to date.
Chris’ career also includes companies such as Google where he worked for 8 years and Dropbox, where he held the position of head of mobile operators' business development. He has collected a wealth of knowledge and experience through his journey to make him a leading entrepreneur within the digital field and more specifically, mobile applications. He is now embarking on creating a new startup focused on machine learning and computer vision.
In today’s special episode of The Unicorn Podcast, Chris tells his story of building software that was so ahead of it’s time, as well as giving you all the highs and lows of his career, so you have the knowledge you need to replicate his success for yourself.
"Things take longer than you expect. You hit different hurdles and unknown things happen. Early revenue in your business is like oxygen. Make revenue for your business a priority from day one. If I had realised how important that was, even if it meant delaying my main vision, it would have been a better route to take."
Topics:
How Chris became an entrepreneur
Chris’ unconventional start-up approach
Shazam - How it went from an idea to a reality
Shazam - Finding an engineer to ‘invent’ the technology
Shazam - The four co-founders and their partnership dynamic
Shazam - Allocating job roles
Shazam - Raising funding
Persistence + Timing
Hiring CEO’s + getting out of your own way
Chris’ new company ‘Guard’
Apple’s acquisition of Shazam
What is it like after selling a company?
Why Guard?
One piece of advice to your younger self
Chris Barton:
https://chrisjbarton.com/
📚 FOR MORE HELP START HERE: https://purposefulproject.com
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John Roberts is the Founder and CEO of AO World, the online retailer specialising in household appliances and electricals. AO operates following John’s two personal mottos of ‘treat every customer like your gran’ and ‘make your mum proud’, which has allowed the company to attain more 5* reviews than any other electrical retailer.
John started AO in 2000 after a friend bet him £1 to set up a business. He had previously been working as a kitchen salesman, and the internet was just reaching mainstream utility, so he decided to set up a company that would sell appliances online. In 2014, Roberts led AO World’s listing on the London Stock Exchange, valued at the time at £1.2 billion.
John has also supported Bolton Lads and Girls Club for 25 years, he’s a chairman at OnSide Youth Zones and a councillor at OneYoungWorld. Each of these organisations supports young people and aligns with John’s mission to leave the world a better place. In this episode, John gives us an in-depth insight into his life and career, as well as what it takes to build a billion-dollar company.
“Be really clear about what it is that you’re going to do, and be awesome at it. Obsess about being awesome, and be clear on what problems you’re solving because If you’re going to be average at it… Well, there's a lot of average in the graveyard.”
Topics:
John’s early life
The importance of learning
Relationships and treating people fairly
The £1 bet
Why being interesting is everything
Taking AO public
The Metaverse/Web 3.0
John Roberts: https://twitter.com/johnrobertsaoAO: https://twitter.com/ao
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Anne Boden is the Founder and CEO of Starling Bank, a modern British bank that brings new technology to the forefront, delivering a more engaging experience for customers than traditional high-street banks. Since 2014, Anne’s vision has served more than 2.5 million customers as Starling continues to grow into one of the UK’s leading banks.
In January of 2014, Anne decided to quit her job to pursue her vision of creating a better bank, defying all stereotypes of women in their 50s with a corporate background. Starting a bank is one of the most challenging businesses to launch, and people thought she was crazy, but Anne was determined to make it work.
“I felt silly, I felt people would laugh at me for having this audacious goal. I didn’t just want to create a new bank, I wanted to create one that had the very best technology right from scratch, treated customers very fairly, with a new way of doing things and engaging with customers. Nobody believed me. Nobody thought it was possible.”
Topics:
Starling’s first steps
Raising money + building a team
Being a sole founder
Building the technology
‘Banking on it’ - Book
Securing the $48m investment
Crypto
What success looks like for Anne
Work/life balance
Are entrepreneurs born or bred?
Luck
Advice to her younger selfAnne:
https://www.instagram.com/anneboden/
https://twitter.com/anneboden
Anne's book:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/BANKING-How-I-Disrupted-Industry-ebook/dp/B084H6N2GS
Starling Bank:
https://www.starlingbank.com/
📚 FOR MORE HELP START HERE: https://purposefulproject.com
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In episode Adam Kamani is an award-winning property entrepreneur, start-up investor, mentor and CEO of Kamani Property Group, KM Capital and YourNxtDoor. He has just launched a next-gen property app called Move Streets.
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In Season 2, Episode 12, Simon talks to Tom. Tom Mercer is the Founder of MOMA Foods, a London oat brand. Frustrated with the lack of quality breakfast on the market Tom decided to leave his job in the City and do something about it. MOMA was a genuine grassroots start-up – the first kitchen was under a railway arch in South London and the first retail outlet was a stall (made from a converted filing cabinet) in Waterloo station. MOMA is now the go-to premium porridge brand in the UK, the #1 bircher muesli brand, and a fast-growing player in burgeoning oat milk market
Tom is from a farming family in Staffordshire, read Natural Sciences at Cambridge, and prior to MOMA worked as a management consultant for Bain & Co. In his personal life Tom is a proud husband and dad.
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