Have you ever found yourself drowning in fundraising legals and language? This is the interview you’ve been waiting for…

In this episode, we're joined by the brilliant Sam Simpson, Co-founder of FounderCatalyst, who's on a mission to simplify and accelerate the early-stage investment legal journey. Sam's not just talking the talk; he's walked the walk, having co-founded and exited several tech start-ups, including the 17th fastest growing company in Europe in 2017. Oh, and did we mention he took that company from £0 to £27m in less than 4 years?

But Sam's not just a founder; he's also an active angel investor with 32 investments under his belt in just 6 years. Plus, he's a sought-after board advisor. In other words, when it comes to navigating the minefield of fundraising and investment, Sam’s who you want to learn from.

In this episode we discuss:

• Simplifying the early-stage investment legal journey
• Insider tips on SEIS/EIS and equity investment
• Strategies for finding the right investors for your startup
• Lessons learned from co-founding and exiting successful tech start-ups
• How to think about valuing your early stage startup
• What Sam looks for as an angel and what really puts him off even a seemingly “great” deal

So, whether you're a first-time founder trying to wrap your head around the legal jargon or a seasoned entrepreneur looking to optimise your fundraising game, this episode is packed with actionable advice and hard-won wisdom. Don't miss out on this incredible opportunity to learn from one of the people I trust most in this ecosystem!

Links:

1. All about valuation: https://www.foundercatalyst.com/blog/all-about-funding-round-valuation-2
2. Toxic Term sheets: https://www.foundercatalyst.com/blog/avoiding-toxic-term-sheets-everything-you-ever-wanted-to-ask-answered
3. Understanding how an angel thinks: https://www.foundercatalyst.com/blog/understanding-how-angel-investors-think-2
4. The end of an angel investment: https://www.foundercatalyst.com/blog/the-end-of-an-angel-investment-from-the-magic-to-tragic-2
5. Founder Catalyst: https://www.foundercatalyst.com/company
6. Sam’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samsimpson1/?originalSubdomain=uk

🚀 What’s it like to go Corporate Employee> Founder > Founder > Corporate Employee? At Not My First Guess we love a squiggly career path! 🏁

That’s why we’re so excited to have serial founder, and once again corporate employee, Adam Goodall share his journey and lessons learned, from taking the first leap into full-time entrepreneurship, to deciding when to sell, to why he's enjoying being back in someone else's company. 🌐💡

Adam is a serial founder with two startups under his belt - ProConfirm and Coconut. With a background in accounting at PwC, Adam has focused on innovating in spaces that may not seem “sexy” but have huge potential for growth.

Adam first co-founded a startup with his room mate Samuel O'Connor (who he would also co-found Coconut with too), when their work at PwC led them to spot an opportunity to digitise the manual process of verifying client finances.

They originally built ProConfirm as a side hustle while working corporate jobs but one of Adam’s biggest lessons was when to take the leap to full time. They soon gained traction, leading to acquisition interest from a major U.S. player. Post-acquisition, Adam discovered his love for product management, setting him on the path to their next venture, Coconut, on a mission to simplify tax and accounting software for sole traders, landlords & their accountants.

Since selling Coconut, Adam has now returned to employee life at Funding Circle and is brilliantly honest about what it was like to try to get a job as a serial founder (the hard and easy bits).

🧠 Together we’ll explore:

- How to find great ideas, when you are and aren’t looking for them

- Adam’s hard won lessons on fundraising for Coconut, even as a second time founder with an exit under his belt

- How to know when an acquisition offer is right for you

- Advice on validating your idea before building the right product: what an MVP should and shouldn’t be

- And how we build a robust identity as founders so we can fully embrace a squiggly career path

Don't miss it! #Entrepreneurship #StartupLife #FounderStories #fintech #startups #innovation #podcast

Links:

• Coconut: https://www.getcoconut.com/

• Adam’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamjgoodall/?originalSubdomain=uk

Are you worried you’re not using enough AI as a founder? I promise you’re not alone. In fact, after interviewing our incredible guest today, I went away and automated a LOAD of my own processes - sometimes you just need to understand the art of the possible!

This episode is a GREAT start - we’re joined by AI advocate Cien Solon, who is on a mission to make “AI for All” with her latest startups Launch Lemonade and Scale that Thing! Cien is a Product-Led Growth expert, a start-up consultant and a constant builder. She is also a Techstars mentor and part of the Angel Investing School team.

She has developed a portfolio of products from fintech, to AI tools to B2B SaaS and had a previous career in Marketing giving her an amazing view of the full journey.

Today, with Launch Lemonade, she allows anyone to build AI chat bots to help with very specific tasks - from a sales chatbot to speak with customers, to creating marketing copy, writing reports, the possibilities are mostly bound by our own creativity; that’s why her consultancy startup Scale that thing helps businesses build their AI and Product-led Growth strategies and implement them.

So in this episode, as well as product building insights and advice from an incredible expert, expect plenty of inspiration on how you can implement AI in your own business!

Links:

Cien’s Website:

• https://ciensolon.com/

Launch Lemonade App:

• https://launchlemonade.app/

Scale That Thing Website:

• https://www.scalethatthing.com/

As well as being “Business Barbie” to her followers on instagram, Rachel Harris, is an award-winning content creator, author, speaker, business owner, and most importantly, an accountant extraordinaire. Named as one to watch on the 35 under 35 list and recently crowned as the First Intuition Apprenticeship Mentor of the Year for 2023, Rachel is a true breakout star in the accounting world.

Rachel's passion for empowering accountants and small business owners shines through in her remarkable journey. From building the thriving Accountant She community of over 25,000 people to becoming the youngest-ever director and trustee of AAT, Rachel has been a trailblazer at every step. She’s also making an impact, including with her innovative corporate bursary scheme, launched in January 2023, fully funds aspiring accountants in financial hardship, providing them with the mentoring and support they need to succeed.

In this episode, we dive deep into Rachel's entrepreneurial journey and the invaluable lessons she's learned along the way. We'll explore:

• The power of community-building and creating the support system you wish you had
• What founders do and don’t need to worry about when it comes to accounts
• The most efficient way to pay yourself as a founder
• The importance of setting an “internal charge out rate” to value your own time both in the company and out of it
• Approaches to valuing your company, and what Rachel looks for as an Angel Investor, and trains clients to prepare for in her mock “Dragons Den” investment readiness sessions

Links:

Rachel’s business StriveX:

• https://strivex.co.uk/

Accountant_She Website:

• https://www.accountantshe.co.uk/

Rachel’s Instagram:

• https://www.instagram.com/accountant_she/?hl=en

Ever wonder what it takes to transform from a passionate leader into a successful startup founder? In this episode, we'll uncover the secrets to building an innovative, AI-powered solution that's revolutionising the way managers drive team performance.

Joining us today is Sarah Touzani, the brilliant mind behind Waggle, an AI co-pilot empowering managers with the tools and insights to excel. Building on Sarah’s 15+ years experience in finance and tech, Waggle has already caught the attention of major players like Techstars and JP Morgan. Backed by a talented, diverse team, Sarah has navigated the challenges of fundraising, fostering culture, and forging strategic partnerships to position Waggle for exciting growth across the US and Europe.

In this candid, we'll dive into:

• Key lessons learned in the leap from leader to founder
• Strategies for assembling a powerhouse team and aligning them around your "why"
• Tips for securing funding and leveraging accelerators to catalyse growth
• Sarah’s approach to product development that attracts an eager customer base
• How Sarah maintained the vision while keeping operations running smoothly
• Advice Sarah wishes she had when first starting out

Links:

• Founder Catalyst: https://www.foundercatalyst.com/
• Waggle: https://www.usewaggle.ai/

Joining us in this episode is Charlie Rosier, a seasoned entrepreneur and fourth-time founder. Her latest venture, Babbu, disrupts the early childhood education space with an innovative online platform tailored for children aged 0-5. Driven by personal experience and insights gained during lockdown conversations with fellow parents, Charlie recognized the overwhelming pressure parents face—spending 37 hours weekly on childcare concerns alone. Determined to alleviate this stress, she birthed Babbu. Rooted in science but crafted by parents, Babbu reimagines the parenting journey, providing a supportive community and expert advice to empower parents in nurturing their children.

This episode we discuss:

• Lessons learned as a serial founder
• Grief that comes with failed businesses
• Why we have to value our time differently as founders
• Lessons in linkedin marketing
• Fundraising - what Charlie knows now but didn’t know when she started
• Balancing being a mother with being a startup founder and the guilt that comes with it

Links to Babbu’s website:

• https://babbu.co.uk/

This episode we are joined by Simi Lindgren Founder of Yuty.

Some of you may recognise Simi from our special episode on fundraising as an underrepresented founder, where she was joined by two other incredible guests. But we wanted to take the time to dive deeper into Simi’s story and insights building an AI startup.

Simi initially went to med school thinking that she would become a doctor. However, she soon realised that she wasn’t there for the right reasons. This led her to dropping out of her degree and getting an internship at a magazine working in beauty, and ultimately leading her to following her own passions. Simi then built up her experience in the beauty industry, working in marketing communications where she matched brands and PRs with media celebrities and influencers. Having progressed really well, in 2020 she decided that it was time to do something herself, which led to the launch of Yuty.

Founded in 2020, Yuty is a venture capital backed technology company that uses AI to redefine hyper-personalisation, transforming the way brands can engage with their customers. The app provides data backed product recommendations delivered through a quiz, in order to help all customers, regardless of race, gender or ability, to find the product that is right for them. Having had personal experiences of not feeling seen or understood, and not being able to find the right products, Simi wanted to create something that was accessible for all, and after teaching herself to code, Yuty was formed.

This episode we discuss:

• Choosing a path for the wrong reasons and going off the “beaten path” despite pressure internally and from the family
• Why she went down the VC route with Yuty
• Choosing an Investor Partner and how to manage them
• The importance of constantly asking questions
• Assumptions and why being curious is the ultimate founder trait

Plus much much more!

Links:

Yuty website: https://www.yuty.me/

This episode we are joined by Kate Berski, Co-Founder of Curlsmith, a high performance, inclusive haircare brand which she started with her husband in 2018. It soon became one of the fastest growing textured hair brands and would go on to retail at Ulta Beauty, Target, Boots and many more.

The idea for Curlsmith was formed out of a family struggle to find suitable haircare products for Kate’s nieces’ curly hair. Kate and her husband Michal soon realised that there was a gap in the market with lots of people unable to find appropriate products for their hair. Using her experience in advertising and brand consulting, combined with Michal’s experience working for some major beauty companies, they soon developed a community around an Instagram page that they launched, which shared advice, recipes and tips for people with curly hair, before they began the process of making their own product.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The haircare industry and how Curlsmith was brought to life
• The journey (and cost) of developing a product
• The pros and cons of staying lean as long as possible
• Digital vs retail channels
• Going down the VC route and how that helped grow the business
• The toll a startup has on your mental health
• Having a kid whilst running a business, and realising there’s more to life than work
• What it’s like to sell your company
• How entrepreneurship compares to becoming an author

And much much more…

Links:

• Kate’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kate.berski/
• Curlsmith website: https://uk.curlsmith.com/