Entrepreneur United Kingdom - October 2025

BOLD FOR THE BOLD

DOWNLOAD YOUR DIGITAL EDITION HERE

→ Kath Easthope, CEO and co-founder

48

FEATURES EDITOR Patricia Cullen patricia.cullen@bncb2b.com

CEO Wissam Younane wissam@bncpublishing.net

MANAGING DIRECTOR Rabih Najm rabih@bncpublishing.net

ART DIRECTOR Simona El Khoury

EDITORIAL TEAM Tamara Pupic, Aalia Mehreen Ahmed

MEDIA SALES MANAGER Olha Kovalova olha.kovalova@bncb2b.com

GENERAL MANAGER Daniel Malins daniel@bncb2b.com

REGIONAL DIRECTOR Andy B

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Pip Wilkins, Sarah Bird, Karolina Löfqvist, Ella Davidson, Mikael Landau and Kevin Gaskell

STARTUP SPOTLIGHT

SUBSCRIBE

Contact subscriptions@bncb2b.com to receive Entrepreneur United Kingdom every issue. COMMERCIAL ENQUIRIES sales@bncb2b.com

Access fresh content daily on our website

Editor’s

/ INNOVATION, INSIGHT, INSPIRATION, IMPACT

Entrepreneur United Kingdom

October’s cover feature dives into the world of blockchain with one of the most influential voices: Alex Reinhardt - serial entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and founder of UChain. In an exclusive interview with Entrepreneur UK, Reinhardt shares his vision for a more practical and inclusive blockchain future. He reflects on how the UK compares to other global markets, where the industry is heading, and offers five powerful pieces of advice for UK entrepreneurs looking to navigate the next digital wave.

Entrepreneur UK celebrates entrepreneurship across generations. In this issue, we explore the unique journeys of entrepreneurs at every stage of life. Whatever your age, there’s inspiration here for you. Step forward Dr. Isabella Moore, the first female president of both the Coventry and Warwickshire and British

Chambers of Commerce, who is now launching the Later Creator programme to help those over 50 turn experience into business success. On the younger side, we speak with 33-year-old Cédric Garnier-Landurie, CEO of Cordiant Capital, showcasing the fresh ideas youth bring to entrepreneurship.

Another exciting highlight is our exclusive interview with Chema Basterrechea, Global President and COO of Radisson Hotel Group, who shares valuable leadership lessons from the hospitality industry. Plus, while bitcoin and charity might seem like unlikely partners, our conversation with Ismael Dainehine, CEO of charitytech start-ups GiveMatch and EverGive, proves otherwise. We also look to the stars with Mark Boggett, CEO of Seraphim Space, who reveals how the UK can play a defining role in shaping the future of space technology.

Closer to home, Karolina Löfqvist, CEO and cofounder of London-based women’s health company Hormona, takes us inside the UK’s £1.7bn perimenopause problem. Meanwhile, Adam French, Partner at Antler UK, the most active early-stage VC firm in Europe, outlines the critical factors that can help founders secure the backing they need to grow their businesses. And there’s plenty more inside, including guidance on building your authority as a CEO and a timely exploration of the legal case for AuDHD awareness in business. From practical guidance to visionary thinking, this issue offers something for everyone.

Enjoy the read!

Patricia Cullen Features Editor, Entrepreneur United Kingdom

In the Loop /

Never Too Late to Innovate

Dr. Isabella Moore is proving that age is no barrier to entrepreneurial success. With a legacy spanning from founding a translation company to challenging ageist stereotypes, she’s now launching the Later Creator program - empowering those over 50 to turn life experience into business brilliance. by

PATRICIA CULLEN

At 77, Dr. Isabella Moore is proving that it’s never too late to become an entrepreneur. Far from slowing down, the grandmother, who made waves in the business world decades ago, is preparing to launch an e-learning initiative that could change the way older people view entrepreneurship. Her Later Creator programme is designed to break down the barriers that prevent older individuals from starting their own businesses.

But Dr. Moore’s journey is far from ordinary. From founding and selling Comtec Translations, to becoming the first female president of both the Coventry and Warwickshire and British Chambers of Commerce, her career spans decades of trailblazing leadership. As a former CEO of The

National Centre for Languages and Vice President of Eurochambres, she has broken countless glass ceilings. But it was a phone call in her 60s, when she bought back the company she had sold years earlier, that set her on a new path as a champion for older entrepreneurs. “I just thought, why not? Why not buy the business back?” Moore recalled. “My daughter, Sophie, was working in London at the time, and I picked up the phone and said, ‘Sophie, how about it? Fancy buying the business back?’ It was just one of those moments, and she said, ‘Yes.’” They went on to raise the capital and purchased the company for much less than they had sold it for years earlier. But her entrepreneurial journey wasn’t without its personal hurdles. As Moore dealt with an aging mother and the retirement of her husband, she began

to contemplate the broader challenges faced by older individuals wanting to pivot their careers. It was this personal reflection that led her to pursue a PhD, exploring why more people over 50 weren’t taking the leap into entrepreneurship.

“My research showed that older people have unique challenges when it

“ }}

THE BIGGEST HURDLE IS CONFIDENCE. PEOPLE THINK IT’S A GREAT IDEA, BUT THEY BELIEVE IT’S NOT FOR THEM. THEY THINK THEY’RE TOO OLD OR THEIR SKILLS AREN’T TRANSFERABLE. BUT THAT’S SIMPLY NOT THE CASE”

In the Loop /

OLDER ENTREPRENEURS FACE A LOT OF STEREOTYPES, BUT IN REALITY, OLDER PEOPLE HAVE A WEALTH OF EXPERIENCE THAT CAN BE AN ASSET. AGE CAPITAL, AS I CALL IT, IS A REAL THING”

comes to entrepreneurship,” Moore explained. “It’s not just about needing more money. It’s about the motivation to do something you’re passionate about, to make a difference. And yet, there’s this stereotype that once you hit a certain age, you’re either supposed to be taking it easy or caring for grandchildren. It’s simply not true.” It was this revelation that inspired Moore to launch the Later Creator program, aimed at empowering individuals in later life to unlock their entrepreneurial potential. Drawing on her years of experience, Moore, along with her daughter, designed an e-learning programme that challenges the assumptions

around age and business. However, the Later Creator isn’t just an e-learning programme - it actually began as a classroombased course before being adapted into an online format.

Unlike many traditional business programmes, Later Creator isn’t focused on the hard skills of business planning, marketing, or finance. Instead, it begins by tackling the emotional and psychological barriers that often hold older individuals back.

“The biggest hurdle is confidence,” Moore said. “People think it’s a great idea, but they believe it’s not for them. They think they’re too old or their skills aren’t transferable. But that’s simply not the case.”

Moore wants to shift the mindset that entrepreneurship is only for the young. The programme is structured in three levels: Discover, Accelerate, and Advance. Each level begins by helping participants overcome common barriers, such as selfdoubt, a lack of confidence, and the belief that age is a disadvantage. Instead, the programme encourages participants to see age as a valuable asset. As they move forward, the focus shifts to real-world application, offering practical strategies and support to help develop their ideas.

The Discover level introduces the core foundations, while the Accelerate level offers deeper engagement through extended time with an Enterprise Guide (mentor) and access to the Entrepreneur Skills Index app, a risk-free business simulation. The final level, Advance, can be delivered in traditional classroom settings in collaboration with partner organisations, with online cohorts currently in development. Moore’s PhD research revealed that the most significant barrier to entrepreneurship for older people is the perception that they can’t compete with younger, more dynamic businesspeople. “Older

I believe policy must evolve to support older people in business. We’re living longer, and we have a lot to offer. But the current business support landscape is not set up for older people who want to start a business”

entrepreneurs face a lot of stereotypes, but in reality, older people have a wealth of experience that can be an asset. Age capital, as I call it, is a real thing.” The Later Creator programme encourages individuals to look at their lifetime experiences as valuable resources. “It’s about creatively assessing the skills you’ve developed over the years,” Moore said. “For example, I worked with one woman who had been a senior project manager in the NHS. She wanted to start an arts and crafts shop, but what really stood out was her project management expertise. She had the skills to run an event planning businessher NHS experience was gold.” Age Capital and Later Creator are both registered trademarks.

One of the key components of the programme is confidencebuilding. Moore observed that older entrepreneurs often struggle with the emotional aspects of starting a business, such as overcoming self-doubt and battling imposter syndrome. Many, she believes, need to feel supported before they can even think about setting up a business plan. “Older people are more likely to seek help than younger entrepreneurs, and that’s why the Later Creator

programme includes oneon-one guidance,” Moore said. “It’s about helping people build the selfassurance they need to move forward.”

But Moore’s ambitions extend far beyond individual coaching. She envisions a future where the government and financial institutions recognise the untapped potential of older entrepreneurs. “I believe policy must evolve to support older people in business. We’re living longer, and we have a lot to offer. But the current business support landscape is not set up for older people who want to start a business,” she argued. Her vision includes offering tax breaks for those over 50 starting a business, as well as fostering a more supportive environment where older entrepreneurs feel valued. Moore also believes that financial institutions, such as banks, should recognise the wealth of experience older people bring to the table when they apply for loans. "Banks need to adopt a more creative approach," she said. "Older entrepreneurs have assets - like their skills and experience - that should be valued in the same way as traditional collateral."

Moore’s advocacy for older entrepreneurs is not

just a personal mission; it’s a societal necessity. She points out that nearly 2m people over 50 are currently on welfare benefits in the UK, with a significant number suffering from mental health issues. According to Moore, entrepreneurship could be the key to improving both their financial situation and their mental wellbeing.

“Starting a business later in life isn’t just about financial independence; it’s about mental health and wellbeing. Feeling relevant, feeling excited about the future - those things have a huge impact,” she said.

“One man I spoke with, for example, had concerns about dementia running in his family, and he wanted to keep his cognitive abilities sharp. Entrepreneurship provided a way to keep his mind active and engaged.”

The Later Creator programme is also working to offer financial support for those who may not be able to afford the course fee.

Through Moore’s social enterprise, the Olderpreneur Alliance, she hopes to raise funds to help older individuals on benefits access the course. The goal is to bridge the gap between financial need and entrepreneurial ambition. Looking ahead, Moore

sees a future where entrepreneurship in later life is not seen as exceptional but as a mainstream option for those seeking to make a change. “In five years, I want to see more older entrepreneurs. I want it to be common knowledge that entrepreneurship is for everyone - no matter your age,” Moore said. “Older people can contribute massively to the economy, but we need a shift in thinking, both from society and from the government.”

Through her work, Moore hopes to not only challenge the ageist attitudes that persist in the business world but also to empower individuals to take control of their future, regardless of age. “If you’ve worked hard all your life, there’s no reason why you can’t set up your own business,” she said. “It’s never too late.”

Dr. Isabella Moore’s Later Creator programme offers a powerful invitation to reimagine the potential of later life. Rather than slowing down, Moore’s vision seeks to ignite and accelerate the entrepreneurial spirit, showing that it's never too late to build something new. After all, the only thing that gets old is the outdated belief that age can limit ambition.

In the Loop /

Grey Matters

Why your business should welcome the silver intern

Imagine this: your 20-year-old niece is starting an internship as part of her sandwich degree course - just as your 51-year-old sister starts her own internship at a local law firm. Absurd? Or the future of recruitment, where midlifers’ experience can be employed while meeting the growing demand for flexible, skilled talent.

View any social media platform these days and you’ll find a wealth of commentary on the perils of job-seeking in midlife. From senior executives being “let go” in favour of more junior (read: cheaper) staff to their roles being outsourced to low-cost countries, many midlifers are finding that the “older and wiser” label is not necessarily garnering the

opportunities that it may have done in the past.

Even the World Health Organization has admitted ageism is a global challenge with its report declaring that every second person in the world is believed to hold ageist attitudes. Isn’t it ironic that experience can be considered irrelevant when you have so much of it later in life and yet its absence is a barrier to the newly educated struggling to get started?

Just because your hair may begin to turn grey as the pigment melanin fades, it doesn’t follow that the rest of you is disintegrating. Indeed, midlife job-seeking may be less about serendipity or planning and more a matter of perspective. As a coach for an employability course I see

first-hand how midlifers are struggling with confidence that hampers job-seeking efforts - and how changing the story they tell themselves can lead to career reinvention.

Realising the rewards of silver interns

Midlifers have long ago embraced reliability, stickability and empathy - and in a world of artificial intelligence (AI) we all need to exploit these human capabilities. What if midlife candidates could take advantage of “silver internships” to share these hard-won qualities and improve their own health? There are rich rewards, to individuals, to business and to the economy from embracing midlife skills:

} Benefits to individuals: Midlife candidates have so much valuable experience to bring to other generations. In research undertaken by the hotel and resort chain Hilton, 60% of over 50s said they can learn from working with those younger than themselves. And it works both ways: more than three quarters (77%) of Gen-Z respondents said they can learn from older colleagues, with leadership (44%) and problem solving (40%), communication (39%) and organisational skills (39%) being areas most cited where over-50s excel.

} Benefits to business: Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) can lead to greater creativity, innovation and profitability. According to Forbes, firms that display culturally and ethnically

diverse executive teams are 33% more likely to lead their industries in profitability. When people feel welcomed for who they are, they perform at a higher level, enabling the business to attract the best people.

} Benefits to the economy: By continuing to engage in the world of work, silver interns contribute to society in more ways than one. A survey from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that found that people in their 70s in 2022 had the same cognitive and physical function as people in their 50s in 2000 and their physical health was the same as 56-year-olds 25 years ago based on grip strength and lung functionality tests. Since they are sharper and stronger than they were a quarter of a century ago, midlife jobseekers could work far longer. Instead of worrying about the grey hairs, let’s put that grey matter to good use and not only refresh recruitment models, but also reinvent midlife careers with storytelling.

Sarah Bird is a professional business writer and editor with more than 30 years of experience working with large corporate organisations. She is the writer and coach for two training programmes for post-education jobseekers and students in education. Her book: “Nail Your Narrative” reveals how to embrace storytelling to unlock your full potential in midlife.

11th June 2026, QEII Centre, London, UK

Grow Your Global Business Network

Build your global business network at Global Britain Trade Expo 2026. Now in its seventh year, GBTE continues to promote the UK as a global trade and business destination and welcomes delegates from 36 countries. The event is designed for those businesses looking grow internationally, be it setting up overseas, sourcing new suppliers or exporting to new markets.

1200+ Delegates 11th June 2026

In the Loop /

The New Age of Leadership

At 33, a new generation of leaders are making their mark across industries, showing that innovation, adaptability, and a global perspective can create a lasting impact long before middle age.

by PATRICIA CULLEN

and

Business has long been the preserve of those with decades of experience, where age and seniority were the hallmarks of leadership. But a new generation of entrepreneurs is upending that tradition. In today’s fast-paced, interconnected world, vision, adaptability, and global perspective are just as crucial as experience - and increasingly, it’s younger leaders who are driving innovation and reshaping entire industries before reaching 40.

Consider Sir James Dyson. By the time he was 33, Dyson had already developed his groundbreaking bagless vacuum cleaner, which went on to revolutionise the home appliance industry. His innovation, backed by years of relentless trial and error, led to the creation of Dyson Ltd, a company that would later expand into hand dryers, air purifiers, and even electric cars. Ben Francis, the founder of Gymshark, is another standout. He started the fitness apparel brand at just 19, growing it from his bedroom. By the age of 28, Gymshark had achieved a valuation of over £1bn, making him one of the youngest self-made billionaires in the UK. Francis

has continued to lead the company through rapid global growth, solidifying Gymshark as one of the top fitness brands worldwide. While Victoria Beckham officially launched her fashion line in 2008 at the age of 34, her rise in the fashion industry began earlier, with her transition from pop star to style icon. By 33, she was already making a name for herself in the fashion world, and her eponymous brand would go on to become a global success. Beckham has since expanded her business ventures into beauty and fragrance, securing her place as a major figure in the fashion industry. Finally, Richard Branson had already founded Virgin Records by the time he was 30, and by 33, he had launched Virgin Atlantic, fundamentally changing the UK’s airline industry. Branson’s entrepreneurial spirit and willingness to take risks saw Virgin expand into numerous industries, from travel to telecommunications, making him one of the most

“IT’S NO LONGER PURELY ABOUT TENURE OR DECADES SPENT IN THE SAME SEAT. THE INDUSTRY IS RECOGNISING THAT ADAPTABILITY, CURIOSITY, AND A GENUINELY GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE ARE JUST AS CRITICAL AS EXPERIENCE”

Recognised business figures in the world.

In the financial world, Cédric Garnier-Landurie, co-managing Partner and CEO of Cordiant Capital, a specialist global infrastructure and real assets investment manager, is another example of a leader who broke the mould at a young age. At just 33, Garnier-Landurie is steering one of the most significant asset management firms in the infrastructure sector, with over $3bn in assets under management. His career trajectory is emblematic of a new approach to leadership in the financial sector, where adaptability, innovation, and a global perspective are increasingly recognised as equally important as traditional experience.

His rise to the top at such a young age speaks to a larger trend in which the business world is embracing fresh, dynamic leadership from younger generations - individuals who are increasingly seen as capable of managing and driving multi-

In the Loop /

billion-pound enterprises. This shift is happening across industries, from technology to infrastructure, as young leaders are demonstrating that their agility, innovative thinking, and global outlook are key to navigating the challenges of a rapidly changing world.

A New Kind of Leadership

At the helm of Cordiant Capital, Garnier-Landurie has been entrusted with overseeing billions of pounds in capital. For many, the idea of a 33-year-old leading such a significant operation might seem improbable, but Garnier-Landurie is quick to challenge that notion. “I think it reflects a broader shift in how leadership is defined in finance,” he says. “It’s no longer purely about tenure or decades spent in the same seat. The industry is recognising that adaptability, curiosity, and a genuinely global perspective are just as critical as experience.”

In an industry that has traditionally

placed a premium on experience, Garnier-Landurie’s rise signals a shift in how leaders are evaluated. The world is moving faster than ever before, and the challenges businesses face require more than just technical knowledge. They require vision, the ability to anticipate change, and an understanding of how interconnected the world has become. “The pace of change in infrastructure and real assets is extraordinary,” he notes, listing climate change, supply chain disruptions, and technological advancements as the driving forces behind this transformation. “Leaders today need the ability to anticipate those shifts early, connect the dots across regions and sectors, and mobilise teams to act decisively.”

This mindset - one that combines adaptability with global experiencehas shaped Garnier-Landurie’s career. Having worked across North America, Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and Europe, he brings a comprehensive,

“WE’VE SEEN IT IN THE TECH WORLD, WHERE YOUNG LEADERS ARE ENTRUSTED WITH MULTI-BILLION-DOLLAR COMPANIES DRIVING GLOBAL INNOVATION; THERE’S NO REASON INVESTING SHOULD BE DIFFERENT”

cross-border perspective to his leadership role. His experiences have shown him that success in today’s business world requires a willingness to embrace change, rather than simply relying on traditional formulas of experience. “We’ve seen it in the tech world, where young leaders are entrusted with multi-billion-dollar companies driving global innovation; there’s no reason investing should be different,” he explains, drawing a parallel to the tech industry’s embrace of young, innovative leaders.

Balancing Legacy and Innovation

One of the core challenges for any business leader is balancing the weight of legacy with the need for innovation. In Garnier-Landurie’s case, he is not only managing a company with a rich history but also charting a course for its future. Yet, for him, tradition and progress aren’t mutually exclusive - they work in tandem. “I see legacy and

innovation not as opposing forces, but as complementary,” Garnier-Landurie says. “A strong legacy provides the foundation of trust, discipline, and credibilityqualities that are indispensable when you’re stewarding capital. Innovation, meanwhile, is what ensures that foundation remains relevant in a world that refuses to stand still.”

At Cordiant, this balance is critical. The firm’s legacy of creating value beyond just financial engineering forms the bedrock of its approach, which prioritises long-term value creation through an “operating-first” mentality. This approach focuses on building businesses - not just balance sheets - and has allowed Cordiant to remain both bold and responsible in its investment strategies.

But as the world changes, so too must business practices. From demographic shifts and the rise of the digital economy to the urgency of achieving net-zero emissions, the environment in which companies operate is in constant flux. “How do you preserve and grow investor capital in an environment that is shifting so quickly?” Garnier-Landurie asks, acknowledging the complexity of this challenge. For him, the answer lies in evolving the legacy of the firm to meet the needs of a rapidly changing world.

The Generational Perspective

When asked about the unique perspective his generation brings to infrastructure and real assets, Garnier-Landurie is

clear: unlike previous generations, his sees infrastructure as more than just ‘concrete and steel.’It’s about understanding how physical assets - whether they are roads, ports, or energy grids - interact with the digital world. “We see it as part of a living, interconnected ecosystem: dynamic systems where technology is embedded at the core of how assets are designed, operated, and scaled,” he explains. For his generation, the physical and digital are inseparable. Today’s infrastructure is not just about building roads or bridges; it’s about creating integrated systems where technology enhances the function, sustainability, and efficiency of these assets. This shift is evident in the way Cordiant is investing. For example, the firm is not just focusing on traditional ‘core’ assets like toll roads or bridges, but also on emerging opportunities in sectors like sustainable agriculture and renewable energy. This focus on ‘value-add’ infrastructurewhere expanding the asset and revenue bases is central to the investment thesisaligns with a broader trend in which young investors are looking to shape the future, not just preserve the past.

“For us, infrastructure today is both physical and technological,” GarnierLandurie says, citing examples like precision farming, renewable-powered ports, and cybersecurity-enhanced fibre networks. These investments represent a shift in the way infrastructure is built, where the integration of technology is

no longer an afterthought but a core component of the design. Beyond the integration of technology, Garnier-Landurie’s generation is also deeply attuned to the need for resilience in the face of climate change, cyber threats, and geopolitical instability. Whether it’s enhancing the resilience of agricultural systems, strengthening digital infrastructure against cyber attacks, or ensuring the sustainability of energy grids, this focus on resilience is increasingly seen as both a societal imperative and a critical investment consideration.

Looking ahead

Leadership isn’t defined by age; it’s a collective effort,

never a solo act. “Age is not a substitute for perspective, and the key is surrounding yourself with strong people of all generations and experiences. True leadership is about harnessing that diversity of thought to drive long-term value.” And perhaps most importantly, Garnier-Landurie’s generation came of age during a time when peace and collaboration were often seen as the norm - something that is now being tested. “It’s a reminder that the “peace dividend” is not automatic; it must be earned and safeguarded every day. That mindset of global collaboration, even under pressure, is something we carry into the way we invest and build platforms at Cordiant.”

“AGE IS NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR PERSPECTIVE, AND THE KEY IS SURROUNDING YOURSELF WITH STRONG PEOPLE OF ALL GENERATIONS AND EXPERIENCES. TRUE LEADERSHIP IS ABOUT HARNESSING THAT DIVERSITY OF THOUGHT TO DRIVE LONG-TERM VALUE”

In

the Loop /

Scaling Up, Staying Home

by PATRICIA CULLEN

From London to the broader European stage, Kath Easthope, CEO and cofounder of Boardwave - a European community for software founders and CEOs offering mentorship, peer networks, and practical resources - is on a mission to change the game for UK tech leaders. Boardwave demonstrates that ambitious software companies don’t have to sell early to succeed globally - they can grow from home, faster, smarter, and with confidence.

Following the Boardwave Live 2025 Beyond Disruption: Shape the Future event on 24 September, Entrepreneur UK sits down with Easthope to explore her vision.

For those who aren’t familiar - what is Boardwave, and how is it supporting the next generation of UK software leaders?

Boardwave is a European community of software leaders, bringing together more than 2,400 founders, CEOs, and senior executives across SaaS, AI, and software. Our mission is simple: to help Europe’s next generation of software leaders scale faster, smarter, and with greater confidence. We connect and support founders with seasoned operators and peers who have already navigated the journey from start-up to global scale. Each of our members bring something different to the network whether that’s knowledge and advice, mentoring and even connections to capital. The ‘no-ego’ ethos of the community is incredible to watch in action, and the generous spirit of our members, alongside the vast programme we’ve built, helps to create growth and scaling opportunities flow more freely for businesses across Europe.

Boardwave is a social enterprise focused on

community and the mission, over profit. Membership is completely free for approved software

TOO OFTEN, FOUNDERS AND CEOS FEEL THEIR ONLY ROUTE TO GLOBAL GROWTH IS TO SELL EARLY TO A US BUYER. BOARDWAVE EXISTS TO CHANGE

CEOs and founders, funded by more than 80 blue-chip partners who share the costs and support our vision.

How is the company actively helping UK software founders build confidence and capabilities to scale here, rather than looking to exit abroad?

Too often, founders and CEOs feel their only route to global growth is to sell early to a US buyer. Boardwave exists to change that mindset. We provide European leaders with access to mentorship, strategic guidance, and crossborder connections so they can build confidence in scaling independently from UK and European soil. For example, our peer-topeer mentoring

platform connects emerging founders with leaders who have taken companies through IPOs or billion-dollar exits.

We also run regular Boardwave Breakout groups designed to create small groups of like minded CEOs, and Founders, who we take on a 12 month development journey, with access to some of the world’s leading technology professionals. Members are also invited to take part in our Boardwave Masterclasses, currently a seven part series including topics from ‘scaling sales and optimising your exit’ to ‘practical AI’ and ‘product strategy’. The sessions deliver strategic insights and actionable guidance, as well as

downloadable tools and templates, and are created from the ground up by founders and CEOs with relevant lived experience. By demystifying the challenges of scaling and providing tangible playbooks, we’re helping founders see that it is possible to build enduring, globally competitive businesses here. We know that there is a high likelihood that the challenge our early stage founders are facing today, is one that a more experienced CEO or founder of an established company will have faced in the past.

What do you see as the biggest structural barriers stopping UK-born tech companies from becoming

In the Loop /

WITH THE RIGHT SUPPORT SYSTEM, THE EMERGING COMPANIES, AND THOSE WITH ENORMOUS INTERNATIONAL POTENTIAL, CAN HAVE THE CONFIDENCE TO SEE THEMSELVES NOT AS ACQUISITION TARGETS, BUT AS GLOBAL COMPETITORS” “

global leaders from home soil? Our recent joint research with McKinsey found that Europe’s software sector consistently underperforms on growth compared to the US. For example, ARR growth here is just 55% of the US benchmark. For UK and European founders, several structural barriers stand in the way. Access to later-stage growth capital is still limited, making it harder to fund aggressive international expansion. The market itself is fragmented, with complex regulations slowing the pace of scale compared to the more unified US landscape. And finally, many founders simply don’t have access to experienced operators who have already built and scaled large software businesses, leaving them without the guidance needed to break through these barriers. These barriers combine to create what we call “growth bottlenecks”,even with brilliant products, UK companies too often stall before they can become global champions.

Many founders still feel that scaling in the UK means eventually selling to a US buyer - how can we shift that mindset?

We need to prove, through lived examples, that global category leaders can be grown and built here. That means celebrating the success stories, but also providing the infrastructure and support that makes independent scaling viable. At our annual conference Boardwave Live, Dame Julia Hoggett, CEO of the London Stock Exchange (LSE), spoke at a pre-event dinner with some of our members. She talked at length about the need to reignite Britain’s passion for investing, her vision to modernise and open up the UK’s markets and pointed to capital and culture as the country’s untapped strengths. We share the belief in the software sector that if we “invest in ourselves,” the UK could look radically different in just five years.

At Boardwave, we champion the founders who have resisted early

exits and gone on to build enduring, globally-leading companies. With the right support system, the emerging companies, and those with enormous international potential, can have the confidence to see themselves not as acquisition targets, but as global competitors.

What role should investors, policymakers, and operators each play in building a stronger UK scale-up ecosystem?

Investors, policymakers, and operators each have a vital role to play if we want the UK to compete on a global stage. For investors, this is about going beyond

the early rounds and providing deeper pools of growth capital, especially at Series C and beyond. Too many promising founders end up selling early simply because they can’t access the funding needed to expand internationally. Policymakers, meanwhile, need to make it easier for innovation to scale across borders. The UK and Europe have huge strengths, but market fragmentation and complex regulations slow companies down, streamlining that environment would make a real difference. And then there are the operators: the people who have already built, scaled, and exited

businesses. Their experience is invaluable. Whether it’s mentoring, advising, or joining scale-ups directly, they can help founders avoid common pitfalls and accelerate growth. It’s only when all three - capital, policy, and knowledge sharing - come together that UK and European tech can truly compete on a level playing field with the US and China.

For a first-time UK founder eyeing global expansion, what’s the single most important strategic decision they can make early on?

For a first-time UK founder eyeing global expansion,

THE COMPANIES THAT SUCCEED ARE THOSE THAT BAKE SCALING INTO THEIR DNA EARLY ON, WHILE ALSO CULTIVATING A GROWTH MINDSET AND STAYING MISSION-DRIVEN.

the most important decision is to design for scale from the very beginning, not just aim for product:market fit. Too many founders underestimate how quickly they’ll need to internationalise, whether that’s structuring go-to-market functions for global reach, building compliance into systems that work across multiple jurisdictions, or hiring leadership with genuine global experience.

The companies that succeed are those that bake scaling into their DNA early on, while also cultivating a growth mindset and staying mission-driven. That combination: thinking big, learning fast, and keeping the long-term mission at the centre, gives founders the resilience and clarity they need to navigate the inevitable challenges of global expansion.

Looking ahead, what’s the one shift you’d most like to see in the UK tech ecosystem over the next five years?

I’d like to see the UK move to a genuine global hub of scale-ups that go the distance. That means more UK-born companies reaching IPO on home soil, more founders choosing to stay independent, and more stories of UK software leaders setting the global standard. If we can unlock that shift, we not only grow stronger companies, we grow an ecosystem that continually reinvests experience, capital, and confidence back into the next generation of founders.

In

the Loop /

Franchise Branding

Branding builds business. But who builds the branding? One of the benefits of starting a business with a franchise is that the franchisor has already created the branding, so you have a recognised brand right away. Branding is a big focus in franchising, and that’s a huge benefit to people looking to invest. Franchisees don’t need to build their brand themselves, because the franchisor will have already done it. The right branding gives your new business a head start, but not all branding is the equal, so anyone considering a

franchise should check its brand offering first.

RESEARCHING FRANCHISE BRANDS

Since 1977, the BFA has championed ethical business practices and high standards in franchising; we work hard to ensure franchisees choose the right franchise for them, so you can use the BFA website to compare franchises, branding included.

WHY FRANCHISES BIG-UP BRANDING

Almost all franchises aim to create a nationwide network of units operated by franchisees, so it makes sense for them to create a consistent, widely known brand. Suzie McCafferty, Principal Franchise Consultant at

Platinum Wave Franchising, says: “Brand consistency is absolutely critical in franchising - it’s what gives customers confidence that they’ll have the same experience wherever they go.” Brand recognition brings in more customers for franchisees, and means a thriving franchisor, so the whole network grows.

FRANCHISE

BRANDING BENEFITS

Usually, a franchise package will include a bundle of branded products, all designed by a specialist branding agency (no need for you to spend money and time on creating it). Typically, this includes specified brand colours and typefaces, branded webspace, stationery, equipment,

leaflets and flyers, model adverts, and more. It’s a policy based on research that shows the more often a customer sees your brand, the more they warm to it.

ECONOMIES OF SCALE

Yes, you’ll have to pay for these branded products, but because the franchisor buys in bulk, the cost could well be lower than you’d pay as an independent business, ordering in lower quantities.

BRANDING IS MORE THAN LOGOS

A well-crafted brand specifies the tone of voice used in all communications, says Ben Ashton, Founder and Owner of the GoodOaks homecare franchise. He says: “Our brand is reflected in the behaviour of everyone in the business. We focus on premium quality care, and if we don’t reflect that in interactions with all stakeholders, including clients and families, it damages our brand.”

BRANDING CAN BE A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE

An attractive brand can help you win customers who might otherwise buy only on price, says Ashton. “A brand, built up over time, lives inside people’s heads. If it conveys quality and expertise, it delivers a competitive edge, with potential customers, and when recruiting staff.” Prospective franchisees should investigate brand differentiation within sectors. Dijana Radisevic, Head of Marketing at Trafalgar Education, which operates the Stagecoach

performing arts franchise, says: “Our brand prioritises life skills over performing arts. Other franchises focus on technical training alone,

one new slogan, which worked well in Asia, the Middle East and South America, did not work in the UK. We are looking to

“Branding is a big focus in franchising, and that’s a huge benefit to people looking to invest. Franchisees don’t need to build their brand themselves, because the franchisor will have already done it”

but we show parents how singing, dancing, and acting translate into confidence, resilience, and everyday skills their children carry with them. You see this across everything we do. It gives our franchisees a powerful, unique proposition in their local markets.”

LOOK FOR TARGETED BRANDING

Check whether a franchise’s branding is aligned with its target market. What suits a sales franchise will not work for child care, and branding devised overseas, even in English, may not suit the UK.

For instance, at US-founded fresh-baked pretzel franchise, Auntie Anne’s, Head of Marketing Siobhan Randles says: “Our brand remains rooted in handcrafted, fresh-baked pretzels. But recent research has shown that

change that. Sometimes messages need to be adjusted to suit particular countries.” McCafferty says: “The best franchisors constantly focus on protecting the core brand, while allowing just enough flexibility for franchisees to add a local touch that resonates with their community. Any changes are usually best kept subtle.”

HOW DOES THE BRANDING RESPOND TO THE FUTURE?

Radisevic says prospective franchisees should be asking franchisors: “Are they active on new channels? Do they keep campaigns fresh? Stagecoach continually invests in evolving our brand.” Ashton adds: “At GoodOaks we are working on getting AI to understand our brand so that, for instance, it shows up in Google’s AI-generated overviews when people

search for ‘best homecare franchise’. Branding should be kept up to date.”

SIX QUESTIONS FOR PROSPECTIVE FRANCHISEES TO ASK ABOUT BRANDING

McCafferty says:

• How do you ensure the brand looks and feels consistent across every location?

• What marketing materials and digital assets will I get?

• Who creates them?

• How often are they refreshed?

• How is the brand monitored and protected?

• Can I adapt the brand locally?

Remember, when you invest in a franchise, you’re not just buying a logo, you’re buying a brand that should help you grow faster, win trust sooner and stand out in your market, so spend plenty of time researching the franchises you are interested in, to evaluate if their brand is strong enough to deliver the right message to your clients and support fledgling business.

Pip Wilkins is the Chief Executive of the British Franchise Association (BFA), bringing over 25 years of dedicated experience in the franchising sector. Having progressed through various roles within the BFA, Pip has gained a comprehensive understanding of the broader franchise industry, earning widespread respect for her deep expertise and unwavering commitment. She lives in Devon and is an avid Chelsea FC fan

The Philanthro-Bit

Tech entrepreneur Ismael Dainehine is on a mission to solve one of the charity sector’s most urgent problems: financial instability. His solution? A Bitcoin-backed reserve designed to make social impact sustainable.

by PATRICIA CULLEN

At first glance, Bitcoin and charity may seem like odd bedfellows. One conjures images of high-stakes trading and blockchain bros; the other, bake sales and donor forms. But in an office in London, Ismael Dainehine is building something that defies both stereotypes - a new kind of financial foundation for the charitable sector, powered by Bitcoin, rooted in purpose, and born of hard-won lessons in tech, scale, and soul.

Dainehine is the co-founder and CEO of EverGive, a bold new venture aiming to reshape how we think about long-term philanthropy. Not by simply raising more money - but by questioning the very systems that leave charities scrambling for survival. “The tech industry is all about solving problems,” Dainehine says. “But the most important work is when technology addresses the biggest societal challenges facing humankind.” And for him, this work is personal.

From E-Commerce to Empathy

Long before EverGive, Dainehine had what many would consider a textbook tech success story. He built an e-commerce business that scaled to $35m in revenue - an entrepreneurial dream by most standards. But somewhere along the way, something didn’t sit right. “In the early stages this was fun and creative, but over time it became soulless,” he reflects. “I wanted to get back to my roots of community and charity.”

→ Ismael Dainehine, Co-Founder and CEO of charity-tech start-ups

GiveMatch and EverGive

That search for meaning led to MyTenNights, a Ramadan-focused giving platform Dainehine launched in 2017 as a side project. It took off globally, raising over £100m for causes around the world. For many founders, that would be the final act - a story arc that ends in missionaligned success. But for Dainehine, it was just the beginning. “I discovered that I could use what I’d learned in the tech space and apply it to making a real difference,” he says. “However, as I was building in the charity tech space… I realised the real problem wasn’t just about raising money. Financial instability was eroding the sector and holding back long-term change.” And just like that, a founder known for building efficient digital systems began thinking more like an activist. “That’s when I moved from being a social tech entrepreneur to adopting a more activist mindset - focusing less on patching symptoms and more on tackling the root financial problem head-on.”

The Bitcoin Epiphany

To understand what EverGive is doing, it helps to understand what it’s not doing. This isn’t about simply accepting crypto donations or tokenizing philanthropy. Instead, it’s about seeing Bitcoin not as speculative currency, but as infrastructure - a decentralised, durable store of value that could fundamentally rebalance the financial instability in the charity sector. “We started to ask ourselves how technology could address this problem and that’s when we realised the potential of Bitcoin as more than just an investment for tech bros, but as a powerful humanitarian technology.”

From that insight, EverGive was born: the world’s first Bitcoin Reserve for the charity sector. It’s a radical idea, and like any radical idea, it comes with resistance. “There is so much noise about [Bitcoin] as an investment or get-rich-quick scheme,” he says. “The challenge is to shift the conversation from speculation to its potential as a financial freedom technology that can underpin long-term social good.”

Building

the World’s First Bitcoin Reserve for Charity

What does that look like in practice? Think of EverGive as a long-term financial reserve for charities - backed by Bitcoin, immune to inflation, and built to last. But building something entirely new brings a familiar mix of excitement and friction. “Whenever you are creating something truly new, there are always going

to be challenges,” Dainehine says. “From a technology perspective it’s about the model we use to drive donations and whether we concentrate on building our

experience in charity-tech, Dainehine feels confident in navigating the nuts and bolts. But the real challenge - the one that has shaped the company’s entire strategy -

charity sector is essential, so they don’t miss out on the opportunity.”

Culture, Not Code This is where EverGive

“WE STARTED TO ASK OURSELVES HOW TECHNOLOGY COULD ADDRESS THIS PROBLEM AND THAT’S WHEN WE REALISED THE POTENTIAL OF BITCOIN AS MORE THAN JUST AN INVESTMENT FOR TECH BROS, BUT AS A POWERFUL HUMANITARIAN TECHNOLOGY”

own platform or integrating with existing platforms and charities’ channels.”

That part, at least, is familiar territory. With his

isn’t tech. It’s trust. “The unique challenge for EverGive is reframing Bitcoin itself as a force for good. Education in the

starts to feel less like a fintech and more like a movement. The mission may be powered by Bitcoin, but it’s being driven by a }}

deeper understanding of how people feel about technology. “We had to get pragmatic very fast,” Dainehine says. “It’s all about educating people about the mission and the reasons why we believe in building EverGive on a Bitcoin-only foundation.”

He adds: “We realised early on that the real challenge was not technological but educational - framing the solution and bringing people with us on the journey towards financial freedom.” Two lessons emerged: First, simplify the message. “We refined and simplified our messaging to strip away complexity so that the idea of ‘making social good last forever’ could be understood in its purest form.” Second, choose the right entry point into the marketplace. Should they start with donors or charities? For Dainehine, the answer was soon evident. “Over time, it

became clear that starting with donors was the most effective path, and so we resolved to focus on acquiring that side of the marketplace first. It’s a strategy that shows a rare blend of idealism and pragmatism - common in the best kind of founders, and essential for those trying to reshape broken systems.

Ask Dainehine what the hardest part of building EverGive has been, and he’ll pause - but not for long. “The hardest problems are very rarely technical – they’re cultural,” he says. “Culture determines how much change people can absorb, how much simplicity they need, and how far they’re willing to trust a new idea.”

And so much of EverGive’s energy has gone into creating a cultural bridge between a cutting-edge financial tool and a deeply human cause. “We discovered the real work was not building the

infrastructure, but cultivating a mindset people could step into.” “Once you solve for culture – once you align with how people think, feel, and trust – the rest follows.”

Start with What Matters

For other entrepreneurs facing similar problems, Dainehine offers his advice - start not with the tech, but with the truth. “Ask yourself the difficult questions. What are the real problems in the world that you care about? How can you help to solve them? And what barriers must you tear down along the way?” And then, he says, prepare to confront the real challenge - not in your codebase, but in the hearts and minds of your users. “Don’t mistake the hard part for technical ones - they’re almost always cultural.”

For founders raised on the mythology of innovation-through-complexity,

Dainehine’s next words cut through like a sharp wind: “The instinct is to keep building, keep adding features, keep engineering your way through the problem. But what really moves the needle is understanding how people absorb new ideas, where their trust lies, and how much simplicity they need to feel safe enough to engage.” what’s the takeaway? “Obsess over clarity, not complexity,” he says. “And choose the cultural entry point that lowers the most resistance.”

A Quiet Revolution in Philanthropy

That mantra - make social good last forever - is now EverGive’s rallying cry. It’s more than a tagline. It’s a reimagining of what philanthropy could be in an era of decentralised finance, long-term thinking, and global crises. And perhaps the most powerful line Dainehine shares in our interview isn’t about Bitcoin, tech, or even charity. It’s about the spark that fuels every meaningful start-up - the intersection between purpose and personal desire. “Paul Graham offered great advice when he said, ‘make things people want’. I’d just add that the real magic lies somewhere between that advice and ‘make something YOU want’. You’re a formidable force at that intersection.” At its best, technology doesn’t merely solve problems; it uplifts people, refines systems, and, when shaped with vision, has the ability to make lasting impact.

Orbital Innovation

As space evolves from a government preserve to a trilliondollar industry, Seraphim Space’s Mark Boggett explains why UK entrepreneurs have a unique opportunity to shape the future of space technology. by

PATRICIA CULLEN

I

n 2015, Mark Boggett saw an opportunity that most investors overlooked: the commercial space industry. At the time, the space sector was still the domain of governments and defense contractors. Space exploration was viewed as a costly, niche field - one far removed from Silicon Valley’s fast-paced tech scene. But Boggett and his team at Seraphim Space saw things differently.

“When we launched Seraphim, space was still largely seen as the preserve of governments and defense primes,” Boggett recalls. “But we saw the early signals of a seismic shift. Launch costs were falling by an order of magnitude, satellites were becoming smaller and cheaper, and a new wave of entrepreneurs were bringing Silicon Valley-style innovation into orbit.” Seraphim’s conviction stemmed from a belief that space was destined to be the foundation of a new, digital economy. “Our conviction was that space would evolve into a foundational layer of the digital economy, enabling everything from global connectivity, defense and security, and climate resilience,” Boggett says. In 2015, this vision seemed audacious. Yet today, space is at the very core of technological advancement and is rapidly becoming one of the world’s most valuable industries.

The Growth of SpaceTech

Fast forward to 2023, and the space economy is now valued at an impressive $600bn, with projections suggesting it could surge to $1.8tn by 2035. This rapid expansion is driven by a variety of factors -

reduced costs for launching satellites, innovations in data processing, and government investment.

“We’re proud that Seraphim has backed more than 140 companies across that ecosystem, from early-stage start-ups to some of the fastest-scaling companies from across the globe,” Boggett says. Seraphim’s strategy is simple: Invest in visionary founders and help them scale their technologies.

From AST Space Mobile to ALL.SPACE, Seraphim has been a catalyst for growth in companies solving real-world problems at a planetary scale. Many of Seraphim’s investments have far exceeded expectations. AST Space Mobile, for instance, is working to deploy cell towers in space. Valued at a staggering $150bn, the company is redefining global connectivity. “These

aren’t just commercial wins, they’re examples of space solving real-world problems at scale,” Boggett emphasizes.

Meanwhile, ICEYE, which started as a small radarfocused start-up, is now a leader in global Earth observation. The company has secured government contracts worth hundreds of millions, offering vital real-time data for everything from climate monitoring to national defense. “ICEYE is now a market leader globally securing government contracts in $100m’s,” Boggett adds.

Dramatic Shifts in Space Technology

Seraphim’s investments have tracked some of the most significant turning points in the space sector. For Boggett, three developments stand out as particularly game-

changing: cost reduction, miniaturisation of satellites, and the data revolution. “Dramatic cost reductions - the cost to orbit has fallen more than 10x in the past decade, thanks to reusability and private launch providers,” says Boggett. SpaceX’s pioneering work in reusable rockets has brought the cost of launching payloads to a fraction of what it once was. What’s more, launch cadence is now every 34 hours, drastically improving the efficiency of global space operations.

“Constellations of smallsats can now deliver real-time data on everything from climate to defense,” Boggett explains. Thanks to innovations in small satellite technology, companies can deploy entire constellations of these miniature spacecraft to provide high-resolution data on a global scale.

“Large low constellations, delivering high-resolution digital data,” says Boggett, underlining the scale and impact of this new wave of technology.

Most importantly, however, is the data revolution. Space-derived data has become core digital infrastructure. “Cloud and edge processing have unlocked the value of space-derived data, making satellites core digital infrastructure,” Boggett notes. As AI and quantum technologies continue to advance, the value of space data will only increase, unlocking entirely new business opportunities and applications. “Now AI and next Quantum will take this dataset to the next level,” he adds, pointing to the endless possibilities that space-derived data will offer in sectors ranging from agriculture to national security.

The Changing Dynamics of Investment in SpaceTech

As the space sector has evolved, so too has Seraphim’s approach to investment. The fund has built its portfolio across a broad spectrum, from early-stage innovators to mature companies scaling globally. “Our strategy is to identify visionary founders and back them through critical inflection points, while also supporting mature companies scaling globally,” Boggett explains. Seraphim is not just a source of funding - it’s an active participant in the growth of its portfolio companies. “We’re handson investors, not just

financiers,” says Boggett. Seraphim supports its companies through initiatives like Seraphim Space Accelerator, which helps businesses refine their models, connect with industry players, and scale effectively. For Boggett, it’s not enough to simply invest in promising technologies. The key is to support the founders and companies every step of the way. “To help refine their models, connect with government and industry, and accelerate growth,” he explains.

Navigating Market Volatility

Being a publicly listed investment trust brings its own set of challenges, particularly during periods of market volatility. In a sector like space, which is still emerging and prone to cyclical ups and downs, Seraphim faces the same external pressures as other frontier technologies. These pressures include shifting investor sentiment, macroeconomic factors, and geopolitical instability.

“Navigating market volatility is part of the reality of pioneering a new asset class,” Boggett says. However, Seraphim has managed to stay grounded in its long-term approach. “We stay focused on longterm fundamentals,” says Boggett, highlighting that Seraphim invests in companies that have robust intellectual property, clear commercial pathways, and the ability to solve realworld problems.

Seraphim also takes an active role in supporting portfolio companies during

difficult times. “We work closely with our portfolio companies to help them extend runways, optimise their operations, and adapt their strategies to changing market conditions,” Boggett notes. This proactive approach has been key to navigating volatility and ensuring that companies continue to scale despite challenges.

The Role of Government Investment

Government investment has played a significant role in the rise of the space sector. As nations recognise the strategic importance of space for defense, security, and sustainability, they have poured funding into spacerelated technologies.

“Government investment in space has surged in recent years, driven by strategic imperatives around national security, climate resilience, and digital sovereignty,” says Boggett. For entrepreneurs in the space sector, this influx of government funding creates fertile ground for innovation. “This influx of funding is creating fertile ground for entrepreneurial innovation, particularly in dual-use technologies that serve both public and commercial markets,” Boggett explains. These technologies, which have applications in both military and civilian contexts, are gaining increased attention from both private investors and government agencies alike.

One notable example of this trend is ICEYE, which is already providing realtime insights that support

military operations, border security, and disaster response. “ICEYE is providing real-time insights that support military operations, border security, and disaster response,” says Boggett, highlighting how space technology is being harnessed to solve pressing, real-world problems. Similarly, Xona Space Systems, which focuses on Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) technologies, is innovating in resilient navigation solutions for both government and commercial applications.

“Xona Space Systems is innovating in PNT and resilient navigation services for both government and commercial applications,” Boggett adds.

The UK’s Growing Space Industry

The space sector is also seeing rapid growth in the UK, with the government positioning space as a key part of its industrial strategy. “Space is now a central pillar of the UK’s industrial strategy,” says Boggett. As the UK works to build sovereign capabilities in space, there are growing opportunities for entrepreneurs to capitalize on this momentum.

The UK is investing heavily in upstream capabilities, including sovereign launch systems and spaceports in Scotland and Cornwall. “The UK is investing in sovereign launch capabilities, with spaceports in Scotland and Cornwall enabling domestic access to orbit,” says

Boggett. For start-ups focused on propulsion, launch services, or in-orbit servicing, the UK offers a wealth of opportunities.

The UK is also leading the way in downstream industries, particularly in areas like data analytics, AI, and software.

Entrepreneurs can develop scalable solutions in sectors like climate tech, agriculture, insurance, and urban planning by leveraging space-derived data. “The UK excels in data analytics, AI, and software, making it a hub for companies turning space-derived data into actionable insights,” says Boggett.

Shaping the Future of SpaceTech

As one of the leading investors in the space sector, Seraphim continues to back cutting-edge companies that are pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in space. “We’ve already backed 7 companies that have become unicorns,” says Boggett, reflecting on the firm’s successful track record.

Despite the volatility and challenges that come with pioneering a new industry, Boggett is confident in the future of space. “Ultimately, our conviction in the space sector remains strong. We believe space will become increasingly central to global infrastructure,” he says. With government investment, a growing ecosystem of private entrepreneurs, and rapidly advancing technologies, the sky is no longer the limitit’s just the beginning.

THE SUITE SPOT

Leadership lessons from Radisson’s Chema Basterrechea

by PATRICIA CULLEN

In an era where businesses must navigate increasingly complex global markets, the role of leadership has never been more critical. Chema Basterrechea, Global President and Chief Operations Officer (COO) at Radisson Hotel Group, offers a masterclass in how to lead and scale with agility, cultural sensitivity, and an unwavering focus on operational excellence. Drawing on his extensive international experience, Basterrechea reveals the strategic mindset entrepreneurs need to thrive amid rapid change and shifting consumer expectations.

It’s all about being flexible and ready to adapt to rapid changes. Thinking laterally helps you address various audiences and markets, turning problems in one geography into opportunities in another.”

→ Chema Basterrechea, Global President and Chief Operations Officer at Radisson Hotel Group

Embracing a global mindset

“First and foremost, having a global mindset is key when leading teams and scaling businesses worldwide,” Basterrechea asserts. In a world where borders are increasingly porous but local nuances remain vital, a leader’s ability to think beyond their immediate environment can unlock new growth opportunities.

“It’s all about being flexible and ready to adapt to rapid changes. Thinking laterally helps you address various audiences and markets, turning problems in one geography into opportunities in another.”

This lateral thinking is no abstract ideal but a practical imperative. Whether engaging with customers, area teams, or investors, maintaining close ties across the spectrum is vital.

“Staying close to all stakeholders, from customers to area teams and investors, is essential. This international mentality is something I’ve embraced from Radisson’s watchword of ‘Yes I can!’, which embodies our spontaneous and individual approach to guests and employees.”

The value of such an ethos is evident in Radisson’s expansive footprint, where a unified brand experience must be balanced against diverse cultural and regulatory landscapes. Basterrechea’s global mindset is a blueprint for entrepreneurs looking to transcend local markets and compete on an international stage.

The post-pandemic hospitality landscape

The hospitality industry, battered by the COVID-19 pandemic, is now navigating a path toward recovery and reinvention. “Leisure travel is still the powerhouse of global tourism, driving growth in resorts and premium lifestyle brands,” Basterrechea notes, emphasising that this segment remains the cornerstone of the industry’s revival.

Radisson’s strategy mirrors these trends, focusing on expanding its “Radisson Collection and Radisson RED portfolios,” which cater to discerning travelers seeking unique and lifestyle-oriented experiences. But the company isn’t just betting on leisure. Recognising the evolving nature of business travel, Radisson is “diversifying business travel offerings with stadium hotels and ‘hybrid rooms’ that cater to both business and leisure needs.”

In a world where the boundaries between work and leisure increasingly blur, such innovation is vital. Guests expect seamless digital interactions throughout their stay, prompting Radisson to invest heavily in technology. “The digital interaction between guests and properties will continue to grow, and innovation in this space is crucial,” Basterrechea explains.

Radisson+ exemplifies this focus, offering “seamless digital experiences for check-in, check-out, and during stays.” Meanwhile, AI’s impact is palpable, with innovations like the “Radisson Meetings Dream Machine,” which enables event professionals to visualise and customise event spaces digitally - a timely solution as corporate events rebound. Booking convenience }}

SUSTAINABILITY AND RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS ARE

ENDURING

TRENDS

THAT WILL CONTINUE TO SHAPE THE FUTURE. ENTREPRENEURS

SHOULD VIEW INVESTING IN SUSTAINABILITY AS A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE, ESPECIALLY AS ESG GAINS SIGNIFICANCE AS AN INVESTMENT PERFORMANCE METRIC.”

is also a priority. “We’re also expanding Hotel & Flight, making booking as easy and joined up as possible.” As travelers demand more integrated services, Radisson’s efforts to simplify the customer journey reflect broader shifts in consumer expectations.

Sustainability: A non-negotiable business imperative Looking ahead, sustainability emerges as a defining trend for the hospitality and property sectors. Basterrechea

stresses its growing importance: “Sustainability and responsible business are enduring trends that will continue to shape the future. Entrepreneurs should view investing in sustainability as a competitive advantage, especially as ESG gains significance as an investment performance metric.” Radisson’s commitment is concrete. The company has “launched industry-first Verified Net Zero Hotels in Manchester and Oslo,” setting ambitious targets aligned with “Net Zero by 2050.” This focus on reducing carbon footprints isn’t just about corporate responsibility - it’s integral to long-term viability and investor appeal.

Basterrechea highlights the value of conversion hotels, which demonstrate that sustainability initiatives can “be valuable assets.” Entrepreneurs ignoring these imperatives risk obsolescence in a market increasingly driven by conscious consumers and regulatory pressures.

Turning around struggling businesses

For entrepreneurs grappling with underperforming operations, Basterrechea offers pragmatic advice grounded in his leadership at Radisson. His focus on profitability is underpinned by a rigorous approach: “When dealing with a troubled business model, it’s essential to strip down operations to focus on the basics of P&Ls, operating models, and organisational efficiency to identify weaknesses.”

This back-to-basics approach enables leaders to pinpoint where performance lags and implement targeted improvements. But operational discipline alone isn’t enough.

Basterrechea underscores the importance of growth: “It’s also crucial to drive future growth by identifying new market segments and untapped customer bases.” Such a dual focus - efficiency and opportunity - has helped Radisson grow by 50% since the launch of its five-year plan, proving that turnaround efforts must balance consolidation with innovation.

Mindset shifts for international scaling

Scaling a business internationally requires more than replication; it demands adaptability and cultural intelligence. Basterrechea distills this into an “experience mindset” that transcends the physical. “In property and hospitality, this means shifting to an experience mindset – beyond the bricks and mortar, what will unify your brand experience globally?” Operational scalability is critical. “You need systems that can be replicated internationally,” he explains, highlighting Radisson’s investments in “global initiatives like our Career Fest, first-class IT systems like Radisson’s EMMA, and strong brand standards ensuring a uniform experience compatible with local diversity.” This blend of standardisation and localization enables consistency without sacrificing relevance - a delicate balance that start-ups and scale-ups must master to succeed on the world stage.

Watching the horizon

According to the COO, sustainability and responsible business practices are key forces that will continue to define the future. “Entrepreneurs should view investing in sustainability as a competitive advantage, especially as ESG gains significance as an investment performance

metric…Sustainability measures are non-negotiable for long-term viability.”

Looking five years ahead, Basterrechea advises entrepreneurs to pay close attention to geography and governance. “Entrepreneurs should also keep an eye on growth regions like India, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt, where demand for business and leisure travel is on the rise due to government initiatives promoting tourism.” These emerging markets represent fertile ground for hospitality and property investment, propelled by rising incomes and strategic national policies. Combined with relentless technological change and shifting consumer values, the sector stands poised for transformation. From embracing a flexible global mindset and prioritising customer experience to rigorously managing operations and anticipating market shifts, Basterrechea’s experience at Radisson offers a playbook for entrepreneurs aiming to scale successfully. Today’s challenges need leaders who innovate responsibly and build cultures that thrive globally. On future planes, Basterrechea says sustainability will be a major focus. “We’re committed to Net Zero by 2050 and have launched industry-first Verified Net Zero Hotels in Manchester and Oslo.”

THE LEADER SHAPING THE DIGITAL WORLD

BLOCKCHAIN’S NEXT STEP, LED BY UCHAIN’S ALEX REINHARDT

by ENTREPRENEUR UK STAFF

There are plenty of entrepreneurs in the blockchain world who talk about disruption, decentralisation and innovation. But few speak from a place of hardwon insight quite like Alex Reinhardt. Born in Siberia and raised in Germany, Reinhardt’s worldview was shaped not in boardrooms or whitepapers, but in the deeply personal process of starting over.

My parents emigrated from Siberia to Germany when I was 15. Moving at such a young age, leaving behind one culture and immersing myself in another, shaped me profoundly,” he says. “I studied economics at Humboldt University in Berlin, but even while at university, I was already launching entrepreneurial ventures.”

These early experiences taught him how to operate across cultural lines, to think flexibly, and - crucially - to stay motivated in uncertainty. “What influenced me most was growing up between two worlds. On the one hand, I understood European ways of thinking; on the other, I carried the values and perspective of my Slavic childhood. This combination gave me a broader mindset, the ability to see situations from multiple angles,” he explains.

“

From the moment I discovered blockchain, I could see its revolutionary potential. I sensed

how

it could scale and transform entire industries, and I understood very early on that this was not just another technology but a foundation for the future”

Though he navigated different cultures, there was always a lingering sense of distance - a feeling that he never quite belonged fully to any one of them. “In Russia, I was seen as German. In Germany, many considered me Russian. That experience of being an outsider meant I always had to work twice as hard to prove myself. It was difficult, even painful at times, but it taught me resilience, adaptability, and the importance of constantly learning.” His perspective is one that resonates with anyone who’s had to navigate displacement, reinvention or being underestimated. “Starting over in a new country builds a strong character,” he says, “and I know many in the UK will share this sentiment.”

Seeing the Signal Before the Noise

By 2011 - long before NFTs, DeFi, or blockchain made headlines - Reinhardt had already zeroed in on a new obsession. “From the moment I discovered blockchain, I could see its revolutionary potential. I sensed how it could scale and transform entire industries, and I understood very early on that this was not just another technology but a foundation for the future.”

What he saw in blockchain wasn’t hype - it was infrastructure. A blueprint for doing things differently, and, he believed, more fairly. “Because I had been involved in start-ups from a young age, I immediately recognised that blockchain could change how business,

finance, and even society operate. That conviction never left me.”

Conviction, however, rarely translates to smooth success. Reinhardt’s journey was - like the technology itself - experimental, volatile, and instructive. “Over the years, I worked on many projects - some were successful, others brought new challenges, but with every challenge we grew stronger and learned more. All of this became a foundation for the biggest step of my career: creating a truly global ecosystem designed to help millions of people.”

A Real-World Blockchain for Real-World Use

That ecosystem is UChain - a blockchain project designed not for insiders or crypto diehards, but for everyday users. “Over the years, I encountered recurring obstacles in blockchain such as slow transaction speeds, scalability issues and high fees,” Reinhardt explains. “Every project became a learning experience, pushing us to search for solutions and making the team stronger.” He describes UChain as a response to those systemic flaws - a way to redesign

participation in digital finance from the ground up. “With time, I realised that the biggest challenge was not just overcoming technical barriers but building a truly global ecosystem that could improve people’s everyday lives. That vision became the foundation for UChain. UChain is a step toward a future where blockchain is no longer a niche for enthusiasts but the backbone of the digital economy, an ecosystem where millions of people worldwide can transact, build and innovate with confidence and efficiency every day.”

The Power of Splitting

At the heart of UChain is a concept Reinhardt believes will redefine blockchain participation: splitting technology. “When we launched UChain, our mission was not to build just another blockchain but to design a network with a truly unique growth engine. One of its key innovations is splitting technology.” Unlike energy-intensive mining or lock-up staking, splitting is designed to be user-friendly - and radically inclusive.

“Users freeze their split-tokens in smart contracts, which act as their shares in the liquidity pool. Every 24 hours, the blockchain automatically distributes rewards among participants, transparently and according to the rules of the contract. The more tokens you freeze, the greater your share of the

pool and the larger your reward. This makes participation simple, fair and accessible to anyone, regardless of technical background.”

In a world of crypto platforms that often cater to the already-rich or tech-savvy elite, this approach is a deliberate departure. “Splitting combines the best aspects of mining and staking,

such as autonomy, security and decentralisation, but adds what those models lacked: speed, eco-efficiency and everyday usability. It transforms users from passive holders into active co-creators of liquidity… That is why I believe splitting is one of the most important steps toward building a sustainable and future-proof decentralised economy.”

A Wary Eye on UK Regulation

For all his optimism about blockchain’s potential, Reinhardt is realistic about its limitations - especially under restrictive regulation. And when it comes to the UK, he sees both opportunity and friction. “The UK is, by nature, a fairly conservative country and its legislation reflects that. In fintech and digital assets,

If the UK continues to remain modern, open, and forwardthinking when it comes to new technologies and assets,digital it has a real chance to move far ahead” “

this sometimes means there isn’t quite enough freedom for start-ups. On one hand, this is understandable and even necessary: the sector is high-risk, and there are still many players who try to take advantage of inexperienced users. Regulation is needed to protect them.”

However, he goes on to say that “regulation should not go so far as to ‘cut off the oxygen’ to legitimate projects… If rules are too rigid, the most promising start-ups simply move to

other countries with lighter frameworks.”

His concern is echoed across the industry - that over-regulation might stifle not just bad actors, but meaningful innovation.

“Taxation in the UK can

- whether it’s for businesses, emerging start-ups, or funding cutting-edge innovations. “If the UK continues to remain modern, open, and forwardthinking when it comes to new technologies and

also feel tough, which makes the balance even more complex… That tension is strongly felt in the industry today.”

The Path Forward for British Fintech

Still, Reinhardt sees the UK as well-positioned to lead in the next wave of digital finance - if policymakers are willing to adapt.

“There are many opportunities. For fintech and the digital assets sector to truly grow, legislation needs to be adapted to global trends and best practices. Regulation must be flexible.” That flexibility, he says, must begin with understanding. “In many countries, decision-makers and regulators often lack technical knowledge, which leads to laws that limit the full potential of high-tech companies.”

Capital attracts opportunity

digital assets, it has a real chance to move far ahead.”

Lessons for the Next Generation of Entrepreneurs

Reinhardt’s focus extends beyond platforms and policy. Through the Alex Reinhardt Academy, he’s coached over half a million aspiring entrepreneurs. His advice is straightforward, unromantic, and rooted in practical survival. “The single most important skill for entrepreneurs today, no matter UK or any country, is learning how to generate revenue from the very beginning,” he says. “Too many founders rely on the hope that an investor will step in and fund their idea. But raising capital has become much harder, and waiting for outside money is a dangerous strategy. Instead, entrepreneurs need to build business models that can start earning early - models that can at least sustain themselves before

external investment comes in.”

In 2025, we find ourselves in a period of profound change, defined by uncertainty and rapid transformation. “Uncertainty is the new normal… My advice is simple: focus on earning money early, standing firmly on your own feet, and building businesses that can survive and grow in most turbulent times.”

Reinhardt’s philosophy is crystallized in his bestselling book, You’re Number One: How to Become a Leader in 30 Days and Remain One, which was inspired by the countless people who approached him asking, “Alex, how do you stay so productive? How do you keep your energy so high?”. For him, leadership is less about strategy and more about stamina. “Leadership isn’t about titles, it’s about habits. The small things you do every day - how you manage your time, how you speak to others, how you treat challenges - these are what make you a leader and keep you one.”

Advice from the Trenches He offers a blueprint for anyone struggling to break through. “First, you need to become a leader for yourself. Even if you don’t lead anyone else yet, you must lead yourself - motivate yourself every day to keep going, to keep learning, to keep moving forward.”

“Second, design your business model so it can sustain itself from the very beginning… Your business must be able to ‘feed itself’ as early as possible. That stability is what allows you to survive long enough to succeed.”

What’s Next?

Looking to 2026 and beyond, Reinhardt remains focused on blockchain. “Our goal is to take blockchain further, to refine it, to scale it, and to make it more accessible to people everywhere.” UChain will continue to prioritise creating innovative projects and products that advance the blockchain industry and help integrate it into everyday life worldwide. But he remains tightlipped on details. “One lesson I have learned the hard way is that if you share an idea before it is implemented, there is always a risk that someone else will take it.”

Five Rules to Live By

His final words are a condensed guide for future founders:

1/BE A TRULY ENTREPRENEURIAL ENTREPRENEUR

When an idea comes to mind, don’t overthink or over-plan. Test it quickly, prototype it with minimal effort, and get it out into the market as soon as possible. Speed matters more than perfection. The earlier you launch, the sooner you get real feedbackand that’s where the real learning begins.

2/TREAT MISTAKES AS FUEL, NOT FAILURE

You will make mistakes - and that’s not only normal, it’s necessary. What defines success is how fast and effectively you correct them. A great entrepreneur doesn’t avoid mistakes; they master the art of fixing them quickly, finding better solutions, and moving forward stronger.

3 / LAUNCH MORE THAN ONE PRODUCT

Don’t bet everything on a single idea. Even if you have one “big” product, develop smaller or related ones around it; some may even compete with each other. You never know which one will truly take off. Diversifying your product base increases your chances of finding a winner.

4

/ FOLLOW THE MONEY

Not every idea will generate revenue, and that’s fine - just don’t waste energy where there’s no return. Out of ten launches, maybe only two will start making money, but those two will guide you. Money is the ultimate compass in entrepreneurship.

5 / UNDERSTAND THE 3–5–7 RULE

Set the right expectations from day one. For the first three years, you will be feeding your company, investing everything into growth, people, product, and brand. Between years three and five, you are fighting for survival, pushing hard to keep your vision alive. Only after five years will the business begin to feed you back. The seven-year mark is especially critical. If a company survives this long, it usually enters a phase of explosive growth. By year seven or eight, most businesses have accumulated enough experience, built a loyal and professional team, secured a share of the market, and gathered the resources needed to expand

/Leadership

Inspirational Leadership

Catching people in, not out by

KEVIN GASKELL

When people talk about leadership, they usually default to strategy, systems, or processes. Those things matter, but they don’t change a business on their own. What really makes the difference is people. Transformation begins when colleagues feel trusted, valued, and inspired to give their best. For me, that has always meant catching people in, not out. It’s about recognising that change requires new approaches and finding those approaches is not straightforward or error free. It is crucial to treat missteps as part of progress and help teams to grow through them. Get that right and you find energy, ambition and commitment where before there was hesitation and doubt.

Trust and transparency as the foundation

When I became MD at Porsche GB, the company was struggling with sales down and morale low. Many commentators had written us off. Beneath the gloom, I knew my team cared deeply, but short-term pressure had created a culture of fear and blame. Ideas were judged too quickly. People who cared and spoke up were being caught out, and suggestions dried up.

My first priority was to change that environment. I made it clear: no more blame game. We would be open, transparent and supportive. I was inviting new ideas, knowing some wouldn’t work, but we would treat them as lessons.

When the team realised their efforts were valued, trust began to return. With trust came energy. We started talking about big goals, pushing boundaries, and step by step turning the business around. In three years, Porsche went from near collapse to number one in the UK for customer satisfaction and became one of the most profitable brands in the market.

Mistakes as opportunities

Fear of mistakes is one of the biggest obstacles to progress. If people are worried about being criticised, they stop experimenting. They stick to what feels safe, even if it’s ineffective. But building a world-class business requires confidence and bold steps. When I joined BMW GB, the challenge was different. The company was already strong, but we wanted to become exceptional. The

principle was the same: mistakes weren’t to be feared; they were valuable feedback.

I encouraged the team to dream big, own projects, challenge the status quo, and use setbacks as opportunities. Accountability mattered, but so did freedom. Each success was celebrated by catching people in and recognising their contribution. That shift encouraged innovation and collaboration, strengthened BMW’s performance and achieved almost 100% growth in four years.

Culture change is a journey

Transforming culture doesn’t happen overnight. At Porsche, it took three years before results were fully visible. In every business I’ve worked with, multinational or start-up, the lesson has been the same.

Culture change is a journey

ownership. Ownership leads to commitment, and commitment drives results.

When you catch people in by acknowledging ideas, celebrating successes and supporting them when things go wrong, you inspire them to buy into the dream. And when an entire organisation begins to dream together, the impact is remarkable.

Inspiring the dream

Leadership isn’t about being the cleverest person in the room. It’s about sparking belief in a future that people want to be part of.

Many of the companies I have led were start-ups or young businesses. I always stress excellence as our goal - not as a slogan, but as a shared ambition.

We have asked: What would a world-class business look like? How would it feel to work in

CREATING A WORLD-CLASS BUSINESS REQUIRES A WORLD-CLASS TEAM. TRUST AND TRANSPARENCY ARE THE FOUNDATIONS, SUPPORT AND ENCOURAGEMENT ARE THE TOOLS, AND INSPIRATION IS THE FUEL”

requiring daily effort, not a one-off campaign. As a leader, you must display the behaviours you want others to adopt. Demonstrate trust, recognise contributions, and remind people that you’re on the journey together.

Taking everyone along

For transformation to stick, it must involve everyone. Each employee must feel part of the team driving the change.

When I first address any business, I don’t present a fixed plan. I say, “Here’s the future we could create together. Let’s make it happen.” By involving everyone in shaping the vision, people feel

one? What would our clients experience? Those questions became powerful motivators.

What catching people in looks like

In practice, to make this happen means being visible, walking the floor and noticing effort. It means saying “thank you” when someone tries something new, even if it doesn’t work perfectly. It means giving credit where it’s due, rather than worrying about errors.

We don’t ignore mistakes. We analyse them, learn, and improve. But we don’t dwell on them. Focus too much on mistakes and you kill creativity.

Turn them into lessons, and you fuel innovation.

The path to world-class

Creating a world-class business requires a world-class team. Trust and transparency are the foundations, support and encouragement are the tools, and inspiration is the fuel. I have seen firsthand the effect of catching people in, not out. By celebrating efforts, we have inspired teams to share in the dream. When you catch people in, not out, you don’t just transform the business, you transform the people.

Recognised as ‘the man who fixes businesses’, Kevin Gaskell has an impressive track record in building and leading successful companies. As CEO of Porsche, Lamborghini, and BMW, Kevin led hugely successful turnarounds and business growth. Today, he remains actively involved in numerous companies worldwide, as both an investor and founder, including the UK’s fastest-growing B2B fibre network provider. Gaskell’s entrepreneurial approach to business has earned him numerous accolades. He was recognised as one of the UK’s Top 40 leaders reflecting his exceptional ability to inspire teams to transform companies and achieve extraordinary results. His focus on developing innovative strategies and building high-performance cultures has been instrumental in driving business growth and success.

In addition to drawing on his extensive experience, Gaskell’s speaking style is engaging, energetic, and thought-provoking. His presentations are designed to provide practical insights and actionable strategies that audiences can implement immediately to drive business success.

THE COST YOU CAN’T IGNORE

Every six months, it feels like I work at a completely new company. The team is bigger, the challenges are different, and my role changes entirely.

For half the year I can be deep in technical decisions, and the next half I’m raising capital with my co-founder. Then before I know it, I’m building out a technical leadership team

When accidental managers and seasoned leaders share the same stage

by MIKAEL LANDAU

and trying to manage at scale. I have never done any of these jobs before, yet I need to be effective from day one. That constant reinvention is part of the thrill of being a founder, but it comes with a hidden cost.

Over the years, I have built up what I think of as ‘leadership debt’. It’s the organisational equivalent of technical debt. Sometimes I’ve been faced with the

decision of whether to promote people before they were ready because we needed someone in the seat immediately, not in six months. Sometimes I have avoided hard calls because I did not have the confidence to make them. None of this was done carelessly and without thinking about the people in question first. It was done in service of keeping the company

moving. But just like technical debt, leadership debt compounds over time.

The doer era: building at full tilt

At the beginning of getting a start-up off the ground, you hire the best individual contributors you can possibly find. These are the kind of people who can deliver at a pace that makes the impossible look easy. They are builders, problemsolvers, fixers. They have an almost uncanny ability to figure things out. Together, you move mountains.

At this stage, no one is thinking about leadership frameworks or management training. The team is small, everyone is hands-on, and alignment happens

THE ACCIDENTAL MANAGERS ARE HOLDERS OF DEEP INSTITUTIONAL KNOWLEDGE, CULTURE CARRIERS, AND THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN THERE SINCE THE EARLIEST FIRES. THE SEASONED LEADERS ARE TRAINED IN THE PLAYBOOKS OF SCALE, WITH THE MUSCLE MEMORY OF LEADING LARGER TEAMS IF YOU ARE NOT CAREFUL, THESE GROUPS CAN MISREAD EACH OTHER’S VALUE”

naturally because you are all in the same room, chasing the same urgent goals.

The accidental manager era: promoting without preparation

Then the company grows. You need team leads, managers, department heads. Naturally, you look to your early doers. They know the product inside out, they have delivered again and again. They’ve built trust across the whole company.

But doing and leading are different skills. Coaching, delegating, managing performance do not appear overnight just because someone gets a title. Some accidental managers adapt brilliantly. Others feel overwhelmed or frustrated. Many never wanted to lead in the first place. They just wanted to keep building.

The seasoned leader era: professionalising leadership

Eventually, continuing on a highgrowth trajectory requires you to bring

in seasoned leaders who have been through scale before. They bring processes, structure, and foresight. They know how to plan two steps ahead and how to manage complexity at size.

Suddenly, you have two leadership cultures side by side. The accidental managers are holders of deep institutional knowledge, culture carriers, and the people who have been there since the earliest fires. The seasoned leaders are trained in the playbooks of scale, with the muscle memory of leading larger teams. If you are not careful, these groups can misread each other’s value. Accidental managers might feel pushed aside. Seasoned leaders might underestimate the ingenuity and context the early team brings. The friction can slow execution, erode trust, and contribute to you losing great people.

Servicing leadership debt: bridging worlds with empathy and time Servicing leadership debt is not about replacing one kind of leader with another. It is about helping people adapt to change, rebuilding trust when needed, and making space for different leadership styles to coexist and evolve. New leaders often join with valuable experience from more structured environments. They bring clarity, process, and a sense of scale. But when those approaches are introduced without understanding the company’s history or the context that shaped it, they can land badly. The most successful new leaders are the ones who take time to listen, observe, and learn from those who have been in the trenches.

Simultaneously, some of our earliest leaders are discovering that the methods that worked brilliantly at 50 people strain under the weight of more complexity. Reinvention doesn’t mean starting from scratch; it means learning what good looks like at this stage and drawing on the experiences of leaders who have seen excellence elsewhere.

At Semble, the responsibility to bridge these two worlds feels even sharper. Every decision we make - even about who steps into a leadership roleultimately ripples out to a patient. It’s a reminder that our work is never just about organisational structure. It’s about building a company where the right leaders help us serve patients better, every single day.

That’s why a strong mission and shared cultural drivers anchor everything we do. “Impact” is not just a buzzword – it gives clear leadership direction, empowering those closest to our product to make the next right decision and focus on outcomes. To reinforce this, we have structured, personalised onboarding checklists that send new leaders on listening tours to understand how we operate, our culture, and how deeply we care about our users.

We also operate with empathy at our core. We strengthen this for our users through concrete actions: customer visits in our onboarding programme “First Shot” that every new starter attends, company-wide workshops featuring the very healthcare organisations that rely on us every day, and role playing how to set up a clinic as further opportunities for our leaders to step into our users’ shoes.

This is how we repay leadership debt. It takes time and deliberate effort. But if we do it well, we get the best of both worlds - the deep context and ingenuity of our early builders, and the clarity and maturity of those who have helped other companies scale. That is how we grow without losing ourselves - and grow in a way that keeps the heart of the company intact.

Mikael Landau co-founded Semble after witnessing the challenges of a fragmented healthcare system first-hand. Driven by a desire to create meaningful change, he joined forces with fellow tech entrepreneur and friend, Christoph Lippuner, who had also seen the impact of disconnected care.

/Influence

→ Ella Davidson, founder and director of The Book Publicist

How to build your authority as a CEO

If you are a CEO or a senior executive, then you are already established as a credible expert within your organisation. You might now be wondering how to extend that credibility outside your business. Raising your public profile doesn’t have to be a slow process, but the more you promote yourself and the more ideas you share, the more authority you will establish in your industry and beyond.

by ELLA DAVIDSON

Why do you need to build authority?

Using PR to build your profile and authority doesn’t just enhance your external reputation, it also generates credibility within your business. A strong public presence helps others to find your services and also creates a kind of CV that goes beyond your expertise to tell people what you stand for, what drives you, and what matters to you beyond the bottom line. It will also help you:

} Sell yourself as a quality service. If a business made the best trainers in the world, they wouldn’t rely on quality alone. They would need to actively show and tell people why they are worth it. The same goes for your personal brand – you need to invest time and thought into your public image and messages.

} Show the human behind the business.

In a world of AI-driven content, people are increasingly drawn to real voices and authentic stories. It’s never been more important to ‘see’ the human being behind a business. It’s through interviews and articles that you can demonstrate what you care about and what makes you tick, which allows others to connect with you as a human.

} Leave a mark that helps people find you.

AI tools prioritise high-quality, informative content when delivering answers, so writing articles is the key to getting found in AI searches. Expert-led articles increase your chances of being cited, ranked and recommended, helping the right people discover you and your work long after the piece is published.

How long does it take to build authority?

The time it takes to build authority varies depending on how much time

you have to commit and whether you bring in support. Much of the media works to long lead times, often four months or more. While it’s possible to make an impact in three months, a six-month campaign is the ideal amount of time to establish yourself as a credible expert. This allows time to prepare for the campaign, including photos, copy and key target publications, as well as to pitch and secure media, podcast and speaking opportunities and allow enough time for them to be published and shared. It’s also important to amplify any exposure through your own social channels. This is a key step for maximising impact and building lasting authority. Whether you are a CEO, founder, business professor, speaker, or author, there are many routes to raising your profile in the media. The most effective approach is to be visible in the right places – consistently sharing the expertise you already have.

1/Thought leadership articles

Publishing thought leadership articles is one of the most effective ways to share original insights, demonstrate expertise, and add value to your industry’s conversation. To maximise impact, try to ground these in your personal experience and offer practical value to your audience. They can be shared with general business outlets or more targeted industry publications, particularly those in the sectors you have worked in – or sectors

you are looking to expand into.

2/‘Newsjacking’

Reacting quickly to breaking news with expert commentary positions you as a go-to voice in your field. Media outlets and AI-driven platforms prioritise timely, relevant perspectives. Inserting yourself into the news cycle at the right moment helps you increase your chances of being quoted, featured and found in both media and search results. To make the most of this opportunity, create a strong profile highlighting your areas of expertise and key talking points. Many producers and editors will keep expert profiles on file. If you deliver a strong interview and are flexible and available, you might even be asked to be a regular contributor.

3/Conferences and events

Speaking on stage at industry events instantly boosts your credibility. It signals that others trust your expertise, which can lead to media interest, interview requests and increased search visibility as your name is mentioned online.

4/Speak on relevant podcasts, particularly long-form

Long-form podcast interviews are brilliant because they allow you to dive deeper into your story, share unique insights and build a personal connection with listeners. They also create searchable content –titles, transcripts and links

– that AI tools can pick up. This will increase the chances of showing in niche search results and topicbased recommendations.

5/Radio and TV interviews

Broadcast media offers unmatched exposure, allowing you to reach wide and diverse audiences. Participating in timely, relevant conversations, whether live or pre recorded, will increase your digital footprint and the chances of being discovered by both media and AI search engines.

6/Share stats, surveys, and white papers

Original data and insights are highly valuable to journalists, researchers and AI platforms. Whether through formal reports or by sharing key findings from your work, this type of content positions you as a thought leader and draws attention from both media outlets and online audiences.

7/Share advice around awareness days

Tying your insights to topical moments like World Leadership Day or Innovation Day makes your advice timely, relevant and more likely to catch the attention of journalists covering those themes. Leveraging these occasions can create a ripple effect, as PR often leads to more PR, amplifying your visibility and authority.

8/Enter entrepreneur awards (and promote any shortlists or winners) Awards provide third-party

endorsement and are an excellent proof of your success. Publicising any nominations and wins will create content that is shareable, searchable, and helps cement your authority in your sector.

9/Consider writing a book

A book, particularly a short, focused one, can be your most powerful PR tool. Whether it’s a standalone guide, a spinoff from existing work, or a 25k-word book on a niche topic, it positions you as a category expert, opens doors to media, and helps you land speaking gigs and partnerships. It helps to think of it as a business card with real substance. Creating ‘pitch books’ that you are happy to give away can significantly boost your authority and credibility on your chosen subject.

Finally, share, share, share Landing coverage in a global outlet is a huge achievement, but the real value comes with how you amplify it. Sharing your coverage across LinkedIn and newsletters helps you reach a wide audience and build momentum, which can lead to speaking invitations, partnerships, new clients and even career opportunities. Consistent sharing keeps you top of mind and drives your authority forward.

Ella Davidson, founder and director of The Book Publicist, authority building PR for founders and authors.

‘T/Awareness

The UK’s £1.7bn Perimenopause Problem

Perimenopause is draining UK businesses of experienced women as symptoms like fatigue and brain fog push many to leave work. The lack of awareness and support is costing companies in lost productivity and talent.

by KAROLINA LÖFQVIST

UK businesses are being gutted from the inside out. Not by AI or job-stealing bots, but because of an entirely natural and inevitable biological transition called perimenopause, and the impact it’s having on women in work. While companies haemorrhage one of their most valuable assets – experienced women hitting their professional stride – this silent crisis is costing the UK at least £1.7bn a year in lost productivity, lost working days, and menopause-driven unemployment.

Right now, 13m women in the UK are navigating the throes of perimenopause and menopause. That’s 1 in 3 of the total female workforce. But due to a lack of awareness, education, and workplace support, 1 in 10 of these women will leave work altogether because of their symptoms. Why? Because – unsurprisingly – battling hot flushes, brain fog, fatigue, insomnia, mood swings and any other of the 34 recognised perimenopause symptoms (although some research reports up to 100) impacts a woman’s confidence and wellbeing at

work. Several studies have revealed the extent of this problem, showing that 53% of women feel that perimenopause symptoms reduce their work confidence; 40% find they make work difficult to enjoy; and 27% struggle to cope in their professional roles. This talent drain is detrimental on many levels. To start, the average woman enters perimenopause between the ages of 45 and 55, the age at whichmore than two decades into her career - a woman is likely to be occupying a senior role, running a department, training up teams, or sitting on a board. These women possess invaluable institutional know-how and industry prowess, 10% of which will disappear entirely when 10% of perimenopausal women inevitably stop working due to their symptoms. This problem runs deeper than lost productivity: we’re losing decades of hard-won expertise and industry insight every single year.

From an entrepreneurial perspective, the median age of founders in the UK is 38 to 40, while 35% of UK businesses are started and run by people over 50. This means that just as women consider using their hard-earned experience, network, and confidence to launch a venture, perimenopause hits, and plans can be

thwarted. This demographic overlap of perimenopause and founders creates a critical entrepreneurial bottleneck, as the UK loses potential entrepreneurs just when they have the resources to build sustainable businesses.

On a wider level, turbocharging the UK’s productivity and economic growth is the talk of the town for this Labour government. However, the question over sustained growth in the face of £1.7 billion menopause-related annual losses is at odds. Labour’s industrial strategy emphasises high-skill, high-wage jobs, and yet it’s failing to address the fact that we’re systematically pushing out the women most likely to create and fill those roles. The UK government cannot afford to lose so many experienced workers during a crucial economic growth period. This perimenopause problem lacks a simple solution, but there are concrete actions that can be taken at every level.

What business leaders can do

First, a reframing is needed: addressing this problem is not a plea to be nicer to women (historically, that plea hasn’t gotten us very far). Instead, this is a question of economic growth, sustained innovation, and capitalisation of skill. You shouldn’t fix menopause support because it’s the

right thing to do; you should do it because you’ll see immediate returns in your bottom lines, quality of ideas, hiring, retention, and company culture. Forward-thinking UK employers have already cottoned onto the fact that menopause support is a whole lot more than good PR. Companies implementing comprehensive menopause policies report reduced absenteeism and burnout, leading to higher productivity and retention of experienced women, many of whom hold senior roles. What do menopause policies look like in practice? Flexible working arrangements that accommodate unpredictable symptoms; subsidised access to menopause specialists and healthcare; adequate mental health support; temperature-controlled offices and meeting rooms; menopause support groups; and menopause training for management, to name a few.

Building a menopauseinclusive workplace starts with awareness and education. Too many business leaders and managers have little idea what perimenopause means or involves, including how long it lasts (a staggering 14 years for some). Shame thrives on secrecy and silence, which is why adequate training, knowledge sharing, support groups, and open conversations in the workplace are critical if women are to discuss

their concerns and symptoms without the fear of judgement or retribution.

What employees can do For employees, it’s very important to know your rights. In the UK, approximately 25% of companies have specific menopause policies in place. This number is higher than most of Europe, but significantly lower than it needs to be. However, regardless of whether your employer falls into this top quarter, women do have workplace rights when it comes to menopause. Under the Equality Act 2010, employers must make reasonable adjustments for menopausal symptoms that substantially affect day-to-day activities. This means employees can legally request flexible working hours, workspace modifications, or adjusted roles to meet their needs.

What individual entrepreneurs can do For entrepreneurs navigating perimenopause while building their own venture – who can’t rely on HR support or accommodating employers – perimenopause strategies are different but equally important. Perimenopause and hormone tracking solutions can be invaluable for spotting patterns and getting access to help. While perimenopause can be alarmingly unpredictable, data is your best friend (especially for

accurately explaining your symptoms to medical professionals), allowing you to identify and preempt trickier periods and adjust your calendar, priorities, and workload accordingly. Femtech solutions are bridging critical gaps in menopause care – from testing to tracking to specialists – making support more accessible and affordable. Every time a perimenopausal woman leaves the workforce, she takes over two decades worth of institutional knowledge with her. Every female entrepreneur who abandons her business plans due to perimenopausal symptoms represents lost economic growth, innovation, and job creation. The £1.7bn we’re haemorrhaging annually isn’t just a women’s issue - it’s an economic crisis hiding in plain sight.

Karolina Löfqvist is a serial entrepreneur and CEO and co-founder of London-based women’s health company, Hormona. Karolina has been passionate about women’s health and founded Hormona after being misdiagnosed throughout her 20s despite severe hormonal imbalance symptoms (leading to depression and job loss) that simple interventions fixed within a month once properly diagnosed. She raised £4.7m to help tackle this crisis through data-driven perimenopause support and at-home testing.

WINNING INVESTOR SUPPORT

Key insights from Adam French , Partner at Antler UK by PATRICIA CULLEN

Securing investment for your start-up is a crucial step in turning your vision into a reality. But in a market where competition is fierce, what sets successful founders apart? Adam French, Partner at Antler UK, shares his top strategies for founders looking to attract investors and raise their first funding round. From showcasing a standout team to proving traction and presenting a bold vision, French outlines the critical factors that can help founders win the backing they need to grow their businesses.

What are the top three things founders should focus on when preparing to raise their first round of funding?

Raising at pre-seed or seed stage has become more competitive and rigorous than ever. On average, it takes founders longer to raise their first funding round now than it did ten years ago. That’s because investor expectations are increasing and they demand to see higher levels of traction and revenue growth than ever before.

For their first funding round, founders need to focus on:

1/THE TEAM - don’t bury this slide in your deck. Why are you the ones to win this space? What do you believe or know that no-ones else knows? Why do you beat the 10,0000 other teams going after this problem?

2/TRACTION - can you validate demand? Can you evidence that this is a problem worth solving? Can you show your bias towards action?

3/VISION - VCs want to back ambitious founders. If everything goes right how big could this be? 10 years from now, how could this business be doing $100m+ in revenue?

When evaluating early-stage startups, what key factors do you prioritise?

Antler is an inception stage investor, filling a gap in the UK market where most investors are waiting for more signals on the business before they invest. We care almost entirely in the beginning about the strength of the founding team.

That’s why we invite the best to participate in our founder

residencies, that allows us to conduct an eight week due diligence process on them as individuals. We see how they operate under pressure, make decisions and problem solve. We are looking for outlier founders with the grit, determination and ambition to build generational-defining companies. The chances of achieving that are vanishingly small, but the best founders do it anyway.

How should founders handle a “no” from an investor? What’s the best way to build long-term relationships, even if they don’t secure investment straight away?

Every successful founder has faced rejection from investors. There are countless examples of the world’s biggest tech companies being ignored by investors at the start of their growth journey. It is common for founders to start a fundraising process by building out a list of 200 funds and angels they want to approach. If you get four funds on your cap table, that’s a 98% failure rate to secure a great outcome. Founders learn that ‘no’ often means ‘not right now’. Sharing monthly or quarterly updates with investors is a critical way of staying in touch, showing progress and warming up prospects for future funding rounds, and proving out, over time, what you say you are going to do

What start-up sector or trend excites you the most at the moment, and why?

Founders in the UK and across Europe are building the application layer for AI. We’re seeing AI founders building AI-powered technologies to drive real innovation in numerous sectors and industries, ranging from energy consumption in homes through to the ways hotels interact with guests. Perhaps the most exciting trend is speed. AI software building tools are allowing founders to build and execute faster than ever before.

We are looking for outlier founders with the grit, determination and ambition to build generational-defining companies. The chances of achieving that are vanishingly small, but the best founders do it anyway” “

Which three start-ups funded by Antler this year excite you the mostand why?

Not an easy question to answer as we have so many companies in our portfolio who are just getting started, but if I were to pick three which are emerging very quickly, I would say:

} AskVinny: Automating property management with AI agents, AskVinny is streamlining tenantlandlord interactions and enhancing service delivery in the real estate sector.

} SAMMY: AI that explores your app like a real user to automatically generate documentation, onboarding, and testing

} Synthax: Automating healthcare admin, so doctors can focus on the patient

As Adam French underscores, securing that first round of funding is no longer just about having a great idea - it’s about the relentless work behind it. It’s about crafting a team that investors trust, proving traction in a way that shows genuine demand, and presenting a vision that transcends the present. In today’s competitive landscape, the pressure on founders has never been greater. But as French reminds us, rejection is part of the process, not the end of the road. By staying committed, refining their approach, and fostering meaningful relationships with investors, founders can lay the groundwork for future success. After all, the most successful companies didn’t win on their first try - they persisted, adapted, and ultimately, thrived.

The Legal Case for AuDHD Awareness in Business

In today’s workplaces, neurodiversity is recognised as a driver of innovation and growth. However, whilst terms like ADHD and autism are entering the mainstream, the reality is far more complex than tackling conditions in isolation.

by LEANNE MASKELL

Increasingly , employers are having to grapple with ‘AuDHD’ - the co-occurrence of autism and ADHD - a fast-emerging area of awareness that carries not only human and cultural implications, but also serious legal consequences.

Beyond labels: understanding AuDHD

Human beings do not fit neatly into diagnostic boxes. Research shows 60-80% of people with ADHD will experience at least one co-occurring condition during their lifetime. Some may be acquired, such as anxiety, while others are lifelong - such as autism, which may not be diagnosed until adulthood.

AuDHD is a striking example of this complexity. Until 2013, clinicians could not diagnose both autism and ADHD in one person. Today, studies suggest that 50-70% of autistic individuals also meet criteria for ADHD.

As a result, many employees are navigating challenges out of their control, often without understanding why - such as the 89% of autistic adults aged over 40 who are undiagnosed.

The legal landscape: what employers need to know

For businesses, this is not just a matter of wellbeing - it’s a legal necessity. Neurodevelopmental conditions including autism and ADHD are generally recognised as disabilities under equality legislation, which means employees are legally entitled to reasonable adjustments at work. Failure to provide adequate support can lead to claims of disability discrimination, which have risen in UK employment tribunals by a third in a single year. As compensation awards are uncapped, the financial exposure is significant: while the average award is tens of thousands of pounds, some cases have reached into the millions.

AuDHD complicates matters further. Many employees are misdiagnosed, undiagnosed, or juggling multiple conditions that intersect in ways that employers may not recognise. Well-intentioned approaches addressing only single conditions risk falling short of legal duties, leaving organisations exposed to claims from those who do not fit neatly into a check-box. Moreover, the test for disability is legal, not medical. This means that under legislation such as the Equality Act 2010, formal diagnosis - and in some cases, even disclosure - is not required for an employer’s proactive legal duties to be triggered.

AuDHD Awareness

When autism and ADHD co-occur, the interaction of traits can produce both powerful strengths and complex challenges:

} Impulsivity combined with structure: ADHD may drive quick action, while autism brings a preference for structure. Together, this can spark bursts of innovative problem-solving - or, at times, internal conflict and overwhelm.

} Hyper-focus and distractibility: Autism’s capacity for ‘monotropic’ intensive focus is heightened by ADHD’s interest-based nervous system. AuDHD employees may excel in areas of passion and challenge, yet struggle with seemingly simple administrative tasks and switching off.

Practical steps for businesses

Here’s how employers can turn risk into retention, whilst unlocking potential:

1/PROVIDE NEUROAFFIRMATIVE TRAINING

Rather than focusing narrowly on specific labels, train employees to recognise signs of vulnerability and approach all colleagues with curiosity, rather than judgement. Neuroaffirmative training encourages open, respectful conversations - equipping teams to listen with integrity, handle difficult discussions constructively, and reduce fear of ‘saying the wrong thing.’

2/TRAIN MANAGERS AND HR ON DISABILITY LAW

It is crucial that managers and HR teams understand

their legal duties around neurodiversity. They do not need to be medical experts, but they must recognise their duty of care, particularly as they could be held personally liable for failures to meet legal obligations.

3/BACK UP WITH POLICIES

Grounding commitments in clear policies ensures consistency and accountability, providing a shared reference point for everybody. Policies should make clear that reasonable adjustments are not limited to specific conditions, instead providing simple, accessible steps and scripts that can be followed with confidence, such as this one.

4

/TRAIN AUDHD COACHES Investing in AuDHD

EMPLOYERS THAT TAILOR ENVIRONMENTS TO INDIVIDUALS, RATHER THAN ASSUMING ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL, UNLOCK NOT ONLY COMPLIANCE BUT ALSO CREATIVITY, PRODUCTIVITY, AND LOYALTY. IT IS ONLY WHEN DIFFERENCE IS TRULY UNDERSTOOD AND SUPPORTED, THAT IT CAN BE HARNESSED”

} Creativity and rule-orientation: ADHD’s free-flowing idea generation combines with autism’s rule-based thinking, often leading to unique solutions, though sometimes creating tension within rigid systems and bureaucracy.

} Social perception: Autistic traits may heighten sensitivity to social nuance or overload, while ADHD may drive energetic communication. The result can be authentic collaboration, but also misunderstandings.

coaches enables organisations to build in-house expertise that supports both individuals and teams, whilst understanding industry-specific nuances and requirements, such as billable hours within the legal sector. This approach transforms potential obstacles into opportunities and demonstrates a genuine, long-term commitment to inclusion.

Beyond compliance: the business case

With 51% of neurodivergent employees reporting time off work due to neurodivergence - and sick days at their highest level in 15 years - the case for supporting all employees effectively is undeniable.

Providing support out of obligation leads to firefighting time-consuming, easily avoidable problems instead of preventing them. Whilst accommodating disabilities is a legal requirement, this should be the floor, rather than the ceiling. Employers that tailor environments to individuals, rather than assuming one-size-fits-all, unlock not only compliance but also creativity, productivity, and loyalty. It is only when difference is truly understood and supported, that it can be harnessed.

Leanne Maskell is National Specialist Coach of the Year, the founder of ADHD coaching company, ADHD Works, and best-selling author of AuDHD: Blooming Differently and ADHD Works at Work

S/Innovation

Beyond the Cloud

In the world of enterprise tech, some stories unfold slowlyiterative, predictable, and safe. Others move with the pace and precision of a start-up rocketship, driven by experience, instinct, and a refusal to accept convention. Mark Sweeny’s journey belongs to the latter. As the founder and Chief Executive of de Novo Solutions, a specialist digital consultancy that reinvented enterprise operations by delivering personalised, data-driven experiences using Oracle Cloud and ServiceNow solutions, Sweeny isn’t just building another tech consultancy - he’s reshaping how enterprise operations are digitised. And judging by the company’s meteoric rise since its founding in 2021, he may be onto something. Placed eighth on The Sunday Times 100 as one of Britain’s fastest-growing private companies, de Novo now generates over £5m in annual revenues. Its growth, however, is only part of the story. What’s more telling is the way the business has evolved - and what that evolution reveals about the changing face of cloud transformation.

From Scaling to Soul-Searching Before de Novo, there was Certus Solutions. Founded by Sweeny and his team, Certus was the UK and Ireland’s first Oracle SaaS Cloud implementation partner. It scaled rapidly into an Oracle Platinum Partner with a global footprint and ultimately caught the attention of Accenture UK, which acquired it in 2018. That exit might have marked the end of the story. But for Sweeny, it was the beginning of something more considered. “Back in 2019, we could see that cloud applications - business software delivered over the internet rather than installed locally - were evolving in exciting new ways,” he recalls. “Yet, at the same time, we saw many organisations were struggling to take advantage of the powerful innovations being introduced by major

platform vendors like Oracle and ServiceNow. It was a clear, untapped opportunity waiting to be addressed.”

The question, then, was how to capture that opportunity- without repeating the past. What emerged was the foundation of de Novo: a company that could transform generic software into industry-specific solutions, while offering long-term services focused on measurable value. “We asked ourselves: what if we built a technology company that could take generic software and transform it into industry-specific solutions, supported by ongoing services focused purely on delivering measurable value?” Sweeny explains. “That idea became the foundation of de Novo Solutions.”

Vision Meets Timing

Timing, of course, was critical. “As cloud applications became more accessible and affordable to new markets, we saw this huge business opportunity to bring personalised, industryfocused solutions to markets that had previously been overlooked,” says Sweeny. The advantage?

Experience. Having pioneered Oracle Cloud for the UK government sector with Certus, the team understood how to create specialisation within complex systems. At de Novo, they evolved that model - and brought it to new markets like policing and secondary

education, particularly Multi-Academy Trusts. More than implementation, the focus was on value. “We created the definitive service wrapper to provide not only support, but to address maximising a client’s investment in the platform through our Value as a Service (VaaS) service,” he says.

VaaS became a distinctive offering.

“Unlike traditional support models, VaaS goes further. We don’t just fix problems; we use ongoing platform innovations to drive measurable return on investment, and most importantly, we measure and prove that value.” By 2025, the idea had scaled far beyond its original scope. de Novo had grown from a concept into a market leader.

A Fast Climb Success, however, didn’t come without friction. “Two major challenges completely blindsided us and forced us to rethink everything,” Sweeny admits. The first was the education market, which had initially seemed ripe for transformation. But things didn’t go to plan. “The education marketwhich we considered to have the highest potential for growth - is extremely immature when it comes to buying technology and adopting digital solutions. The messaging and business development approach we’d successfully used with more experienced government sectors just didn’t work at all with schools and educational organisations. It was like speaking different languages.”

The second curveball came from an unexpected direction: ServiceNow. While de Novo had deep Oracle credentials, replicating that same credibility and traction in the ServiceNow ecosystem proved much harder.

“With Oracle, we were already an established brand from day onemany people wanted to see us return to the market, and we had this rich trusted heritage from our previous company. ServiceNow required significant investment, and while we could see the product and the market going through similar evolution, we were starting from the back of the grid, to use a Formula 1 metaphor.” Trying to copy-paste the Oracle model simply didn’t work. “The approach we’d used }}

TECHNOLOGY IS ALL ABOUT PEOPLE - IT ALWAYS HAS BEEN. THE PEOPLE THAT USE THE TECHNOLOGY, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, THE PEOPLE WHO ARE IMPACTED BY IT”

in the Oracle world was just too expensive and timeconsuming to replicate.”

Pivoting with Precision

Challenges like these can stall a company - or sharpen its edge. For de Novo, it was the latter.“You know, part of the journey of being an entrepreneur is finding ways through whatever challenges get thrown at you,” says Sweeny. “Quite simply, we pivoted quickly, and instead of shrinking our thinking and solutions for the market, we went in completely the opposite direction.”

When it came to the education sector, the team made a radical shift. “While lack of understanding is usually addressed by educating the marketplace, this was proving way too costly and time-consuming. It could seriously take 3–5 years to achieve this - far too long

when you consider that the pace of technology innovation moves at approximately every 12 weeks.”

And so, they changed course: moving into Business Process Outsourcing, beginning with payroll. “We positioned ourselves through outsourcing corporate services, specifically payroll, as a fast path to digital transformation.” It wasn’t just a tactical move - it was strategic. “The key difference being our service is based on our industry-specific cloud solution called Odyssea. Once this operation comes online in 2026, we can branch out into other sectors quite easily, as we already have solutions ready for central government, local government, and police.” The ServiceNow play, too, was rethought. Instead of chasing implementation deals, de Novo built its own IP on the platform - and used it internally. “We became a customer ourselves, using the product as the backbone of our Value as a Service offering. Building our own intellectual property on the platform has allowed us to create a £2m+ recurring revenue stream within three years.”

Tech Problems Are Culture Problems

Asked what he’s learned most about solving tough tech problems, Sweeny doesn’t hesitate. “Technology is all about people - it always has been. The people that use the technology, and most importantly, the people who are impacted by it.” Change management, in other words, is not optional - it’s the core issue. “This is usually

addressed through market education, but that takes both time and money, and when you’re running a business, you’re usually constrained by both, especially since ‘cash flow is king.’” That leads to the fundamental question every founder must face: “How quickly can I get this product or service to market and generate positive cash flow?”

For Sweeny, the answer lies in leveraging wider market trends while staying brutally honest about what’s viable in the short term. “Allowing this thinking and discipline to heavily influence your decision-making can make all the difference between having a viable, sustainable business and, frankly, not having a business at all.”

Five Lessons for Founders

Reflecting on the road travelled, Sweeny offers five guiding principles for

“

THE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION IS: WHAT PROBLEM ARE YOU TRYING TO SOLVE, AND WHY? BE WILLING AND RECEPTIVE TO CONSTANTLY TEST THE MARKET FOR FEEDBACK ON YOUR ASSUMPTIONS. DON’T FALL IN LOVE WITH YOUR SOLUTION BEFORE YOU REALLY UNDERSTAND THE PROBLEM”

entrepreneurs navigating similar terrain. First, he says, focus on the fundamentals. “The most important question is: what problem are you trying to solve, and why? Be willing and receptive to constantly test the market for feedback on your assumptions. Don’t fall in love with your solution before you really understand the problem.” Second, he urges entrepreneurs to master basic business strategy. “Can you deliver better, cheaper, or faster than your competition? If you can achieve two out of

three, you’re in with a real chance, but you must stay focused and be able to execute consistently.” Third, never forget: “Cash flow is king.” Sweeny emphasises the need for pragmatism. “How quickly can you get to positive cash flow? You need to be creative because the answer isn’t always about raising external money from investors.” Fourth, hire well - and trust your team. “Surround yourself with people who are more skilled than you in their areas, who share your passion for solving the

problem, and be prepared to listen to them.” And finally, keep relationships central. “Always stay in touch with your customers, especially when they’re not buying from you, because they’ll remember you when the time comes and they’re ready to invest.”

The Road Ahead

From the outset, de Novo was never about scaling a consultancy in the conventional sense. It was about transforming enterprise operations into something genuinely valuable, measurable, and lasting. And while de Novo has already achieved standout recognitionfrom awards shortlists to rapid revenue growth - it remains a company with its eyes firmly on the future. With innovations like VaaS, Odyssea, and a blueprint for entering new markets, it’s setting the pace for a new era of cloud transformation. Sweeny may have started de Novo to solve a problem, but what he’s built is far rarer: a business with the audacity to pivot, a focus on delivering true value, and the conviction to keep pushing boundaries.

Hitting The Right Note

Mitch Strong founded Pulse in 2022 with a mission: to modernise the way brands interact with live entertainment. by

ENTREPRENEUR UK STAFF

Traditionally, if a brand wanted to do something in live entertainment, they’d sign a contract with a rights holder, then have to go find an experiential agency to build and activate it, a production agency for the content, and a media agency to amplify it. It’s fragmented, messy, and a nightmare for marketers to manage,” Strong explains.

Pulse was built to solve this problem. “We’re a centralised specialist team that delivers everything under one roofsponsorship management, experiential build, content production, and guaranteed media delivery,” says Strong. The timing was right, particularly in the UK’s flourishing live entertainment market. “The UK needs this now because brands are demanding efficiency, accountability, and impact more than ever,” Strong observes. “Live entertainment is booming, but the old model is broken, and we’re here to fix it.”

In August 2024, Pulse experienced a pivotal shift. “For nearly two years, we were pushing against the industry norm, showing brands and agencies how media planning teams could work with festivals through us, and how sponsorship teams could expand their scope to include media, content, and digital,” recalls Strong. “It took time, but the penny dropped eventually.” This breakthrough saw Pulse move from being “the new kids trying something different” to becoming

the “go-to partner for modern live entertainment campaigns.”

A major factor in Pulse’s success has been its focus on education. “So many businesses rush to sell their services. We took a step back and said: let’s make sure people actually understand the market first,” Strong notes. Rather than focusing solely on sales, Pulse spends time educating brands and agencies on the power of live entertainment. “Rather than ‘pitch pitch pitch,’ we actively spend time teaching brands and agencies what works, what doesn’t, and why live entertainment is such a powerful medium.”

This approach has proven effective. “Our slower, consultative approach has been transformational,” says Strong. “It builds trust and shows that whilst we’re of course here to sell, we’re also looking for a greater understanding of the power of live entertainment.” It’s this methodology that has driven Pulse to grow fivefold year-on-year.

Despite challenges, Pulse remains confident in the value of live entertainment. “In tough economic climates, partnerships and sponsorships are often the first thing brands put in the ‘luxury’ bucket,” Strong admits. “But we see it differently, and instead educate marketers and advertisers that live entertainment isn’t a luxury. It’s one of the most powerful ways to build culture, loyalty, and conversion.”

Strong’s advice for new founders: commitment is key. “Don’t

underestimate how long it takes to shift a market’s mindset. You might see the future crystal clear, but the people you’re selling to are often stuck in the past.” His number one message? “Persistence wins. Stick to your vision, even if it feels like you’re talking to a brick wall at the start. Keep educating, keep proving, keep delivering results. The turning point will come.”

Strong’s personal connection to the UK’s festival culture is evident.

“Honestly, our festival culture is unlike anywhere else in the world. I grew up going to every gig, every festival I could. This culture is in my DNA,” he says. With the UK’s festival market growing 5.7% year-on-year, Pulse has a unique opportunity to tap into a passionate, engaged audience.

However, the industry faces challenges, especially with independent festivals. “60 independent festivals closed in the UK last year - a heartbreaking figure,” Strong notes. These festivals, with loyal, niche audiences, struggle financially. “If we can direct marketing budgets into those festivals, we keep the culture alive, we help advertisers build meaningful connections, and we create a win-win for everyone.”

Ultimately, Pulse is about more than just commercial success. “What excites me is building a business that isn’t just commercially successful, but culturally essential - and remembered for doing good by everyone we work with.”

The voice of entrepreneurship around the world