Leicester Startups Podcast

Thomas Constant designs things. When he was at Loughborough University he designed something pretty futuristic. In fact it was so futuristic and so different that people just weren't ready for it. It meant he had to change. In this episode we discuss deciding entrepreneurship over a conventional career; listening to your customers; and raising investment. This whole podcast series has been made possible by Leicester & Leicestershire Local Enterprise Partnership who are supporting entrepreneurs through the Start-up Leicester Co-working Project, together with Project Partners University of Leicester, De Montfort University, LCB Depot, Leicester Startups and Co-operative and Social Enterprise Development Agency (CASE). www.leicesterstartups.com/ www.facebook.com/LeicesterStartups www.twitter.com/LeicStartups www.linkedin.com/company/leicester-startups

This episode was recorded during Leicester Startup Week (Feb 2021). De Montfort University graduates Darrell Wright and Lois Cockerill talk to us about their startups' (Lead Balloon Studios) first year in business. This whole podcast series has been made possible by Leicester & Leicestershire Local Enterprise Partnership who are supporting entrepreneurs through the Start-up Leicester Co-working Project, together with Project Partners University of Leicester, De Montfort University, LCB Depot, Leicester Startups and Co-operative and Social Enterprise Development Agency (CASE). www.leicesterstartups.com/ www.facebook.com/LeicesterStartups www.twitter.com/LeicStartups www.linkedin.com/company/leicester-startups

This episode was recorded during Leicester Startup Week (Feb 2021). This conversation between serial entrepreneur David Chan and Ben Ravilious is all about how to ask the sort of questions that give you real actionable data. Ideal for early stage startups or those who want to understand their existing customers better. This whole podcast series has been made possible by Leicester & Leicestershire Local Enterprise Partnership who are supporting entrepreneurs through the Start-up Leicester Co-working Project, together with Project Partners University of Leicester, De Montfort University, LCB Depot, Leicester Startups and Co-operative and Social Enterprise Development Agency (CASE). www.leicesterstartups.com/ www.facebook.com/LeicesterStartups www.twitter.com/LeicStartups www.linkedin.com/company/leicester-startups

This episode was recorded during Leicester Startup Week (Feb 2021). It features former Silicon Valley CEO Martin Babinec. Martin is founded and helped build TriNet, a company listed on NYSE now worth billions. He is Upstate New York’s most active early stage tech investor, started a non-profit dedicated to accelerating growth of startups across the region and even ran for US congress as a third party candidate. Now, he has authored 'More Good Jobs: An Entrepreneur’s Action Plan to Create Change in Your Community'. This whole podcast series has been made possible by Leicester & Leicestershire Local Enterprise Partnership who are supporting entrepreneurs through the Start-up Leicester Co-working Project, together with Project Partners University of Leicester, De Montfort University, LCB Depot, Leicester Startups and Co-operative and Social Enterprise Development Agency (CASE). www.leicesterstartups.com/ www.facebook.com/LeicesterStartups www.twitter.com/LeicStartups www.linkedin.com/company/leicester-startups

This episode was recorded during Leicester Startup Week (Feb 2021). It features founder and CEO Leanne Bonner-Cooke MBE. She started e-bate, a Leicester based software-as-a-service rebate management solution that raised £2m during the covid pandemic and created five new jobs. Founder Leanne Bonner-Cooke was awarded an MBE in the 2018 New Year’s Honours List for services to women in business and is passionate about encouraging young people, boys and girls, into STEM subjects to ensure our future tech leaders. This whole podcast series has been made possible by Leicester & Leicestershire Local Enterprise Partnership who are supporting entrepreneurs through the Start-up Leicester Co-working Project, together with Project Partners University of Leicester, De Montfort University, LCB Depot, Leicester Startups and Co-operative and Social Enterprise Development Agency (CASE). www.leicesterstartups.com/ www.facebook.com/LeicesterStartups www.twitter.com/LeicStartups www.linkedin.com/company/leicester-startups

Ahlam Alharthy laughed at the thought of herself being an entrepreneur. She had a good steady job in teaching. Business was always for others, not her. Then she became pregnant and circumstances changed. In this episode we discuss leaving a job you love, reluctantly launching a business and scaling during a global pandemic. This whole podcast series has been made possible by Leicester & Leicestershire Local Enterprise Partnership who are supporting entrepreneurs through the Start-up Leicester Co-working Project, together with Project Partners University of Leicester, De Montfort University, LCB Depot, Leicester Startups and Co-operative and Social Enterprise Development Agency (CASE). www.leicesterstartups.com/ www.facebook.com/LeicesterStartups www.twitter.com/LeicStartups www.linkedin.com/company/leicester-startups

What's the D word? Well when it comes to Phil Zeidler, it could be a number of things. A Dad? Yep. Disruptor? Absolutely! Death? ... Well yes! Phil is the co-founder of insurtech firm DeadHappy, which aims to simply life (or death) insurance. In this episode we discuss how Phil went from being a door-to-door salesman to an entrepreneur. He tells us how his first business partner ran off with all of his money and his own near death experience. This episode is supported by Bulb Studios, specialists in user experience & user interface design, web & mobile development and video & Motion Graphics. Visit: bulbstudios.com/ This whole podcast series has been made possible by Leicester & Leicestershire Local Enterprise Partnership who are supporting entrepreneurs through the Start-up Leicester Co-working Project, together with Project Partners University of Leicester, De Montfort University, LCB Depot, Leicester Startups and Co-operative and Social Enterprise Development Agency (CASE). www.leicesterstartups.com/ www.facebook.com/LeicesterStartups www.twitter.com/LeicStartups

What makes an economics graduate from the University of Cambridge ditch a lucrative career in banking to move to Leicester to set up a business he knows nothing about?! Saleem Arif did just that 12 years ago. He's since set up two further businesses in the city and now calls Leicester home. In this episode we discuss having confidence in business, being a master of persuasion and having his business featured on ads during the FA Cup Final, Coronation Street and on GMTV! This episode is supported by Bulb Studios, specialists in user experience & user interface design, web & mobile development and video & Motion Graphics. Visit: https://bulbstudios.com/ This whole podcast series has been made possible by Leicester & Leicestershire Local Enterprise Partnership who are supporting entrepreneurs through the Start-up Leicester Co-working Project, together with Project Partners University of Leicester, De Montfort University, LCB Depot, Leicester Startups and Co-operative and Social Enterprise Development Agency (CASE). www.leicesterstartups.com/ www.facebook.com/LeicesterStartups www.twitter.com/LeicStartups

After falling ill as a teenager, Suleman Sacranie from Evington decided to pursue his quite random business idea. It was a choice that would take him from selling angel delight to expats in Spain, to becoming a multi-millionaire! In the latest episode of the Leicester Startups Podcast, we hear from award winning entrepreneur Suleman as he discusses building a business, disrupting markets, attracting investment, having a mentor, pivoting, scaling and selling. This whole podcast series has been made possible by Leicester & Leicestershire Local Enterprise Partnership who are supporting entrepreneurs through the Start-up Leicester Co-working Project, together with Project Partners University of Leicester, De Montfort University, LCB Depot, Leicester Startups and Co-operative and Social Enterprise Development Agency (CASE). www.leicesterstartups.com/ www.facebook.com/LeicesterStartups www.twitter.com/LeicStartups

Julian Wright learned how to code well into his 60's. Now in his 70's, he's running a startup which develops apps. Linwood Apps specialises in teaching people how to read and play music. It's a small business which Julian hopes will eventually provide more of an income than his Spanish pension. In the meantime however, he's having incredible fun on his journey. This whole podcast series has been made possible by Leicester & Leicestershire Local Enterprise Partnership who are supporting entrepreneurs through the Start-up Leicester Co-working Project, together with Project Partners University of Leicester, De Montfort University, LCB Depot, Leicester Startups and Co-operative and Social Enterprise Development Agency (CASE). www.leicesterstartups.com/ www.facebook.com/LeicesterStartups www.twitter.com/LeicStartups

Is this the real life? Is it just fantasy? We’ve got the Queen of Virtual Reality on the latest episode of the Leicester Startups Podcast. Alex Ruhl from Market Harborough is the founder of the VR film studio Cats Are Not Peas. She discusses how she discovered VR, what happens when an industry stagnates and how we’ll all live in the future. This whole podcast series has been made possible by Leicester & Leicestershire Local Enterprise Partnership who are supporting entrepreneurs through the Start-up Leicester Co-working Project, together with Project Partners University of Leicester, De Montfort University, LCB Depot, Leicester Startups and Co-operative and Social Enterprise Development Agency (CASE). www.leicesterstartups.com/ www.facebook.com/LeicesterStartups www.twitter.com/LeicStartups

Hamzah Malik is the CEO of digital agency Regent Branding and the founder of Drench, a discount voucher app. In this episode Hamzah talks about being obsessed with CEO’s whilst his friends were idolising footballers; finding customers on train journeys; and how he manages a team dotted around the globe. This episode is sponsored by Naked Accounting, a Xero certified chartered accountants. They aim to strip back the stress of running a business by using the leading platform, Xero. They can help you set it up and link it with loads of other web-app business tools too. Find them on nakedaccounting.co.uk This whole podcast series has been made possible by Leicester & Leicestershire Local Enterprise Partnership who are supporting entrepreneurs through the Start-up Leicester Co-working Project, together with Project Partners University of Leicester, De Montfort University, LCB Depot, Leicester Startups and Co-operative and Social Enterprise Development Agency (CASE). www.leicesterstartups.com/ www.facebook.com/LeicesterStartups www.twitter.com/LeicStartups

Jim Shields is the founder of the video production company Twist and Shout Communications. They specialise in making corporate videos with... a twist! In this episode Jim talks about losing his house, finding fans not customers, dealing with theft and the pivot that changed his life forever! This episode is sponsored by Erskine Murray, a Leicester-based, UK top-50 independent insurance broker. They are lending their resources and insurance know-how to assist local-based start-ups to find the right cover at the right price. Visit https://www.erskine-murray.co.uk/ This whole podcast series has been made possible by Leicester & Leicestershire Local Enterprise Partnership who are supporting entrepreneurs through the Start-up Leicester Co-working Project, together with Project Partners University of Leicester, De Montfort University, LCB Depot, Leicester Startups and Co-operative and Social Enterprise Development Agency (CASE). www.leicesterstartups.com/ www.facebook.com/LeicesterStartups www.twitter.com/LeicStartups

Sophie Hainsworth and Jason Nesbitt are the founders of Loyal Free. It's an app which gives people the chance to take up business offers, see what's on locally, check out guides, competitions and trails. Oh and it's a business they completely funded themselves with no outside investment! In this episode they discuss their origin story, how they stumbled on a whole new business model, experiencing burnout and their biggest challenge to date. This episode is kindly brought to you by Leicester based Twist and Shout Communications, a production team that aims to entertain and inform, because they know that when people smile, they’re engaged. And it’s smiles that get shared. Visit www.twistandshout.co.uk/ for more. www.leicesterstartups.com/ www.facebook.com/LeicesterStartups www.twitter.com/LeicStartups

In our very first episode Manish talks to James Wormington from Groby, Leicestershire. He’s the creator of the innovative travel app Travamigos. James talks rum, securing £150k investment, Dragons Den walkouts and how to get fired from every job you have...enjoy listening, and let us know what you think! This episode is kindly brought to you by Leicester based Twist and Shout Communications, a production team that aims to entertain and inform, because they know that when people smile, they’re engaged. And it’s smiles that get shared. Visit http://www.twistandshout.co.uk/ for more. www.leicesterstartups.com/ www.facebook.com/LeicesterStartups www.twitter.com/LeicStartups