UKTN | The Podcast

Dame Ottoline Leyser, former chief executive of UKRI and chair of the advisory board of Innovate Cambridge, discusses the research and business success from the University of Cambridge and how that can be applied throughout the country, government plans to support a global Oxford-Cambridge tech hub and the power of local pride in growing new tech clusters. Leyser was appointed as the head of UK Research and Innovation, the public body which directs government funding to science and technological enterprises, in 2020. 

David Hogan, vice president for enterprise at NVIDIA, discusses the UK's efforts in scaling its digital infrastructure to meet its ambitious goals in artificial intelligence and just how fundamental the recent shifts in AI technology have been to the shaping the future of the world. NVIDIA is one of the largest companies in the world, known for its top-of-the-line chips, it has been and continues to be instrumental in the rapidly developing AI sector. 

Laura Modiano, head of startups at OpenAI, discusses just how far artificial intelligence has advanced since the launch of ChatGPT, how AI is drastically accelerating the growth rates of businesses and how far the company's flagship product can go. OpenAI is the creator of ChatGPT and is among the largest AI companies globally. Valued this year at $500bn, it is the most valuable private company in the world and has worked extensively with the British government on its AI ambitions. 

Fi Sellick, head of UK strategy at Square, discusses how macroeconomic challenges impact small businesses as well as their payment providers, how Square is implementing AI across different markets and cryptocurrency's role in democratising finance. Square is a contactless payment system for businesses co-founded by Twitter creator Jack Dorsey. The company partners with firms offering support in payments and point-of-sale.

Karen McCormick, chief investment officer at Beringea, discusses the relationship between the business, technology and investment communities of the UK and the US, why the entrepreneurial spirit of the UK is catching up to Silicon Valley and why almost every business has become an AI business. Beringea is a transatlantic venture capital investment group jointly based in London and Michigan. McCormick discusses the challenges tech companies in Europe face when trying to emulate the success of US tech giants and what firms like Beringea look for in a portfolio company. 

Christoph Lippuner, co-founder and chief executive of Semble, discusses why healthcare professionals are far too often victims of extreme burnout, why that is a problem for everyone and the challenges he faced raising money for his business. Semble provides management software for healthcare providers. The platform helps clinicians and clinics manage everything from scheduling, billing, and prescribing to patient data and administrative workflows, aiming to reduce manual work and amplify time spent on patient care. 

Richard Jeffery, co-founder and chief executive officer of ActiveOps, discusses the challenges of managing work productivity in large organisations and the impact of AI on decision intelligence and operational efficiency.   ActiveOps is a workflow management software provider founded in 2005, now operating in 40 countries around the world.

Calum Chase, co-founder of Conscium, discusses why fears of an AI winter have been greatly exaggerated, why the industry has surpassed the hype phase and will continue to grow and the transformational impacts already happening and those yet to come. Conscium is a research organisation focused on applied AI consciousness. The group was founded to explore the questions of the nature of consciousness and how that can apply to AI technology. 

Lisa Haycox, chief executive of Explore Learning, discusses the technologies that should and should not be used in children's education, how perceptions of digital learning changed after the pandemic and how AI represents the future of edtech. Explore Learning is a tuition provider for young students via its digital platform. Haycox discusses the shortfalls of traditional schooling structures and the pros and cons of supplementing education with technology. 

Jo Cox, chief executive officer of ImServ, discusses how smart tracking of energy use works for businesses, how AI can help collect and manage energy data and the myths around smart meters.   IMServ is a data collection and energy metering firm. Cox, who was appointed as the group's CEO in 2024, discusses the importance of understanding baseline energy usage to improve efficiency and reduce carbon footprints. 

Caroline Seton, co-founder of Forest, discusses the cultural shift in perceptions of cycling brought in by bike hire services, the infrastructural barriers to encourage mass cycling and navigating the venture capital landscape. Forest, founded as Human Forest, is a London-based bicycle hiring service competing with the likes of Lime. The company was founded in 2020 and has become one of the UK capital's most used bike rental firms. 

Rob Whitehead, chief executive of MSquared and co-founder of Improbable discusses why despite a drop in the initial hype, companies in the space are still making exciting innovations in metaverse technology. Whitehead explains why different iterations of virtual space technology have struggled to take off and why focusing on the correct use cases that properly utilise the technology is the key for consumers to enjoy metaverse experiences. 

Dr Jane Jin, founder and chief operating officer of OXCCU, discusses the complexity of developing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), the history of how it has been deployed in the past and just how impactful viable could be for the environment and the aviation industry.  OXCCU is a spinout from the University of Oxford developing technology to turn waste carbon into sustainable aviation fuel as well as climate friendly chemical products and biodegradable plastics. 

Robin Saxby, former chief executive officer and chairman of Arm, discusses the history of his old company, the ever-changing complexities of how geopolitics impacts business and the urgent need for common sense among the world's politicians to take a global approach to our largest problems.   Saxby became Arm's first CEO in 1991 and oversaw its rise to prominence that would ultimately lead it to being one of the most important technology companies in the world. Saxby has also held roles at Motorola, Pye and European Silicon Structures. 

Robin Heap, founder and CEO of Zest, discusses how the cultural perception of electric vehicles has radically changed over the years, the massive growth in the UK electric car market and why the road to full electrification requires a great deal more effort from automotive firms, policymakers and consumers. Zest is company specialising in electric vehicle charging infrastructure. The firm installs, manages and maintains EV charge points on behalf of public and commercial landowners. 

Michelle Robson, founding partner at Odyssey Ventures, discusses her journey from chemical engineering grad to launching a venture capital firm, the qualities she looks for in a founder seeking investment and Europe's place in a tech landscape dominated by Silicon Valley. Odyssey Ventures is a venture capital group based in London and San Francisco with a particular focus on early-stage European founders. Among the VC's primary targets are startups developing solutions in climate tech, sustainability and decarbonisation. 

Tim Peake, British astronaut, discusses his experience on his mission on the International Space Station, how modern space exploration is changing with the advent of private companies like SpaceX and why humanity is only scratching the surface of the scientific value that can come from in-orbit experimentation.   A British European Space Agency astronaut and ambassador at the Festival of Speed Future Lab, Peake flew to the International Space Station in 2015 and has spent almost 200 days in space. Peake discusses the political nature of space travel and the exciting future of the burgeoning space tech industry. 

Peter Kyle, Secretary of State for the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, discusses the enormous challenge of transforming government services for the automated digital age, how the government plans to create millions of skilled AI workers and Labour's hands on approach to the tech sector. Kyle was given the reins of the Tech Department when Labour came to power in July 2024. The MP for Hove and Portslade has been tasked with overseeing one of the government's most ambitious missions, turbocharging the tech sector to meet the growth demands of the nation.

Air Vice Marshal Gary Waterfall, a retired senior officer of the Royal Air Force, discusses the desperate need to ensure domestic defence is able to keep up with the advancements of technology, the surprising parallels of a career in the military and a career as an entrepreneur and the historical links between the military and the development of technology.   Waterfall discusses the recent focus of the government on investing in advanced defence technology in the context of global threats across the world. 

Ahti Heinla, CEO of Starship Technologies and one of the original creators of Skype discusses the surprising truth behind Estonia's digital transformation over the past three decades, the massive and enduring impact of Skype and why whether its video calls or delivery robots, his businesses have always been the target of sceptics.   Heinla helped create the iconic video conferencing software back in 2003. Today, the Estonian is focusing his efforts on Starship Technologies, which develops autonomous last mile delivery robots.

Elena Pantazi, a partner at Northzone, discusses the challenges founders have managing startups in a fluctuating industry, why the UK might not need to compare itself to Silicon Valley and how VCs can unfortunately treat male founders very differently to women.   Northzone is a multi-stage venture capital fund based in London. It has backed some of Europe's largest tech companies, including Spotify, Klarna and Kahoot. Pantazi talks the importance of mentorship and competing against tech giants in the war for talent. 

Jessica Lennard, chief strategy officer at the CMA, discusses how the regulator has to balance its work with the world's largest tech companies with the vast startup market, how the CMA's competition regulation is evolving to suit innovation and why the wider regulatory regime as a whole is changing in the era of the modern industrial strategy.   The Competition and Markets Authority is the UK's regulator for corporate competition. Overseeing areas such as mergers and acquisitions, ensuring companies meet pro-competition requirements and consumer protection. 

Tanya Suarez, chief executive of IoT Tribe and head of the JANUS consortium, discusses why UK defence underinvestment has left the country vulnerable, the rising danger from international actors and the surprisingly thriving startup ecosystem in the defence tech sector.  IoT Tribe is an accelerator group that was appointed by the government's Defence and Security Accelerator to run programmes for startups in the space. IoT Tribe leads the group of specialist organisations called JANUS, the UK participant in NATO's Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic. 

Ed Bussey, CEO of Oxford Science Enterprises, discusses why time is running out to solve British tech's scaleup funding gap, why the potential for the UK tech industry is so much greater than its current performance and an out-there idea to improve the competitiveness of the London public markets.  Oxford Science Enterprises is a venture capital firm managing assets worth more than £800m. The group operates in partnership with the University of Oxford and is a prominent backer of spinouts from the university. 

Virraj Jatania, co-founder and chief executive of Pockit, discusses how the culture of financial services has changed since the 2008 crisis, why mergers and acquisitions have become an attractive option for fintechs and the trouble with push payment fraud regulations.   Pockit is a London-based fintech that acts as a digital banking alternative targeting those whose needs are not met by traditional banks. Jatania explains the importance of providing financial services to those left behind by major institutions and the reality of running a British fintech in 2025. 

Sam Nasrolahi, principal at InMotion Ventures, discusses the difference between corporate investment arms and standard venture capital, why UK companies often don't scale up in Britain and the impact of the turbulent tariff policies in the United States.   InMotion Ventures is the investment arm of British automotive group Jaguar Land Rover. Nasrolahi has been leading the group's enterprise and industrial tech investments since 2022.

Sharon Vosmek, chief executive and managing partner of Astia, discusses why backing female founders isn't just morally right, but also financial prudent, why not all definitions of women-led startups are equal and the danger of 'fomo' in investing.Astia is an inclusive venture capital group that seeks to address the vast and stagnant gap in funding for women-led businesses.

Steve Peralta, co-founder of Unmind, discusses the problem with the majority of corporate mental health programmes, why the world of work so often leads to deteriorating mental health, and how psychology-backed tech platforms can help.   Unmind is workplace wellbeing platform that partners with brands to offer employee mental health support. Peralta co-founded Unmind in 2016 having previously from a corporate wellbeing background alongside former NHS clinical psychologist Dr Nick Taylor. Peralta explains how so many workplace wellbeing policies are reactive, waiting from problems to occur before they even begin to try to help.

David Keene, CEO of Aurrigo, discusses how autonomous driving will progress in the UK, how a chance encounter pivoted his company's entire market and the journey of turning grant funding into an initial public offering.  Aurrigo is an autonomous driving company that specialises in vehicles for the aviation industry, including self-driving baggage carriers. The Coventry-based company was founded in 1993, initially focused on autonomous passenger vehicles. A call from the head of innovation at International Airlines Group, convinced Keene that the future of Aurrigo's technology was in supporting aviation. The group listed publicly on London's AIM market in 2022. 

Jing Ouyang, co-founder and chief growth officer of Patchwork Health discusses the political pressure on health services to streamline operations, the difficulty in digitising NHS clinics and leaving a career as a medical doctor to launch a tech startup.  Patchwork Health is a digital platform for clinics to manage day-to-day operations, organise workflows and reduce agency spending. Ouyang spent years as a resident doctor where he saw first hand the manual processes and bureaucracy needlessly complicating matters. He co-founded Patchwork with another former NHS doctor to directly address the problems the founders had faced in their health careers. 

Jonathan Berry, Viscount Camrose and former Conservative AI minister, discusses how artificial intelligence policy has changed with the Labour government, why the work it must do is difficult but necessary and why clarity on AI regulation is vital for businesses.    Berry is a hereditary peer in the House of Lords and served as the minister responsible for AI and intellectual property under former prime minister Rishi Sunak. During his time at the tech department, Berry was key in organising the UK's AI Safety Summit in Bletchley Park in 2023. 

Manjul Rathee, co-founder and CEO of BfB Labs, discusses the importance of providing broad access to mental health services to as many young people, the value of maintaining commitments to diversity, equity and inclusion and how the success of Adolescence has highlighted the anxieties families have around how children access the internet.  BfB Labs provides immersive digital gamified therapy targeting young people in partnership with the NHS. The group provides its services at no cost to the families using them as part of its commitment to democratise young people's access to mental health support. 

Chris Anderson, head of TED, discusses why the collapse of the ideals of the tech industry over the last 15 years, embodied by the behaviour Elon Musk, represents a crushing disappointment.  Anderson took over TED – which hosts viral talks at its conferences – from its founder Richard Saul Wurman in 2000. He turned the business into a non-profit and has spent years curating its eclectic list of speakers. Anderson discusses why developments in AI technology are terrifying and the future of TED as he plans to step back.

Louise Webster, founder of Beyond the School Run, discusses the challenges of balancing parenthood with launching a business, why parents need to be given resources and support to ensure they can thrive as entrepreneurs and how Covid radically reshaped the world of work for the better.  Beyond the School Run is a network for parent entrepreneurs offering networking, training and guidance on the difficult journey of managing a business and a family. Webster discusses why being a parent can actually make someone a better founder and offers words of wisdom for mums and dads with creative ideas who don't know where to start.

Tej Kohli, billionaire investor and philanthropist, discusses why he's most excited by the future of esports, biotech and artificial general intelligence, how the UK lacks the collaborative culture between academia and business seen in the US and why Elon Musk should stick to tech and avoid unelected government work.  Kohli is the founder of the investment firm Kohli Ventures and the charity the Tej Kohli Foundation, which aims to effect social and economic change in poor and underserved communities. Kohli warns that while the UK is full of talent and intent, there is not enough conversation about the most cutting-edge ambitious tech ventures. 

Martin Woodward, vice president of developer relations at Github, discusses how the benefits of open source culture still exist in a hyper-capitalist society, but tech has moved away from the idealism of early open source, what the future of software development might look like and way coders don't necessarily have to be afraid that AI will take their jobs.  Github is a platform for software developers to collaborate, create and share projects. The service has over 150 million users globally and has been at the heart of countless software innovations. In 2018, the platform was acquired by Microsoft for $7.5bn. Woodward is both an executive at the company and a member of the British open source advocacy group OpenUK. 

Susan Taylor Martin, CEO of the British Standards Institution, discusses the need to offer businesses meaningful standards of how to use AI ahead of any binding legislation and the unenviable challenge of coordinating AI regulation across international borders and changing administrations.  The British Standards Institution (BSI) is a more than a century-old body, backed by a Royal Charter, that produces technical standards for various industries. The BSI has been hard at work producing standards for the use of AI in companies and hopes to provide a swift voluntary form of AI regulation while governments plan legislation. 

Michelle He, co-founder and COO of London-based fintech Abound, discusses how companies like hers are modernising the lending industry, why the UK is the best place in the world for an Open Banking startup and why the future has room for fintechs and traditional finance.   Abound provides credit products to underserved communities, those without strong credit scores and who have been rejected by the traditional banking and loan system. He founded the digital lender in 2020 with Gerald Chappell. He explains how difficult growing a business is for startups compared to traditional finance and why, she doesn't view herself as a ‘minority' despite being a woman in fintech. 

Vidya Peters, CEO of DataSnipper, discusses how artificial intelligence is changing the age-old profession of auditing, why it's good to be sceptical of grand government announcements, but there is genuine excitement around Labour's AI plans and why European founders should look beyond their borders when fundraising.   DataSnipper provides audit and finance teams with an intelligent automation platform to reduce the burden of overly manual auditing. Peters believes that alongside auditing, AI has massive potential to relieve the intense pressure on Britain's public services, in particular for the NHS and education system. 

Dame Dawn Childs, CEO of Pure Data Centres Group, discusses the significance of the government's decision to designate data centres as critical national infrastructure, the potential for the green energy transition to be supported, not hindered, by the power demands of AI and why Britain needs more engineers.  Pure Data Centres Group designs, builds and operates white-label data centres, with clients including cloud storage giant Amazon Web Services (AWS). Childs joined the company in 2021 and has been its chief executive since May 2023. Before running one of Britain's top data centre companies, Childs had a distinguished career which included engineering and executive roles at the National Grid, Gatwick Airport and the Royal Airforce. 

DEI is under attack. US President Donald Trump has begun a crusade to strip diversity policies from government institutions, while senior tech leaders like Meta's Mark Zuckerberg have called for workplaces to become ‘more masculine' despite the fact that the social media giant's workforce is already male-dominated. Is now really the time to tear up the DEI rulebook, or are there good reasons to embrace the positive attitude to diversity that many large corporations have taken over the past decade? Viv Paxinos is CEO of AllBright, where she leads a global collective of 500,000 ambitious women committed to creating a more equitable world for all. She believes in maintaining a people-first culture through nurturing and mentoring talent to create a best-in-class working environment.

Brian Mullins, CEO of AI firm Mind Foundry, looks at the ethics of using AI, from how the technology should be used with precision in high-risk scenarios, as well as the economic implications of the US dominance of the industry. Oxford-based Mind Foundry was setup to create AI responsibly from trusted scientific principles, aligning AI with human values and applying it where it is needed most in areas such as defence and insurance. 

Dr Chris Ballance, founder and CEO of Oxford Ionics, discusses how the UK has the chance to build a competitive edge in the development of quantum computing, and shares how his love of experimentation dates back to his early escapades as a pupil at school. Founded in 2019, Oxford Ionics raised £30m in a Series A funding round in 2023. In September, the company set a new record in quantum state preparation and measurement, bring it one step closer to delivering quantum computers for commercial use. 

Mark Pearson, founder and managing partner of Fuel Ventures, discusses how working as a chef under Gordon Ramsay led him to life as an entrepreneur, why Chinese capital presents a massive opportunity for British innovation and why after a few tough years, optimism has returned to the UK tech industry.  Fuel Ventures is a London-based technology investment group focussing on early and growth-stage companies. Pearson said Fuel has always had a good relationship with China, grown stronger by the firm recently securing a £20m investment from Chinese partners. The Fuel managing director said that with Trump likely to further strain US-China relations, there is an opportunity for the UK to grow with increased support from the East. 

Bianca Zwart, chief strategy officer at Bunq, discusses the massive issue of fraud, how Brexit has affected the company's UK operations and the exciting future of the banking sector.  Bunq is a challenger bank founded in 2012. Zwart joined the firm in 2016 and worked across a handful of roles before leaving to become an entrepreneur. After founding a few companies, Zwart found herself returning to Bunq to work as its chief of staff and then its chief strategy officer. Headquartered in Amsterdam, Bunq for years operated in the UK before Brexit forced it to stop onboarding British users, though it is seeking a return. 

Shelley Taylor, founder of trellyz and RefAid, discusses how coming to the UK from Silicon Valley helped her understand the 'big picture problems', how Big Tech has moved away from its roots as a force for good, and the need for non-profits to think like businesses.  Taylor works with governments and their non-profit partners to provide more efficient coordination for rapid responses. She also created RefAid, a group looking at innovative solutions to address the refugee crisis. Taylor discusses why investors have historically ignored goodwill projects and why global pressure is changing that. 

Dame Jayne-Anne Gadhia, former CEO of Virgin Money, discusses transitioning from running a major financial institution to founding a startup, working with Sir Richard Branson and why in fintech, there's too much emphasis on tech over finance.  Gadhia has held numerous prominent roles throughout her career, including CEO of Salesforce, retail managing director at the Royal Bank of Scotland and founder of Snoop. She discusses overseeing the acquisition of Northern Rock during the financial crisis of 2008 and why women in high-powered roles still earn less than their male counterparts.

Suranga Chandratillake, general partner at Balderton Capital, discusses why narratives about the UK underperforming in funding compared with the giants in the US might not be fair, why more unicorns shouldn't necessarily be considered the main goal for British businesses and why Labour's budget isn't as damning for entrepreneurs as it may seem.  Balderton Capital is a multi-stage venture capital firm that backs companies across every phase of growth. Chandratillake discusses why so far the government's approach to business has been encouraging, though it's still early days, why the London public markets are struggling as so many have claimed and why autonomous vehicle policy is the perfect example of the UK's regulatory strengths. 

Almudena Lara, policy director at Ofcom discusses how social media firms are gearing up for the incoming enforcement of strict rules designed to keep children safe in digital spaces.  Ofcom is the UK's media and communications regulatory body. The watchdog was recently granted new powers in regulating content on the internet via the Online Safety Act. Lara explains why there has been an extended gap between the act passing and the rules being enforced and how AI could become both an incredible tool for content moderation and a dangerous weapon in harmful content creation. 

Chris Morris, co-founder and COO of Sustainable Ventures discusses why entrepreneurs can't wait for government support to make advancements in climate tech, why the Labour government's actions on climate solutions have left him pleasantly surprised and why the best climate solutions need to meet consumer needs.  Sustainable Ventures helps climate startups and entrepreneurs across the UK scale through investment, workspaces and venture support. Morris explains why the climate tech startups being funded by the group have to be able to provide solutions that the public can happily adopt without feeling like they are making too great of a sacrifice.

Aron Gelbard, co-founder and CEO of Bloom and Wild, discusses why flower delivery has been a surprisingly difficult practice to perfect, how the Covid-19 pandemic massively boosted his firm's popularity and how he went from management consultancy to founding a startup.  Bloom and Wild is an online flower delivery platform that posts assemblable bouquets through peoples' doors. Gelbard described how his family has had a history of entrepreneurship that inspired him to found his own company – but not before a prominent consulting career in the City – and how he has had to learn to avoid perfectionism in the scrappy world of startup founding.