The Startup Talkup

Vivan Therapeutics is a company that is doing extraordinary things in the world of finding individualised treatments for cancer. What I love about this company is that it’s a *proper* science start-up that will significantly impact the way we look at chemo. Laura Towart is CEO and founder. I caught up with her to talk about her journey so far and a new investment opportunity opening up right now. There are some hidden gems of advice for any startup founder here.

Check out the website and if you're an investor, reach out :-) https://vivantx.com/

If you like what you’re hearing, please check out the JustGiving link below and donate to Prostate Cancer UK. https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/jiva-ai-prostate-cancer

This episode was recorded on November 15th 2021.

Dr Maria Chatzou Dunford is CEO and cofounder of Lifebit, an exciting digital platform that is transforming the way pharmaceuticals and others do genomics research.

I was completely blown away by Maria’s candour and her clear drive and tenacity. I’m sure we will hear a lot more about Maria and Lifebit in coming years so I’m glad to have had the opportunity to get her on the podcast before she goes stratospheric. Enjoy the conversation!

If you like what you’re hearing, please check out the JustGiving link below and donate to Prostate Cancer UK. https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/jiva-ai-prostate-cancer

This episode was recorded on November 10th 2021.

For those of you who are not in healthcare, Tony has led and mentored in a programme that has seen 100s of NHS staff make their ideas a reality for the benefit of patients at large. We get an insight into the personality that has helped drive this programme forward, what motivates him and keeps him going. This is a fascinating insight into a fascinating and complex individual. I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did.

Thinking of joining the NHS Clinical Entrepreneur Programme? More info here: https://nhscep.com/

If you like what you’re hearing, please check out the JustGiving link below and donate to Prostate Cancer UK. https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/jiva-ai-prostate-cancer

This episode was recorded on October 19th 2021.

Today we speak to Alex Leigh - serial entrepreneur and now investor and advisor to some of the most interesting companies in the UK - mine included!

Alex has that rare mix of passion for innovation and a pragmatism that perhaps many young companies lack. I hope you enjoy this chat - and please do check out his blog The Tippy Top at the link below:

https://www.thetippytop.com/

If you like what you’re hearing, please check out the JustGiving link below and donate to Prostate Cancer UK. https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/jiva-ai-prostate-cancer

This episode was recorded on October 3rd 2021.

Today we talk to Thish De Zoysa, founder and CEO of Their Perfect Gift. Thish is a distinguished start-up founder with an infectious zeal for what I might call financial justice and fairness. Whether it’s building your product, selling your product or building a team around your product - Thish has an amazing depth of experience that we try to tap into in this conversation.

I’ve known Thish for a few years but I had no inkling of the scale of his big ideas, which could turn the world of banking on its head - it almost becomes a discussion about the philosophy of money.

If you like what you’re hearing, please check out the JustGiving link below and donate to Prostate Cancer UK. https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/jiva-ai-prostate-cancer

This episode was recorded on August 3rd 2021.

Hatty Fawcett has helped dozens of startups to raise money to get their businesses off the ground. If raising money is an art, Hatty has painted multiple masterpieces as well as fashioned brushes and bristles to get investment flowing. This was a fascinating conversation focusing on the steps to get yourself investment ready and the common personality and emotional traits that startup founders use as tools to get through the rollercoaster process of getting funded.

If you're a seed stage startup, this is one you really need to listen to!

If you like what you’re hearing, please check out the JustGiving link below and donate to Prostate Cancer UK. https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/jiva-ai-prostate-cancer 

This episode was recorded on August 3rd 2021.

We talk to Paul Gaudin - a serial starter-upper with an incredible history and life-story. 

At the age of 22, Paul won a Design Centre Award for space saving children’s furniture, and had one of the largest interior design and manufacturing businesses in the UK. He has started businesses as diverse as the New York Bagel company, co-designed the Q Score (http://quealth.co) as an international metric for disease risk and lifestyle change.

Paul negotiated a global partnership with Swiss Re as a proxy for underwriting life and health insurance products in partnership with Swiss Re. Paul set up and ran the national CVD and Diabetes screening programme for the HEA and designed the professional services models for most of the Pharmacy chains. He set up and sold an occupational health business and a bought and sold a small group of Primary care centres to BMI Hospitals.

Chairs positions include European Technology Risks, Caircraft and Q Doctor and is a founder Director of Mymhealth. In 2017 he launched http://CareRooms.com to help his Mother utilise her spare rooms and a friend to be safely discharged from hospital.

This episode was recorded on June 17th 2021.