What if kids learned the skills they actually need for real life — not just exams?
That’s the problem CoLab is setting out to solve.
Founded by Alan Tang, CoLab is an online education platform helping children aged 7–14 build essential life skills — like communication, teamwork, emotional intelligence and problem-solving — through live, gamified sessions and virtual escape rooms.
After following the “traditional” path himself — good school, good degree, good grad scheme — Alan realised something was missing. When he entered the workplace, he felt unprepared for the realities of collaboration, failure, and independent thinking. School had taught him what to think, but not how to think.
So he set out to build the kind of learning experience he wished he’d had.
CoLab brings kids from around the world together for hour-long online sessions led by trained facilitators, where learning happens through play, discussion and challenge — not lectures or tests. The focus isn’t on getting the right answer, but on learning how to work with others, communicate under pressure, and grow in confidence.
Whether you’re a parent, an educator, or a founder interested in the future of learning, this episode is a thoughtful look at how education is evolving — and why life skills matter more than ever.
In this episode, Georgie Brown and Alan discuss:
Why traditional education leaves kids unprepared for real-world work
How gamified learning helps children build confidence and resilience
The importance of emotional intelligence and teamwork from a young age
Why making mistakes is a crucial part of learning
How CoLab’s live, facilitator-led model works
The challenge of scaling education without losing quality
What founders can learn from building trust-based communities
Key Takeaways:
Life skills aren’t optional anymore.
Communication, collaboration and emotional intelligence are core skills — not “nice to haves”.
Learning sticks when it’s playful.
Games and challenges create deeper engagement than passive teaching.
Mistakes are part of growth.
CoLab’s “no shame” environment helps kids learn without fear of failure.
Facilitators matter.
The right humans guiding the experience are just as important as the curriculum.
Education impacts adults too.
Parents and facilitators often grow alongside the kids.
Growth should be intentional.
CoLab prioritises quality, community and outcomes over fast expansion.
Chapters / Timestamps:
00:00 — Why collaboration matters more than memorisation
02:15 — Alan’s journey from grad scheme to education startup
05:40 — What school doesn’t teach us about real life
08:30 — How CoLab’s gamified sessions work
12:10 — Emotional intelligence, teamwork & problem-solving
16:45 — The role of facilitators and community
20:30 — Growing slowly and protecting quality
24:00 — Lessons for founders building education platforms
Links & Resources:
CoLab — Website | Facebook | LinkedIn
Connect with Alan Tang — LinkedIn
What if skincare worked more like nutrition — and less like ultra-processed food?
That’s the thinking behind The Glowcery, the nutrient-dense skincare brand founded by Roshanne Dorsett.
After years working in law — and struggling with her own skin — Roshanne began questioning what we’re actually putting on our bodies. What she discovered was an industry full of ultra-processed formulas, diluted actives, and confusing ingredient lists that leave consumers disconnected from their choices.
So she decided to build something different.
The Glowcery is a clean, plant-based skincare brand rooted in nutrient density, transparency, and wellness — treating skincare like nourishment, not a quick fix. In this episode, Roshanne shares how personal frustration turned into a purpose-driven beauty business, and why the future of skincare looks a lot more like self-care than surface-level solutions.
Whether you’re into clean beauty, wellness-led brands, or founder stories that start with a real problem — this conversation is a grounded look at how the beauty industry is changing.
In this episode, Georgie Brown and Roshanne discuss:
Why most skincare products are closer to ultra-processed food than nourishment
Roshanne’s journey from law to skincare formulation
What “nutrient-dense skincare” actually means — and why it matters
The shift from beauty to wellness in consumer behaviour
Why understanding ingredients is a form of empowerment
Sustainability, transparency, and building trust in beauty
What’s next for The Glowcery and its growing product range.
Key Takeaways:
Skincare should nourish, not overwhelm.
The Glowcery prioritises nutrient-rich, plant-based ingredients that support skin health long-term.
Founder pain points create better products.
Roshanne built the brand after years of personal skin struggles and industry frustration.
The beauty industry has a processing problem.
Many big brands rely on diluted actives and filler ingredients.
Wellness is reshaping beauty.
Consumers want products that align with how they eat, live, and care for themselves.
Transparency builds confidence.
Understanding what’s in your skincare gives you autonomy and trust in your choices.
Sustainability is non-negotiable.
From formulation to packaging, The Glowcery is built with long-term impact in mind.
Chapters / Timestamps:
00:00 — Meet Roshanne & The Glowcery
06:34 — What’s broken in the skincare industry
12:17 — What nutrient-dense skincare really means
17:31 — Formulation philosophy & product range
20:40 — Community, sustainability & brand vision
23:39 — Supporting other early-stage startups
24:03 — What’s next for The Glowcery
Links & Resources:
The Glowcery — Website | Instagram | TikTok
Discover Startups — TikTok | YouTube | Instagram | Newsletter
For anyone who loves wearing luxury watches but hates choosing between style and health tracking, Fulcrum might be the product you’ve been waiting for.
Founded by lifelong friends Tyler Boardman and CJ Sturgess, Fulcrum is pioneering a new category of wearables: a discreet, ultra-thin health tracker that sits under your favourite timepiece — giving you smartwatch-level data without sacrificing the watch you love.
After years of seeing collectors forced into compromises (two watches, one wrist… or no data at all), the pair set out to solve a problem they knew personally. In this episode, they share how an engineering obsession turned into a hardware startup — and what it takes to build cutting-edge tech from bedrooms, garages, and sheer determination.
We cover:
The identity problem smartwatches created — and why watch lovers refuse to switch
The rise of personal expression after COVID (and how it sparked the idea for Fulcrum)
Why collectors shouldn’t have to pick between heritage timepieces and health insights
How the Fulcrum X1 works: a 4mm sensor-packed “puck” hidden beneath any watch
What micro-suction actually is — and why it won’t damage your Rolex
How they solved running, workouts, and sleep without you wearing your watch
The three-year R&D journey: 16 iterations, engineering constraints, and tiny tolerances
Going from bedroom labs to pre-orders: the moment the X1 became real
Their upcoming features: sleep tracking, auto activity detection, Strava sync, and more
The long-term vision: building tech that adapts to humans — not the other way around
Whether you’re a watch collector, a hardware geek, or a founder fascinated by deep-tech builds, this episode is packed with engineering insight, big vision, and a story of two friends taking on a billion-dollar category.
Key Takeaways:
Form meets function: Fulcrum is built for people who want health data and beautiful watches.
The compromise is real: Millions of collectors either wear two devices or lose their data entirely.
The X1 disappears under your watch: At just 4mm thick, it fits beneath most men’s and women’s timepieces.
No damage, no residue: Micro-suction gives secure attachment without adhesives.
Smartwatch power, hidden hardware: Tracks HR, blood oxygen, sleep, activity + notifications & tap controls.
Runs & sleep solved: An elastic “exercise band” lets you track anytime, without wearing your luxury watch.
Hardware is hard: From learning product design to managing manufacturing, everything took longer — and required relentless iteration.
Future-proof foundation: The X1 will support more features over time, including temperature and ECG sensing.
True north: Build technology that fits into people’s real lives — not tech that forces people to change.
Chapters / Timestamps:
00:00 — The problem: watches you love vs the data you need
01:40 — Meet Tyler & CJ: 15 years of friendship, engineering roots
04:06 — Why smartwatches fail traditional watch lovers
07:35 — The cultural shift: expression, luxury, and identity
09:18 — The Fulcrum X1: how it works, how it attaches, what it tracks
11:33 — Compatibility & design decisions: thinness, size & water resistance
14:01 — Solving runs, workouts & sleep with the elastic band
15:15 — Pre-orders, launch timeline & feature rollout
17:02 — The real building process: bedrooms, garages & 16+ prototypes
20:41 — Vision: what Fulcrum will become over the next 12 months
21:54 — Founder lessons: patience, iteration & expanding your skillset
23:48 — How to get involved & where to buy
25:06 — Startup shout-out: Evora Watches
Links & Resources:
Fulcrum Wearables — Website | Instagram | TikTok
Discover Startups — TikTok | YouTube | Instagram | Newsletter
Join the waitlist for Women Build Cool Shit — Theanna’s 12-week January cohort here!
What if turning your startup idea into a real tech product felt clear, structured, and actually achievable — even if you’re a non-technical female founder?
That’s the mission behind Nomiki Petrolla’s platform, Theanna — an AI-powered startup builder helping women go from idea to MVP to paying customers without needing a technical co-founder, a full engineering team, or early investment.
After 13+ years leading product at high-growth tech companies — often taking male founders’ ideas from zero to one — Nomiki saw a systemic pattern:
Women had fewer networks, fewer resources, and far less access to capital, yet they were coming up with equally (and often more) viable business ideas.
Worse, most startup education and accelerators weren’t built for how women learn, decide, or build.
So she created Theanna: a tool that blends AI, product strategy, community, and traction analytics into one platform — giving women a step-by-step roadmap to validate, build, launch, and grow a revenue-generating tech business without giving up control.
This episode is a deep dive into the bias, the opportunity, and the movement emerging around women building scalable tech on their own terms.
Whether you’re a first-time female founder, a solo builder, or someone dreaming up a tech idea but unsure where to start — this episode is packed with game-changing insight.
In this episode, Georgie Brown and Nomiki explore:
- Why women receive just 1.2% of VC funding — and why the number is getting worse
- The hidden difference between a lifestyle business and a venture-backable startup
- Why many women outperform male founders when they are backed (data included)
- The gaps in traditional accelerators — and why they fail early-stage women
- How Theanna’s AI “Build Mode” works and why founders are obsessed
Key Takeaways:
Women can build tech without a technical co-founder.
Modern AI tools + structured product guidance = actual shipping, not spinning.
Most businesses shouldn’t chase venture capital.
99.5% of startups are lifestyle or revenue-first. That doesn’t make them “small”; it makes them sustainable.
Female founders make better long-term operators.
Studies show women-run companies outperform male-led ones by 63% in value creation.
Community is a growth multiplier.
Women take more risks and push further when surrounded by people who build the same way they think.
Democratising startup education will unlock the next wave of women in tech.
Theanna makes startup building accessible for professionals outside traditional tech pathways.
Chapters / Timestamps:
00:00 — Introducing Nomiki & Theanna
05:15 — What product management teaches you about building startups
08:20 — Why women still receive just 1.2% of funding
11:10 — Lifestyle business vs venture-scale: the real definitions
13:30 — What’s broken about startup accelerators for women
17:30 — How Theanna works (Build / Connect / Analyse)
20:50 — The AI startup builder changing how women launch tech
23:40 — Why Theanna is women-only (and why it matters)
26:30 — Decision-making differences between male & female founders
32:10 — Gamification, motivation & the psychology of solo founders
34:10 — Inside Women Build Cool Shit (12-week program)
37:40 — Nomiki’s advice for new founders scared to start
40:20 — Startup shoutouts: Home Shark & GoSadi
Links & Resources:
Theanna
Website https://theanna.io/
Apply to Women Build Cool Shit (January cohort) https://theanna.io/women-build-cool-shit#apply-now
Connect with Nomiki Petrolla
Discover Startups
For anyone tired of tabs, TikTok rabbit holes, and sketchy Amazon reviews, Hili might be exactly what you’ve been waiting for. Founded by product and design leader Karli, Hili is a new kind of social discovery platform that puts people back at the centre of product recommendations — not algorithms, ad spend, or fake 5-star reviews.
After 20 years in product, UX, and brand Karli started to see a pattern; search felt broken, platforms were optimised for ads over users, and the best recommendations still lived in messy group chats. So she set out to build something better — a place where you can ask real humans what they actually use and love, and save the answers in a way that’s searchable, shareable, and genuinely helpful.
In this episode, we get into how she’s rethinking discovery online, what’s gone wrong with search and influencer marketing, and why the future of shopping is community-led, not algorithm-led.
We cover:
The “tabs + TikTok + texts” mess that inspired Hili
How search, reviews, and influencer marketing lost our trust
Why the best recommendations still come from friends, not feeds
Hili’s core loop: asks, recommendations, and saved collections
How Hili keeps things positive, human, and actually useful (not Reddit 2.0)
Authenticity vs. growth-at-all-costs — and why Karli is bootstrapping
The role of AI in discovery (and why speed isn’t the real problem)
How Hili plans to support tastemakers, curators, and niche communities
Key Takeaways:
Search is noisy, trust is low: People don’t feel confident that search results, reviews, or influencer content are unbiased — so they default back to texting friends.
Word of mouth never died — it just got buried: The most trusted recs live in DMs, WhatsApps, and random notes apps. Hili’s goal is to give that behaviour a proper home.
Hili = “have it, love it, highly recommend it”: The focus is on sharing what works, why you love it, and who it’s good for — not ranty reviews or rage posts.
You stay in control: You choose who you’re asking (friends, groups, wider community) and how you use it — from travel recs to software, skincare, kids’ stuff and more.
Community over algorithms: Hili is intentionally built around identity, first names, and real connections — not anonymous pile-ons or opaque ranking systems.
Bootstrapped on purpose: Karli is funding Hili herself so she can prioritise trust, transparency, and product quality over ad real estate and vanity growth.
AI won’t fix broken trust: Faster checkout isn’t the real problem — confidence is. Karli believes people will still want human-backed recommendations, even in an AI-first world.
Small, intentional team; big ambition: With a lean team and smart tooling, Hili’s aim is to scale without sacrificing the values it was built on.
Chapters / Timestamps:
00:00 — Meet Karli & the story behind Hili
03:26 — From Yahoo News & metalsmithing to founder life
05:44 — What’s broken about how we find products online
08:10 — Search, reviews, and the “personalised” algorithm problem
11:03 — The advertising shift: growth vs. genuine usefulness
14:40 — Why now is the moment for a new type of discovery
17:10 — How Hili works: asks, recommendations, and collections
20:26 — Notes apps, group chats, and turning chaos into structure
22:26 — Designing Hili to feel personal, not transactional
24:33 — Tastemakers, niche communities, and early superusers
27:13 — Why Hili isn’t “just another Reddit”
29:36 — Keeping things authentic as the platform scales
33:09 — Bootstrapping, funding, and protecting the mission
37:27 — How to join Hili and share your own recommendations
38:27 — Karli’s startup recommendation: Soal
Links & Resources:
Hili — Website / Waitlist | Instagram |TikTok
Discover Startups — TikTok | YouTube | Instagram | Newsletter
If you’ve ever tried to shop secondhand online and ended up scrolling through five different apps with nothing to show for it, you’re not alone.
That exact frustration pushed Aseel to build Thrifter Club — a search tool that lets you browse eBay, Vinted, Thrift+ and charity shops all in one place. Think Skyscanner, but for secondhand fashion. Faster searches, better filters, cheaper finds.
In this episode, we talk about why secondhand shopping still feels chaotic, how Thrifter Club solves the biggest barriers for everyday thrifters, and the future of sustainable shopping driven by better tools, AI and accessibility.
Key Takeaways:
Secondhand shopping is booming, but fragmented and time-consuming.
Platforms often show too many results — not the right ones.
Thrifter Club aggregates listings so you can search once, shop everywhere.
Text search + image search makes finding the “right vibe” easier.
Better resale tools keep clothes in circulation and out of global landfills.
As a solo founder, Aseel built Thrifter Club by learning tech and marketing from scratch.
Her advice: test demand with content before you build anything.
Chapters / Timestamps :
00:00 — Why secondhand shopping feels so overwhelming
01:20 — Meet Aseel & how Thrifter Club began
03:10 — From consulting to solo sustainable tech founder
06:00 — The biggest pain points in thrifting today
09:00 — Scams, sizing & trust: what really holds people back
11:00 — How marketplace search works (and why accuracy suffers)
13:00 — How Thrifter Club aggregates eBay, Vinted & more
16:00 — Text search vs image search
19:00 — Convenience, styling & why people give up on secondhand
21:00 — What happens to “donated” clothes that don’t resell
23:00 — Saving money through cross-platform comparisons
26:00 — New AI features on the roadmap
30:00 — The reality of being a solo female founder
33:00 — Startup shout-out: Grandpa’s Shirts
Links & Resources:
Thrifter Club: Website | TikTok | Instagram | X
Discover Startups: TikTok | YouTube | Instagram | Newsletter
What if buying your first home felt clear, organised, and actually… manageable?
For most people, the home-buying journey starts with excitement — scrolling Rightmove, booking viewings, imagining paint colours — and quickly collapses into chaos. Suddenly you’re drowning in spreadsheets, stamp duty calculators, survey reports, confusing estate agent jargon and endless to-do lists scattered across your phone.
That overwhelming experience is exactly what pushed first-time buyer Camilla to build HNTR — the UK’s most user-friendly home-buying companion designed to turn complexity into clarity.
What began as a personal tool to survive her own “monster spreadsheet” has become a beautifully designed app that guides buyers through every step of the journey: viewings, budgeting, comparing properties, understanding surveys, making offers, tracking every moving part — and even supporting the emotional side of it all through Scout, HNTR’s AI-powered support bot.
HNTR isn’t just levelling the playing field… it’s quietly fixing a broken system where estate agents work for the seller — not the buyer.
Key Takeaways:
Chapters / Timestamps:
00:00 — Buying a first home: why is it so confusing?
01:40 — Meet Camilla & the origin of HNTR
04:00 — The crisis of viewings: photos, notes & chaos
06:05 — Leasehold, surveys & the hidden traps buyers miss
09:20 — Stamp duty & the costs no one tells you about
11:10 — The survey red flags that actually matter
12:40 — Why the system is stacked against first-time buyers
15:00 — How HNTR works: viewings, budgeting, offers & more
18:30 — Scout: the emotional support bot
21:10 — Business model: how HNTR stays free
23:00 — Giving back: the Centrepoint partnership
25:30 — New features & the future of HNTR
28:00 — Startup shout-out: Hi Guru
Links & Resources:
What if making a healthy breakfast didn’t require ten ingredients, a messy kitchen, or a cupboard full of stale chia seeds?
That’s the headache Ben Da Costa set out to fix when he and a group of fellow creatives launched Oat Cult — overnight oats made simple, delicious, and good for your gut.
Born out of Ben’s own mission to lower his cholesterol (and avoid cupboards overflowing with forgotten flaxseed), Oat Cult takes all the faff out of making overnight oats at home. No more bulk-buying ingredients you use once and abandon. Just a 60g sachet you stir into milk, leave overnight, and wake up to in the morning.
Built by a crew of creatives, operators and product people, Oat Cult is as much about brand and storytelling as it is about breakfast. It’s proof you don’t need an MBA or a background in FMCG to build something people genuinely want to eat—you just need a great product, a strong point of view, and a willingness to get a bit scrappy.
In this episode, Georgie Brown and Ben talk about:
How a creative director ended up building a breakfast brand
Why overnight oats is such an underdeveloped (but fast-growing) category
The reality of product development when you don’t know food manufacturing
How Oat Cult landed on its three core flavours
The gut health story behind that billion-strong live culture
Why the team obsessed over efficacy—not wellness buzzwords
Building a brand-first food startup as a crew of creatives
Making weird, thumb-stopping social content on a tiny budget
What it’s really like to bootstrap, find a factory, and now start fundraising
Whether you’re an overnight oats obsessive, a “breakfast is just coffee” person, or a creative dreaming of launching your own food brand, this episode will give you a very real look at building something from scratch—one sachet at a time.
Key Takeaways:
Category with space to play: Overnight oats are huge on TikTok and search, but barely exist as a proper category in UK retail—leaving a big gap for smart brands.
Product first, always: Oat Cult’s team refused to hide behind good branding. They spent months testing recipes with friends, family and market-goers until the product genuinely tasted great.
Gut health with substance: The “cult” part is real—each sachet includes a carefully chosen, rigorously tested live culture strain that survives packing, storage, chilling and heating.
Convenience without compromise: Pre-portioned sachets make it easier to eat well daily, without having to bulk-buy half a health food aisle or batch cook oats that lose nutritional value after a couple of days.
Creative founders ≠ bad at numbers: Ben brought in an FD, an ops pro and a killer designer—leaning into his strengths while plugging the gaps elsewhere.
Brand is a differentiator, not decoration: In a space where people can DIY, brand, ritual and storytelling are what make someone pick your oats over doing it themselves.
Bootstrapped and bold: From blagging a factory meeting to posting surreal oat content online, Oat Cult is a lesson in being resourceful when you don’t have big-budget backing (yet).
Chapters / Timestamps
00:00 — From cholesterol worries to a breakfast brand
03:45 — Why oats (and not another food idea)?
07:30 — Product development: from “we’ll make it ourselves” to factory reality
14:20 — How they chose the live culture strain (and keep testing it)
16:30 — Convenience vs DIY: who Oat Cult is really for
21:30 — What creative founders bring to food & why brand matters
27:20 — The story behind the name “Oat Cult”
31:30 — Manufacturing, margins and making it work without UK production
32:50 — What’s next: new SKUs, retailers & fundraising
33:35 — Startup shoutout: Stocked and the power of founder community
Links & Resources:
What if your wedding dress didn’t have to live in a box forever?
That’s the question designer Dahlia Branch set out to answer when she launched Remnants of Love — a bespoke lingerie label turning wedding dress offcuts into handcrafted, wearable keepsakes.
After years working in bridal fashion and events, Dahlia saw the same story play out time and time again: brides spending thousands on a gown they’d wear once, then hide away. Meanwhile, metres of fine silk and lace were being cut off and quietly discarded during alterations. So she decided to rewrite the ending.
By transforming those discarded remnants into beautiful, custom lingerie, Dahlia gives brides a way to carry the memory of their day forward — something they can wear time and time again.
Every piece is handmade in London, stitched from the same fabrics that once walked down the aisle, turning “the dress you’ll never wear again” into something timeless, personal, and full of meaning.
In this episode, Georgie Brown and Dahlia talk about:
How a childhood love of wedding dresses turned into a business idea
The surprising amount of waste created by bridal alterations
Why lingerie made from your dress fabric feels emotionally powerful
The craftsmanship (and comfort) behind each Remnants of Love piece
What it takes to build a luxury, sustainable fashion brand from scratch
How Dahlia is giving new life to wedding traditions — one stitch at a time
Whether you’re planning a wedding, designing your dream dress, or just love hearing from creative founders finding purpose in overlooked places, this episode will make you see bridal fashion in a whole new way.
Key Takeaways:
A sentimental twist on sustainability: Remnants of Love reimagines wedding waste as a wearable keepsake.
Luxury meets purpose: Each piece is custom-made from your own dress offcuts — handcrafted, personal, and designed to last.
Rewear your memories: Bridal lingerie becomes a tangible reminder of love, made to be worn, not boxed away.
Beyond the big day: From alterations to anniversaries, Dahlia’s brand gives every gown a second life.
Built with intention: Every item is handmade in London using couture techniques and high-end materials for lasting quality.
Ready-to-wear for everyone: Her new Knotted Love Letters collection offers a way for any woman to own a piece of the brand — even if the wedding’s long over.
Chapters / Timestamps:
00:00 — From childhood sketches to bridal design
02:30 — Why wedding dresses end up forgotten
05:10 — The waste no one talks about: bridal offcuts
08:45 — The spark behind Remnants of Love
12:00 — How bespoke lingerie preserves memory
16:00 — The power of emotional sustainability
20:40 — Why repurposing doesn’t mean cutting up your dress
24:30 — The design process: from sketch to stitch
28:00 — Made in London: craftsmanship and care
32:00 — The cost of couture and value of slow fashion
36:00 — The launch of Knotted Love Letters ready-to-wear
40:00 — Client stories that stay with you
44:00 — The community behind the brand
47:00 — Startup shoutout: Let’s Fund Her
Links & Resources:
Remnants of Love — Website | Instagram
Discover Startups — TikTok | YouTube | Instagram | Newsletter
Join the waitlist for the November app launch here!
What if choosing wine felt as easy—and as personal—as picking your morning coffee?
That’s exactly what Jess Thevenoz set out to do with Theodora, a new kind of wine-tech startup that helps everyday drinkers cut through the jargon, skip the guesswork, and finally find bottles they’ll love.
After years of standing in the wine aisle hoping the pretty label would deliver, Jess realised the problem wasn’t her palate—it was the system. The wine world speaks a language most people don’t understand, creating a culture that feels elitist, intimidating, and exclusionary.
So she built Theodora to change that: a smart, human-centred recommendation platform that learns your tastes and points you straight to wines that match them—no expertise required.
In this episode, Georgie Brown and Jess talk about:
Why wine is both the most connecting and excluding product on the shelf
How Jess went from data analytics to building a personalised wine companion
The “wall-of-wine” moment that sparked her startup idea
Why the wine industry’s language problem alienates drinkers
Cultural shifts in how Gen Z and millennials approach alcohol
The psychology of wine gifting and social signalling
Theodora’s vision for making wine shopping feel friendly, confident and fun
Whether you’re a seasoned sipper or a supermarket-shelf struggler, this is an episode that’ll make you rethink the way you buy (and talk about) wine.
Key Takeaways:
From data to drinks: Jess used her background in startups and analytics to tackle one of retail’s most overwhelming categories.
Wine isn’t about jargon: Theodora strips out pretentious tasting notes and focuses on what you actually like.
Design flaw, not user flaw: The intimidating wine aisle is a UX problem, not a knowledge gap.
Personalisation is power: Your palate is unique—Theodora’s tech learns it so you don’t have to.
Cultural shift: Younger generations are drinking more intentionally and want experiences that feel approachable and informed.
Beyond the bottle: Wine gifting, restaurant rituals, and social pressures all play into how we buy—and enjoy—wine.
The future: App launch in November, expansion to restaurants and the UK, and even a “Spotify Wrapped” for your wine palette.
Chapters / Timestamps:
00:00 — Redefining the wine aisle
01:30 — Meet Jess Teviner & Theodora
03:40 — From data analytics to wine tech
06:15 — The “aha” moment in the supermarket
08:45 — Why the wine aisle feels broken
12:00 — What we get wrong about wine education
15:20 — Good wine vs good wine for you
18:40 — Breaking down jargon and elitism
21:30 — Cultural shifts in drinking habits
25:00 — How Theodora works (and why it’s fun)
31:00 — Personalisation and trust in recommendations
36:00 — How Theodora differs from Vivino and others
41:00 — The restaurant “wine dance”
44:30 — Wine gifting, branding & social signalling
48:00 — What’s next for Theodora
52:00 — Where the name came from
55:00 — Startup shout-out: Sleep or Die
Links & Resources:
Join the waitlist for the November app launch here!
Discover Startups — TikTok | YouTube | Instagram | Newsletter
PROMO: Get free shipping on your first order of Homi Kitchen when you use the code "DISCOVERHOMI" on their website.
When Megan moved from Singapore to London to start a career as a finance lawyer, she never imagined she’d end up creating one of the UK’s most exciting new food startups. But during lockdown, while craving the flavours of home, she began cooking Singaporean street food for friends — and discovered a gap on UK shelves that would change her life.
Today, she’s the founder of Homi Kitchen — a clean-label pantry brand bringing the authentic, bold, and crazy rich flavours of Singaporean cuisine to home cooks across the UK. From a viral supper club run out of her flat to products now stocked in Selfridges, Megan’s story is one of creativity, courage, and cultural pride.
In this episode, Georgie and Megan talk about:
How a lockdown birthday dinner sparked a business idea.
Why Singaporean food has been overlooked in UK supermarkets — and how Homi Kitchen is changing that.
The misconceptions around “Singapore noodles” and the real story of Singapore’s multicultural cuisine.
What “clean label” really means and how Homi keeps its sauces free from artificial preservatives.
How Megan scaled production while keeping the flavours true to home.
Her vision for a Singapore-first pantry brand and why now is the right time to build it.
Whether you’re a food lover, home cook, or aspiring entrepreneur, this episode will make you hungry — and inspired — in equal measure.
Key Takeaways:
From law to ladles: Megan swapped her legal career for life as a food entrepreneur, driven by a love of authentic flavour.
A missing category: UK supermarkets have long ignored Singaporean cuisine — Homi Kitchen fills that gap.
Authenticity first: The brand’s tagline, “Crazy Rich Flavours of Singapore,” celebrates culture with a wink to Crazy Rich Asians.
Clean label commitment: No preservatives, no artificial additives — just real ingredients cooked with care.
Scaling up: From rice-cooker curries in student halls to professional production with strict quality control.
Cultural storytelling: How every sauce represent a popular Singaporean street food dish.
For everyone: Loved by Singaporean expats and curious UK home cooks alike.
Next up: New curry-based sauces and retail expansion into major UK supermarkets.
Chapters / Timestamps:
00:00 — From lawyer to food founder: meet Megan & Homi Kitchen
02:32 — The lockdown moment that changed everything
05:00 — The missing Singaporean flavours in UK supermarkets
07:33 — Debunking “Singapore noodles” and cultural misconceptions
10:01 — What makes Singaporean food unique
15:13 — Why it’s time for a Singapore-first pantry brand
20:16 — The inspiration behind “Crazy Rich Flavours of Singapore”
26:44 — Inside the products: chilli & pepper sauces explained
29:33 — Clean-label ingredients and cooking at scale
36:10 — The ups and downs of manufacturing
38:41 — Who Homi Kitchen is for (and why expats matter)
43:49 — What’s next: new products & retail ambitions
46:56 — Where to find Homi Kitchen
47:00 — Startup shout-outs: Pigtoria Secrets, Saucerer & more
Links & Resources:
Homi Kitchen — Website | Instagram | TikTok | LinkedIn
Connect with Megan — LinkedIn
Discover Startups — TikTok | YouTube | Instagram | Newsletter
Going solo shouldn’t mean going it alone. Investrio (co-founded by Joyce Medeiros and Laura) is building the financial infrastructure for solopreneurs — creators, freelancers, consultants, and company-of-one founders. Think AI-powered bookkeeping, clean, clear reports, invoicing, and access to funding (grants, SBA options, more) — all in one place and designed for how solo businesses actually run.
Joyce shares her journey from Goldman trader → startup operator → financial coach → founder, why legacy tools like Xero/QuickBooks feel built for “finance teams” not one-person businesses, and how Investrio helps you see income, expenses, cash flow, and tax-ready reports without drowning in spreadsheets. We dig into the common money mistakes (ignoring retirement, mixing personal/business, no cash-flow view), why community matters when you’re building solo, and what’s coming next — from smarter automation to broader capital access.
If you’re a solopreneur who wants a clearer handle on bookkeeping, taxes, and funding (so you can get back to the work you love), this one’s for you.
Key Takeaways:
Built for one: Investrio provides financial infrastructure for solopreneurs — not adapted “enterprise” software.
All-in-one visibility: Connect accounts, let AI clean and categorise your books (currently ~94% accuracy), then track income, expenses, and cash flow at a glance.
Get paid, properly: Invoicing with Stripe/PayPal/Venmo support + clean reports for tax time.
Access to capital: A curated grant finder (with Investrio’s own weekly grant) and pathways to loans; long-term vision to help underwrite solos for mortgages, car loans, and small-biz credit using real business data.
Designed by insiders: Joyce, Laura, and their engineer Sean all ran solo businesses — the product reflects real-world pain points.
Community = unfair advantage: Events, WhatsApp groups, and ongoing user feedback shape the roadmap.
Mindset shift: Treat everything as an experiment — test, learn, iterate.
Chapters / Timestamps:
00:00 — Building financial infrastructure for solopreneurs
00:52 — What Investrio is (and who it’s for)
02:10 — “Tinder for co-founders”: how Joyce & Laura met
03:26 — From trading & a successful exit to financial coaching
05:06 — Why focus on the solopreneur (42M Americans)
06:59 — Leaving a salary: the first financial hurdles
09:45 — Product philosophy: your financial bestie
15:50 — How it works: connect, clean up, see the numbers
17:45 — Funding hub: grants now, broader capital later
18:24 — Automation under the hood (~94% classification accuracy)
22:13 — Demand from bookkeepers & accountants; B2B interest
24:38 — Roadmap: smarter AI, more funding, potential underwriting
26:37 — Community meetups & WhatsApp; why support matters
29:34 — Advice for solos: test like a scientist
31:05 — Where to try Investrio
32:12 — Startup shout-out: Latte (college mentorship)
Links & Resources:
Connect with Joyce Medeiros — LinkedIn
Discover Startups — TikTok | YouTube | Instagram | Newsletter
For anyone who’s ever woken up battling the dreaded hangover, Reclaim might be the drink you’ve been waiting for. Created by Todd Bruce, a former super-yacht crew member turned entrepreneur, Reclaim is a functional recovery drink designed to help people bounce back using natural, science-backed ingredients — without caffeine or synthetic additives.
After years working in hospitality and seeing how drinking culture fits into busy professional lives, Todd set out to create a product that actually helps you recover, not just mask the symptoms. In this episode, he shares his startup journey — from life at sea to founding a health and wellness brand — and what he’s learned about turning frustration into innovation.
We cover:
Why hangover recovery is about replenishment.
The power of functional mushrooms, adaptogens, and natural vitamins.
How to balance taste with nutrition (and why Reclaim is flat, not fizzy).
The challenges of breaking into the functional beverage industry without experience.
Todd’s long-term goal to make Reclaim.
Whether you’re into wellness, entrepreneurship, or just want a smarter way to recover after a big night, this episode is packed with honesty, energy, and practical insight into what it takes to build a startup from scratch.
Key Takeaways:
From super-yachts to startups: Todd left his career at sea to build a drink that solves a problem he knows well.
The hangover problem: Most recovery routines are scattered — Reclaim offers an all-in-one natural solution.
Four functions in one: Detoxifying, energising, replenishing, and hydrating ingredients work together to help your body recover.
Functional mushrooms: Each can contains 3,000 mg of lion’s mane and cordyceps for focus and clean energy.
No caffeine, no crash: Ginseng and L-theanine provide calm alertness without jitters.
Transparent dosing: Every ingredient and vitamin dose is listed clearly on the can.
Taste that delivers: Based on ginger and coconut water, Reclaim balances health with flavour.
Next-gen wellness: Designed for professionals who work hard, play hard, and want products that actually help them feel better.
Chapters / Timestamps:
00:00 — Introduction to Reclaim & its purpose
03:33 — Todd’s journey from super-yachts to startup life
07:16 — Identifying the hangover problem
09:52 — Functional ingredients & formulation
17:21 — The science of recovery
20:00 — Balancing flavour, health & transparency
26:57 — Building a business around a personal need
27:03 — Future plans: new flavours & hotel expansion
29:15 — Supporting other startups (Gut Buds)
Links & Resources:
Connect with Todd Bruce — LinkedIn
Discover Startups — TikTok | YouTube | Instagram | Newsletter
Disclaimer:
This episode is for entertainment and educational purposes only. It does not provide medical or nutritional advice. Always consult a qualified professional before making health-related decisions.
For most people in their 20s and 30s, wills feel like something to worry about later. Complicated. Expensive. Not urgent. But when her cousin died unexpectedly, leaving a fiancée and child without legal protection, Sophia Maslin saw first-hand how unprepared many of us are for the unexpected.
That moment inspired Morby, a death tech startup that makes will writing simple, affordable, and accessible for young people. With a background in both the modelling industry and law, Sophia took an unconventional path into legal tech innovation, determined to build a platform that speaks to a generation often left out of the estate planning conversation.
In this episode of Discover Startups, Sophia shares the story behind Morby, why so many people avoid wills, and how her team are reshaping estate planning for modern life.
We cover:
Why young people are put off by wills — and why the real barrier isn’t fear of death, but not knowing where to start.
The reality of the UK’s intestacy rules — and what actually happens if you die without a will.
The life events that usually prompt people to take out their first will, from buying a home to having a child.
How Morby simplifies the process with a guided journey that strips out legal jargon.
Why wills aren’t just about money — they also capture funeral wishes, pet care, and personal requests.
Morby’s competitive pricing — £80 for a single will, £20 for a letter of wishes, and unlimited edits for £10/year with Morby Plus.
What’s next: a digital vault for documents and passwords, an estate readiness score, and an AI assistant to guide users through every step.
This is a conversation about innovation in one of life’s most overlooked areas. If you’ve ever thought “I’ll sort it later,” this episode shows why now is the time to start.
Key Takeaways
From tragedy to startup: How Sophia turned personal loss into the spark for Morby.
Why wills matter early: The consequences of dying without one under UK intestacy rules.
Estate planning for everyone: Why you don’t need to be wealthy to need a will.
Morby’s approach: A jargon-free, mobile-first way to create a will in minutes.
Beyond money: Wills can include wishes about funerals, pets, and personal details.
Accessible pricing: Transparent, affordable options designed for younger generations.
Future of death tech: Digital vaults, AI assistants, and tools to keep life admin in order.
Chapters / Timestamps
00:00 — Turning tragedy into innovation
02:50 — From modelling to death tech
05:52 — Why young people avoid wills
09:10 — What happens if you die without a will
11:52 — How Morby makes will writing simple
14:55 — Features and innovations (digital vault + AI)
18:00 — Partnerships and business opportunities
20:47 — Pricing and accessibility of Morby
24:02 — Startup shoutout: HNTR app
Links & Resources
Disclaimer:
This episode is for informational and storytelling purposes only. It does not provide legal advice, and nothing discussed should be relied upon as such.
What if instant soup could actually be good for you? That’s the question Bella Acland set out to answer when she launched Soul Kitchen, a food startup reimagining a cupboard staple with healthy, clean-label recipes made from real ingredients.
Tired of the same old options on supermarket shelves, Bella wanted to prove that convenience food doesn’t have to mean compromise. With real vegetables in every sachet, Soul Kitchen is showing that fast food can also be fresh, flavourful, and nourishing.
In this conversation, Bella shares how her love for food turned into a business idea, the inspiration behind Soul Kitchen, and what she’s learned about creating products that fit into busy lives while still delivering on taste and nutrition. We also talk about why soup has been left behind in the world of food innovation, how consumers are becoming more conscious about what goes into their meals, and what’s next for Soul Kitchen — including exciting new flavours and functional recipes.
If you’re passionate about healthy eating, trying new brands, or discovering startups with fresh ideas, you’ll love Bella’s story.
Where to find Soul Kitchen:
Promotion:
UK listeners can get 15% off their first order of Soul Kitchen, when they order via their website using the code DISCOVER15 at checkout.
Key Takeaways:
Chapters / Timestamps:
00:00 – Introduction to Soul Kitchen & Bella Acland
00:48 – Bella’s journey into food and the idea behind Soul Kitchen
03:37 – Why soup has been overlooked in food innovation
08:02 – Understanding processed foods and what goes into our meals
11:53 – Ingredient sourcing and recipe development
14:06 – What makes Soul Kitchen different
19:06 – New flavours and future product ideas
21:57 – Where to find Soul Kitchen & why community support matters
26:39 – Closing reflections
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Keywords:
Soul Kitchen, instant soup, healthy eating, clean label, convenience food, food innovation, real ingredients, vegetables, startup story, challenger brand, new food brands, UK food startups, Bella Acland, UK startup, business ideas , startups, entrepreneur
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