An honest startup showcase with three founders at different points in their journey. You will hear why they launched, the highs and lows so far, what they wish they had known on day one, how they see the future, and the practical tips and tricks that keep them moving.
Founders will leave with sharper ways to validate ideas, common pitfalls to avoid, simple playbooks for early growth, and fresh connections with peers and mentors. Key takeaways include proven tactics for customer discovery, fundraising readiness, building resilient teams, and staying focused when everything feels urgent.
Tina Chen: Our Chief Tea Officer Tina was inspired by Taiwanese bubble tea concept and British tea drinking culture to develop a delicious, well-balanced tea latte beverage. With her love for a quality cuppa and her desire to make a positive impact on society, Tina made a career switch from IT to just tea, and HumaniTea was born! A proud social enterprise, HumaniTea supports wellbeing and sustainability initiatives through wholesome tea. Spreading Me Time, Tea Time, Any Time, we encourage people to take tea breaks to find mindfulness.
Madalina Mihailescu: My entrepreneurial journey began in the classroom, while delivering lectures to MSc Data Science students, where I witnessed a critical gap in education delivery. Students struggled to find employment despite completing rigorous academic programmes because companies demand industry-specific skills that rigid curricula fail to provide. Academic institutions prioritise theoretical knowledge over practical application, leaving graduates unprepared for real-world challenges.
This educational crisis resonated deeply with my personal experience as a neurodivergent learner who had struggled through traditional educational systems until discovering personalised study techniques that transformed my learning approach. Recognising that different learners require different methods, I founded HiveMind with a mission to make education efficient, personalised, and responsive to how people actually learn – especially in our rapidly digitalising world where time is precious and adaptability is essential.
Fredi Monk Porcel – Fredi oversees the smooth running of Voicebox, and is the company’s Director of Partnerships & Strategy. He has completed an MSc in Creative Arts and Mental Health from Queen Mary, University of London. Fredi has extensive experience of facilitating conversations on masculinity with a breadth of different audiences including adolescents, primary age children & professionals. Fredi’s particular interests lie in male mental health and facilitating spaces where men and boys can proactively increase each other’s wellbeing and bond with each other.
This isn’t your average fireside chat. It’s an unfiltered exploration of what it really takes to build bold ideas from scratch, the late nights, the turning points, and the moments of clarity that define an entrepreneurial journey. Featuring an intimate Heart-to-Heart with Marc Albert, an extraordinary founder reshaping how operational and market decisions are made in bulk shipping.
Marc Albert is an Entrepreneur in Residence at The Signal Group, where he’s building a digital twin of the bulk shipping market, a groundbreaking platform that helps industry stakeholders anticipate market movements and make smarter, data-driven decisions.
To understand Marc’s work is to appreciate the scale of the challenge: over 80% of global trade moves by sea, yet the shipping industry remains at the mercy of volatile freight rates and dynamic market swings. Marc’s mission? To bring clarity, stability, and intelligence to one of the world’s most complex supply chains, transforming how global trade decisions are made.
Before his current venture, Marc was part of the pioneering team at nuTonomy, an MIT spin-off developing self-driving cars, where he witnessed the full arc of a startup journey, from bold idea to acquisition and beyond. He’s now also pursuing a PhD at ETH Zurich, focusing on strategic decision-making and coordination in multi-agent systems.
Marc’s career has been anything but linear, and that’s exactly what makes his story so compelling. From engineering to entrepreneurship, academia to innovation, he embodies the resilience, curiosity, and courage that define today’s most forward-thinking founders.
Thank you to our founding partner Signal for making this event happen.
This panel brings together top venture capitalists and angel investors to provide clear, practical advice for early-stage founders looking to build fundable businesses. Aimed at those in the pre-seed to seed phase, it explores what investors truly value beyond the pitch deck—covering topics such as founder-market fit, storytelling, and personal vision; what materials investors actually review; how to time fundraising; and how to balance traction with hype. It also examines strategies for authentic networking and accessing investor communities, especially for underrepresented founders, as well as how to identify supportive investors who offer more than just money. Attendees will gain honest insights, real-world examples, and actionable guidance to help them confidently grow and navigate their startup journey.
Meet the panel:
Jem Stein, is the founder of Daring Capital, an impact investor syndicate backing early-stage, purpose-driven founders, particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds, with over £1.9 million invested since its launch in September 2023. Previously, Jem founded and scaled The Bike Project, a social enterprise supporting refugees, growing it to £2.5 million in annual revenue and earning awards such as Social Entrepreneur of the Year. He also sits on the social investment committees of two major charitable trusts. This series offers not just inspiration but practical, actionable advice for founders, creatives, and future leaders ready to grow, adapt, and thrive.
Carmel Rafaeli is the Founding Partner of The Table, a global community of over 280 investors co-funding early-stage climate ventures led or co-led by women. She backs climate-positive startups across sectors, with a focus on inclusion, intentional capital, and measurable environmental impact. With more than 15 years of entrepreneurial experience spanning fashion, tech, and sustainability, she began investing through small angel deals to support overlooked founders and accelerate climate solutions. Today, she provides capital, mentoring, and strategic advice, with a particular emphasis on financial storytelling and founder-investor alignment. She is also a Venture Partner at The Conduit Connect and a trusted advisor to early-stage founders. Carmel believes inclusive innovation and smarter capital allocation are essential to solving the climate crisis.
Dan Bowyer is a Partner at SuperSeed VC. Dan has more than 20 years of entrepreneurial experience, having built and exited 2 startups and angel invested in many more. He’s most passionate about connecting people, product and process, creating something from nothing. At SuperSeed Dan looks after partnerships and portfolio companies, alongside new and existing investments.
Thank you to our founding partner Signal for making this event happen.
Ready to make headlines for all the right reasons? This 1.5-hour online workshop will give you the inside track on how to launch into the UK market and get your story in front of the right audiences through British and international media, journalists, and influencers.This workshop is designed to help you successfully launch into the UK market by reaching the right audiences through British and international media, journalists, and influencers. It will give you actionable insights into what the media looks for, how to craft a compelling story, and how to secure meaningful press coverage. Attendees will also receive access to exclusive PR packages and have the opportunity to book 1:1 consultations ideal for those preparing to take their story to the press.Led by Lisa Wlodyka, Founder of Banjo Communications and PR powerhouse behind brands like Deliveroo, GoDaddy, and GoFundMe, you’ll learn:PR 101 – what it really is (and isn’t)The UK and global media landscapeHow to craft irresistible headlines and storiesWhy the media would (and wouldn’t) be interested in your businessHow to make sure your website and assets are PR-readyTimelines for a successful launchThe exact steps to go to market with impactBalancing bold ideas with protecting your brandDefining and communicating your USPMeet the Speaker:Lisa Wlodyka is a powerhouse in PR and strategic brand storytelling, trusted by some of the world’s most ambitious companies to launch, scale, and turn their businesses into market leaders. With a track record that includes names like Deliveroo, GoDaddy, GoFundMe, and Airtasker, Lisa is known for taking brands from early traction to market domination.Born in London and globally experienced, Lisa has led Tech, Digital and Innovation departments in both London and Sydney, and works closely with Silicon Valley disruptors looking to break into new markets. Her B2B and B2C expertise makes her equally skilled at building reputations, driving media buzz, and creating cut-through campaigns that turn emerging players into household names. In a world where news is consumed across countless platforms, she ensures campaigns cut-through whether via traditional media, digital outlets, or social-first journalists and influencers. Lisa works across all major sectors.A graduate of the world-famous Central Saint Martins Art College and Chelsea College of Arts, Lisa’s creative roots fuel bold narratives and standout campaigns. She is a strategic mind, a creative soul, and a fierce advocate for the next generation of visionary brands – truly one to watch.
Entrepreneurship can be exhilarating, but it’s often emotionally demanding, isolating and mentally exhausting. This session pulls back the curtain on what it really takes to build and scale a business without losing yourself along the way.
Through open, honest conversation with founders and coaches, we’ll explore the mindset shifts, leadership habits and personal resilience needed for sustainable growth. From navigating burnout, imposter syndrome and failure, to leading with clarity through chaos, you’ll hear real stories and gain practical tools to stay grounded, focused and true to your values. Whether you’re just starting out or scaling fast, this is a space to reconnect with your purpose, challenge toxic startup culture and walk away with renewed energy and insight for the journey ahead.
Meet the panel:
Claire Koryczan is an award-nominated leadership expert with over 25 years of experience spanning creative agencies, technology, innovation, and HR. Her approach blends coaching with strategic insight, enabling leaders to navigate complexity and unlock meaningful change. Recognised globally, she’s been shortlisted for Best Business Coach by the Coach Awards, named a Top Team Leadership Voice on LinkedIn, and featured in SohoWorks’ Future50 and Grant Thornton’s Faces of a Vibrant Economy.
Kit James is the founder of Kit James Coaching, a private practice working with ambitious individuals who’ve hit the traditional markers of success, yet find themselves questioning ‘what next?’ His clients are high-achieving and often in positions of influence, yet beneath the external milestones lies a deeper search for clarity, meaning, and legacy.Kit’s approach is personal and instinctive. It’s shaped by his own decision to walk away from the expected path and define success on his own terms. He brings challenge, sharp perspective, and real precision to the process, helping clients cut through noise, confront difficult truths, and move forward with purpose.
Jen Smith’s entrepreneurial journey began in 2009, driven by a desire for flexibility and creativity after becoming a parent, and soon evolved into a successful digital marketing agency. Recognised as one of the Top 100 women leaders in business in 2021, she pivoted in 2023 to become an accredited Executive Coach and Mentor, combining her creativity, business acumen and lived experience of physical disabilities, ADHD and Autism to champion inclusion, accessibility and neurodiversity. Known as ‘The Curious Mentor,’ Jen draws on practical neuroscience, coaching techniques and her ILM Level 7 studies in Coaching Supervision to support a wide range of clients, particularly neurodivergent individuals. She collaborates with Small Business Britain on initiatives including The Lilac Review and The Maple Review, and was shortlisted for The Small Awards in 2023.
Meet Jaron Soh, Co-founder and CEO of Voda
The award-winning mental health app designed by leading LGBTQIA+ psychologists. Voda offers blends clinical expertise with lived experience insights, offering discreet, evidence-based support for LGBTQIA+ challenges such as coming out, gender dysphoria, hate speech and stigma.
Since its launch, Voda has supported over 36,000 users globally, was named “App of the Day” in 35+ countries, and was recognised as a “Rising Star” at the UK National Startup Awards in 2024.
Jaron grew up in Singapore, where same-sex activity between men were criminalised up until 2 years ago. His personal journey to overcoming shame fuels Voda’s mission to make affirming mental health support accessible to LGBTQIA+ people everywhere. Under his leadership, the startup has raised over £900k from impact-driven investors and built a globally recognised platform that is both purpose-led and commercially smart.
Listening to Jaron’s session is a chance to hear how mission-driven startups can thrive in competitive markets. Founders will come away with tangible insights on building community-first tech, securing values-aligned funding, navigating stigma in brand storytelling, and scaling with authenticity. Jaron’s story is not only inspiring—it’s a blueprint for building with impact.
Voda has just closed their (oversubscribed!) funding round, and Jaron will share how we raised from a diverse, values-aligned group of VCs and angels – and why that alignment really matters.
Meet Ed Leon Klinger the CEO at Flock.
Flock was born from a bold vision: to rewrite the rulebook on insurance. Co-founded in 2016 by Ed Leon Klinger and Antton Peña, the idea sprang from academic research at Cambridge and Imperial College. They recognised the rise of connected systems—drones, autonomous vehicles, commercial fleets—and saw a traditional insurance industry that wasn’t keeping pace. Their solution? A fully digital, data-driven insurance platform that prices risk in real time. It was radical. It was risky. And it worked.
Flock launched by serving one of the most complex sectors first: commercial drones. By using real-time data like weather, flight paths, and pilot behaviour, they offered on-demand insurance that reflected actual risk—not outdated assumptions. That early success quickly established Flock as a key player in UK drone insurance, but Ed saw a bigger opportunity.
He led Flock into the high-impact world of commercial motor fleets. Today, Flock is a fully digital insurance company on a mission to make the world quantifiably safer—and they’re delivering on that mission. With Flock, safer fleets pay less. Their connected insurance product actively incentivises good driving, creating a virtuous circle of safety and cost-efficiency. Hundreds of companies trust Flock to protect their vehicles and drivers.
That innovation and traction attracted major investment. Flock raised $17M in Series A funding from Social Capital and followed it up with a $38M Series B led by Octopus Ventures in 2023. They’ve also partnered with established giants like Allianz and Admiral—showing how a tech-native startup can collaborate with the old guard without compromising its mission.
Ed’s story is particularly inspiring for founders. He brings not only deep technical understanding—having studied Engineering, Economics and Management at Oxford (M.Eng) and Technology Policy at Cambridge (M.Phil)—but a rare clarity of purpose. While at Cambridge, he published on the risks and rewards of autonomous vehicles, and that systems-level thinking now underpins Flock’s data-driven approach.
Key takeaways for founders:
Start narrow, scale with focus: Flock began with drones but scaled into fleets once they had proof and momentum.
Use tech to drive impact: Real-time risk pricing turned insurance into a proactive tool, not just a reactive product.
Mission > marketing: “Making the world quantifiably safer” isn’t just a tagline—it’s embedded in the product and pricing model.
Partner smartly: Strategic alliances with legacy players can unlock scale, credibility, and regulation-readiness.
Data is power: Safer drivers pay less. Better data means smarter pricing, happier customers, and scalable impact.
Mae Yip, Co-Founder @ ERIC
Championing Creative Careers. Mae will share her journey of building ERIC from the ground up, discuss her investment journey, specifically why she chose Angel investment over VC and provide actionable insights for aspiring entrepreneurs. This session is a must-attend for founders and future founders eager to kickstart their businesses with purpose and impact.Mae Yip is the co-founder of ERIC, an award-winning app that has supported over 140,000 young people in pursuing creative careers.
Motivated by her own experience of receiving inadequate career guidance, Mae, alongside her best friend Sam, launched ERIC to bridge the gap in creative career opportunities. Starting without networks or funding experience, she has impressively raised nearly £1 million and navigated the challenges of being a female founder in a male-dominated space. Mae is passionate about breaking barriers and inspiring more women to start their own businesses—because when women succeed, the world becomes a better place. ERIC was listed as ‘Ones to Watch’ Disruption 100 list.
Lakechia Jeanne, Founder @ Girls In Science
Lakechia is a trailblazing founder, public speaker, and leader in the science communication space, dedicated to empowering the next generation of women in STEM. Through Girls In Science, she’s built a thriving international community that focuses on female educational empowerment, industry networking, and career development in science and technology.GIS runs regular events nationally, providing women with the tools, confidence, and connections they need to succeed in STEM fields. Lakechia’s passion for sharing knowledge and supporting women in their career journeys has made a lasting impact, and her insights on building a purpose-driven community. Join us to hear Lakechia’s inspiring story and learn how she turned her vision into a movement.
Ashley Staines, Co-Founder @ Volunteero
Ashley is at the forefront of transforming the volunteer management landscape. Volunteero is a cutting-edge CRM designed specifically for charities, streamlining the entire volunteer process from onboarding and scheduling to communication and tracking. Since its launch, the platform has facilitated the equivalent of around ten years’ worth of volunteering hours and continues to drive incredible impact.
In this candid session, Ashley will share the personal side of entrepreneurship the trials of starting a company, the tough decisions around whether to pursue VC funding, and what it really takes to succeed, whether it’s your first or second time founding a business.Ashley’s innovative approach has already caught the attention of major venture capital firms and some of the UK’s biggest charities, including Citizens Advice, Oxford NHS Trust, and Age UK. His insights on building a successful tech-for-good platform and scaling impact-driven solutions are not to be missed.