Founders · new episode 17 Oct 2026
The Startup Leap
Hosted by Maria Rotilu and Yvonne Bajela
Founders and investors on the leap into building a startup, with a UK and African view.
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Investors named as guests in the most episode titles on The Startup Leap.
Every episode 66 · page 1 of 3
- 66Your Good Intentions Are Not Enough - Eric Ries, Author, Lean Startup17 Oct 2026 · 1h 47mEric Ries▶Show page
About this episode
What happens when the pursuit of profit threatens the very thing a company was built to achieve? In this episode of The Startup Leap, Eric Ries, author of The Lean Startup , explores why good intentions aren't enough to protect a business's purpose. He discusses financial gravity, founder control, shareholder…
- 65She Had a Bestseller, then Walked Away to Build an App | Elizabeth Uviebinené of Storia1 Sept 2026 · 47 min▶Show page
About this episode
Elizabeth Uviebinené was a five-time author with a Financial Times column and a sold-out personal brand, then she left it behind to build a consumer app with no technical background, pre-AI-wave, in a category she'd never touched. In this episode, she breaks down the "toilet test" for consumer products, why she bet…
- 64Diversify Your Career Like Your Finances | June Angelides, Founder, MyPholyo28 Jul 2026 · 43 min▶Show page
About this episode
One job. One income stream. One identity. That model worked yesterday. This week on The Startup Leap , June Angelides explains why tomorrow belongs to people who intentionally diversify their careers the same way they diversify their finances. She shares how an unexpected opportunity became the Portfolio Method, why…
- 63AI Broke Startup Growth, Here's How to Fix It | Sandy Diao (Pinterest, Meta, Descript)7 Jul 2026 · 48 min▶Show page
About this episode
Growth isn't dead, but the playbook might be. In this episode of The Startup Leap , former Pinterest, Meta, and Descript growth leader Sandy Diao shares practical lessons from building growth at some of the world's most influential technology companies. From why viral loops fail to how founders should rethink…
- 62Story of Cursor: How 4 Founders Exited to Space X for $60bn In 4 Years23 Jun 2026 · 10 minMaria Rotilu▶Show page
About this episode
How did 4 MIT students build a $60 billion company that sold to SpaceX in just 4 years? This is the story of Cursor the AI coding tool that started as a pivot, turned down OpenAI's acquisition offer, and just sold to SpaceX in one of the biggest tech exits ever. In this episode of The Startup Leap, Maria Rotilu…
- 61Eric Ries: Incorruptible Book Review | #1 New York Times Bestseller in Business16 Jun 2026 · 27 minEric Ries▶Show page
About this episode
Most business books teach you how to win. Eric Ries' Incorruptible asks a different question: What happens after you do? In this episode, we review the #1 New York Times Bestseller and explore why founders lose control of their companies, why missions drift over time, and how companies like Costco and Cloudflare…
- 60Can AI Startups Justify These Crazy Valuations?2 Jun 2026 · 10 min▶Show page
About this episode
Big tech is spending over $560 billion on AI infrastructure this year, bigger than the entire global venture capital industry in a normal year. And everyone outside the room is calling it a bubble.After assessing 7,000 companies and investing in 70+ startups, Maria breaks down the math behind today's AI valuations,…
- 59This Founder Lost Control Because His Company Worked | Eric Ries, Lean Startup, Incorruptible26 May 2026 · 43 minEric Ries▶Show page
About this episode
This week, Eric Ries joins us for a conversation about the hidden cost of startup success. From mission drift and shareholder pressure to governance structures and long-term thinking, Eric explains why many companies lose the very thing that made them great once scale enters the picture. This episode challenges some…
- 58Founders, Your'e Not Being Rejected. You Are Being Mismatched.19 May 2026 · 11 min▶Show page
About this episode
Most founders think they’re being rejected. They’re not, they’re being misaligned. This episode unpacks the hidden mechanics behind investor decisions, why most “no’s” happen before your deck is even opened, and how structural filters like stage, mandate, and portfolio conflicts quietly shape outcomes. Yvonne and…
- 57OpenAI Just Bought a 2-Year-Old Startup That Raised $0 and This Is Why15 May 2026 · 6 min▶Show page
About this episode
OpenAI just acquired Tomoro, a 2-year-old Scottish AI startup that raised zero venture capital. It's the first move in a $4 billion wave most founders haven't seen coming. Maria breaks down the acquisition, the new OpenAI Deployment Company, and the one question every AI founder must answer this week.
- 56Why SAP Paid A Billion Euros For A 16-Month Old Startup8 May 2026 · 8 min▶Show page
About this episode
A 16-month-old startup. One pre-seed round. €9M raised. Then SAP shows up with a €1 BILLION commitment. That’s not startup luck. That’s strategic engineering. In this episode, Maria breaks down the real playbook behind one of the most fascinating AI acquisitions in Europe right now, from cap tables that quietly…
- 55How 8 Engineers Hit $100m in 8 Months | Mukund Jha, Emergent22 Apr 2026 · 28 min▶Show page
About this episode
Mukund Jha shares how Emergent scaled at unprecedented speed, without a marketing or sales team, by focusing on product excellence and engineered distribution. They built early credibility by ranking #1 on a global benchmark before launch, creating immediate trust in the market. At the core of it all was a…
- 54One Person Unicorn: Your Team Could Be Only One Person With AI14 Apr 2026 · 9 min▶Show page
About this episode
The traditional startup playbook is being rewritten. In this episode of The Startup Leap, Yvonne and Maria explore the rise of AI-native businesses, where a single founder can operate what used to require entire teams. From real-world examples of solo founders achieving massive exits to a nuanced discussion on…
- 53They Had to Hide Their Speaker Tech, Then Sold It for $100m | Mattias Scheek, Mayht31 Mar 2026 · 37 min▶Show page
About this episode
We’re back with our first episode of 2026, and this one feels like a startup heist. Mattias Scheek, Co-founder and former CEO of Mayht, shares the story behind one of the most unconventional startup journeys, building breakthrough speaker technology in complete secrecy, choosing not to launch a product, and ultimately…
- 522025 Recap: Lessons From of Clue, NALA, Flutterwave & More23 Dec 2025 · 14 minIda Tin▶Show page
About this episode
2025 was the year of resilience. After 27 episodes and hours of deep dives with the world's most innovative founders, we’ve distilled our favourites episodes of 2025. "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, learn from those who already did." From the grit of African fintech to the precision of…
- 51The Harsh Truth About Building Startups in Africa | Miishe Addy’s Jetstream2 Dec 2025 · 52 min▶Show page
About this episode
In this episode, Miishe Addy-Asare co-founder, and CEO of JetStream Africa, shares her journey from working at Bain to raising over $21 million for JetStream. Miishe discusses the challenges and misconceptions of building a business in Sub-Saharan Africa, the importance of specific skill sets for navigating the…
- 50From Music to Billion Dollar Brands: Decoding Rihanna’s Playbook with David Olusegun21 Oct 2025 · 58 min▶Show page
About this episode
What happens when a former record label founder applies the logic of venture studios to celebrity brand building? In this episode, David Olusegun , founder of Creative Control Ventures , reveals how he’s transforming the way talent and culture converge to create purpose-driven consumer brands. From his early career…
- 49From McKinsey Consultant to $70M in Revenue: How She Built an AI-Powered Pet Insurance Empire7 Oct 2025 · 46 minEQT Ventures▶Show page
About this episode
🐾 Meet Hedda Båverud Olsson, Founder & CEO of Lassie, the startup transforming pet insurance and pet health. From McKinsey & EQT Ventures to raising €50M+ and now also crossing €70M+ in annual revenues , Hedda’s journey is packed with bold moves, big lessons, and surprising insights into the booming pet industry.…
- 48How Student Startups Grew From Dorm Rooms Into Million Dollar Tech Empires9 Sept 2025 · 25 minIvan Beckley▶Show page
About this episode
Welcome to Startup Leap! In this episode, we dive deep into the journeys of student founders from undergraduates to PhDs who have turned their academic projects, wild ideas at university into industry-transforming startups. Join us as Maria and Yvonne bring real stories from founders like the co-founder of Shazam,…
- 47How She Built a 7 Million User App to Tackle Food Waste | Tessa Clarke of Olio19 Aug 2025 · 43 minTessa Clarke▶Show page
About this episode
In this episode of The Startup Leap , Maria and Yvonne sit down with Tessa Clarke , co-founder of Olio , the mission-driven app turning surplus food into community sharing. With over 7 million users in 60 countries , OLIO is tackling the global food waste crisis while proving that purpose-driven businesses can scale.…
- 46Rejected by YC 5 Times, Now He’s Building Africa’s WISE | 50m+ Raised | Benjamin Fernandez, NALA22 Jul 2025 · 59 min▶Show page
About this episode
Join us in this riveting episode as we dive into the extraordinary journey of Benjamin, the founder and CEO of NALA, one of the fastest-growing fintech companies focused on building infrastructure for emerging markets. From humorous encounters with the police to the hustle of raising funds after a major co-founder…
- 45How Tyme Built Africa’s First Global Digital Bank | Coenraad Jonker of Tyme Bank24 Jun 2025 · 58 min▶Show page
About this episode
In this episode of The Startup Leap, we sit down with Coen, the founder of Tyme Bank, to discuss the incredible journey of building a digital bank in Africa and expanding into Southeast Asia. Coen shares the challenges of creating a bank without traditional elements like paper, cash, or ATMs, and how they achieved…
- 44Shazam’s $400M Founder Meets the Woman Fixing HR with AI10 Jun 2025 · 42 minDhiraj Mukherjee▶Show page
About this episode
In this special episode we dive into the journeys of two exceptional entrepreneurs: Riham Satti, an Oxford Neuroscientist turned founder of MeVitae an AI startup bringing fairness to the workplace, and Dhiraj Mukherjee, co-founder of Shazam, one of the world's first music recognition apps, 2billion downloads, acquired…
- 43He Quit MTN to Build Africa's Biggest Fintech Empire | $300m+ Raised | Dare Okoudjou, Onafriq27 May 2025 · 54 minDare Okoudjou▶Show page
About this episode
In this episode, we hear from Dare Okodjou, founder of Onafriq, Africa’s largest digital payments network, formerly MFS Africa. 500 million wallets across 42 countries, over $300m raised in funding. This episode is drenched in depth of experience. Perfect for founders whether early or later in their journey. Dare…
- 423 Startups. 1 Founder. All the Pain, Lessons & Wins (No BS): Josh Sandler | Lori, TruTax13 May 2025 · 31 min▶Show page
About this episode
Join us in this compelling episode as we sit down with Josh Sandler, co-founder of Lori and Founder and CEO of TruTax. Josh shares his transformative journey from building Lori, an on-demand logistics and trucking company in East Africa, to founding TruTax, a venture leveraging AI to optimize tax compliance. Learn…
- 41From Self-Taught Developer to FinTech Founder: Victor Alade of Raenest6 May 2025 · 44 minVictor Alade▶Show page
About this episode
Join us for an insightful conversation with Victor, the founder and CEO of Raenest, as he shares his inspiring journey from a self-taught software developer in Nigeria to leading a pioneering Fintech company powering remote African workers, that recently raised a $10M Series A round led by QED. Discover how Victor's…
- 40From Broke & Pregnant to Building a $60B Industry | Ida Tin, Founder of Clue21 Apr 2025 · 40 minIda Tin▶Show page
About this episode
Join us in this episode of Startup Leap as we sit down with Ida Tin, co-founder and chairwoman of Clue, a revolutionary women's health app that has empowered over 10 million users worldwide. Ida shares her extraordinary journey from a struggling entrepreneur with no coding skills to building a groundbreaking company…
- 39The 5-Minute Startup Advice That Could Save You Years (and Millions)15 Apr 2025 · 4 minOluwaseyi Sosanya▶Show page
About this episode
In this episode, experienced entrepreneurs share insightful advice they would give to their younger selves. They emphasize trusting your instincts, asking for help, believing in yourself, and the importance of small, achievable goals. Real-world experiences highlight the significance of resilience, execution over…
- 38From Corporate Executive to Startup Founder: Abu Addae of LifeCheq8 Apr 2025 · 46 min▶Show page
About this episode
In this episode of The Startup Leap, we dive into the fascinating journey of Abu Addae, the founder and CEO of LifeCheq. Abu transitioned from a senior role in financial risk management to creating a disruptive startup focused on personalized financial planning for the South African market. Learn about the challenges…
- 37Dilution 101 - How To Keep Control of Your Startup Before It’s Too Late1 Apr 2025 · 17 minTravis Kalanick▶Show page
About this episode
In this episode of Startup Leap, we dive into the critical topic of dilution and how it impacts founders. Learn from the experiences of legends like Steve Jobs and Travis Kalanick, who both lost control of their companies due to dilution. We'll break down the concept with a simple example and offer strategic advice…
Who the show talks about
Firms named in its episodes, and people named in descriptions: talked about, rather than on the show.
