The week's news · new episode 24 Aug 2026
UKTN: The Podcast
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UK tech news: the startups, rounds and investors.
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Every episode 175 · page 1 of 6
- 175The power behind the UK’s AI revolution - Simon McIntosh-Smith, Director, BriCS24 Aug 2026 · 32 min▶Show page
About this episode
Jane Wakefield talks to Simon McIntosh-Smith about the role the Bristol Centre for Supercomputing is playing as the UK builds it own AI economy. The supercomputer is the UK’s fastest - and we discuss its size, why it is helping monitor a herd of dairy cows, and how the centre is dealing with the challenges of…
- 174Universities aren’t set up for commercialisation – Anne Lane, CEO, UCL Ventures17 Aug 2026 · 32 minUCL Business▶Show page
About this episode
Dr Anne Lane, chief executive officer of UCL Ventures, discusses why commercialising research at British universities remains a challenge despite significant will and the enormous impact of spending money on cutting-edge research. UCL Ventures, formerly UCL Business, is the commercialisation arm of one of the…
- 173Producing drugs in outer space – Katie King, BioOrbit10 Aug 2026 · 30 min▶Show page
About this episode
Katie King, co-founder and chief executive of BioOrbit, discusses how her company is building pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities designed to operate in space and why that could fundamentally transform how the production of medicine works. BioOrbit is a British space tech company that aims to use the…
- 172Building an AI database for life on Earth – Glen Gowers, Co- Founder, Basecamp Research3 Aug 2026 · 35 min▶Show page
About this episode
Basecamp Research’s co-founder Glen Gowers discusses the firm’s ambitious plans to sequence a trillion genes. Gowers talks about how he lived his business idea by taking a portable lab onto an icecap, how he defied investor’s advice and employed field scientists and diplomats ahead of computer scientists, and how he…
- 171Search isn’t dead but it is getting a major AI makeover - Chris Donnelly, co-founder of Searchable27 Jul 2026 · 33 minChris DonnellyGoogle▶Show page
About this episode
Chris Donnelly, co-founder of Searchable, discusses the wild ride of growing a business in a matter of months to a valuation of $85m. He shares his thoughts on the radical overhaul to search announced by Google and offers tips of what every brand, big or small, needs to know in the age of AI and we hear about the not…
- 170Profit is fine, businesses need to think about more - Andy Fishburn, Managing Director, Virgin StartUp20 Jul 2026 · 31 min▶Show page
About this episode
Virgin StartUp’s managing director Andy Fishburn discusses how the non-profit is helping a new generation of entrepreneurs. He talks about its programme designed specifically for dyslexic entrepreneurs, what he thinks we need to do to make Britain a better place to scale, and why a simple walk in the park with 100…
- 169It’s a good time to be a European company – Michael Herron, Atos13 Jul 2026 · 32 min▶Show page
About this episode
Michael Herron, the CEO of Atos UK and Ireland, discusses what keeps him awake at night, how Atos is moving towards a human/AI agent world and why he is an optimist about his sons’ futures in the job market. Plus, Herron discusses the rising costs of powering AI and Atos’s surprising role in the Premier League,…
- 168Don’t be deterred by the size of your ambition – Greg Jackson, Founder and CEO, Octopus Energy6 Jul 2026 · 37 minGreg Jackson▶Show page
About this episode
Greg Jackson reflects on his journey building one of the UK’s largest double unicorns Octopus Energy. He reflects on how he wishes he had started the firm earlier and explains some of his unique ways of running a company, from how a telling off in a previous job made him realise the power of people in an organisation…
- 167I have the best job in the City, working with clients changing the lives of millions - Emily Turner, CEO, HSBC Innovation Banking29 Jun 2026 · 29 minHSBC▶Show page
About this episode
Emily Turner, CEO of HSBC Innovation Banking UK discusses what makes it a go-to bank for start-ups and how her natural optimism means she sees plenty to celebrate in the UK tech scene, from more and more deals happening outside London, to the impact of AI and why she thinks we should celebrate an influx of foreign…
- 166If we don’t embrace AI, we’ll be embraced by it – Ian Murray, Digital Minister15 Jun 2026 · 32 minIan Murray▶Show page
About this episode
The Right Honourable Ian Murray, MP and Minister of State at the Department of Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology discusses the challenges that lie ahead in implementing AI both in government and wider society. He explains why some projects were abandoned and how…
- 165Half the population has a uterus and the rest of you came from one - Yasmin Baba, Co-Founder and CTO, Amilis9 Jun 2026 · 34 min▶Show page
About this episode
Yasmin Baba discusses pitching her early-stage health tech startup to a room full of men, how she coped with bootstrapping by “being a minimalist with big dreams” and how she believes that better data can bring down the half a million plus women on gynaecology waiting lists. Plus, why, as a machine learning engineer,…
- 164Unlocking access to finance – Anna Wallace, CEO, CFIT1 Jun 2026 · 37 min▶Show page
About this episode
Anna Wallace, CEO of the Centre for Finance, Innovation and Technology discusses why so many SMEs fail to get the financing they need and what they can do to change this (listen to the very end to get this vital information). She also talks about how CFIT is helping to speed up the house-buying process and provide…
- 163If you want to get online, you need to prove you are human – Nick Pickles, CPO, Tools for Humanity26 May 2026 · 35 minElon MuskSam Altman▶Show page
About this episode
Tools for Humanity was co-founded by OpenAI’s Sam Altman and provides ways to verify human identity with the belief that the only way to counteract fakery and misinformation is to prove our own humanity. The group’s chief policy officer Nick Pickles discusses the technology the firm uses, the new partnership the…
- 162The fast-moving future of digital payments – Iana Dimitrova, CEO, OpenPayd18 May 2026 · 29 min▶Show page
About this episode
Iana Dimitrova, CEO of OpenPayd, discusses how we are moving towards a world where AI agents will be making transactions without human intervention, her thoughts on the governor of the Bank of England’s comments about stablecoins threatening the very nature of money and how the firm is looking to expand to the US.
- 161Rethinking how we use AI – Louise Ballard, Co-founder, Atheni.ai11 May 2026 · 35 min▶Show page
About this episode
Louise Ballard, co-founder of early-stage firm Atheni.ai discusses how we move AI usage to the next level, from simply responding to questions to actually building systems that can really benefit businesses and organisations. She also talks about why the UK government’s plans to reskill 10 million workers in AI might…
- 160I wanted to talk about investing not diversity – Anu Adebajo, CEO, Newton Venture Program4 May 2026 · 38 minAnu Adebajo▶Show page
About this episode
Anu Adebajo, CEO of Newton Venture Program, discusses how we train the next generation of investors, the real solutions to a lack of diversity in the industry and how much of VC success is down to pure luck.
- 159The brave new world of AI marketing – Rebecca Sykes, Brandtech27 Apr 2026 · 31 min▶Show page
About this episode
Rebecca Sykes, a partner at Brandtech, discusses how AI is being used to transform marketing. The firm has worked with global brands and believes AI-generated content can revolutionise the creative industries. She describes the firm’s system as the nervous system of modern marketing, connecting cultural signals, media…
- 158Not lost in Translation – Ed Crook, DeepL20 Apr 2026 · 32 min▶Show page
About this episode
Many people will have learning another language on their bucket list and with the help of AI that reality is creeping ever closer. Ed Crook, strategy and operation leader at German-based AI translation firm DeepL discusses how the startup is helping business get language nuance right, what it is like to build a…
- 157Be the least intelligent person in the room - Varun Bhanot, CEO, MAGIC AI13 Apr 2026 · 30 min▶Show page
About this episode
Varun Bhanot, co-founder and CEO of Magic AI discusses the journey of growing one of the UK’s most successful AI firms, how the AI-enabled mirror his company devised is disrupting the fitness industry, what he learned from the 149 rejections he got when pitching the business and why his team consists are what he calls…
- 156Why Manchester is having a moment - Katie Gallagher OBE, Manchester Digital30 Mar 2026 · 28 min▶Show page
About this episode
Katie Gallagher OBE, managing director of Manchester Digital discusses why the city is being seen as a blueprint not just for tech start-ups but for wider economic growth too. Gallagher chats about Manchester’s rich heritage in digital technology from cyber-security to e-commerce and how it is building on that to be…
- 155I realised my future lay in finance during an internship in a paint factory - Amelia Armour, Partner, Amadeus Capital24 Mar 2026 · 32 minAmelia Armour▶Show page
About this episode
Amelia Armour, Partner at Amadeus Capital talks to Jane Wakefield about the impact of having a female co-founder in the male dominated world of VC, what tech she is excited about for the future and how AI might help democratise entrepreneurship.
- 154From NHS doctor to scaleup founder – Farzana Rahman, CEO, Hexarad17 Mar 2026 · 33 min▶Show page
About this episode
Dr Farzana Rahman, chief executive officer of Hexarad, discusses her journey from medical doctor to startup founder, how companies like hers are tackling the high demand for medical treatments not being met by the NHS and how AI is being used in the health tech ecosystem. Hexarad is an end-to-end radiology platform…
- 153What I learned failing to make small talk at the school gates – Beckie Taylor, Tech Returners10 Mar 2026 · 36 min▶Show page
About this episode
Beckie Taylor, co-founder of Tech Returners, discusses her long career in HR and how the buzzword of diversity has changed to questions about the impact of AI, how she found the journey from becoming a mum back into the workplace, and why CVs might not be the best way for women looking for a pathway back into the tech…
- 152Tech’s never-ending diversity problem – Sue Black OBE, computer scientist3 Mar 2026 · 33 min▶Show page
About this episode
Sue Black OBE, a legendary British computer scientist, discusses her inspirational journey into computing, why too little has changed when it comes to sexism in the tech industry and her hopes and fears for the global workforce in the age of AI. Black was the founding chair of the British Computing Society’s…
- 151Tech alone won’t save UK healthcare – Finn Stevenson, Flok Health24 Feb 2026 · 36 min▶Show page
About this episode
Finn Stevenson, co-founder and chief executive officer of Flok Health, discusses the slow pace of change and the strategic shortfalls of public health organisations, the real-world health impact of these challenges and why tech is one part of the solution needed. Flok Health is an AI-powered physiotherapy clinic…
- 150The long road ahead for equity in tech, Efua Akumanyi – Coding Black Females17 Feb 2026 · 35 min▶Show page
About this episode
Efua Akumanyi, chief technology officer at Coding Black Females, discusses her own entry into the world of software development as one of the few women on an AI degree, why so many women feel discouraged from entering the sector and how she re-dedicated her career to supporting black women entering tech. Coding…
- 149The UK must not lose its fintech crown – Emma Hagan, ClearBank UK10 Feb 2026 · 33 min▶Show page
About this episode
Emma Hagan, chief executive officer of ClearBank UK, discusses the rich history of the British fintech and why the UK needn’t lose its crown in the sector and the rise of AI in fraud and what fintechs can do to help. ClearBank was founded a decade ago as the UK’s first new clearing back in over two centuries. The…
- 148London is the rational IPO choice for UK fintechs – Justin Basini, ClearScore3 Feb 2026 · 37 min▶Show page
About this episode
Justin Basini, co-founder and chief executive of ClearScore, discusses how companies like his helped the UK come to grips with the concept of a credit score, why the UK is the rational choice for floatation for the bulk of British fintechs and why he is confident in the growth of the UK markets. ClearScore is a…
- 147Accelerating AI integration – Steve Young, MD, Dell UK27 Jan 2026 · 36 min▶Show page
About this episode
Steve Young, managing director of Dell UK, discusses Dell’s expansion into the data centre and artificial intelligence industry, what is needed to accelerate the growth and efficacy of AI integration and why he has remained at the same company for so long. Dell is among the most well-known electronics brands, most…
- 146The state of UK investment – Catherine Lenson, COO, Phoenix Court9 Dec 2025 · 34 minCatherine LensonSoftBank▶Show page
About this episode
Catherine Lenson, chief operating officer of Phoenix Court, discusses why well-defined corporate and investment culture supports a cohesive strategy, how different stages of investment come with drastically different needs and why sticking with a founder long-term is both rewarding and satisfying. Phoenix Court is a…
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Firms named in its episodes, and people named in descriptions: talked about, rather than on the show.
