Startup Blueprint Podcast

💡 Join us on the Startup Blueprint Podcast as we delve into the inspiring journey of Jane, the founder of Ops Lab. Explore the reasons behind why Jane jumped ship from a startup to start her business, discover her secret sauce, and gain insights into the psychology of successful founders. 🔗 Connect with Jane: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jane-davydiuk-b85046168/ 🔗 Connect with James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-bannon/ 📺 Don't miss out on this exclusive interview! LIKE and FOLLOW the Startup Blueprint Podcast for a firsthand look into the minds of entrepreneurs. 🤝 🚀 ⏱ Timestamps: 00:00 - Why Jane started her business 08:23 - What makes Jane's business special 15:52 - Founder Psychology - what Jane has learned 25:39 - AI's impact & Turning a service into product 46:52 - Jane's blind spots - what she wants to improve 56:00 - Jane's #1 piece of advice 🌍 Gain valuable insights into the world of entrepreneurship and business innovation in this enlightening discussion! #Entrepreneurship #BusinessJourney #StartupBlueprint #FounderInsights #BusinessInnovation #EntrepreneurialWisdom

🌱 Join Nadav Steinmetz, Founder & CEO of Climate First accelerator and Nomea climate tech fund, as he delves into the world of Climate Tech and the future of climate investing. Discover insights into why climate tech is gaining traction, how to identify promising startups, the role of batteries in the green revolution, and more! 🔗 Connect with Nadav: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nadav-steinmetz-38bb9518b/ 🔗 Connect with James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-bannon/ 🌐 Nadav's Businesses: https://climatefirst.vc/ | https://nomeainvestments.com/ 📺 Don't forget to LIKE and SUBSCRIBE to the Startup Blueprint Podcast for exclusive interviews with industry leaders! 🤝 🚀 ⏱ Timestamps: 00:00 - Introduction to Nadav's Climate Accelerator & Business Background 02:50 - Why Climate Tech is Attracting More Founders 09:29 - How to Pick the Winners in Climate 14:25 - The Urgency of Climate Action 20:36 - Deep Dive into Battery Technology and Supply Chain Challenges 30:20 - Predictions for the Next Decade: Renewables vs. Fossil Fuels 37:10 - The Role of Venture Capital & Accelerators in Climate Tech 41:14 - A Framework for Hardware Founders in the Climate Tech Space 44:28 - Debunking the Myth: Are Corporations Truly Evil in the Climate Fight? 50:43 - Exploring the Entrepreneurial Journey: Do You Want to Start a Climate Tech Company? 🌍 Dive into the world of deep tech, cleantech, and climate innovation in this thought-provoking discussion! #ClimateTech #CleanTech #ClimateInnovation #StartupBlueprint #ClimateInvesting #RenewableEnergy #BatteryTechnology #VentureCapital

Olu Taiwo is founder and CEO of Solideon, which 3D prints for the space industry! 3D printing allows for AI-optimised design, speedy iteration, and limitless personalisation 💪 Olu's vision is to be the "AWS of manufacturing" by upending the historically slow-moving and capital-intensive industry. Olu has great stories about how he got his first startup funding, his lessons from the titans of the Space Industry at Virgin Orbit & RocketLab, the difficulties that comes with being a hardware founder, solving the problems of the space supply chain, and following his lifelong passion for space & manufacturing. "If you're building a company on Earth, you're inherently a space company!" 🛰 ------------------------------ Olu's startup: https://solideon.com/ Follow Olu: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oluseun-taiwo-44b97910b/ Follow James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-bannon/ LIKE & FOLLOW the Startup Blueprint Podcast for more exclusive interviews as soon as they come out 🤝 🚀 00:00 Olu's Passion for Space & Engineering 08:15 Lessons from Space Industry Leaders 13:15 Relativity Space, Olu's Startup & Additive Manufacturing 19:22 Problems with the Space Supply Chain 26:21 VC Fundraising, Techstars & Getting Customers as a Startup 38:03 Story Time - Olu's Hardest Moment on his Startup Journey 45:16 Where is the Space Industry Headed? 52:49 The Next 10 Years 58:26 Three Pieces of Advice for Entrepreneurs #innovation #space #nasa #elonmusk #relativityspace #deeptech

Stuart Pearce is an award winning sales trainer from the UK. From the words of his own website “Stuart has spent over 20 years training and coaching people and is currently the UK Enterprise Awards 'Sales Trainer of the Year'. He has trained people and teams across the globe from Hong Kong to Manchester and everywhere in between.” 🌍 His wealth of experience in sales leads him to drop tons of valuable insights - how many times should you follow up? When is the right time to let a lead go? Where is the hidden value in your sales pipeline? Why are you losing leads? 🤔 These questions and many more are explored in this episode and it’s a treat to hear them through Stuart’s straight shooting and fun delivery. 💥 Find Stuart here: https://thesalestrainer.uk/

Dr Ben Miles is a physicist, entrepreneur, startup investor and educational YouTuber (with over 100k subs) 🧬 **Key highlights of our convo: how scientists can be entrepreneurs, the downsides of too much technological progress, the eternal promise of nuclear fusion, how VCs should pivot into Deep Tech, and how to find your life's purpose! FOLLOW the @StartupBlueprintPodcast for interviews as soon as they come out 🤝 🚀 ------------------------------ Ben's YouTube: @DrBenMiles Spin Up Science: https://www.spin-up.science/ Science Angel Syndicate: https://www.scienceangelsyndicate.com/ Connect with Ben here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drbenmiles/ Connect with James here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-bannon/ ------------------------------ 00:00 Intro to Ben & his companies 02:50 Scientists becoming entrepreneurs & founder landscape 08:00 What will the world look like in 50 years? What is Deep Tech? 15:46 Is too much tech a bad thing? 20:15 Nuclear fusion & tech equality 25:00 Climate change solutions 31:33 Building a Deep Tech startup & VC landscape 45:21 Finding your core drivers 56:34 Where to find Ben #deeptech #cleantech #climate #innovation

Raja Skogland drops top advice on - how to build your network from nothing, how to conduct customer interviews, how to sell your company's vision, fundraising strategies, and what "pre-totyping" is. Raja broke free from the corporate lifestyle as an ex-private banker in Switzerland to become a founder & VC investor 💰 A big personality with an online presence to match, she currently helps startups, scale-ups, and SMBs access the expertise and network they need - check out her newsletter: https://rajaskogland.substack.com/ Raja's VC firm: https://www.thevisionaryvc.com/ Don't forget to LIKE and FOLLOW the Startup Blueprint Podcast for more exclusive interviews 🤝 🚀 ------------------------------------------------------------ Connect with Raja: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajaskogland/ Connect with James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-bannon/ Connect with Suraj: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suraj-t-4a9630155/ 00:00 Raya's background, Switzerland & private banking 10:35 Cultural differences, founder values & scamming 17:24 Selling your vision, co-founders, "pre-totyping" 25:05 Validating startup ideas, customer interviews 33:47 Fundraising strategies & finding a lead investor 44:16 Building trust & expanding network 53:23 Raja's team's blind spots & call to action #investing #startups #founder #business #podcast #startupideas #fundraising

Rajeshwar is passionate climate advocate and entrepreneur, having founded green streaming service Zero-Carbon, battery research company High-LES, and climate community 42hacks. 🌱 He offers top insights into how we can reverse the current climate crisis. In episode 55 we cover - his climate startups, why different geographies need different climate solutions, localized & tailored climate solutions, the problems with resource-hungry data centers, global water shortages, climate solutions for the global south, the AI hype cycle and its implications, the future energy mix, climate policy from governments, the POV of the climate investor, the current state of the battery industry, battery supply chains, battery geopolitics, and what keeps Rajeshwar personally motivated. Please like & follow the Startup Blueprint Podcast for more exclusive interviews! 🚀 ------------------------------ Rajeshwar's companies: https://zero-carbon.de/ https://batchurajeshwer763.wixsite./highles https://www.42hacks.com/ Connect with Rajeshwar here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bachu-rajeshwar/ Connect with James here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-bannon/ 00:00 Intro to Rajeshwar 02:13 Rajeshwar's startup Zero-Carbon 06:59 Geographical climate solutions & which climate solutions to tackle 14:00 Africa's climate solutions; tackling corruption; solar projects 17:11 Energy mix; solar, nuclear, hydrogen policy; localized solutions 25:53 Hardware solutions to the energy crisis; startups & VCs; the 'green premium' 33:04 The AI hype cycle; generative AI 37:33 Batteries; Rajeshwar's startup; recycling; mining; supply chains; government policy 46:37 How do I know when to quit as a founder #innovation #climateaction #climatechange #startups #deeptech

Steve Bookbinder joins us from New York on this episode! Steve is a multi-book selling author with decades of experience in sales! He has done OVER 5000 workshops. He unleashes a unique perspective on sales. 👀 Steve starts with the view that sales is a social process - knowing more people in a business and having deep rapport with prospects is a sure fire way to win champions of your product. 🏆 He then hits us with the reality - if your prospect hasn’t even put your name in their calendar as a next step then what makes you think they’re gonna buy from you? Always book next steps in and have a roadmap to securing the sale. ✅ Find out more such as “what do most salespeople do to make their lives harder??” (The clue: sell too much). There’s a reason this episode is one of our longest to date! Tune in. 📡 Connect with Steve: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stbookbinder Connect with Suraj: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suraj-t-4a9630155 Find Steve’s most recent book here: https://books.google.co.in/books/about/Echo_Selling.html?id=oXgCzwEACAAJ&source=kp_book_description&redir_esc=y

Petra joins Suraj on this episode. Petra started her journey at leading sales roles at enterprises such as IBM, and Microsoft where she was a Corporate Sales Manager and Sales Director. She is also on the board of a Managers Association for Young Managers of Slovenia. But most importantly she has recently started her own Sales Coaching business working with a range of startups. 🎯 Petra talks to us about the importance of niching down your value proposition to nail the exact target market you want to sell to. An example we discuss is people who want to lose weight - but what for? Losing weight FOR a holiday. This directs sales branding and prospect profiling to a granular level. 🔬 She also speaks about how regionality can also not only effect product demand but also how your sales approach could vary based on cultural differences around the world. 🌏 Knowing how your customers feel and what motivate them as people - not as a company - is critical. She stresses the importance of empathy in sales. People sell to people they like. 😊 All these and much, much more are laid out by Petra. Listen in for more! 🎧 Connect with Petra: https://www.linkedin.com/in/petra-wagner-0b45254 Find Petra’s website: https://petrasalesbooster.com/ Connect with Suraj: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suraj-t-4a9630155 Listen to more of our podcasts here: www.thestartupblueprint.com

Amos is Founder & CEO of Dovetail Finance - empowering the financial sector to invest in net zero by modelling the imapact of climate change on every company. 🌱 Amos' fascinating background is in financial crime journalism, before working at Peter Thiel's Palantir Technologies, teaching himself to code, and taking an eye-opening trip to America 🇺🇸 We then discuss: how he founded his startup Dovetail Finance, how he found a co-founder, how he got his first customers, his passion for climate action, the pitfalls of climate change modelling, the threat of greenwashing, the pros & cons of the ESG spectrum, the role policy plays in climate action, UK vs US mentality towards startups & funding, climate solutions for developing countries, climate as an investment opportunity, the space sector, nuclear power, the philosophy of entrepreneurship, the Theranos debacle, managing ego, advice for startup founders, and Amos' must-read books. ------------------------------ Dovetail Finance: https://www.dovetail.finance/ Connect with Amos here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amos-wittenberg-88838b40/ Connect with James here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-bannon/ LIKE & FOLLOW the Startup Blueprint Podcast for more exclusive interviews as soon as they come out 🤝 🚀 00:00 Introduction to Amos 01:18 Financial Crime 06:02 Amos' Journey - Trip to America and How to be Proactive 11:02 Self-Teaching to Code, Palantir Technologies and Changing Careers 14:51 Amos' Startup - Dovetail Finance 18:07 How to Model Climate Scenarios 22:32 Is ESG Good & The Role of Policy 27:24 UK vs US - Capital Markets, Culture & Startups 30:11 Climate Solutions for Global South 33:14 Is Climate a Good Investment Opportunity? 36:00 Other Investments - Space & Nuclear 41:15 The Slippery Slope of Entrepreneurship 44:50 Advice for Founders 47:09 Reading Suggestions & Call to Action #innovation #climateaction #financialmodelling #startups #deeptech

How to automate the world? You need Robotics 🤖 Abe Murray, General Partner at AlleyCorp Robotics, invests in early-stage companies that are making all our lives easier and propelling humanity forward 🌍 We lift the lid on robotics, covering: Abe's background working on a fishing boat, his time at Google, his approach to life, his purpose & passions, his lesson from Paul Graham, his love for practical building, how we can automate warehouses, the robot hype cycle (and where we are on it), whether robots of the future will be specialised or all-purpose, the real-world uses of robots today including medical devices and agriculture, whether he's bullish on robot butlers, and his conversation with Brett Adcock. We then delve into: Whether robots should be given human characteristics, humanisation of robots, full stack robotics, the commoditisation of AI models, the AI hype cycle, how anyone can get started in robotics, and advice for founders. 💪 Abe's Investments: https://alleycorp.com/verticals/robotics/ Abe's Substack: https://abemurray.substack.com/ Connect with Abe here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abrahammurray/ Connect with James here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-bannon/ Don't forget to LIKE and SUBSCRIBE to the Startup Blueprint Podcast for more exclusive interviews 🤝 🚀 00:00 Abe's Backstory 05:12 Approach to Startups, Interests & Life 08:38 How We Automate the World 15:40 Automating Amazon - a Use Case of Today 19:49 Are Robots All Hype? 26:12 Will We have an All-Purpose Robot Soon? 29:13 Are Robots Human? Should We Humanise Robots? 31:18 Are Robots Realistic? Do they Have Real-World Use? 36:00 Full Stack Robotics 37:58 AI Models - Are they Commodities? 40:20 How Do I Get Started in Robotics? 43:30 Advice for Startup Founders 47:02 Abe's Call-to-Action #deeptech #robotics #climate #innovation

Umesh Sharma joins Suraj this episode. Umesh has a history in sales starting in some of India’s startups in the early 2000s working himself up to a wealth of experience in sales and moving to enterprise sales. He has led sales teams all over India. 🇮🇳 Umesh drops his knowledge on what it takes to run a startup sales team and target customers with varying perspectives such as aiming an early stage product at prospect profiles with a willingness to experiment. 🧪 He later talks about the various perspectives that decision makers within an organisation will have from an enterprise sales angle. 📐 The conversation moves onto how to structure a sales process with all the mayhem and chaos going on. The key being in identifying high urgency vs high importance task and properly planning ones day, quarter, and year within the businesses goals. 🥅 Connect with Umesh here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/us0 Connect with Suraj here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suraj-t-4a9630155 Listen to more of our episodes: www.thestartupblueprint.com

What is the Future of Clean Energy? 🌱 Marcus Clover is a venture capitalist and hydrogen engineer, co-founder of Energy Revolution Ventures (ERV). He and his team invest in green technology startups powering the energy revolution, centred around electrochemistry - including hydrogen, energy storage, carbon capture, and advanced materials. These DeepTech solutions will drive breakthroughs in clean energy, wean the world off fossil fuels, and help us avoid a climate disaster. We discuss: Marcus' diverse experience, his passion for DeepTech, how he's going back to the roots of venture capital, his venture fund Energy Revolution Ventures (ERV), his venture builder Prosemino, why now is the time for green hydrogen, what electrochemistry is and how it will change the energy sector, green hydrogen infrastructure, green hydrogen use cases, green hydrogen storage & distribution, electrolysis & electrolysers, the role of nuclear power, providing energy solutions to impoverished nations, the most promising new electrochemistry technology, green energy startups, and advice for first-time DeepTech founders. Like and Follow for more exclusive interviews 🚀 ------------------------------------------------------------ Learn about Energy Revolution Ventures' mission: https://er-v.io/ Connect with Marcus here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcus-clover-47b463a7/ Connect with James here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-bannon/ ------------------------------------------------------------ 00:00 Intro to Marcus 03:38 Investing in DeepTech; Who are ERV? What is Electrochemistry? 07:08 DeepTech Venture Builders 12:19 Why Now for Green Hydrogen? 16:15 Hydrogen Use Cases 21:17 Hydrogen Storage 26:41 Hydrogen Production & Electrolysers 29:06 Nuclear Power 31:58 Energy Solutions for the Global South 34:30 What DeepTech Startup Should I Found? 41:20 Advice for Aspirational Founders #electrochemistry #greenhydrogen #hydrogen #nuclear #carboncapture #advancedmaterials #climatechange #science

Ever wondered how to become better at finding and qualifying leads? What the key metrics you should be measuring and analysing when assessing your sales performance? And generally how to boost your revenue by building a more robust sales pipeline? Look no further! This Sales Series episode is a run-through of the life and work of a senior SDR (Sales Development Representative) with Ryan Lundberg from LULA. Ryan has deep experience at the 'top of the funnel' where he is responsible for finding quality leads that have a higher likelihood to convert and become paying customers. He breaks down the stages of the sales pipeline from an SDR's perspective, the math and psychology of cold calls, and how salespeople can use their own calls and technology to improve not only themselves but also their team's ability. The latter half of the interview centered around a fascinating discussion on how to approach sales calls - Ryan's view is that the biggest mistake people make with Sales is overthinking! 🤔 Listen for more insights! Connect with Ryan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanlundberg/ Connect with Suraj: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suraj-t-4a9630155/ Startup Blueprint: https://thestartupblueprint.com/podcast Like and follow for more content like this. 00:00:00 Intro 00:06:50 Stages in a Sales Pipeline 00:15:42 Selling with Finite Technical Resources 00:20:42 The Math of Cold Calls 00:25:42 The Psychology of Cold Calls 00:36:12 Using Calls and Technology to Improve 00:45:49 First Crucial 30 Seconds - Is There a Formula? 00:52:05 Biggest Mistake People New to Sales Make Getting Leads

Green Hydrogen = hydrogen made from renewable resources ♻️ Why isn't green hydrogen everywhere? Because making green hydrogen is still expensive 💰 Koji Muto is CEO of Ki Hydrogen, who are slashing the cost of making green hydrogen dramatically by reducing the energy needed by up to 75%. Listen in to hear how exactly they achieve this remarkable and innovative feat 👉 Koji & James discuss: how Ki Hydrogen is making green hydrogen, how to reduce the energy required when making green hydrogen, why licensing out your technology can be a good idea as a deep tech founder, the future of hydrogen including infrastructure and storage, and why making green hydrogen is such a pressing issue. We also cover: Koji's background in oil & gas, working with nuclear power and small modular reactors (SMRs), the carbon capture and direct air capture (DAC) opportunity, Koji's experience at startup accelerators, and why it's useful for technical founders to do an MBA. LIKE & SUBSCRIBE for more exclusive interviews the second they come out 🚀 ----------------------------- More on Ki Hydrogen: https://ki-hydrogen.com/ Connect with Koji here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kojimuto/ Connect with James here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-bannon/ ------------------------------ 00:00 Koji's Story & Why he did an MBA 05:00 Who are Ki Hydrogen? 12:35 Why a Licensing Model? 16:57 Hydrogen Economy, Infrastructure & Storage 27:48 Does Nuclear have a Future & Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) 33:56 Carbon Capture Technology & Future of DAC 37:18 Carbon13 Venture Builder & Are Accelerators worth it? 39:48 Advice for DeepTech Founders & Call to Action #greenhydrogen #hydrogen #nuclear #carboncapture

Sandeep Shekhar is a sales coach at Sprinto with over 18 years of experience in sales. His passion and understanding of structuring conversations help his students all throughout the pipeline. Sandeep talks to Suraj about various nuanced conversational techniques to structure questions and handle objections. A discussion around positioning during various parts of the sales pipeline from setting the tone when cold calling all the way to handling objections and closing. Connect with Sandeep: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandeep-shekhar-3737b24/ Connect with Suraj: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suraj-t-4a9630155/ Startup Blueprint: https://thestartupblueprint.com/podcast Like and follow for more content like this. 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:10 What is an SDR? 00:02:45 Ideal Customer Profile (ICP), Finding Leads, Tools, and Touchpoints 00:14:40 Creating Organic Interactions when Cold Calling 00:23:08 Dealing with Objections and Conversational Tactics 00:29:43 How do you tackle 'maybes'? 00:37:30 What Sandeep Coaches 00:49:25 Preparing High-Impact Questions 00:52:17 Where Technology Can Add Value in Sales

Denis is Founder of Space Ambition and a DeepTech investor at I2BF Global Ventures, focussing on startups digitally transforming boring and unsexy industries. 🤖 Denis also does a huge amount of work around the wider startup consultancy arena, looking to inspire the next generation of DeepTech founders and VCs 🚀 His space origin story: while working in banking, he was approached to invest in an asteroid mining company, rekindling his childhood wonder for spaceflight, sci-fi and the cosmos - and he hasn't looked back since! 🛰 Denis and James discuss: Denis' love for space, how to invest in the space sector, exciting moonshot SpaceTech on the horizon, SpaceTech low-hanging fruit, hardware investing, how most software is becoming commoditised, how to ride the AI wave, and a call-to-action for aspiring DeepTech entrepreneurs 💪 His inspirational piece of advice: don't forget your dreams, follow your childhood passions! 🙌 ------------------------------ Explore Denis' Projects here: SpaceTech Advisory: spaceambition.org SpaceTech Blog: https://spaceambition.substack.com/ Ask VC: askvc.org Connect with Denis here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/denis-kalyshkin-b634592a/ Connect with James here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-bannon/ ------------------------------ LIKE & SUBSCRIBE to the Startup Blueprint Podcast for more exclusive interviews as soon as they come out 🤝 🚀 00:00:00 Introduction 00:04:44 Atoms & Bits 00:06:34 Commoditized SaaS 00:10:37 Barriers to Entrty 00:13:48 Hardware is Hard? 00:25:38 Denis' Space Ambition 00:32:59 Where Should I Invest in Space? 00:36:14 Moonshots 00:47:52 Denis' Future 00:52:51 Denis' Inspirational Advice #innovation #space #nasa #venturecapital #deeptech

LaSean Smith has worked at Amazon, Microsoft, is currently a private investor & operator, and loves to produce movies - in his own words, he likes to taste the "buffet of life". LaSean breaks down: the lesson we can learn from comedians, how to get constant startup ideas, how to validate these ideas, the 3 ways to approach being a founder, the indicators of entrepreneurial success, the future of AI, how AI will change education, how to incorporate automation into your startup, the value of the creator economy, why you need to grow an audience online, and the skills you'll need for the future of work. LaSean's investments: https://cagr.com/ Connect with LaSean: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laseansmith/ Connect with James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-bannon/ Connect with Suraj: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suraj-t-4a9630155/ LIKE and SUBSCRIBE to the Startup Blueprint Podcast for more exclusive interviews 🤝 🚀 00:00:00 Intro to LaSean 00:04:46 Observing the World 00:12:10 Testing Product Ideas 00:23:27 What Makes a Good Founder? 00:33:19 Different Approaches to Startups 00:37:42 Future of AI 00:45:37 Skills You Need 00:51:45 Future of Education 00:57:18 Summary

How can we change the world for the better? 🌍 Dr. Micol Chiesa Churchill and Dr. Chris de Koning recently launched Planet Positive Lab - a climate accelerator building world-leading climate startups in the Oxford ecosystem! James sits down with the two heads of Planet Positive Lab, discussing: what skills the two guests each bring to the accelerator, what a good climate accelerator looks like, the state of the accelerator landscape, how accelerators can add value, where most accelerators lack, the Oxford University ecosystem, and the need for a specialised climate startup accelerator. In the second half we cover the profile of a successful founder, what makes a good climate tech investment, the top climate trends, the hardware vs software debate, geographical considerations in climate, how to boost the Global South, the dangers of greenwashing, how to stop corporates from greenwashing, and why being a founder is harder than you think - plus a call to action for any current or wannabe climate entrepreneurs! ------------------------------ Change the Planet Here 🌍: https://www.planetpositivelab.com/ Connect with Micol: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-micol-chiesa-churchill-b7390035/ Connect with Chris: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christiaan-de-koning-phd-8171835b/ Connect with James: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-bannon/ LIKE and FOLLOW the Startup Blueprint Podcast for more exclusive interviews 🤝 🚀 ------------------------------ 00:00 Introduction 02:43 Adding value with Planet Positive Lab 12:56 Top 3 things startups need from accelerators 18:44 Typical founder profile 24:38 Climate thesis 33:26 Global South climate solutions 42:20 Corporate greenwashing 51:32 How you can contribute #deeptech #cleantech #climate #innovation #startupaccelerator

Jeremy Barr is a founder mentor, providing leadership advice to entrepreneurs with a unique and detailed approach. Jeremy has extensive experience as a software developer, was a chief technology officer, and is now CEO of his coaching platform Rocket Mindset as well being a VC. Jeremy went from "super nerd" to "super social" through deliberate processes and actions - allowing him to become much more confident with time. He puts huge emphasis on micro-behaviours and technically breaks down what characteristics founders need to show to achieve success, which he delivers through his work as a founder mentor. Important takeaways include how to navigate investor conversations, how to improve bad social skills, and how to stop chasing the bag 💰 We discuss Jeremy's background, how it molded him today, his approach to coaching, his framework for founders and leaders, his work as a mentor, how to train your mind to improve your skills, adopting the right mentality, the importance of body language, how to navigate investor conversations and pitches, how to improve social skills, putting yourself out there, the value of experiences and getting to know yourself, finding your purpose, having an expansionary mindset, and how to avoid chasing short-term dopamine hits. Plus, we talk about how he got bored with money (!), stopped chasing the bag and decided he wanted to be more impact-driven. Access Jeremy's services here: https://www.rocket-mindset.com/ Connect with Jeremy here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremydbarr/ Connect with James here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-bannon/ Connect with Suraj here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suraj-t-4a9630155/ LIKE and FOLLOW for more EXCLUSIVE interviews 🚀

Leading the charge of next-gen composite materials manufacturing is Russ Vorobev, founder of Composite Vision. Russ has a PhD in Mechanics & Mathematics with a lifelong passion for DeepTech and composite materials engineering, and excels at making complex subjects easy to understand. His company turbo-charges non-destructive testing (NDT) of composites in aerospace by leveraging AI algorithms. He discusses his DeepTech startup, the applications and end-markets for his technology, the playbook for securing big industrial companies as customers, next-gen composite materials innovation, the future global energy mix, his background in nuclear energy, electric vehicles (EVs), whether AI is on a hype cycle or not, how AI is used for composites, and how to excel at communicating complicated concepts to investors - a must-have tool in the arsenal of any DeepTech founder! Learn more about Russ' company here: https://composite.vision/ Connect with Russ here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/russ-v/ Connect with James here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-bannon/ Connect with Suraj here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suraj-t-4a9630155/ LIKE and FOLLOW for more EXCLUSIVE interviews 🚀 00:00 Russ' DeepTech Startup 07:36 Getting Industrial Customers & New End-Markets 16:58 Future of Energy Discussion 22:09 What is the Future of Composites? 36:25 Advice for DeepTech Founders 39:04 Russ' Nuclear Energy Background & EVs 50:46 AI Hype Cycle 53:33 How to Communicate Complex Ideas 56:36 Russ' Call-to-Action #deeptech #aviation #composites #innovation

How do I build a Military startup? Max Werner used his 7 years' experience in the German military to identify the missing pieces and launch his startup - high-tech drones for first man replacement on military operations. In this video: Max's story from the military to entrepreneur to consultant, some misconceptions about the military, how he launched his next-gen military drones startup, military drones with guns, the role of AI at his military startup, how his military startup got acquired, next-gen military tech, exciting new military tech on the horizon, his personal lessons from the past, plus advice for hardware and DeepTech founders. Max is full of insight if you're looking to become a founder of a military startup or hardware startup - listen closely! Connect with Max here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mmagwitz/ Connect with James here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-bannon/ Connect with Suraj here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suraj-t-4a9630155/ Don't forget to LIKE and FOLLOW the Startup Blueprint Podcast for more exclusive interviews 🤝 🚀 00:00 Max's Military Background 03:28 Ethics in the Military 06:54 Max's Drone Startup 13:35 AI Discussion 16:49 Hardware Startup Advice 32:47 Exciting New Military Tech 35:09 Acquiring Max's Startup 38:24 Past Experiences & What's Next #militarytechnology #militarystartup #drones

The manufacturing sector has some catching up to do. To make full use of the shop floor, physical infrastructure and digital solutions (including the likes of AI and computer vision) must integrate seamlessly with one another - there's no simple existing solution for this. Alex Krüger is looking to change this as co-founder and COO of United Manufacturing Hub - who are putting the most powerful IT tools directly in the hands of engineers. Through their open source model, they allow companies to manage IoT infrastructure to unlock the full potential of their manufacturing processes at scale. We cover: Alex's company UMH, his journey from university straight into entrepreneurship, the benefits of open source, the manufacturing industry and how it lags other sectors technologically, how to sell to enterprise clients, marketing your software, different investing styles of VCs, European vs USA investment attitudes, the role of AI in manufacturing, and the shutting of the last Germany nuclear power plant. Want to learn more about UMH? https://www.umh.app/ 👉👉 If you liked this episode, follow the channel for more exclusive interviews 🚀 00:00 Intro to UMH 06:13 Open source 10:08 The manufacturing industry 15:10 UMH's value proposition 24:11 Investing styles & fundraising 39:14 Role of AI 48:26 Future trends #kubernetes #opensource

Karl Swanepoel launched his first online business at 15 and is now founder of Revolancer, a freelance marketplace that lets you pay for services with your expertise rather than your money. Karl’s been a freelancer since he was a kid, making money from home part time as a student with no experience - his journey started when he tried to launch a YouTube channel at age 12. We talk: how to make money online, freelancing, starting a business, how to create partnerships, Karl's background in graphic design and web development, his AI side-projects where he tracked Twitter user sentiment, how freelancers can use AI, the countless times he's tried and failed to start a business, the benefits of getting a head start on entrepreneurship, how to discover your purpose, how to know when to quit, how to deal with burnout, how Karl unwinds from work, and projects he'd like to pick up again in the future. Want to make money from home? Sign up Karl's platform Revolancer Today! - https://revolancer.com/ 👉👉 If you liked this episode, follow the channel for more exclusive interviews 🚀 Connect with Karl here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karlswa/ Connect with James here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-bannon/ Connect with Suraj here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suraj-t-4a9630155/ 00:00 Intro to Karl & Revolancer 05:28 Early years as entrepreneur 08:56 His AI projects 20:19 Building software & education 27:51 Advice for first-time founders 36:07 Managing burnout #freelancer #workfromhome #remotejobs #startupblueprint

The next big trend for Venture Capital? DeepTech & Innovation. Gus Badran has over 30 years' experience in DeepTech, innovation investing and manufacturing. We lift the lid on deeptech and cleantech investing, covering: his story from Imperial College to today, the historical interest in cleantech, case studies for how to analyse a deeptech investment, the future energy mix, and views on nuclear power. We then walk through Gus' investment philosophy, the drivers behind scientific innovation, how to construct a personal investment portfolio, what startups should be focussing on, and even touch on Elon Musk's recent roasting of the BBC interviewer 😎 Connect with Gus here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gus-badran-31744030/ Connect with James here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-bannon/ Connect with Suraj here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suraj-t-4a9630155/ Don't forget to LIKE and FOLLOW the Startup Blueprint Podcast for more exclusive interviews 🤝 🚀 00:00:00 Gus' story 00:05:00 The history of CleanTech 00:11:48 DeepTech case study #1 00:19:56 Patents & partnerships 00:24:55 Lessons from Peter Thiel's Zero to One 00:31:22 Nuclear power and energy mix 00:37:15 Electric vehicles 00:43:45 Investment philosophy 00:49:31 DeepTech case study #2 00:55:44 What drives innovation? 01:04:29 Hardware vs. software 01:08:02 Personal investing portfolio construction 01:13:28 Maximising the odds 01:23:41 Elon Musk's BBC interview 01:28:43 Solutions searching for problems 01:34:13 Incubators 01:42:13 Why startups win #deeptech #cleantech #climate #innovation