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PODCAST

Riding Unicorns: Venture Capital | Entrepreneurship | Technology

Riding Unicorns Productions

Riding Unicorns is the go-to podcast for anyone interested in venture capital and high-growth startups. Hosted by VCs James Pringle and Hector Mason, the show explores what it takes to build and back successful tech unicorns.Each episode features candid conversations with top founders, operators, and investors—unpacking the strategies, challenges, and insights behind scaling category-defining companies. From fundraising and product-market fit to hiring, growth, and beyond, no topic is off-limits

business entrepreneurship

All Episodes

50:31

Building the Future of Marketing with Raffi Salama,...

Riding Unicorns: Venture Capital | Entrepreneurship |... ·

2025/05/14

In this episode of Riding Unicorns, James Pringle is joined by Raffi Salama, Co-Founder & CEO of Passionfruit, a fast-growing marketing OS used by the world’s most ambitious brands to orchestrate campaigns across resourcing, planning, execution, and tracking. Raffi shares his journey from launching David Beckham’s Inter Miami football club to scaling Passionfruit across London, Lisbon, and now New York. What started as a freelance marketplace has evolved into a full-stack platform for mar...

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50:08

Mike Jones, Founding Partner @ Science

Riding Unicorns: Venture Capital | Entrepreneurship |... ·

2025/05/07

Subscribe to the Reading Unicorns newsletter here. Follow Riding Unicorns on LinkedIn here. Subscribe to the Riding Unicorns YouTube channel here. In this episode we're joined by Mike Jones, Managing Partner at Science Inc., a trailblazing venture studio behind breakout brands like Dollar Shave Club, Liquid Death, and DogVacay (merged with Rover). Mike is one of LA’s most prolific entrepreneurs and investors. From turning around MySpace to co-founding and investing in over 150 companies, his ...

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42:37

Dylan Collins, Founder @ SuperAwesome (acq. Epic Games)

Riding Unicorns: Venture Capital | Entrepreneurship |... ·

2025/04/30

Subscribe to the Reading Unicorns newsletter here. Follow Riding Unicorns on LinkedIn here. Subscribe to the Riding Unicorns YouTube channel here. In this episode of Riding Unicorns, we’re joined by legendary repeat founder Dylan Collins, known for building and exiting three companies—including SuperAwesome, acquired by Epic Games. Dylan takes us on a fascinating journey from founding middleware for Call of Duty at university, to building tools that made the internet safer for kids, and now b...

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41:09

Mark Beeston, Founder @ Illuminate Financial

Riding Unicorns: Venture Capital | Entrepreneurship |... ·

2025/04/16

Subscribe to the Reading Unicorns newsletter here. Follow Riding Unicorns on LinkedIn here. Subscribe to the Riding Unicorns YouTube channel here. In this episode of Riding Unicorns, James Pringle and Hector Mason are joined by Mark Beeston, Founder and Managing Partner at Illuminate Financial—a thesis-driven venture capital firm investing in B2B FinTech and enterprise technology companies that are redefining the future of financial services. With offices in London, New York, and Singapore, I...

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47:48

Staffan Helgesson, General Partner @ Creandum

Riding Unicorns: Venture Capital | Entrepreneurship |... ·

2025/04/09

Subscribe to the Reading Unicorns newsletter here. Follow Riding Unicorns on LinkedIn here. Subscribe to the Riding Unicorns YouTube channel here. This episode sees James Pringle and Hector Mason sit down with Staffan Helgesson, General Partner of Creandum. Creandum is one of Europe's top early stage investors focused on Seed and Series A across a range of sectors from fintech to SaaS to devtools to climate tech, consumer tech and, of course, AI. Breakthrough companies that Creandum bac...

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42:16

Joseph Pizzolato, Managing Partner @ Defiant VC

Riding Unicorns: Venture Capital | Entrepreneurship |... ·

2025/03/26

Subscribe to our newsletter here. Follow us on LinkedIn here. Subscribe to our YouTube channel here. Joseph Pizzolato is the Founder & General Partner at Defiant VC, a newly launched venture fund bringing a tech-first approach to investing. Joseph shares his journey from engineering to venture capital, his experiences at Vitruvian Partners and Felix Capital, and what led him to take the leap and launch Defiant. He explains how the fund is using data-driven insights, deep thematic re...

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48:28

S8EP18 - Aidan Rushby, Co-founder & CEO @ Carmoola

Riding Unicorns: Venture Capital | Entrepreneurship |... ·

2025/03/19

Subscribe to our newsletter here. Follow us on LinkedIn here. Subscribe to our YouTube channel here. In this episode of Riding Unicorns, we’re joined by Aidan Rushby, Founder & CEO of Carmoola, a fintech company reinventing the way people buy used cars through a seamless, mobile-first car finance experience. Aidan shares his journey from running a property rental marketplace to identifying a massive opportunity in car finance, how he validated his business model before launching, and the...

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54:28

S8E17 - Mike Smeed, Managing Director @ InMotion...

Riding Unicorns: Venture Capital | Entrepreneurship |... ·

2025/03/12

Subscribe to our newsletter here. Follow us on LinkedIn here. Subscribe to our YouTube channel here. Mike Smeed, Managing Director at InMotion Ventures, Jaguar Land Rover’s corporate venture capital arm. Mike shares his journey from a career in finance to leading one of the most active CVCs in the UK. He provides unique insights into the role of corporate venture capital in driving strategic innovation, supporting startups, and helping transform legacy industries like automotive. In thi...

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49:35

S8E16 - Adam Norris, Founder & CEO @ Pure Electric

Riding Unicorns: Venture Capital | Entrepreneurship |... ·

2025/03/05

Subscribe to our newsletter here. Follow us on LinkedIn here. Subscribe to our YouTube channel here. This week on Riding Unicorns, we’re joined by Adam Norris, Founder & CEO of Pure Electric, one of the leading premium electric scooter brands. Adam is also well known for playing a key role in managing the career of his son, Lando Norris, McLaren F1 driver. From building the UK’s largest pension business at Hargreaves Lansdown to investing in 30+ startups through Horatio Investments, Adam ...

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37:55

S8E15 - Stefano Vaccino, Founder and CEO @ Yapily

Riding Unicorns: Venture Capital | Entrepreneurship |... ·

2025/02/19

Stefano Vaccino is the Founder and CEO of Yapily, a leading open banking infrastructure provider. Stefano shares his unique journey from a career in nanotransistor research and investment banking to discovering his passion for technology and founding Yapily. We explore how open banking regulations like PSD2 inspired him to create a mission-driven company and the challenges he faced as a solo founder building one of the leading players in this competitive space. In this episode, we discuss: St...

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46:51

S8E14 - Mandeep Singh, Angel Investor & ex-Founder @...

Riding Unicorns: Venture Capital | Entrepreneurship |... ·

2025/02/12

Mandeep Singh is an angel investor and co-founder and former CEO of Trouva, a marketplace for independent boutiques that was acquired by Made.com. Mandeep takes us through his journey from founding Trouva, navigating its growth, and the eventual exit, to his current role as an active angel investor with a portfolio of over 80 companies. In this episode, we dive into: The story behind Trouva’s evolution, including the pivots and lessons learned from building both B2B and consumer propositionsT...

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47:43

S8E13 - Tim Chong, Co-Founder & CEO @ Yonder

Riding Unicorns: Venture Capital | Entrepreneurship |... ·

2025/02/05

Tim Chong is the Co-Founder and CEO of Yonder, a modern lifestyle rewards credit card designed for young city adventurers. Tim shares his journey from growing up in Australia and a career in consulting to working at ClearScore and ultimately founding Yonder. We delve into the evolution of the Yonder product and brand, from solving credit challenges for expats to becoming a lifestyle companion for urban explorers. In this episode, we explore: The pivotal insights that shaped Yonder’s unique pr...

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38:18

S8E12 - Romi Savova, Founder & CEO @ PensionBee

Riding Unicorns: Venture Capital | Entrepreneurship |... ·

2025/01/29

This week on Riding Unicorns, we’re joined by Romina Savova, Founder & CEO of PensionBee, the platform transforming how people manage their pensions. With over 260,000 customers and £5.5 billion in assets under management, PensionBee has become a household name in the UK. Romina shares the journey of building a public company that empowers consumers to take control of their retirement savings.In this episode, we explore: 🎙️ Romina's career shift from investment banking to founding Pe...

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53:30

S8EP11 - Dom Hallas, Executive Director @ Startup...

Riding Unicorns: Venture Capital | Entrepreneurship |... ·

2025/01/22

This week on Riding Unicorns, we're joined by Dom Hallas, Executive Director at the Startup Coalition, the policy voice for UK tech startups and scaleups. Dom brings a wealth of insight into the intersection of tech, venture, and public policy, offering a fascinating look into the state of the UK ecosystem during a time of governmental and economic change.Dom discusses the Startup Coalition's mission to advocate for startups and investors by addressing key challenges such as access to talent,...

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43:00

S8EP10 - Ron Levin, Managing Partner @ Alumni Ventures

Riding Unicorns: Venture Capital | Entrepreneurship |... ·

2025/01/08

Ron Levin is the Managing Partner at Alumni Ventures, the most active venture capital firm in the US. Hector spoke to Ron to discuss his journey from entrepreneur to investor and his insights on scaling ventures and building impactful companies.Ron shares his fascinating career story, from organising trading card shows as a teenager to founding the travel-tech unicorn TravelPerk and eventually joining Alumni Ventures, where he leads their dedicated Seed Fund. The conversation dives into:Ron’s...

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44:53

S8EP9 - Martin Sokk, Co-Founder & CEO @ Lightyear

Riding Unicorns: Venture Capital | Entrepreneurship |... ·

2024/12/11

Martin Sokk is the Co-Founder and CEO of Lightyear. He joined Hector to discuss his journey from product management at Wise (formerly TransferWise) to building a company revolutionising retail investing in Europe.Martin shares how his product-driven mindset and relentless curiosity have shaped his career, offering insights into creating 10x products, scaling startups, and understanding customer needs through direct engagement. The conversation also dives into:Lightyear’s mission to transform ...

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53:42

S8E8 - Matt Chandler, Principal @ Octopus Ventures

Riding Unicorns: Venture Capital | Entrepreneurship |... ·

2024/12/04

In this episode of Riding Unicorns, James is joined by Matt Chandler, Principal at Octopus Ventures, one of Europe’s leading early-stage venture capital firms. Known for his focus on consumer tech, Matt shares his journey from aspiring oil painter to venture capitalist, weaving creativity into every step of his career.Matt discusses the unique dynamics at Octopus Ventures, including their thematic investment approach and their mission to back transformative startups across sectors like gaming...

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45:56

S8E7 - Sasha Kaletsky, Managing Partner @ Creator...

Riding Unicorns: Venture Capital | Entrepreneurship |... ·

2024/11/27

Sasha Kaletsky, Managing Partner at Creator Ventures, joins James Pringle on Riding Unicorns to discuss his journey into venture capital, the evolution of Creator Ventures, and the unique insights creators bring to consumer internet investing.In this episode, Sasha dives into:The transition from an investment club to a $20M fundBacking transformative startups like beehiiv, Praktika.ai, & ElevenLabsLeveraging creator expertise to navigate social media strategies and consumer trendsThe impo...

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52:47

Marketing Icon: Rory Sutherland (audio only)

Riding Unicorns: Venture Capital | Entrepreneurship |... ·

2024/11/20

Rory Sutherland, Vice Chairman of Ogilvy UK, joins James Pringle and Hector Mason on Riding Unicorns to delve into the fascinating intersection of behavioural science, marketing, and business strategy. With a career dedicated to understanding human decision-making, Rory shares his unique perspective on how psychological insights can unlock growth and create competitive advantages in today's business landscape.In this episode, Rory explores why even the most brilliant ideas can fail without th...

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48:37

S8EP6 - Vidu Shanmugarajah, Partner @ GV

Riding Unicorns: Venture Capital | Entrepreneurship |... ·

2024/11/13

Vidu Shanmugarajah is a Partner at GV (formerly Google Ventures), where he invests in transformative tech companies across Europe. In this episode of Riding Unicorns, Vidu joins James Pringle and Hector Mason to share his journey from corporate law to venture capital, highlighting how his unique background has shaped his approach to investing.Vidu discusses his atypical career path, starting as an M&A lawyer before transitioning to private equity and eventually venturing into tech as an e...

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220 results

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