Automatically turn long videos into viral shorts in just one click with Opus: https://www.opus.pro/?via=dcec02In this week's episode, Stephanie Melodia interviews Saba Yussouf, exited founder and investor specialising in STEM revolutions - from reinventing food systems to democratising infection prevention and battling environmental threats. As a high-agency venture capitalist, Saba bets on founders who rewrite industries, not rules. Worked with institutions such as Cambridge University, American Express, and Harrods.Steph and Saba cover:- What it means to be high agency, how to get there, and what it looks like in practise- Saba's own entrepreneurial journey and how much market timings can affect success or failure- From founder to investor - how Saba developed her own investment thesis and what she looks for in a deal (Hint: High agency founders for one 😉) - Saba's "unhinged" neuro-backed time management hack- And so much more entrepreneur-focused goodness.Get involved in the conversation:🤍 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephmelodia/🤍 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniemelodia/🎬 Watch the episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@stephmelodia/

🙏🏼 Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=108229517Don't forget to subscribe, rate, review, and share with a friend!

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Best known as the founder of Trunki, the iconic ride-on suitcase for kids, Rob Law turned one of the most famous rejections on BBC's Dragons' Den into a global success, selling over 5 million units across 100+ countries. He scaled up the business over 17 years (winning 120+ awards along the way) and exited in 2023.

In this interview, Steph and Rob discuss:

- Overcoming setbacks - from ridicule on national TV and a luggage ban - to deeper, personal issues like cystic fibrosis and losing his twin sister aged just 16

- GTM strategy, positioning, and growth levers

- The failed attempt to create a “tween” version of Trunki that intentional businessmen ended up wanting!

- How Rob exercises his resilience muscle

- The path to selling Trunki and what life looked like post-exit

- Answering the questions he’s NEVER been asked in an interview before

- New ventures and advice to his younger self

Book Rob to speak at your event: roblaw.com

Help your children go to sleep with zeepy.co

Grow your brand on Amazon with aphelion.agency

Get involved in the conversation:

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This episode is dedicated to Kieran!

Jodie Cook is the Forbes 30 Under 30 Founder of Coachvox, following the 7-figure exit of her own social media agency which she started fresh out of uni. Jodie is a Forbes senior contributor with 19M+ article reads. She has also competed in powerlifting for Team GB 9 times and lived in 35 cities as a digital nomad. (Everything she own fits in one suitcase!)In this interview, Steph and Jodie discuss...

- Five surprising ways to achieve your goals

- Jodie's business journey and key lessons learnt

- The power of manifesting

- Playing your ace cards

- And so much more.

Ready to scale beyond your time? Make the AI version of you at: https://coachvox.ai/

Get involved in the conversation:

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Don't forget to subscribe, rate, review, and share with a friend!

Get involved in the conversation:

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Mona Tiesler is an investor at tokentus, a leading VC firm in the German blockchain ecosystem, where she invests in startups that leverage blockchain technology globally. She has several years of experience in venture capital, and has been involved in pre-seed to Series A deals across Europe, USA, UAE and Asia.
With a background in strategy consulting, venture building, and entrepreneurship, Mona has a passion for supporting innovators who are building the decentralized future of the internet.

She has co-founded and led companies in Fintech, Edtech, and Foodtech, and has an MBA from INSEAD.

In this episode, Mona and Steph discuss:

- How to re-invent yourself while navigating huge career changes
- The mental reframe required when facing rejection (after rejection, after rejection...)

- Practical tips on learning the key skill *every* entrepreneur needs; SALES!
- The importance of strategy and how each step helps the next
- PLUS! What Mona looks for now as an investor

Mona is passionate about breaking down barriers to access - both for fundraising founders and equalising gender opportunities. In-line with her mission, Mona is a member of Global Women in VC, the world's largest community for women in venture capital to connect, collaborate, and create opportunities for each other.

Discover more here:
https://www.women-vc.com/

Mona is also the Co-Founder of Distributed Funding, a platform for underrepresented founders in the Web3 space to submit pitch decks and a short survey in just a few minutes.

Learn more here: https://roomy-tailor-258.notion.site/Distributed-Funding-
b49508c6d2484d62b3c0calab286a132

Fundraising? Learn more about what tokentus looks for in their investments here:
https://tokentus.com/targets

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Want more?

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Olivia Parkes is the Founder & CEO of Persi, making fashion personalisation actually personal! With Persi, retailers can deliver highly personalised product recommendations based on what each customer owns, loves, and actually wears.

In this interview, you'll hear about...

👗 The £176K post: How Olivia raised almost £200k from a single LinkedIn post for her female-first cap table
👗 Resilience amidst a triple pivot to SEIS disaster recovery
👗 Scrappy MVPs and non-technical founder success (before meeting her perfect co-founder match!)
👗 Balancing motherhood & startup life (including pitching while pregnant and breastfeeding in the boardroom - normalising what it really takes to make it work as a working mother)
👗 And so, so much more inspirational wisdom and practical tips...

Discover more about Persi here: https://www.yourpersi.com/

Get involved in the conversation:
🤍 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephmelodia/
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Stuart Trevor is the founder of AllSaints, the high street brand he launched in 1994 and scaled to £15M turnover business & household brand name.

Now, the fashion entrepreneur is on a mission to create the world’s most sustainable fashion brand, clothing brand that doesn't produce any clothes.

Discover more here: https://stuarttrevor.com/

In this interview, Steph and Stuart cover:

🖤 His journey from fashion student to AllSaints founder
🖤 How creative constraints led to an *iconic* brand identity
🖤 Organic growth without traditional investment
🖤 Surviving a near-fatal business crisis
🖤 ADHD as an entrepreneurial superpower
🖤 Stuart's mission now for sustainable fashion - building "the world's most sustainable fashion brand that doesn't produce any clothes"

Get involved in the conversation. What resonated most with you from this interview? What did you learn? What made you go, huh, I never thought about it like that? We want to hear from you!
🤍 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephmelodia/
🤍 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephmelodia-keynotespeaker/

🎬 Watch the episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@stephmelodia/

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Andy Ayim MBE is the founder of Angel Investing School, which has trained over 500 angels who have invested $5,000,000 globally, including the Black Angel Group's run out of Google's Black Network, which has invested over 3,500,000.0 in over 30 startups. Andy himself has personally invested in 17 startups, including Farmland, Patch, and Unplugged with 70% led by diverse founders.

In this interview, you'll hear about...

💸 From Tottenham to Windsor Castle: Andy's incredible journey from a working-class kid whose dad traveled to neighbouring boroughs just to get him copies of the Financial Times, to receiving an MBE and training 500+ angel investors globally

💸 The £10K mistake that changed everything: How Andy's costly early investment blunder (putting more money than he could afford into a startup he didn't understand) led him to create Angel Investing School and democratise access to investment education

💸 Why angel investing is "one of the fastest ways to lose money": Andy reveals the non-financial benefits that matter more than returns, and why understanding your intrinsic "why" is crucial before writing any checks

💸 The Instagram success secret: How Kevin Systrom's £100K angel investment gave him the runway to pivot from restaurant app "Burbn" to Instagram - and why most startups fail because they don't have time to experiment

💸 Silicon Valley vs UK: Why American investors take bigger risks on consumer plays while UK investors stick to "predictable B2B software" - and what needs to change for Britain to compete globally

💸 The personal cost of entrepreneurship: Andy opens up about losing his father suddenly, how grief transformed his approach to life and business, and why he now optimises for family time over rapid growth - plus his 7-year digital journal practice that's like "Google Analytics for his personal life"

Learn more about Angel Investing School here: https://angelinvestingschool.com/

Get involved in the conversation:
🤍 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephmelodia/
🤍 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephmelodia-keynotespeaker/

🎬 Watch the episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@stephmelodia/

🙏🏼 Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=108229517

🎧 Don't forget to subscribe, rate, review, and share with a friend!