https://earlyrounds.co.uk Breakfast conversations with founders, operators, and investors fueling UK innovation. en-gb Fri, 01 May 2026 08:00:00 GMT https://earlyrounds.co.uk/conversation/ghita-el-haitmy-eli https://earlyrounds.co.uk/conversation/ghita-el-haitmy-eli Fri, 01 May 2026 08:00:00 GMT Platform The Eli founder on turning four hundred thousand followers into a software intelligence platform, why per-seat pricing is dead, and the case for staying in London when everyone else is leaving for San Francisco. https://earlyrounds.co.uk/conversation/josiah-senu-zuba https://earlyrounds.co.uk/conversation/josiah-senu-zuba Wed, 01 Apr 2026 08:00:00 GMT Fintech The Zuba founder on walking away from Blackstone Chambers, why a Nigerian merchant can't reliably pay for AWS, Figma or Google Ads in 2026, building the payment infrastructure Africa has never had, and what Britain needs to learn from the American dream. https://earlyrounds.co.uk/conversation/bianca-rangecroft-whering https://earlyrounds.co.uk/conversation/bianca-rangecroft-whering Wed, 01 Apr 2026 08:00:00 GMT Fashion Tech The Whering founder on leaving Goldman Sachs for Universal Credit, building a consumer app most VCs refused to back, and why your wardrobe is the biggest sustainability lever you're not pulling… https://earlyrounds.co.uk/conversation/rohan-radhakrishnan-quarter-proof https://earlyrounds.co.uk/conversation/rohan-radhakrishnan-quarter-proof Wed, 01 Apr 2026 08:00:00 GMT Food & Beverage The Quarter Proof co-founder on pioneering mid-strength spirits, going all-in on Dragon's Den, and why the middle ground between sobriety and excess is where the next wave of drinking culture is heading. https://earlyrounds.co.uk/conversation/ricky-patel-project-legacy https://earlyrounds.co.uk/conversation/ricky-patel-project-legacy Sun, 01 Mar 2026 08:00:00 GMT Deep Tech The Project Legacy co-founder on why the hardware problem is the only problem, what the UK gets wrong about deep tech, and a Buddhist principle that has carried him through the toughest moments. https://earlyrounds.co.uk/conversation/brad-jones-thatround https://earlyrounds.co.uk/conversation/brad-jones-thatround Sun, 01 Mar 2026 08:00:00 GMT Marketplace The investor and ThatRound Founder on building his third company, cutting through the fundraising noise with AI, and the legal fight against JPMorgan that nearly broke him - and ultimately defined him. https://earlyrounds.co.uk/conversation/ernst-dolce-banqora https://earlyrounds.co.uk/conversation/ernst-dolce-banqora Sun, 01 Mar 2026 08:00:00 GMT Fintech The Banqora co-founder on growing up in Haiti, rebuilding financial services infrastructure from scratch, and why 'adapt or die' isn't a threat - it's a gift. https://earlyrounds.co.uk/conversation/charlie-cowley-dream https://earlyrounds.co.uk/conversation/charlie-cowley-dream Sun, 01 Mar 2026 08:00:00 GMT AI The Dream founder on building again after Impala, why the next generation of AI assistants must act rather than simply talk, and why conviction - not consensus - is what ultimately separates the companies that matter from the rest. https://earlyrounds.co.uk/conversation/bob-wigley-uk-finance https://earlyrounds.co.uk/conversation/bob-wigley-uk-finance Sun, 01 Mar 2026 08:00:00 GMT Finance For all the narrative about British decline, the UK remains the largest net exporter of financial services in the world. But dominance is not permanent and payments infrastructure is ageing. Bob Wigley - Chair of UK Finance - believes we're at a structural fork in the road where rather than drift we can modernise the financial services plumbing that underpins the entire economy. https://earlyrounds.co.uk/conversation/johnnie-ball-axiiom https://earlyrounds.co.uk/conversation/johnnie-ball-axiiom Sun, 01 Feb 2026 08:00:00 GMT AI Navigating the jagged frontier: the Axiiom founder on exiting cashflow management software Fluidly to Unicorn OakNorth Bank, why jobs are evolving rather than vanishing, and why you're statistically more likely to play in the Premier League than build a UK unicorn… https://earlyrounds.co.uk/conversation/nick-perrett-prosper https://earlyrounds.co.uk/conversation/nick-perrett-prosper Sun, 01 Feb 2026 08:00:00 GMT Fintech The Prosper founder on breaking the status quo in wealth management, why teams matter more than ideas, and how compounding - of capital, trust, and experience - separates winners from the rest. https://earlyrounds.co.uk/conversation/rob-cossins-scribe https://earlyrounds.co.uk/conversation/rob-cossins-scribe Sun, 01 Feb 2026 08:00:00 GMT Fintech The Scribe founder on how better access to private company data can accelerate lending and investment decisions, why being early isn't always an advantage, and how the UK's risk-averse culture may actually produce more resilient companies. https://earlyrounds.co.uk/conversation/dini-mcgrath-zest https://earlyrounds.co.uk/conversation/dini-mcgrath-zest Thu, 01 Jan 2026 08:00:00 GMT Food & Beverage Optimising the unseen: the Zest founder on building AI-powered software to tackle food waste at the point of production, spotting the problem first-hand while scaling a craft gin brand, and why non-dilutive grant funding - paired with the right investors - can be critical for fast-evolving early-stage R&D companies. https://earlyrounds.co.uk/conversation/johnny-keeling-haatch https://earlyrounds.co.uk/conversation/johnny-keeling-haatch Thu, 01 Jan 2026 08:00:00 GMT Venture Capital The evolution of retail investing: Haatch partner Johnny Keeling on crowdfunding's role in shaping modern venture, reading the cycle, and compounding value across career, culture, and capital. https://earlyrounds.co.uk/conversation/lucia-larragoiti-la-maritxu https://earlyrounds.co.uk/conversation/lucia-larragoiti-la-maritxu Thu, 01 Jan 2026 08:00:00 GMT Food & Beverage The founder of viral Basque cheesecake brand La Maritxu on transforming her flat into a production line, why the UK remains a better place to start a business versus Spain, and the dangers of prioritising speed over service. https://earlyrounds.co.uk/conversation/victoria-sampson-oralis https://earlyrounds.co.uk/conversation/victoria-sampson-oralis Mon, 01 Dec 2025 08:00:00 GMT Health Tech The ORALIS founder and Health Society co-founder on dentistry's role in the future of healthcare, building a clinic while scaling saliva testing, and why risk opens new frontiers. https://earlyrounds.co.uk/conversation/ed-vickers-sums https://earlyrounds.co.uk/conversation/ed-vickers-sums Mon, 01 Dec 2025 08:00:00 GMT Consumer The SUMS founder on building a purpose-driven brand one product at a time, the culture of community and curiosity that defines the running world, and how Harry Styles really broke the three-hour mark…. https://earlyrounds.co.uk/conversation/jacques-cockell-zing https://earlyrounds.co.uk/conversation/jacques-cockell-zing Mon, 01 Dec 2025 08:00:00 GMT Consumer Fluency in failure: how languages shaped the origins of ZING toothpaste, partnering with a World Wingsuit Champion, and why diverse founders are battle-trained in adaptability. https://earlyrounds.co.uk/conversation/walter-kerr-oppidan https://earlyrounds.co.uk/conversation/walter-kerr-oppidan Mon, 01 Dec 2025 08:00:00 GMT Education The Oppidan Education co-founder on building a global mentorship platform from a Kensington café table, scaling profitably without external funding, and why patience - not capital - is his competitive advantage in an overstimulated world. https://earlyrounds.co.uk/conversation/anil-stocker-kriya https://earlyrounds.co.uk/conversation/anil-stocker-kriya Sat, 01 Nov 2025 08:00:00 GMT Fintech The Kriya founder and angel investor on launching in the wake of the financial crash, the sale to Allica Bank, and why only meaningful policy shifts will allow the UK to support the next wave of innovation. https://earlyrounds.co.uk/conversation/sam-stirrat-blackacre https://earlyrounds.co.uk/conversation/sam-stirrat-blackacre Sat, 01 Nov 2025 08:00:00 GMT Luxury The Blackacre founder on the importance of experience within the luxury market, building solo without external capital, and growth at the pace of values and vision. https://earlyrounds.co.uk/conversation/gina-farran-glaize https://earlyrounds.co.uk/conversation/gina-farran-glaize Wed, 01 Oct 2025 08:00:00 GMT Beauty Tech The Glaize founder on the journey from Beurit to banking, beauty-tech, and why the UK is still a great place to build.