Best 40 Minute Mentor Podcasts (2024)

1
Charlotte Van Reyk (Lightspeed) & Leah Sutton (Balderton Capital): The Impact & Value of VC Platform Roles 58:10

1h ago58:10

58:10

“People think VC is about chasing the next big thing…but actually, it’s not about making quick money. It’s about the long game and deep relationships.” We often talk to Investors on 40 Minute Mentor, but today we’re taking a deep dive into an increasingly important role within VC, the Platform role. To help us explore what a Platform role can look …

1
Eshita Kabra-Davies: Building By Rotation, the Instagram for Fashion Rental saving textile waste from landfill 43:49

4h ago43:49

43:49

“I have more than 70% of equity in the business. Unfortunately, female Founders are actually encouraged to give up more equity in the early stages, which I would have never agreed with…” The fashion industry is the third most polluting industry in the world. Today’s 40 Minute Mentor is on a mission to change that. We are joined by Eshita Kabra, For…

1
Anna-Sophie Hartvigsen: From the verge of bankruptcy to Forbes 30 Under 30 with Female Invest 40:59

7d ago40:59

40:59

“Something that’s often quite misunderstood in mission-driven companies is that you don’t change the world between 9 and 5.” Today’s 40-Minute Mentor is Anna-Sophie Hartvigsen, a Sunday Times Best-Selling Author, the first Nordic woman named a Forbes 30 Under 30, and Co-Founder of Female Invest. Female Invest is a global edTech platform on a missio…

1
Mary Bekhait: Breaking down barriers as CEO of YMU & working with stars like Simon Cowell & Davina McCall 45:03

22d ago45:03

45:03

“There are so many limitations put on women in this industry and you have to adopt a mindset where you’re going to challenge that as you move forward.” Today’s 40 Minute Mentor is the brilliant Mary Bekhait, Group CEO of YMU. YMU is a global talent agency representing some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry and beyond, including Fea…

1
Clare Jones: From scaling what3words to Series C and taking over as CEO at TravelTech, Polarsteps 49:26

21d ago49:26

49:26

“It’s easy to look from the outside in and think ‘wow, what an adventure’ and it is an adventure, but if you’re thinking about going on a startup joinery you need to ask yourself: am I okay if this fails?” For episode 1 in our brand new 40 Minute Mentor season, we’re joined by Clare Jones, ex CCO of what3words and CEO of Polarsteps. Clare has had a…

1
Season 12 Trailer 5:17

23d ago5:17

5:17

We’re officially DAYS away from launching Season 12 of our 40 Minute Mentor podcast. And this might be one of our best seasons yet. We have an amazing line-up of 40 Minute Mentors sharing the highs and lows of their entrepreneurial journey - all the way from that initial idea to launching and breaking world records along the way. For a preview of s…

1
Replay: LIVE at Sifted Summit with Nikki Wicks (The Body Coach), Emma Steele (Ascension) and Amali De Alwis (ex Subak) 48:07

28d ago48:07

48:07

“Everyone needs different things, but if we’re going to spend so much time going to work, at least do something where you feel that you matter and that you make a difference here.” As we’re approaching this year’s Sifted Summit in London, we thought we’d use our final Replay episode as a throwback to our live podcast recording at the Summit two yea…

1
Replay: Claire Valoti on becoming one of Business Insider’s most powerful women in Tech 44:58

1M ago44:58

44:58

“Being a mum is my superpower. If a company doesn’t want my superpower, then I don’t want to be in that company.” Whether you’re an aspiring GM, leader in Tech or are navigating the workplace after becoming a parent - you won’t want to miss today’s 40 Minute Mentor. In today’s Replay episode, we’re revisiting our conversation with the brilliant Cla…

1
Replay: Levelling the playing field - a social mobility special 1:05:43

1M ago1:05:43

1:05:43

“Ability is equally distributed but opportunity isn’t. It’s about giving people the freedom to fail and the right and opportunity to fully participate in all levels of the society we live in today.” Social Mobility has always been an important topic for us on 40 Minute Mentor. Not just as a topic to openly discuss on the podcast, but as a productio…

1
Replay: Will Greenwood MBE on building a World Cup winning team culture 46:17

2M ago46:17

46:17

“The great differentiator of that England team was our ability to never allow ourselves to be consigned to fate. We always believed it was in our hands.” Over the years, we’ve had some absolute legends of the sporting world on 40 Minute Mentor. One of them is England Rugby legend, Broadcaster and Journalist, Will Greenwood MBE. Will is one of the g…

1
Replay: Helen Tupper on building a Squiggly Career 46:12

2M ago46:12

46:12

“We are not expected to all develop in the same direction. Success isn’t the same for all of us and we can’t plan our way to some kind of predictable future.” 40 Minute Mentor is fast approaching its 12th season. With over 250 episodes published, we know that not every single one of our listeners will have been around from the beginning. To share s…

1
Ruari Bell: Building the UK's first athlete led VC firm with The Players Fund 42:24

2M ago42:24

42:24

“There’s a competitive drive and edge that you see in sport that is really important in business. And Teamwork. Dealing with individuals, knowing what helps make an individual tick is really important.” For the final episode in this season of our VC feature, we’re joined by Ruari Bell, Founding Partner at The Players Fund, the UK’s first athlete-le…

1
Fundraising Advice from Seed to Unicorn Founders 32:20

2M ago32:20

32:20

“When a VC gives you a low valuation, it isn’t the fact that your company is worth that much, it might just be because you didn’t pitch it in the right way.” Fundraising can be a lonely process at times. And an endless emotional rollercoaster throughout. In today’s episode, we collated some of the best fundraising advice from Founders who have been…

1
A VC Roundup - Raising from VCs & getting into the industry 31:37

3M ago31:37

31:37

“This is a long partnership. We’re here to return money to our investors, but we are also here to experience a very unique journey together. So, trust is very important, on both sides.” We’ve been so lucky to have some of the best VCs in the industry, come on 40 Minute Mentor over the years. For today’s episode, we thought we’d collate some of the …

1
Gideon Valkin: From ClearScore & Monzo to building a $12m solo GP fund 47:05

3M ago47:05

47:05

“Founders deserve Investors that have relevant operating experience, time to help them and can be impartial and objective in the advice they give.” Today’s 40 Minute Mentor is Gideon Valkin, former Monzo and ClearScore Commercial Leader, Investor and Entrepreneur. Following 15 years as a Founder, Operator and Investor, Gideon is now combining being…

1
Ash Arora: Investing in Web3 as the youngest Partner at LocalGlobe 36:21

3M ago36:21

36:21

“If you eventually want to do investing, become an Operator or Founder, don’t go into banking.” We are back with another season of our popular VC Feature series, where we hear from some of the best Investors in the space. Today, we’re joined by Ash Arora, the youngest Partner at LocalGlobe. Before joining LocalGlobe in 2022, Ash was the Investment …

1
Onyinye Udokporo - From starting a business at the age of 12 to being a neurodiversity consultant for Google 48:14

3M ago48:14

48:14

“Dyslexia is a learning difference. There’s nothing difficult about it. You have challenges, but you’re not a difficult individual.” In our final episode in this specialist advice series, we’re joined by Onyinye Udokporo, one of the UK’s youngest education experts, entrepreneur, dyslexic author, neurodiversity consultant and content creator. Onyiny…

1
The Do’s & Don’ts of Public Relations for Startups 19:04

4M ago19:04

19:04

“It very often feels uncomfortable for Founders to put themselves out there in that way. But the more you do it, the easier it will get.” In this 40 Minute Mentor episode, we’re covering a topic critical for every early-stage Founder - the power of Public Relations. To help us discover the do’s and don’ts and share some of the biggest advice for Fo…

1
The power of networking & changing lives through careers - James Mitra in conversation with Alembic Strategy 38:15

4M ago38:15

38:15

“Make networking a daily occurrence. It’s everyday interactions. It’s making a good impression early doors and really taking the time to build meaningful relationships and connections.” In today’s episode, we’ve put our host, James Mitra, into the interviewee seat. James was recently invited on Alembic Strategy’s Strategy Café, hosted by Founder an…

1
Scarlett McCabe & Lewis Iwu: The power of debating & disagreeing 54:41

4M ago54:41

54:41

“[Debating] teaches you to listen, to challenge well, and it teaches you all the skills that you need to be able to be in any room at any time, with anyone.” The world seems more divided than ever before. But is it actually or are we simply shying away from debating and leaning into disagreeing with each other? This is exactly what we’ll explore in…

1
Neda Sahebelm & Carla Hoppe: How to make fractional hiring & careers work 55:33

4M ago55:33

55:33

“The most difficult part [of going fractional] is starting a business. It’s having to wear every hat yourself, from selling, marketing, relationship building, finances, ops and admin. You are everything.” Fractional careers have been on the rise over the last few years. Both, for experienced Operators making the move into fractional work and for Fo…

1
Amy Gallo: Conflict Management & How to get along with your colleagues 51:04

5M ago51:04

51:04

“If you’re in a situation where you’re dealing with [a difficult boss], I think the question is - am I actually getting something from this? And if the answer is ‘no, I’m getting nothing’, then it’s time to really think about what could be your next step.” To kick off our brand new ‘Specialist Advice’ series, we’re joined by workplace expert and lo…

1
The Best Bits of Season 11 - A Mentorship Roundup 34:08

5M ago34:08

34:08

That’s a wrap on Season 11 of 40 Minute Mentor and 12 weeks of non-stop pocket-sized mentorship. Our guests over the last 12 weeks have candidly shared the ups and downs of entrepreneurship and shared the advice they wish they would have received when they started out. We also celebrated some 40 Minute Mentor firsts this season, including hitting 1…

1
Jason Flemyng: From ‘Lock Stock’ to Brad Pitt, the inside scoop on life as a Hollywood Actor 29:37

5M ago29:37

29:37

“80% of your work, no matter what it is, is confidence. It’s the confidence to know that when you go to a door handle, when you turn it, it doesn’t matter if you don’t know whether you pull or push. You just have to see which way it goes and then go with that.” Today’s 40 Minute Mentor is a podcast first. We’re joined by Hollywood actor and produce…

1
Dr Rupy Aujla: The accidental business that helps millions of people eat healthier every day 45:16

5M ago45:16

45:16

“Had I continued along my path, I could have a very successful private and NHS GP practice. I could be earning multiples of what I’m allowing myself to earn right now. The stability that I can provide for my family is, quite frankly, limited.” Today’s 40 Minute Mentor is Dr Rupy Aujla, Founder of The Doctor’s Kitchen and best selling cookbook autho…

1
Avion Gray: Raising the largest pre-seed round as a female Founder in Europe 45:04

6M ago45:04

45:04

“Fundraising can be exhausting, so it’s really important to spend time with the right people who just won’t waste your time [...], pay attention and ask the right questions.” Today’s 40 Minute Mentor is Avion Gray, Co-Founder and CEO of Belong, a new wealth-building platform. Avion started her career in investment banking, before working as Head of…

1
Gurinder Dhillon: From 1 black cab to bootstrapping one of the fastest growing Startups in Europe with Otto Car 40:21

6M ago40:21

40:21

“[Having bootstrapped] we get to control our destiny, we can move as quickly as we want and we can go where we want and don’t have to be accountable.” Today’s 40 Minute Mentor is Gurinder Dhillon, Founder of Otto Car, London’s largest community of PCO drivers and Europe’s largest provider of electric vehicles to private-hire drivers. Having recentl…

1
Greg Marsh: A $200m+ exit with onefinestay to helping you save on household bills with Nous 45:34

6M ago45:34

45:34

“There are days when you wake up and think ‘this is it - we’re going to be the next Google’ and then you wake up the next morning and feel like it’s all over and you’re going to fail.” Today’s 40 Minute Mentor is former VC investor turned serial entrepreneur, Greg Marsh. Following his time as an investor with Index Ventures, Greg went to build pion…

1
Deirdre O’Neill: Breaking taboos and transforming women’s health with Hertility 42:56

6M ago42:56

42:56

“Entrepreneurship feels like a process of torture sometimes because no matter how hard you try and how much you work and how many evenings or weekends that you sacrifice, you’re still only at the very bottom of the hill.” Today’s 40 Minute Mentor is Deirdre O’Neill, Co-Founder and Chief Commercial & Legal Officer at women’s health startup, Hertilit…

1
Natasha Ratanshi-Stein: From Chief of Staff at Bulb to Founder of Surfboard 43:01

6M ago43:01

43:01

“If we’re not seeing outcomes, we need more visibility. Does visibility mean someone being physically in front of you? Probably not.” Today’s 40 Minute Mentor is Natasha Ratanshi-Stein, the Founder of Surfboard - the next generation planning tools for customer service teams. Before building Surfboard, Natasha spent several years as an Operator and …

1
Gary Izunwa: Driving Social Mobility through referrals with Tangent 47:33

7M ago47:33

47:33

“I think we over index on the significance of education at the cost of other important parts of the social mobility conversation.” This week’s 40 Minute Mentor is Gary Izunwa, Co-Founder and CEO of Tangent. Tangent is an employee referral platform that makes referrals accessible to everyone and NOT just the privileged few with the best networks. Pr…

1
Lottie Whyte: From the kitchen table to £100k investment on Dragons Den with MyoMaster 34:40

7M ago34:40

34:40

“You work so hard for something you’ve dreamt of for so long and then you achieve it and it’s nothing like you imagined it would be…” This week’s 40 Minute Mentor is Lottie Whyte, Co-Founder and CEO of MyoMaster, the home of sports recovery and a brand on a mission to unlock every athlete’s greatest performance. If you’re an avid BBC Dragons Den wa…

1
Morgan Fowles: Scaling sustainable activewear brand TALA as CEO, alongside Grace Beverley 46:26

7M ago46:26

46:26

“It’s never felt easy. There’s never been a single day where it’s felt easy. The winds are always hardwired for various reasons, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a lot of fun.” This week’s 40 Minute Mentor is Morgan Fowles, CEO of popular sustainable activewear and athleisure brand, TALA. If you’ve been listening to 40 Minute Mentor for a while, you …

1
Radha Vyas: From £20m revenues to bankruptcy & rebuilding Flash Pack 2.0 49:36

7M ago49:36

49:36

“They say all the best businesses in the world have nearly died three times. It’s an inevitable journey you go on when you're creating a high growth business.” This week’s 40 Minute Mentor is Radha Vyas, Co-Founder and CEO of adventure travel startup, Flash Pack. Flash Pack is on a mission to create 1 million friendships through connecting solo tra…

1
Richard Robinson: Disrupting the legal sector & raising $32 million with Robin AI 43:15

8M ago43:15

43:15

“Sometimes entrepreneurship is about bending the odds of success and being willing to take on the risk even though it doesn’t make much sense. It’s about going ahead anyway and changing the odds yourself.” In our first episode of Series 11 of 40 Minute Mentor, we’re joined by Richard Robinson, Founder and CEO of Robin AI. Robin AI is a leader in le…

1
Coming soon: Series 11 of pocket-sized mentorship 5:20

8M ago5:20

5:20

“Sometimes entrepreneurship is about bending the odds of success, and just being willing to take on the risks…” Welcome back to Series 11 of 40 Minute Mentor - your pocket-sized career mentor. We’ve got 13 weeks of non-stop mentorship from some of the best in the industry, coming up for you. Before we kick off the series with our first 40 Minute Me…

1
Peter Specht: Spotting Unicorn investments & navigating global markets with Creandum 35:37

8M ago35:37

35:37

“We scaled way too fast…and the result was that we mis-hired quite a lot. It was not a sustainable way to scale.” This week’s 40 Minute Mentor is Peter Specht, General Partner at Creandum, one of the leading early stage VCs that have invested in over 120 companies, of which 20 are unicorns today. Following career chapters at Rocket Internet Group, …

1
Davor Hebel: Making VC more empathetic & the future of European Startups 44:16

8M ago44:16

44:16

“Team sports are a great proxy for working in companies, where often the power of the collective is way stronger than any individual.” This week’s 40 Minute Mentor is Davor Hebel, Managing Partner at Eight Roads Ventures, the global VC firm backed by Fidelity. Eight Roads backs and partners with game-changing tech and healthcare companies across Eu…

1
Masha Bucher: Harnessing the power of storytelling in VC with Day One Ventures 45:37

9M ago45:37

45:37

“If you’re not ready to commit to VC for at least 10 years, it’s just not worth trying…” This week’s 40 Minute Mentor is Masha Bucher, Founder & General Partner at Day One Ventures. The firm backs Founders from AI and Climate, to future of work and Deeptech, helping customer obsessed and mission-driven Founders win, by harnessing the power of story…

1
Sandra Schwarzer: Transitioning careers & putting people first at Index Ventures 53:00

9M ago53:00

53:00

“You need to figure out what you really need. Not just the role now, but looking at the future and at the competencies you need in your organisation. Figure out how you build a very complementary team, rather than having people who are all the same.” This week’s 40 Minute Mentor is Sandra Schwarzer, VP C-Suite/Board & EU Talent/Community & Insights…

1
Abhishek Lahoti: From Dropbox to Head of Platform at Highland Europe & how to navigate the US market as a Founder 39:08

9M ago39:08

39:08

“This is not necessarily a one-way transaction. Look at fundraising like it’s dating. The VC you’re going to choose, you’ll be stuck with for quite some time, so don’t play games and be honest, the whole way through…” This week’s 40 Minute Mentor is the brilliant Abhishek Lahoti, Head of Platform at Highland Europe, a growth stage Venture Capital f…

1
Hannah Leach: An unconventional route into VC & driving ESG across portfolios 42:49

9M ago42:49

42:49

“The whole industry is full of very successful people who have had this very standard path. It’s hard to look at your own [different] background and put yourself on an even level with them.” This week’s 40 Minute Mentor is the brilliant Hannah Leach, Partner at Houghton Street Ventures and Co-Founder of VentureESG. Hannah moved into the venture spa…

1
Eileen Burbidge MBE - From early Skype employee to becoming the Queen of British VC 54:43

10M ago54:43

54:43

“I think 2024 is a great opportunity to back fantastic people and get more attention on things that are undervalued or don’t get enough attention to invest in.” Described as the ‘Queen of British VC’ by Fortune magazine, we are kicking off our new VC feature series with the brilliant Eileen Burbidge MBE. Eileen is a Founding Partner at Passion Capi…

1
Career Spotlight: The Advisory Role - everything you need to know 37:37

10M ago37:37

37:37

“Founders often don’t have someone outside of the business that they can be really vulnerable with…that’s where an advisor can help.” For our final episode in our career spotlight feature series, we’re taking a deep dive into an increasingly popular, yet often unspoken about role - the advisory role. To help us cover the ins and outs of the role, h…

1
Career Spotlight: How to nail the interview stage to secure your next role 21:15

10M ago21:15

21:15

“You need to be able to own what you do have, but even more so, what you don’t have.” Following last week’s episode on building a stand-out CV and personal brand on LinkedIn, we’re now focusing on the next crucial stage in the recruitment process - the interview. Very often, the interview stage can feel quite daunting, but a lot of it comes down to…

1
Career Spotlight: Building a standout CV and personal brand on LinkedIn 31:22

10M ago31:22

31:22

“The CV is not the one thing that will or will not get you hired, there is a whole interview process…” New year, new job? January is a month of reset, refresh and for many, the time to scope out a new opportunity… No matter whether you’re in the middle of hunting for a new role, are just starting to think about it or are looking to hire into your t…

1
Best of 2023 - A year of mentorship in review 18:07

11M ago18:07

18:07

Just like that we’re closing another year of 40 Minute Mentor. This year, we surpassed our 200 published episodes mark and are fast approaching 1 million downloads. Before we kick off a brand new feature series in the new year, we asked some of our biggest 40 Minute Mentor fans for their nominations for the best episode of 2023. From scaling teams …

1
Happy Holidays from 40 Minute Mentor! 1:17

11M ago1:17

1:17

As we’re nearing the end of the year, your 40 Minute Mentor Host, James Mitra, takes a moment to reflect on the last 12 months of podcasting and what the year ahead may have in store. A huge thank you for all your support over the last 12 months - we wouldn’t be where we are without you! If you have any feedback, topic or guest ideas for 2024, plea…

1
Replay: Sharmadean Reid MBE - Empowering Women in Business with The Stack World 35:40

11M ago35:40

35:40

“The thing I love a lot about startups, it’s like a personal self-development course at a rapid rate.” For our final episode in our Replay series, we’re joined by Sharmadean Reid MBE, Founder of The Stack World, a platform for the women’s creator economy to buy and sell from each other. In this candid episode, we chat about Sharmadean’s Founder jou…

1
Replay: Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill - From Multi-Gold Medallist to FemTech Founder 52:10

11M ago52:10

52:10

“The importance of the team around you, having focus and discipline and the awareness of facing setbacks… it’s been great to bring the things I’ve learned from sport into the business world.” From the 2012 Olympic poster girl to Founder of FemTech brand, Jennis… today’s 40 Minute Mentor Replay episode is with none other than Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill…

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