Category: Entrepreneurship

The term ‘podcast’ was coined to describe audio content (other than music) that you could download to your iPod – you know, that Apple product long since ingested by the iPhone. But the term lives on and its popularity is on the rise.

According to Edison Research, 64 per cent of Americans are now familiar with the term “podcast” and over 4 in 10 have listened to at least one podcast. 73 million Americans listen to podcasts every week; their average weekly listening time is an astonishing 6 hours 37 minutes.

There is a number of reasons for this including:

• A shift in audience entertainment expectations towards on-demand content
• A desire for long-form content where listeners can, by degrees, come to understand fully the topic under discussion
• A recent UCL study even showed that emotional responses are stronger from auditory content than visual

But the medium itself shouldn’t take all the credit for the popularity of podcasts. Podcast creators have contributed their time, creativity and expertise to produce compelling and informative audio experiences.

Today, the selection of top-quality podcasts is almost limitless. And that is true of any industry from gaming to politics; from children’s books to investigative journalism.

The startup and business space is no different. There is so much choice – it can be a little bewildering. Especially given that you are probably pressed for time and want to start by listening to the best podcast that is most relevant to you!

We love podcasts. We listen to many of them. And we even host our own podcast (see below).

To help you get started on your journey of discovery, we have compiled our list of the Top 5 Startup and Business Podcasts.

1. This Week in Startups

Tech entrepreneur Jason Calacanis interviews successful entrepreneurs to share their experiences and offer advice to people thinking of starting their own businesses.

2. The Pitch

Josh Muccio presents real entrepreneurs pitching in the hope of securing venture funding from investors. Entertaining and informative!

3. Masters of Scale

LinkedIn founder, Reid Hoffman hosts guests with expertise and insights into scaling a startup. The focus is on growth rather than starting out…

4. How I Built This

Guy Raz presents the journies of some of the most famous companies as told by the entrepreneurs who drove them.

5. The Startup Microdose Podcast

The only UK-based podcast to make our list is our own (hosted by yours truly and my colleague, Ed Stephens!).

Recently tracking at the number 1 in the Apple Business podcasts list, the Startup Microdose has exceeded all our expectations in its first year.

With guests including the founders of Huel, What3Words, Depop and Sweatcoin, we unpack the stories and secrets of companies right in the moment of their success.

Check it out on iTunes, Spotify or new podcasting platform, Entale.

Let me know your favourite (even if it’s not mine)!

Since we published this post, FeedSpot released their list of the ‘Top 30 Startup Podcasts on the Planet’…

We are delighted that four of our list (Startup Microdose, Masters of Scale, TWiST and How I Built This) all made the cut.

Check out the full list here

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At a glance, the Autumn Budget 2018 is a win for entrepreneurs and SME’s. If your personal income is less than £100,000 and you’re a ‘genuine’ entrepreneur, taxation rules and entrepreneurs’ relief remain favourable. The more indirect budget effects could also be highly beneficial.

Established entrepreneur and founder and MD of globally-recognised, Absolute Translations, Sergio Afonso summaries the 2018 Budget’s impact on UK entrepreneurs and SMEs.

1. Entrepreneur Relief Timeline Extended

Phillip Hammond decided to meet halfway regarding the contested £10m entrepreneurs’ relief allowance, choosing to revise rather than abolish. The change is an increased minimum holding period from one year to two prior to selling a business.

This is meant to reward ‘genuine’ entrepreneurs who recognise that establishing a successful business ready to sell takes time.

Those who build and sell a business within 24 months will no longer qualify for the tax allowance.

2. Rates slashed for independent businesses

Businesses of all sizes have generally gained.

High-street based small businesses are the biggest winners. Up to £8000 in tax savings are now available for small businesses who have a rateable value under £51,000 for the next 2 years.

The fight to protect independents from corporations like Amazon from running local enterprise out of business is additionally supported through co-funding to local councils, with Hammond committing of £675m to the transformation of streetscapes, infrastructure and transport access.

3. VAT Raid scrapped & allowances raised

Despite reports of a VAT raid on small business lowering the minimum required turnover amount required to pay VAT from £85,000 to £43,000, no such decision was officially made.

In fact, the chancellor raised the personal tax allowance from £12,500 for basic rate taxpayers and £50,000 for higher rate taxpayers in 2019.

Businesses seeking capital expenditure will also be pleased with the “Annual Investment Allowance” being substantially increased from £200,000 to £1m.

4. Digital Services Tax a win for Start-ups

Tech-based startups are likely to benefit indirectly from the digital services tax that will be placed on “established technology giants”.

Public calls for companies such as Facebook and Google to contribute to local tax and “pay their fair share towards support of public services” has encouraged Hammond to show the way to the international community.

The “UK digital services tax” introduces a 2% tax for tech companies with sales over £500m. This strategically avoids the UK startup and SME market and potentially creates an opportunity for them to gain market share.

Critics hope it has been designed in a way that doesn’t prevent home-grown tech innovation or international business investment in the UK.

5. Brexit’s Impact

The Budget 2018 cannot be evaluated without taking into consideration the broader implications of Brexit.

Hammond’s Budget aims to reduce austerity but, in the event of a no-deal Brexit, he concedes that the economic situation will continue for another 5 years.

This is a potential worry for UK-only entrepreneurs and businesses. Opportunities to take a global view is an option for relevant business owners to avoid the expected financial fallout. Others must hope that the unconfirmed but rumoured spending increase of 1.9% will come into fruition.

You can read more detailed takeaways from the Budget 2018 here
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The Women in IT Awards, the world’s largest technology diversity event, recently revealed the winners of its 2017 programme including ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’ in front of 1,000 business and technology leaders.

It came as no surprise to us that Dr Kim Nilsson, founder of Pivigo, was ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’.

Pivigo’s upward trajectory…

18 months ago, I reported that data science marketplace, Pivigo, had closed its latest funding round (£300k through Angel Investment Network) off the back of some impressive growth.

6 months ago, I reported that Pivigo was one of the 15 fastest growing female-founded UK tech companies selected to represent the UK government in a link building initiative with Silicon Valley and the US tech scene. (The lowest growth rate of the 15 companies selected was 118% annually!).

Following a career in academia (including work on the Hubble Space Telescope), Dr Kim Nilsson has walked a gilded path since founding Pivigo in 2013. Pivigo has closed numerous funding rounds to propel its impressive growth – it is now the world’s largest community of data scientists.

This latest accolade came at the Women in IT awards, an event aimed at celebrating diversity and inclusion in the tech industry, hosted by Maggie Philbin OBE and Martha Lane Fox.

Dr Kim was typically magnanimous in her acceptance of the award, highlighting the great work of the whole team at Pivigo:

To be chosen as the winner in a highly competitive category is great validation for the work we do at Pivigo, innovating and disrupting an exciting industry.

On behalf of the team at Angel Investment Network, I would like to extend our warmest congratulations to Kim and the team.

Keep up the good work!

If you’re a business looking to leverage the power of its data or an individual looking to build your career in data science, visit Pivigo to find out more.

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