Founder to Founder

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Hosted by Luke Johnstone, founder of PACK’D, Young Entrepreneur of the Year winner and Startup Mentor.

Luke started and scaled his disruptive food business, generating over £15M in sales delivering impactful products to more than 1 million customers.

PACK'D originally launched with support and funding from Virgin StartUp and now Luke returns to support the next generation of founders as a Virgin StartUp Mentor.

Brought to you by Virgin StartUp.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Peanut Butter Pioneer: Pip Murray’s Startup Journey

Wed, 09 Jul 2025 09:10:31 GMT

Ten years ago, Pip Murray was blending nut butter in her kitchen after marathon training. Today, she’s the founder of a multi-million pound food brand, stocked in major supermarkets, with a cult following.

In this episode of Founder to Founder, Pip shares the full, unfiltered story. From her first market stall on cold winter weekends to securing manufacturing, branding on a shoestring, and raising her first £120k on Crowdcube.

Listen in if you’re:

Starting a food brand (or thinking about it)
Wondering whether to take the leap
Looking for honest insight on product, people and purpose

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Hosted by Luke Johnstone, founder of PACK’D, Young Entrepreneur of the Year winner and Startup Mentor.

Luke started and scaled his disruptive food business, generating over £15M in sales delivering impactful products to more than 1 million customers.

PACK'D originally launched with support and funding from Virgin StartUp and now Luke returns to support the next generation of founders as a Virgin StartUp Mentor.

Brought to you by Virgin StartUp.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From Gucci to Digital Guidebooks: Andy McNulty’s Unexpected Startup Journey

Wed, 25 Jun 2025 07:59:09 GMT

In this episode of Founder to Founder, we sit down with Andy McNulty—ex-CEO of Victoria Beckham and co-founder of Touch Stay, the digital guidebook platform used by thousands of hospitality businesses worldwide.

Andy’s journey into tech entrepreneurship is anything but traditional. From CFO roles at Gucci and Alexander McQueen to launching a SaaS startup with no technical background, he shares how intuition, resilience, and a strong sense of purpose helped him build, scale, and eventually sell Touch Stay.

We explore:

How a binder full of flies sparked a SaaS business
Why Virgin StartUp’s accelerator was a game-changer
The moment COVID accelerated growth instead of ending it
What it’s really like selling your ‘business baby’
Why mentorship, gut instinct and “play money” matter more than perfection
Life after exit—and why he’s not done with tech just yet

Andy also reflects on grief, identity, health scares, and the emotional cost of letting go. This is a raw, insightful look at building something meaningful—and knowing when to walk away.

If you’re a founder juggling the high-stakes world of SaaS, or wondering what it takes to go from startup to sale—this episode is full of gold.

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Hosted by Luke Johnstone, founder of PACK’D, Young Entrepreneur of the Year winner and Startup Mentor.

Luke started and scaled his disruptive food business, generating over £15M in sales delivering impactful products to more than 1 million customers.

PACK'D originally launched with support and funding from Virgin StartUp and now Luke returns to support the next generation of founders as a Virgin StartUp Mentor.

Brought to you by Virgin StartUp.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Building Boldly: Grief, Grit and Growing D.LOUISE

Wed, 11 Jun 2025 07:50:24 GMT

In this inspiring episode of Founder to Founder, we sit down with Olivia Jenkins, co-founder of D.LOUISE, the sustainable, tarnish-free jewellery brand that’s redefining what it means to build a purpose-led business.

After losing her mother and facing a period of uncertainty during the pandemic, Olivia poured her energy into creating something meaningful. With zero industry experience and just a gut instinct, she bootstrapped D.LOUISE into a fast-growing business rooted in bravery, simplicity, and joy.

We talk about turning grief into purpose, building confidence as a first-time founder, and why sustainable growth—not overnight success—is the mindset shift more entrepreneurs need to hear. Olivia also opens up about mentorship, mental health, and how showing up authentically fuels both community and commercial growth.

If you’re building a product-based brand or need a nudge of inspiration to get started, this one’s for you.

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Hosted by Luke Johnstone, founder of PACK’D, Young Entrepreneur of the Year winner and Startup Mentor.

Luke started and scaled his disruptive food business, generating over £15M in sales delivering impactful products to more than 1 million customers.

PACK'D originally launched with support and funding from Virgin StartUp and now Luke returns to support the next generation of founders as a Virgin StartUp Mentor.

Brought to you by Virgin StartUp.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Grind Behind Grind: David Abrahamovitch on Luck, Lessons and Leadership.

Tue, 27 May 2025 22:01:00 GMT

In today’s episode, we’re joined by David Abrahamovitch, founder and CEO of Grind – from turning his Dad’s old phone shop into a go to coffee come cocktail destination, he’s since built a brilliant D2C brand. Today the company is a certified B Corp, they have 14 locations across London and sell millions of coffees every year through their home delivery service.

We’re talking to David about what it really takes to scale a business, how mentorship has played a role in his journey, and why surrounding yourself with the right people can make all the difference.

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Hosted by Luke Johnstone, founder of PACK’D, Young Entrepreneur of the Year winner and Startup Mentor.

Luke started and scaled his disruptive food business, generating over £15M in sales delivering impactful products to more than 1 million customers.

PACK'D originally launched with support and funding from Virgin StartUp and now Luke returns to support the next generation of founders as a Virgin StartUp Mentor.

Brought to you by Virgin StartUp.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What I wish I knew: ADHD, Anxiety and the Founder’s Mind

Wed, 14 May 2025 09:03:41 GMT

In this powerful episode of Founder to Founder, we’re joined by Alex Partridge, founder, mental health advocate, host of the ADHD chatter podcast and co-founder of the viral media brands UNILAD and LADbible, and now Virgin StartUp Mentor.

After being diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 34, Alex is now a massive advocate for mental health and neurodiversity in the workplace, alongside that has authored his memoir ‘Now it all makes sense: how an ADHD diagnosis brought clarity to my life’.

Alex has truly experienced the full spectrum of entrepreneurship and we’re diving into his rollercoaster journey and how his experiences have helped shape his success today.

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ADHD Chatter Instagram

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