The Startup Leap Podcast

Mukund Jha shares how Emergent scaled at unprecedented speed, without a marketing or sales team, by focusing on product excellence and engineered distribution.

They built early credibility by ranking #1 on a global benchmark before launch, creating immediate trust in the market.

At the core of it all was a relentless focus on feedback loops and customer success, treating user outcomes as the primary driver of growth rather than tradi...

The traditional startup playbook is being rewritten.

In this episode of The Startup Leap, Yvonne and Maria explore the rise of AI-native businesses—where a single founder can operate what used to require entire teams.

From real-world examples of solo founders achieving massive exits to a nuanced discussion on whether to scale with capital or stay lean and profitable, this episode unpacks a critical shift: success is no longer constra...

We’re back with our first episode of 2026—and this one feels like a startup heist.

Mattias Scheek, Co-founder and former CEO of Mayht, shares the story behind one of the most unconventional startup journeys—building breakthrough speaker technology in complete secrecy, choosing not to launch a product, and ultimately selling the company to Sonos for $100M.

This episode explores the strategic decisions behind a licensing-first model, t...

2025 was the year of resilience. After 27 episodes and hours of deep dives with the world's most innovative founders, we’ve distilled our favourites episodes of 2025. "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, learn from those who already did."

From the grit of African fintech to the precision of global FemTech, Maria and Yvonne share their top 3 moments on episodes featuring;

1. Benji (Nala): On how faith fuels the j...

In this episode, Miishe Addy-Asare co-founder, and CEO of JetStream Africa, shares her journey from working at Bain to raising over $21 million for JetStream. Miishe discusses the challenges and misconceptions of building a business in Sub-Saharan Africa, the importance of specific skill sets for navigating the logistics and fintech sectors, and her evolving entrepreneurial mindset. She offers advice on navigating Africa's unique ...

What happens when a former record label founder applies the logic of venture studios to celebrity brand building? In this episode, David Olusegun, founder of Creative Control Ventures, reveals how he’s transforming the way talent and culture converge to create purpose-driven consumer brands.

From his early career at Viacom to co-creating ventures with leading celebrities, David unpacks the frameworks behind turning influence into en...

🐾 Meet Hedda Båverud Olsson, Founder & CEO of Lassie — the startup transforming pet insurance and pet health. From McKinsey & EQT Ventures to raising €50M+ and now also crossing €70M+ in annual revenues , Hedda’s journey is packed with bold moves, big lessons, and surprising insights into the booming pet industry.

In this episode:

✅ How Lassie rewards pet owners for keeping their pets healthy

✅ The challenge of disrupting a ...

Welcome to Startup Leap! In this episode, we dive deep into the journeys of student founders from undergraduates to PhDs who have turned their academic projects, wild ideas at university into industry-transforming startups.

Join us as Maria and Yvonne bring real stories from founders like the co-founder of Shazam, fintech innovators, and graduates who took the bold step to build their companies even before completing their studies....

In this episode of The Startup Leap, Maria and Yvonne sit down with Tessa Clarke, co-founder of Olio, the mission-driven app turning surplus food into community sharing. With over 7 million users in 60 countries, OLIO is tackling the global food waste crisis while proving that purpose-driven businesses can scale.

Tessa shares:

✅ Her journey from senior leadership at Dyson to startup founder

✅ The “light bulb” moment that sparked OLIO

✅...

Join us in this riveting episode as we dive into the extraordinary journey of Benjamin, the founder and CEO of NALA, one of the fastest-growing fintech companies focused on building infrastructure for emerging markets. From humorous encounters with the police to the hustle of raising funds after a major co-founder setback, Benjamin's story is one of resilience, innovation, and faith.

Discover how he transitioned from being a TV host...

In this episode of The Startup Leap, we sit down with Coen, the founder of Tyme Bank, to discuss the incredible journey of building a digital bank in Africa and expanding into Southeast Asia. Coen shares the challenges of creating a bank without traditional elements like paper, cash, or ATMs, and how they achieved profitability in just five years despite raising initial capital from over 250 potential investors. We delve into the i...

In this special episode we dive into the journeys of two exceptional entrepreneurs: Riham Satti, an Oxford Neuroscientist turned founder of MeVitae an AI startup bringing fairness to the workplace, and Dhiraj Mukherjee, co-founder of Shazam, one of the world's first music recognition apps, 2billion downloads, acquired by Apple for $400m+ in 2018.

Hosted by Maria and Yvonne, this episode explores the trials, triumphs, and learnings o...

In this episode, we hear from Dare Okodjou, founder of Onafriq, Africa’s largest digital payments network, formerly MFS Africa. 500 million wallets across 42 countries, over $300m raised in funding. This episode is drenched in depth of experience. Perfect for founders whether early or later in their journey.

Dare shares his entrepreneurial journey from working at MTN Group, leading mobile money innovations, to founding Onafriq in 20...

Join us in this compelling episode as we sit down with Josh Sandler, co-founder of Lori and Founder and CEO of TruTax.

Josh shares his transformative journey from building Lori, an on-demand logistics and trucking company in East Africa, to founding TruTax, a venture leveraging AI to optimize tax compliance. Learn about his entrepreneurial lessons, personal growth, and the critical mistakes that shaped his path.

Dive into his refle...

Join us for an insightful conversation with Victor, the founder and CEO of Raenest, as he shares his inspiring journey from a self-taught software developer in Nigeria to leading a pioneering Fintech company powering remote African workers, that recently raised a $10M Series A round led by QED.

Discover how Victor's background in engineering and his unique perspective on the challenges faced by Africa's remote workforce led to the c...

Join us in this episode of Startup Leap as we sit down with Ida Tin, co-founder and chairwoman of Clue, a revolutionary women's health app that has empowered over 10 million users worldwide.

Ida shares her extraordinary journey from a struggling entrepreneur with no coding skills to building a groundbreaking company in the $60 billion femtech industry.

Discover how Ida turned her frustrations with outdated family planning methods i...

In this episode, experienced entrepreneurs share insightful advice they would give to their younger selves. They emphasize trusting your instincts, asking for help, believing in yourself, and the importance of small, achievable goals.

Real-world experiences highlight the significance of resilience, execution over strategy, and the importance of maintaining personal well-being while navigating the challenging journey of building a b...

In this episode of The Startup Leap, we dive into the fascinating journey of Abu Addae, the founder and CEO of LifeCheq. Abu transitioned from a senior role in financial risk management to creating a disruptive startup focused on personalized financial planning for the South African market.

Learn about the challenges he faced, the decisions that shaped LifeCheck, and the eventual pivot from a consumer-centric model to a B2B platform...

In this episode of Startup Leap, we dive into the critical topic of dilution and how it impacts founders.

Learn from the experiences of legends like Steve Jobs and Travis Kalanick, who both lost control of their companies due to dilution. We'll break down the concept with a simple example and offer strategic advice for founders facing dilution dilemmas.

Gain insights on how to protect your equity and board control, and explore non-...