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Founder Friday

Canopy Community

Founder Friday

Leveraging entrepreneurship as a tool for social mobility.

That's the mission behind Canopy Community and the Founder Friday podcast.


We believe talent is everywhere, but opportunity isn't.


Too many people never start a business because they never see someone like themselves become a founder. They assume entrepreneurship belongs to people with different backgrounds, different education, different connections or different resources.


We're here to change that.


In each episode, host Stewart Noakes sits down with founders from around the world to uncover the stories that rarely make the headlines. Together they explore the uncertainty, resilience, failures, breakthroughs and defining moments that shape entrepreneurial journeys.


These aren't polished success stories.


They're honest conversations about building something from nothing.


Our hope is simple.

One story at a time, we want every listener to discover someone they can relate to and think:

"If they can do it, maybe I can too."


Because there isn't one route into entrepreneurship.

- Founders come from cities and villages.
- From universities and factories.
- From boardrooms and bedrooms.
- From privilege and from adversity.

Some are parents. Some are students. Some are immigrants. Some start at 18, others at 68.


Every journey is different, yet has similarities regardless of the origin.

Every story matters.

Every conversation helps widen the picture of what a founder looks like.


Whether you're exploring your first idea, validating an MVP, finding customers, raising investment or simply wondering whether entrepreneurship could be part of your future, Founder Friday offers practical insights and authentic stories from people who are actively building.


Produced by Canopy Community, one of Europe's leading startup communities, Founder Friday is part of a bigger mission:

To leverage entrepreneurship as a tool for social mobility by making founders more visible, more relatable and more accessible to the next generation.


Because changing one life doesn't always start with funding.

Sometimes it starts with a story.

And perhaps the next story you hear will be the one that changes yours.


🎙️ Follow Founder Friday for new episodes as they drop.

🌱 Learn more about Canopy Community: https://www.canopy.community/

👋 Connect with Stewart Noakes: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stewartnoakes/


#FounderFriday #FirstTimeFounder #StartupFounder #Entrepreneurship #StartupCommunity #SocialMobility #Innovation #MVP #StartupJourney #FollowYourDreams #IfNotNowThenWhen #Tribe


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  • 6 episodes
  • weekly
  • Avg 32 min
  • English

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Episodes 6

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  • S5 · E7
    August 21 · 30 min

    From Zero G Tests To Noise Free Meetings

    Send us Fan Mail We talk with Gianluca, CEO and co-founder of Metasonixx, about building acoustic privacy products that reduce noise while keeping light, transparency and airflow. We get into the real timeline of a university spin-out, the personal resilience required to survive cash flow lows, and why storytelling and theatre skills can make a technical founder stand out. • what “acoustic privacy” means in offices, homes and hospitality • turning university IP into a deep tech hardware product line • the practical timeline from 2018 research to 2024 sales • early hospital trials during lockdown and what clinicians cared about first • learning the language of startups as a technical founder • why entrepreneurship is learned by doing not just studying • theatre, breathing and storytelling as founder communication tools • pivoting from hospitals to offices and listening to customer reality • cash flow pressure and the need to grow as a founder first • advice for first-time founders on filtering unhelpful opinions Raise Angel Investment with Scribe Systematise and automate your fundraising with Angel investors in the UK Business banking with Revolut Easy business banking including Crypto treasury Seedlegals The go to platform for startup legals in UK and USA #TRIBE The friends of Canopy membership group Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Canopy Community The place for founders, start ups and entrepreneurs. For more episodes, or to access coaching, events, advice, networks, education and more, visit… https://linktr.ee/CanopyCommunity

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  • S5 · E6
    August 14 · 40 min

    From Doctor Who VR To Teen Calm

    Send us Fan Mail We talk with Zilla Watson and Katie, the co-founders of Phase Space, about building a virtual reality tool that helps anxious teenagers feel calmer in minutes and why schools became the real place for impact. We share the messy, practical decisions behind evidence, funding, founder fit, and choosing a growth path that matches both ambition and real life. • meeting through a competitive BBC VR commission and building trust through delivery • founding Phase Space during Covid and shifting from “projects” to a real product • using an Innovate UK research grant to build an evidence base and test safely • learning that grant cash flow and paid-in-arrears timelines change fundraising needs • finding product-market fit in schools through systematic pilots and clear use cases • rolling out across Sutton secondary schools with NHS and university partners • dividing founder strengths while protecting sustainability and avoiding burnout • redefining success beyond headline VC rounds and “investability” narratives • using AI tools to speed up customer research and positioning work • choosing between revenue-led growth and investment-led hypergrowth • handling conflicting advice by asking better questions and filtering by timing Raise Angel Investment with Scribe Systematise and automate your fundraising with Angel investors in the UK Business banking with Revolut Easy business banking including Crypto treasury Seedlegals The go to platform for startup legals in UK and USA Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Canopy Community The place for founders, start ups and entrepreneurs. For more episodes, or to access coaching, events, advice, networks, education and more, visit… https://linktr.ee/CanopyCommunity

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  • S5 · E5
    August 7 · 34 min

    What If Your Home Nudged You To Be Present

    Send us Fan Mail We sit down with Steve and Andy from Bristol to hear how a pocket money conversation turned into Toggle, a home device and app designed to help families put phones down and reconnect. We dig into their Manchester University backed pilot, what they have learned from running businesses for decades, and the mindset shifts that make early-stage products actually work. • the origin story from “learn to earn” to a family wellbeing product • why screen time is a whole-family issue not a child issue • how Toggle aims to build better habits through presence and rewards • the 50-home pilot and what scientific backing could unlock • lessons from the print trade about cash flow resilience and adapting fast • how incubators and expert networks fill skills gaps in marketing and digital product • practical founder advice on staying open-minded taking feedback and not fearing failure Raise Angel Investment with Scribe Systematise and automate your fundraising with Angel investors in the UK Business banking with Revolut Easy business banking including Crypto treasury Seedlegals The go to platform for startup legals in UK and USA Buzzsprout - Let's get your podcast launched! Start for FREE Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Canopy Community The place for founders, start ups and entrepreneurs. For more episodes, or to access coaching, events, advice, networks, education and more, visit… https://linktr.ee/CanopyCommunity

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  • S5 · E4
    July 31 · 30 min

    What If The Safest Place To Speak Up Is A Game Table

    Send us Fan Mail We meet Charlene and Vicky, the co-founders of Role Resolve Therapy, and hear how tabletop roleplay becomes a practical way to build confidence and communication for children. We also talk honestly about neurodiversity, co-founder dynamics, community support at Derby, and the mindset that keeps founders going when it gets hard. • discovering tabletop roleplay as a creative therapeutic approach during counselling and psychotherapy training • turning game mechanics into structured support for social anxiety, confidence, and group communication • moving from testimonials to impact reporting using teacher and pupil questionnaires • linking the work to neurodivergent needs, school support, and EHCP-related goals • balancing entrepreneurship with parenting and using purpose to protect time • building a strong co-founder relationship through repair, honesty, and clear communication • learning to pitch through Derby enterprise support and feedback that raises the bar • using Canopy to connect, refine branding, and scale delivery through a wider team • launching Inspire as a community app for female founders with free and paid tiers • advice for first-time founders: follow passion and build a cheerleading network Raise Angel Investment with Scribe Systematise and automate your fundraising with Angel investors in the UK Buzzsprout - Let's get your podcast launched! Start for FREE Seedlegals The go to platform for startup legals in UK and USA Business banking with Revolut Easy business banking including Crypto treasury Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Canopy Community The place for founders, start ups and entrepreneurs. For more episodes, or to access coaching, events, advice, networks, education and more, visit… https://linktr.ee/CanopyCommunity

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  • S5 · E3
    July 24 · 33 min

    Building A 400,000-Strong Tech Careers Community

    Send us Fan Mail We talk with Roxanne and Joanna, co-founders of Tech Talk and Reslink, about building a careers community to 400,000 people and why a video CV link can create the human connection that job seekers are missing. We also dig into co-founder trust, what we have learned from entrepreneurship, and the habits that keep execution going when motivation drops. • building Tech Talk as a tech careers community and scaling an audience organically • creating Reslink as a video resume and video CV platform to reach hiring managers directly • why traditional applications and the CV alone feel less effective now • how our co-founder relationship works through trust and complementary skill sets • entrepreneurship influences from family, corporate life, and environment • honest reflections on female founder barriers as internal versus external factors • what we gain from Canopy through pitch feedback, mentors, and founder network • lessons from founding multiple businesses, including listening, empathy, and compromise • choosing systems and processes over relying on motivation Raise Angel Investment with Scribe Systematise and automate your fundraising with Angel investors in the UK Seedlegals The go to platform for startup legals in UK and USA Business banking with Revolut Easy business banking including Crypto treasury Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Canopy Community The place for founders, start ups and entrepreneurs. For more episodes, or to access coaching, events, advice, networks, education and more, visit… https://linktr.ee/CanopyCommunity

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  • S5 · E2
    July 17 · 24 min

    What If Your Wellbeing Was Your Best KPI

    Send us Fan Mail We talk with Julia, founder of Wave Six, about turning a decade-long health journey into a holistic health tracking app that helps people spot patterns across daily life. We also unpack pitching practice, supportive founder communities, and why protecting wellbeing is the only sustainable way to build. • building Wave Six to track sleep, nutrition, movement, relaxation, relationships and self • using correlation to find personal patterns and outcomes over time • living through MS and uncertainty, then choosing proactive responsibility • making sustainable changes like removing gluten and dairy gradually • moving from a restrictive diary to a need for smarter health tech • naming Wave Six as a ripple effect plus six tracking categories • learning fast through speed-date pitching and direct audience feedback • shifting from landscape architecture to entrepreneurship later in life • using Set Squared and Canopy for courses, mentoring and community support • founder advice on direction before speed, boundaries, recovery and avoiding burnout Raise Angel Investment with Scribe Systematise and automate your fundraising with Angel investors in the UK Seedlegals The go to platform for startup legals in UK and USA Business banking with Revolut Easy business banking including Crypto treasury Buzzsprout - Let's get your podcast launched! Start for FREE Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Canopy Community The place for founders, start ups and entrepreneurs. For more episodes, or to access coaching, events, advice, networks, education and more, visit… https://linktr.ee/CanopyCommunity

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Showing 1–6 of 6 episodes