The Launch
The Launch
Podcast Description
The Launch is a podcast for founders, by founders, with unfiltered conversations from entrepreneurs across tech, property, wellness, AI, sport, and beyond. In each episode, our host James Smethurst dives into the real stories behind building a business, from first ideas to fundraising, exits, setbacks, and everything in between. It’s lighthearted but honest, giving founders space to share what they’ve learned, what they’re building, and why it matters.
Whether you’re interested in starting a business, raising investment, exiting, or the founder journey, this podcast shares real life stories and insights from people who have been there and done it.
With a growing guest list featuring AI innovators, filmmakers, athlete-founders, and more, The Launch offers powerful founder-focused content curated by founders for their interesting stories and insights. The podcast aims to become a leading voice in the UK’s startup ecosystem—helping founders learn, connect, and grow through real, unscripted storytelling.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast explores key themes in the startup ecosystem, including fundraising, business building, and unique entrepreneurial insights with episode examples like Raising investment & replacing frustrating phone systems with Neural Voice and conversations with AI innovators, athlete-founders, and filmmakers, focusing on practical advice and relatable experiences.
The Launch is a podcast for founders, by founders, with unfiltered conversations from entrepreneurs across tech, property, wellness, AI, sport, and beyond. In each episode, our host James Smethurst dives into the real stories behind building a business, from first ideas to fundraising, exits, setbacks, and everything in between. It’s lighthearted but honest, giving founders space to share what they’ve learned, what they’re building, and why it matters.
Whether you’re interested in starting a business, raising investment, exiting, or the founder journey, this podcast shares real life stories and insights from people who have been there and done it.
With a growing guest list featuring AI innovators, filmmakers, athlete-founders, and more, The Launch offers powerful founder-focused content curated by founders for their interesting stories and insights. The podcast aims to become a leading voice in the UK’s startup ecosystem—helping founders learn, connect, and grow through real, unscripted storytelling.
What happens when you quit accounting, stumble into the internet boom, and accidentally build one of the UK’s first online bingo empires? In this episode of The Launch Podcast, Phil Fraser, founder of the Leeds Business Podcast and online gaming veteran, shares how he went from clueless graduate to digital trailblazer—bootstrapping a business from his living room to a multi-million pound exit.
💡 Learn about:
Making bold career pivots (and surviving them)
The early days of online gaming and affiliate marketing
Navigating hiring, culture, and painful layoffs
How to sell a business and actually walk away
Building a business around lifestyle vs scale
This is real talk from someone who’s been through it all—no fluff, just valuable insight for anyone building or scaling a startup.
Disclaimer
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