A Game of Luck?: A Tech Startup Journey with ZenRise
In Season 4 Episode 2 of Tech Startup Stories, Natalie Binns speaks with serial entrepreneur Vincent, founder of ZenRise, about building businesses, learning to let go, and adapting to the rapidly changing world of AI.
Vincent’s entrepreneurial journey spans video games, board game publishing and technology. After building a video game company to 100 employees, launching and selling Everyday I Play, and growing Lucky Duck Games to 70 employees and $20 million in annual revenue, he turned his attention to a new challenge: helping businesses use AI to launch, market and grow more effectively.
ZenRise is an AI-driven growth and marketing platform designed for founders who can build products with AI but may not have the expertise to understand their audience, create marketing campaigns or distribute their products effectively.
In this episode, Vincent shares lessons on entrepreneurship, finding product-market fit, identifying the right ideal customer profile, testing new ideas, using AI to accelerate business growth, and knowing when to let go of an idea that is not working.
You’ll also hear why Vincent believes AI will make creation faster and cheaper, but make marketing, distribution and understanding customers more important than ever.
Listen to the full episode to hear how a serial entrepreneur is approaching his next chapter and building ZenRise for the AI era.
Turning an Industry on its Head: A Tech Startup Journey with PressWhisper
In Season 4 Episode 1 of Tech Startup Stories, Natalie Binns speaks with serial founder Jim Edmonson, founder of PressWhisper, about challenging the traditional PR model and making PR more accessible to founders. Jim shares how his own frustration with expensive PR agencies led him to build a different approach, using rapid prototyping, customer feedback and technology to help businesses connect with relevant journalists.
From identifying the problem and testing the first prototype to discovering PressWhisper’s ideal customer profile through real users, Jim explains what he has learned from building multiple businesses, experiencing both success and failure, and working alongside a technical co-founder. He also discusses why founders should question traditional approaches, how AI is changing the way products can be built, and why PR still matters in an increasingly digital world.
Discover Jim Edmonson’s startup journey, his approach to product development and customer discovery, and how PressWhisper is giving founders more control over their PR and media strategy.
Keeping up with the Speed of AI: A Tech Startup Journey with BackEngine
In this episode of Tech Startup Stories, Natalie Binns reconnects with Eli Portnoy, founder and CEO of BackEngine, to explore how the company has evolved over the past year while navigating the rapidly changing world of artificial intelligence and enterprise software.
BackEngine helps organisations integrate AI into existing business workflows, enabling teams to automate processes, improve productivity, and unlock greater value from emerging AI technologies. Eli shares how advances in generative AI have reshaped both customer expectations and software development, requiring startups to adapt faster than ever before while remaining focused on solving meaningful business problems.
The conversation explores AI adoption, enterprise software, startup growth, product strategy, customer experience, change management, and the future of AI-powered business tools. Eli also reflects on why successful AI implementation depends as much on people and organisational change as it does on technology itself.
This episode is ideal for startup founders, SaaS leaders, product managers, AI professionals, and anyone interested in the future of enterprise software and artificial intelligence.
Sacrificing for Growth: A Tech Startup Journey with Passionfruit
In this episode of Tech Startup Stories, Natalie Binns reconnects with Aditya Jain, co-founder and CEO of Passionfruit, to explore how the company has evolved over the past year while operating at the intersection of AI, marketing, and search.
Passionfruit helps businesses improve visibility across AI search engines, traditional search, paid media, and emerging discovery channels, while also developing AI-powered marketing tools that help teams automate workflows and scale more effectively. Aditya shares how the business exceeded growth expectations, remained profitable, and transformed insights from its services business into Oz, an AI-native platform designed to support modern marketing teams.
The conversation explores AI marketing trends, startup growth, product development, founder leadership, profitability, and the challenges of building in a market that changes almost weekly. Aditya also reflects on the importance of staying close to customers, adapting quickly to industry shifts, and balancing innovation with sustainable business growth.
This episode is ideal for startup founders, marketers, SaaS leaders, AI professionals, and anyone interested in building businesses within rapidly evolving industries.
Funding Fun: A Tech Startup Journey with Uniblock
In this episode of Tech Startup Stories, Natalie Binns speaks with Kevin Callahan, founder of Uniblock, about building infrastructure in the fast-evolving Web3 ecosystem.
Kevin shares how Uniblock is addressing one of the biggest challenges in blockchain development: fragmentation. By providing a unified API that connects multiple infrastructure providers, the platform simplifies how developers build, scale, and manage Web3 applications.
The conversation explores the realities of building in a volatile market, where sentiment, funding, and adoption shift rapidly. Kevin reflects on the importance of focusing on fundamentals, improving developer experience, and creating long-term value beyond short-term hype.
For founders, developers, and those interested in Web3, this episode offers practical insight into simplifying complex systems, building resilient products, and navigating uncertainty in emerging technology markets.
Reflecting for Growth: A Tech Startup Journey with Introstars
In this episode of Tech Startup Stories, Natalie Binns reconnects with Mike Adams, founder of IntroStars, to explore how the business has evolved over the past 12 months and what it takes to scale a platform built on human connection.
Mike shares how IntroStars is transforming the way business introductions are made, tracked, and rewarded, creating a structured ecosystem where relationships drive measurable outcomes. From growing a global community of “super connectors” to expanding into key markets such as New York and Silicon Valley, this episode dives into the realities of building a network-driven platform in a digital-first world.
The conversation also explores the challenges of changing user behaviour, the importance of reducing friction in product design, and how consistent experimentation led to the development of IntroStars’ recommendation engine. Alongside this, Mike reflects on the role of serendipity in business growth, including how a chance meeting led to securing investment.
For founders, operators, and anyone interested in community-led growth, referral platforms, and B2B networking strategies, this episode offers practical insight into scaling through trust, partnerships, and meaningful connections.