Founder
In 2016, she made gut-healthy drinks in her kitchen. 9 years on, she sold her soda brand to PepsiCo for $2 billion
Allison Ellsworth is the co-founder of Poppi. Courtesy of Allison Ellsworth In 2015, Allison Ellsworth was in her kitchen experimenting with different gut-healthy drink recipes, trying to make apple cider vinegar taste good. Little did she know that the concoctions she was mixing would eventually become a billion dollar business. Today, the 38-year-old is the […]
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Risk-averse parents are fueling Britain’s ambition crisis, VCs say
Mother and daughter using the laptop at home Fg Trade | E+ | Getty Images Concerns of an entrepreneurial ambition deficit in the U.K. have led some venture capitalists to question the role of risk-averse parents and a costly education system in disenfranchising young British people from becoming founders. Last month, U.K. Business Secretary Peter […]
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U.S. founders are ‘shameless’ with feedback and Europe’s should do the same: OpenAI’s startup boss
OpenAI’s EMEA startups head Laura Modiano spoke at the Sifted Summit on Wednesday, 8 October. Nurphoto | Nurphoto | Getty Images In the latest comparison between American and European founders, OpenAI’s startup boss admitted that the Americans are “almost shameless” when it comes to making demands and giving feedback to the AI giant. Laura Modiano, […]
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‘The system is rigged’: Founders and VCs weigh in on the UK’s ambition deficit
Almost 60% of young people in the U.K. are interested in starting their own businesses, per the Generation Entrepreneur Report. Connect Images/ci-start | Connect Images | Getty Images Young Brits are catching flak for their apparent lack of entrepreneurial drive, sparking a broader debate on whether the U.K. startup scene is facing an ambition deficit. […]
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Stop overworking yourself before it’s too late, says Arianna Huffington. It’s no sign of success
Arianna Huffington has spent a lot of time thinking about the links between working hard and success, and she has come to the conclusion that there is a “collective delusion” about the positive correlation, while pervasive neglect of risks that can be literally fatal. She has spent years studying the science, but she also draws […]
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He quit a job in engineering to travel and work on yachts. Here’s how much he earns now
Hugo Ortega, an American, had a well-paying job as an engineer and a long-term girlfriend. But he wasn’t happy, he said. “I didn’t like the job that I had. I didn’t like the degree that I had just finished doing,” he said. “I was starting to feel kind of weighed down by a lot of […]
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Inside billionaire Lucy Guo’s intense daily routine: 5:30 a.m. wake-ups, double gym sessions, and no lunch breaks
Lucy Guo, founder and CEO of Passes. Passes Lucy Guo might be a billionaire, but instead of a life of luxury and comfort, she swears by a relentless work ethic and strict daily routine. At just 30 years old, the California-born-and-raised entrepreneur has achieved what many will spend their lifetimes chasing. In April, Guo’s net […]
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VC behind ‘996’ work culture debate says 5-day weeks won’t build billion-dollar startups
Harry Stebbings, founder of 20VC, says billion-dollar firms aren’t built on five-day work weeks. 20VC Venture capitalist Harry Stebbings faced a wave of backlash in June after urging European startup founders to increase their work hours — but he now admits there’s some room for nuance when applying his mantra. Stebbings, founder of 20VC, a […]
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This millennial’s startup raised $120 million. He reveals what helped him succeed — and says it’s ‘more crucial’ than hard work
Desmond Lim, co-founder and CEO of Workstream. Courtesy of Desmond Lim Desmond Lim is no stranger to hard work. At the age of seven, he fell in love with basketball, but when his family couldn’t afford to buy him his own ball, he came up with the money by himself. “Money was always tight,” Lim […]
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‘I lost purpose’: At 27, he sold his company for $100 million — now, he says it’s changed his view on money
Jake Kassan, co-founder of MVMT Watches. Courtesy of Jake Kassan When Jake Kassan sold his company for $100 million at the age of 27, he thought the money would make him happy. Though it did temporarily, it eventually took away his sense of purpose and threw him into cycles of anxiety and depression, he said. […]
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