Beyond StArtups

Hosted by Entrepreneurship Centre

Business EntrepreneurshipInterviews guests

Website RSS feed

Episodes

Latest episode

Oct 2026

Language

About the show

In "Beyond StArtups," the podcast hosted by the University of St Andrews’ Entrepreneurship Centre, we dive into the stories of various individuals who have incorporated an entrepreneurial and creative spirit into their journey, whether it be students, academics, staff, or non-University members. Each episode delves into the experiences and insights of individuals who have embarked on the path of entrepreneurship in their own way, offering valuable lessons and perspectives in candid conversations.

Listen to episodes

52 recent

October 1, 202645 min

Abtin Aghagolian, Pikd.

In this penultimate episode of our Innovation Week special episodes, we are joined by Abtin Aghagolian, Founder of Pikd. and University of St Andrews alumnus. With a background spanning technology, advertising and venture building, Abtin believes that technology has to serve people, not the other way around. It’s this philosophy that led him to create Pikd., a geospatial AI platform that enables brands to run real-world campaigns while protecting the privacy of the people engaging with them. Since launching, Pikd. has raised nearly £500,000, grown to a team of 15 and expanded into the UK, Kazakhstan and Nigeria, working with brands including Red Bull, Burger King, FC Kairat and the London Design Biennale. Abtin joins us on Beyond Startups to share his journey from St Andrews to building Pikd., his experiences scaling ventures across technology and advertising, and his thoughts on the future of AI ethics, privacy and immersive digital experiences. Learn more: https://pikd.co/

September 30, 202645 min

Tracey Aitken & David Carboni, HairTracker

In this 3rd episode of our Innovation Week special episodes, we are joined by Tracey Atiken and her partner David Carboni, the Co-Founders of HairTracker. With 30 years in the hairdressing industry, Tracey knows that being a stylist is about more than creating great hair, it’s about building relationships and understanding your client’s needs. It’s this knowledge combined with David’s experience as a seasoned technology leader building engaged teams and working with cloud platforms and serverless architecture, that has allowed Tracey and David to create HairTracker, a game-changing digital record card app that empowers salon professionals to take complete control of their client relationships. Fresh off a Scottish Rising Star win at the UK StartUp Awards and with an Education pilot underway, Tracey and David join us on Beyond Startups to share and reflect on their journey with us. Learn more: https://hairtracker.com/

September 29, 20261 hr 8 min

(EdenTay Special) Brian Baglow & Carol Clark, the Scottish Games Industry

In this Edentay Founder’s Community Special Episode, our speakers, Brian Baglow and Carol Clark join us at the Entrepreneurship Centre ahead of tonight’s Innovation Week event to reflect on their entrepreneurial journey. Brian Baglow has spent 30 years inside the games and interactive industries - as a writer on the original Grand Theft Auto, founder of the Scottish Games Network, and author of Scotland's national Games Action Plan (the first of its kind to get a full Parliamentary debate). He’s worked with well over 150 companies, in-house and independently, on everything from funding and go-to-market to brand, events, and product. Alongside him is Carol Clark, who has 23 years of experience in tech, including more than 17 years in games and over seven years at COO level. She’s overseen projects that have shipped on every major platform from PS2 through to current-gen and VR. She’s held senior roles at Pocket Sized Hands, Tag Games, Microsoft Studios / Rare (Program Manager), Outplay Entertainment and Realtime Worlds. She’s worked with teams ranging from around 25 to 200 people, including the Xbox One launch team. This work led to a Microsoft patent award and a BAFTA-winning title. Both Brian and Carol contribute actively to the Scottish games ecosystem through mentorship, speaker events such as tonight’s Edentay event, advising and consultancy, which they also reflect on in this episode.

September 28, 202626 min

University of St Andrews Entrepreneurship Society

After the 48 episodes that made up season 1, we are excited to announce that season 2 is launching this Innovation Week with 5 episodes that will be released every day. For the very first Episode of our brand-new season, we are joined by the St Andrews Entrepreneurship Society, a student-led community whose mission is to create a platform where students from all disciplines, from physics to business to the arts, can explore entrepreneurial thinking, develop real-world skills, and connect with the St Andrews and wider Scottish entrepreneurial ecosystem. We are joined by 3 members of their committee and community: Alison Gottlieb, a 3rd year who is leading their marketing, Carlyn Boellhoff, a 1st year who has just joined the marketing team, and Evan Patel, founder of St Andrews Tickets which is a peer-to-peer marketplace for St Andrews students to safely buy and sell event tickets. Alison, Carlyn, and Evan joined me at the Entrepreneurship Centre to share with me their plans for building up this community. Learn more about the Entrepreneurship Society: https://ustaentrepreneurship.lovable.app/ Learn more about St Andrews Tickets: standrewstix.co.uk .

September 21, 202632 min

Episode 48 - Dina Pereira, NeuroSoV

In this episode of Beyond StArtups , the podcast from the Entrepreneurship Centre at the University of St Andrews, we sit down with Dina Pereira — Executive Director of the UBImedical Incubator, CEO of NeuroSoV, researcher at CEGIST at Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon, and Professor at the Polytechnic Institute of Castelo Branco. Dina takes us behind the scenes of her entrepreneurial journey, sharing how she built her own business, what keeps her motivated, and how decades of experience supporting the creation of more than 50 startups have shaped the way she leads, innovates, and sees the world. At the heart of Dina's work is NeuroSoV, whose mission is to develop innovative therapies aimed at slowing the progression of Parkinson's disease and addressing other neurodegenerative diseases and dementias. For Dina, this mission is deeply personal, as her mother is living with Parkinson's disease. We also explore Dina's work beyond her own ventures, including the IMPACTWHEEL project, which she designed to help universities move beyond traditional academic models and create measurable societal and entrepreneurial impact across Europe. The project was previously explored on Beyond StArtups with Joao Leitao. Learn more about Dina Learn more about NeuroSoV Learn more about ImpactWheel

September 4, 202633 min

Episode 47 - Alex Bond, Startup Coordinator at UEL & FreshCheck Co-Founder

In this episode of Beyond StArtups , Aurelie is joined by Alex Bond, Startup Coordinator at the University of East London and Co-Founder and Non-Executive Director of FreshCheck, a company making food contamination visible through software-backed colour-change tools equipped with a Hygiene Verification System. Alex takes us back to his time at Imperial College London, where the ideation phase of FreshCheck began, and reflects on how the business adapted to the evolving needs of its customers as it grew across multiple sites. He also explores the importance of defining a strong work culture through shared pillars and values, and the challenge of balancing the needs of yourself, your team and your customers. Drawing on these experiences, Alex discusses how his entrepreneurial journey now informs his approach to mentorship through incubators and accelerators, including MassChallenge UK. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexbond1991/ Email: a.Bond@uel.ac.uk

August 9, 202642 min

Episode 46 - (Follow Up) Carina Kohli, Humm Care

We’re back with Carina Kohli, Founder & CEO of Humm Care, for her second appearance on Beyond Startups. Recorded live during our Inclusive Healthcare & Health-Tech Entrepreneurship fireside chat at the University of St Andrews, this episode takes us deeper into Carina’s journey as an entrepreneur and her mission to make healthcare more accessible, inclusive, and impact-driven. Carina reflects on the evolution of Humm Care, the challenges and opportunities of building in health-tech, and what it takes to turn a purpose-driven idea into a scalable business. She also shares her perspective on women’s health, inclusive healthcare innovation, entrepreneurship, and building ventures that create meaningful impact. From her St Andrews journey to building a growing health-tech company in India, this conversation offers an honest look at what it really takes to build with purpose.

July 18, 202642 min

Episode 45 - Startup Factory Roundtable Special, ourAI

In today's episode of Beyond StArtups, we're joined by the team behind ourAI, the winners of the Startup Factory St Andrews Regional: Pingting Bian, Florence Kemp, Oanh Vo and Shahrbano Ismail, alongside another team member who has chosen to remain anonymous. The team shares how they came together during the Startup Factory Sustainability Challenge, developed their winning idea in just a matter of hours, and went on to represent St Andrews at the Startup Factory National Final in Glasgow. They discuss the inspiration behind ourAI, a concept for encouraging more mindful and efficient AI use—and the process of refining their pitch under pressure. Listen to hear about the realities of startup ideation, the lessons they learned from pitching to experienced judges, why thinking bigger changed their perspective, and how the experience has inspired them to continue exploring entrepreneurship long after the competition ended.

June 29, 202627 min

Episode 44 - Sean Patton, No Limit Leaders

How do you rebuild after failure? In this episode of Beyond StArtups , Sean Patton, Executive Coach at Novus Global, entrepreneur, author, and leadership expert, shares the experiences that shaped his approach to leadership and business. From launching and losing his first company to building a highly successful business and coaching executives worldwide, Sean reflects on the roles of identity, resilience, and continuous learning in entrepreneurial success. He also explores why great leaders know when to persevere, when to adapt, and how coaching can unlock personal and professional growth.

May 18, 202618 min

Episode 43 - Joao Leitao, EIT IMPACT WHEEL Project

In this episode of Beyond StArtups , we’re joined by João Leitão, Vice-Rector of the University of Beira Interior and Associate Professor of Economics, to discuss how the IMPACTWHEEL project is helping universities across Europe move beyond traditional academic models to create measurable societal and entrepreneurial impact. IMPACTWHEEL is a €1.34M project running from 2025–2027, bringing together 10 institutions across Portugal, Slovakia, the United Kingdom, Spain, North Macedonia, Italy, and Latvia. The initiative has already delivered training and mentoring for around 800 students and staff, created new partnerships and support structures, and supported 13 startups. Together, we explore how IMPACTWHEEL is strengthening innovation ecosystems by connecting students, researchers, startups, and university leadership through a more impact-driven approach to higher education, entrepreneurship, collaboration, and knowledge transfer. 🌍 IMPACTWHEEL Website 📩 IMPACT WHEEL Newsletter Sign-Up 💼 IMPACTWHEEL LinkedIn 📸 Instagram: @impactwheel_eu 👤 João Leitão on LinkedIn