E6 | S2: Cleaning Up Space : How Nobu Okada’s childhood dream launched into orbit. 

From the devastation of the 1995 Kobe earthquake to revolutionising space sustainability and safety, Nobu Okada’s journey is nothing short of extraordinary. Witnessing the tragic impact of the disaster—where over 6,000 lives were lost and his own family was displaced – ignited Nobu’s drive to make a difference. After a diverse career in government finance, IT consulting and start-ups, he founded Astroscale to address the critical issue of space debris orbiting Earth. In this episode, we dive into Nobu’s inspiring entrepreneurial path, exploring how he transformed his childhood dream into a groundbreaking venture, raised hundreds of millions in funding, and took Astroscale public this year.

E5 | S2: Culture-Hacking, Transforming Millions of Lives : The Story of Kuntal Fisher.

Imagine being able to play a small part in bringing life-changing treatments to patients, giving people hope, and allowing them to spend a little more time with loved ones. Making a positive difference in people’s lives is more than just a mission statement for founder and CEO Kuntal Fisher—it’s a way of life. Together with her husband Mark, Kuntal has built a hugely successful business, FIECON, that makes life-changing treatments and healthcare more accessible to all. Their work is saving lives every day. In this episode, we dive into the story behind FIECON and how Kuntal’s own battle with illness reignited her passion for science, fuelling her determination to make a difference in the healthcare industry, but her impact doesn’t stop there. She’s also on a personal mission to invest in, mentor, and share knowledge with other female founders, helping to level the playing field.

E4 | S2: Culture First = Better Business Innovation : Entrepreneur Rob Pierre had it all worked out.  

From selling goldfish to his classmates in Trinidad, to becoming one of the most successful media leaders in the UK, Rob Pierre learnt the art of entrepreneurship from a young age. From growing Jellyfish into a multimillion-pound digital marketing powerhouse with clients including Netflix and Google, to exiting the company to impart his learnings and help guide other businesses to sustainable growth. This episode offers a true masterclass in maintaining a small business mindset whilst achieving commercial success without compromising on your values and personal beliefs.

E3 | S2: From Revolution to Serial Founder : Shirin Dehghan’s Tech Journey. 

Escaping the revolution in Iran, engineering entrepreneur Shirin Dehghan moved to the UK at the age of 14. Despite the challenges, she learned the language and pursued a degree in engineering and electronics. Shirin’s perseverance paid off when she founded her first company, eventually selling it for £85 million.

Now the CEO of Oxford Algorithms, Shirin shares her inspiring journey of hope, from a childhood passion for science through the challenges of losing a multi-million euro deal to becoming one of the UK’s most successful women in tech.

E2 | S2: The Accidental Innovator – How Ben Maruthappu transformed healthcare. 

After witnessing the transformative impact of science and treatments on patients’ lives, Ben Maruthappu’s path led him to become an unexpected innovator in healthcare, ultimately founding and becoming the CEO of Cera, Europe’s largest and fastest-growing digital-first home healthcare company. In this episode we hear how Ben discovered a passion for helping others, by making a difference to their lives through powerful, and often personal, experiences.

E1 | S2: How Our Tech Future Was Invented by General Magic

If you’re interested in technology, innovation and the history of Silicon Valley, join Megan Smith, former U.S. Chief Technology Officer, and Sarah Kerruish, Emmy-nominated filmmaker and CSO at Kheiron Medical, as they share their inspiring stories. Learn how the collapse of General Magic laid the foundation for today’s tech landscape and transformed the lives of billions. Discover how former employees turned setbacks into ground breaking successes, developing innovations like the iPod and launching companies such as eBay and Android. Take a captivating journey through the highs and lows of tech history with these two remarkable founders.

EP8: From scale-up to global force

The Story of Oxford Instruments

In our final episode of this series, hear from Oxford University’s very first spin-out, Oxford Instruments, and find out what success really feels like when you solve the business of science.

It’s time to talk about establishing yourself as a global leader. What are the challenges as your business gains momentum, and what defines success in the eyes of the world?

In just over six decades, Oxford Instruments has stamped its mark on the worldwide scientific community, having created and developed one of the greatest medical advances of modern times the MRI scanner.

EP7: Growing pains

Navigating funding and funders



From idea, to funding your business and maintaining the flow of capital as your business grows. Hear from venture partner and innovation expert, Sam Gyimah and Sherry Coutu, serial entrepreneur and investor, as they discuss what sort of funding is best for you, who you can turn to for investment, and what some of the pitfalls to avoid are, when growing your science business.

EP6: Tackling the talent challenge

From diversity to discovery

Businesses of the future are going to be based on science and technology, from AI to mRNA and Blockchain to Fusion, science and technology are revolutionising the way we work and being applied to the global challenges of our time. Join Hannah Prevett, a business journalist with The Times, every Thursday, as she meets the scientists who are turning breakthroughs into world changing businesses. If you’re wondering how to turn your idea into a lab-based discovery, deliver the perfect pitch to secure funding and grow, all whilst avoiding pitfalls along the way, then join us as we help solve the science of business.