Founders Forum Group

This week, we did something we've never done before 📢 We hosted our first CMO Forum, in partnership with Miroma Founders Network and Founders Makers. Not to pitch to CMOs. Not to sell them anything. But to create the space for 100 of the world's top Chief Marketing Officers from global brands and high-growth scaleups to share what's actually working and what isn't. Here's what came up: 🤖 AI is already rewriting the playbook – but the breakthrough isn't replacing talent, it's augmenting it. Miles Freeman (Multiverse), Rory O'Neill (Checkout.com) and Suresh Balaji (Lloyds Bank) shed light on how hybrid teams are winning. The key? Focus over breadth. 📈 Alex Schultz (Meta) and Mark Evans (The Marketing Society) spoke to the timeless principles of marketing. The core idea? Keep it simple: nail down your defining metrics, and remember that numbers, whether for brand building or direct response, are on your side. 🏆The secret to framing marketing performance for leadership? Translating marketing metrics into language that resonates with CFOs, CEOs, and boards. AJ Coyne shared how Monzo did exactly this – growing from 7M to 14M UK customers in 2 years whilst investing in brand during a category decline. 🎉 Champion the category, not just your brand. The most successful marketers aren't stealing share, they're creating their own categories. Kerttu Inkeroinen (Lucky Saint) and David Sandstrom (Klarna) showed us how leaning into existing consumer sentiments builds momentum. 🏟 The creator economy is teaching us about long-term trust. Sidemen Entertainment's journey to 23 million subscribers and sold-out stadiums isn't just about viral moments. Vikram Singh Barn (Sidemen) shared how 13 years of consistency, and authentic brand integrations made the Sidemen synonymous with YouTube. Our CMO Forum represents something bigger: we're not only convening founders. We're supporting every function that drives growth in the innovative companies our community is building. To fully support entrepreneurs, we need to support their A-teams too. So here’s to the first of many CMO Forums and building this brilliant community. A huge thank you to all our speakers, and to our partners RTL AdAlliance, Canva, and Ocean Outdoor UK! If you're building one of the world's most exciting or high-growth brands and want to join the next CMO Forum, get in touch at csuite@ff.co. #CMOForum #FoundersForum #WhereTheFutureUnfolds #Marketing #Leadership #Brand #GrowthMarketing #AIinMarketing Brent Hoberman Carolyn Dawson Emily Miller Marc Boyan Richard Stanton Toby Strangewood Alistair MacCallum Abigail Morrish York ✌️ Faraz Aghaei Nicholas Horowitz Merryn Mackinnon

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The UK’s climate tech sector is entering its most pivotal moment yet. Today, we’re pulling back the curtain on the data driving this shift, and the changes we need to make right now. Introducing UK Climate Tech 2026: The Next Chapter for UK Climate Innovation, published in partnership with EDF. Our insights reveal a sector at a crucial crossroad: ⚡ Investment has reset sharply - Funding has fallen 67% since 2023, yet early-stage climate innovation is proving far more resilient than expected. 🔧 Hardware still carries the sector - 70% of UK climate market value sits in hardware, but it’s the area most constrained by capital. 🤖 A widening divide between AI and climate tech - While AI breaks global records, climate tech funding has dropped back to 2020 levels — with profound implications for founders and investors. But that’s only part of the picture. Inside the report, we also explore: 🌍 Where the next international and regional climate clusters are emerging. 🧠 AI’s integral role in accelerating climate and nature solutions. 🚀 What founders say they need to scale in the UK,  plus insights from the UK’s leading climate investors. 🌱 The 25 startups to watch redefining material science, decarbonising AI infrastructure, transforming logistics, restoring biodiversity, and building the next generation of climate and nature infrastructure. If you’re building, backing, or shaping climate and nature tech, this is essential reading: https://lnkd.in/efN-c_TN Carolyn Dawson Sammy Fry Marco De Novellis Imogen Granger Demi Crook Ella Ross Russell

APAC is the world’s biggest ChatGPT user base - and OpenAI is doubling down. As part of our Global AI Founder Playbook, Oliver J. shares how OpenAI is scaling globally, why Singapore is becoming the gateway for AI adoption, and what founders need to know as the shift from experiments to real deployment accelerates. “The pace of innovation is moving so fast that a wait-and-see approach could leave you behind,” he warns. Learn more and read the full interview here 👉 https://lnkd.in/e24HvQu8

Wondering what these powerhouse brands have in common? They’re all joining us next week for Founders Forum’s first ever CMO Forum. Stay tuned for more... #CMOForum #FoundersForum #WhereTheFutureUnfolds #Marketing #CMOs Brent Hoberman Carolyn Dawson Emily Miller Marc Boyan Richard Stanton Toby Strangewood Alistair MacCallum Abigail Morrish York ✌️ Faraz Aghaei Nicholas Horowitz Merryn Mackinnon  Founders Makers Miroma Founders Network

Exiting a company is a milestone - but it’s also the beginning of an entirely new chapter. Carly Burrows, Head of Corporate Finance at HSBC Innovation Banking, breaks down the three steps every founder should take to turn an exit into long-term freedom, purpose, and momentum. From defining what you want your wealth to do next, to building a tailored plan that protects your future, the guidance is grounded, practical, and shaped by years of working with founders at pivotal moments. This interview is part of our UK Exit 50, where we unpack the UK’s top exits and IPOs - and the strategies, timing decisions, and wealth-planning choices that shaped them. If you’ve recently exited, or you’re planning for that moment ahead, happy reading! Click here 👉 https://lnkd.in/efrGNrZ9

Are you a startup founder, employee, or investor building in Europe? The annual Female Innovation Index Survey 2026 has just launched! Your voice will help paint the most accurate picture of Europe’s innovation landscape ahead of the 2026 Index launch in March. FF is a proud partner of the Female Innovation Index, one of Europe’s largest initiatives that maps funding and innovation driven by female entrepreneurs. Take the survey here: https://lnkd.in/e6uJ4ADk Female Foundry Agata Leliwa Nowicka #FemaleInnovationIndex2026 #FoundersForum #Innovation #Startups #AI #femalefounders

AI agents, computational democracy, and the GLP-1 revolution – here's what 300 of the world's top tech founders are talking about right now. Last week at FF North America, we gathered technology leaders across 17 countries in New York to tackle the biggest questions facing tech today.  Here’s a glimpse into the day’s conversations… 🤖 95% of Gen AI pilots are failing - AI agents are entering businesses, but implementation remains hard 🏛️ Big Tech now controls 75% of US GDP – and the choice between computational democracy vs autocracy is ours to make 💰 With market uncertainty, exit strategy matters more than ever 💊 GLP-1s are bending the US healthcare cost curve for the first time in history ⚡ Energy constraints, not models, are the real AI bottleneck We heard from Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi on autonomous vehicles, Meredith Whittaker on preserving human agency in AI systems, Noubar Afeyan on the moonshot thinking that created mRNA vaccines, Wyclef Jean on where music meets machine, and other revolutionary thinkers on what our future might look like. Read our 5 takeaways from FF North America 2025 👇 https://lnkd.in/erXDAhC9 #FoundersForum #WhereTheFutureUnfolds #AI #TechLeadership #Founders #Innovation #Healthcare

We've spent years bringing together the world's most ambitious leaders to share insights on building, scaling, and exiting companies. But there's one conversation that keeps coming up: how do you sustain the performance required to do it all? Prioritising your health and well-being. And because we know that’s easier said than done, we’re excited to share that Founders Health - a dedicated service designed specifically for high performers - will help put a lot of this on autopilot. Founders Health offers: 🩺 Personalised longevity strategies built around your lifestyle and goals 💪 Performance optimisation that actually fits into a busy schedule 🤝 A community-led approach This follows the recent announcement of The Longevity Show series and reflects what we're hearing across our community: health isn't a luxury. It's foundational. Early member benefits include a complimentary consultation with Chief Medical Officer, Dr Nirusha Kumaran, discounted rates on aesthetic treatments, priority access to the 2026 programme launch, and year-round health and performance events. Get in touch with Isobel Glanville-Pearl or follow this link https://lnkd.in/er3M-kM2 if you’re interested in learning more. #FoundersHealth #FoundersForum #WhereTheFutureUnfolds #FounderWellbeing #Longevity #PerformanceOptimisation

How are CFOs adapting, investing, and leading in the age of AI? In our Tech CFO Survey 2025, published in partnership with Harmonic Finance™ | Certified B Corp, we explore how finance leaders are navigating this pivotal moment. While AI promises to revolutionise financial operations, the reality is more nuanced. CFOs are embracing change, but transformation takes time, investment, and strategic vision. Our key takeaways: ⭐ 1 in 2 CFOs expect significant evolution in their role due to AI – but adoption remains slow (less than 1% have fully embedded AI) ⭐ Automation is advancing, but not yet transforming how CFOs work or structure their teams. ⭐ CFO compensation remains strong, with salaries, bonuses, and equity reinforcing their strategic value. ⭐ CFOs lack confidence in the UK economy (just 12% confident), but are doubling down on AI, skills, and growth. Launched at this year’s CFO Forum, co-hosted with Cooper Parry, the survey shows how finance leaders have emerged as key strategic partners to the founders and CEOs in our community, shaping not just financial strategy but the entire business trajectory. 🔗 Scoop the insights here: https://ff.co/cfo-trends/