About

Unfiltered conversations from women in start-ups and VC.

Real stories. Unfiltered insights. A space for women in venture and startups to share their journey, in their words.

Off the Record is a blog and podcast dedicated to spotlighting the real, unfiltered experiences of women in venture capital and entrepreneurship. From the untold challenges of raising capital to the behind-the-scenes realities of scaling a startup, this is where female founders and investors get real about what it takes to navigate the industry.

Here, we go beyond the headlines to bring you the raw, real, and rarely told stories of female founders and investors. We share the hard lessons, the big wins, and the near misses from women who are changing the face of venture and entrepreneurship—one deal, one pitch, and one breakthrough at a time.

Whether you're a founder seeking insight, an investor looking for fresh perspectives, or simply curious about the stories behind the success, Off the Record is where the conversations that don’t happen in the boardroom finally take centre stage.

Because let’s be honest, the best stories aren’t always on the record.

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Investing in Women: Will Reeves’ Budget Deliver for Female-Led Startups?

Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves It’s been a whirlwind few months for the UK since Labour swept into office with their majority win in July. Chancellor Rachel Reeves, the first female Chancellor of the Exchequer, marched us into September with the revelation of a £22bn “black hole” in public finances. By the end of October, Reeves unveiled a new budget boldly branded as “the budget to rebuild Britain”—but at what cost? Over the past year, the UK economy has gained momentum, with gross domestic product (GDP) returning to growth in the first half of 2024 and inflation reaching 2.0% in May—hitting the Bank of England’s target for the first time since 2021. Despite these successes, a £22bn public finance overspend has prompted a tough autumn budget that delivers pay rises for some but taxes for many, including those in enterprise and innovation. With the first female Chancellor’s budget now released, let’s examine what she has said about supporting female-led innovation. Female-l...

From the Kitchen Table to a Mentorship Platform for Corporate Women: The Story behind TALO

Jade Bentwood, Founder/CEO of TALO What happens when a finance powerhouse hits a wall? For Jade Bentwood , it was the catalyst for TALO. After a decade of working in finance and building a women’s wealth division from the ground up, Jade knew the corporate landscape well, but it wasn’t until maternity leave that she saw the cracks in how senior female talent was really supported. The real story behind TALO began at the kitchen table, surrounded by a group of senior female leaders and their babies, admitting that the “corporate dream” wasn’t built for them. Experiencing the sharp disconnect between corporate leadership and the reality of motherhood, Jade realised that “support” for women in business was too often just a policy on paper, not a lived reality. So, she built TALO to change that. Today, we go Off the Record with Jade, as she gets candid about leaving corporate life, the loneliness of the founder journey, and why she’s stopped manifesting a 5 a.m....

Beyond the Boardroom: Sam Smith on Building, Scaling, and Leading

Sam Smith, Founder of finnCap Sam Smith is a trailblazing entrepreneur and was the first - and youngest - woman to run a stockbroking firm in the City of London. At just 33, she led the management buyout of her corporate advisory and brokerage division at JM Finn, which she had been building since 1998. After the MBO in 2007, Sam grew finnCap's revenues to £52 million, before stepping back in 2022 to pursue other interests. Sam still retains her shareholding in the business. Today, through her new venture , The SuperScalers , Sam is helping other high-growth female founders take their companies beyond the £50 million mark. We sat down with Sam to hear her reflections on building finnCap, the lessons she’s learned along the way, and the qualities she believes define truly successful entrepreneurs. Where did entrepreneurship...

Off the Record.

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