David Hickson, Founders Factory - The Pragmatic Art of Startup Fundraising

David’s 20-year career contains some remarkable highs: overseeing Lastminute.com’s $1.2bn exit to Travelocity, merging mydeco.com with Made.com, founding Tribesports and raising £2m from Adidas, acting as an NED for Simba Sleep and now as part of the founding team, alongside Brent Hoberman and Henry Lane Fox, of award-winning accelerator and incubator Founders’ Factory, (where we are fortunate enough to record these podcasts). But this glittering CV which David describes as ‘a drunkard’s stumble rather than a best laid plan’ is only part of the story. Despite the security of a wonderful career and loving family, David has been hospitalised by acute mental illness on three occasions. A story which he bravely shares at the end of the episode. This is by far our longest podcast - a testament to the breadth of David’s experience. His story and life learnings are entertaining and thrilling, while his strong views on the early-stage startup eco-system and fundraising will be of specific interest to entrepreneurs, investors and corporates.