We're a group of driven and creative doers, working together to enable and empower the entrepreneurial ecosystems we support.
Startbook was founded by Maxx, the full-time solo founder, who (like any early-stage founder) leads on business development, operations and any activity that moves the business forward...he can even sometimes be found in the code π¨βπ» fixing a bug π or deploying a small feature every now and then. Startbook is supported by a community of part-time contractors.
Maxx Turing
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Founder
Entrepreneurially-minded, resourceful and driven creative problem solver with a decade of experience as an operational leader in early-stage. Intellectually curious, highly organised and detail-oriented. Diverse skill set paired with a growth mindset and a strong focus on the customer. He holds an MBA (Hons) from Quantic and an MA (Hons) in Cell and Systems Biology from the University of Oxford.
Justen Barget
he/him/his
Senior Software Engineer
8+ years experience as a full stack software engineer utilising multiple technologies with broad experience across industries and sectors. Founded and ran a profitable events business whilst studying at university. He holds a first class BSc (Hons) in Chemistry from the University of Bristol.
We collaborate with our network of expert facilitators to provide unique entrepreneurial education experiences. From engaging workshops to challenging programmes and inspiring presentations, we tailor our approach to our clients' needs. Our varied clients include universities, startup co-working spaces and schools - a recent example being when we taught entrepreneurial skills to 180 year 10 students at a comprehensive school in Brent.
Sallar Al Mulla
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People & Partnerships
Sallar worked on various infrastructure projects in Iraq, including setting up the country's first mobile network. He also founded a high-performance karting company, which grew into 3 locations in 2 countries. He's currently changing the way we feed our children convenience foods with Omami.
Ben Curtis
he/him/his
E-commerce
Founder of e-commerce businesses Mouldd and Hobby Store Group. Ben manages four online storefronts with an active customer base of 25,000+. His expertise covers e-commerce strategy, merchandising, digital marketing, digital process automation and sourcing in China.
Chandler Waggoner
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Public Speaking
Founder of Chandler's Chandles, actor, writer and educator with a passion for storytelling. He trained in acting at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama and studied writing for performance at the University of St Andrews. He graduated from the College of Arts & Sciences at Cornell University.
Jessica Barlow
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Public Relations
Jess started two businesses in the middle of a pandemic. The first, No Agency Method, is making PR easy enough for startups to do it themselves and the second, Sunday Care Therapy, is a new way of delivering personalised, at-home care in the UK.
George Taktak
he/him/they/them π³οΈβπ
Mental Health
Writer, inventor and social entrepreneur. Founder of How Mental, a 800,000+ community making wellbeing the global priority, and Lifeing, an app solving the mental health crisis in young people. George is interested in how we use technology to make mental healthcare fast and accessible to all.
Yasmine Manshadi
she/her/hers
Operations
Exerienced operator at HealthTech startup Skin Analytics, building AI for skin cancer detection. Recognised as one of the Barclays Future 100 Women to Watch and featured in the Ernst & Young βWoman Before Meβ Campaign. Published author in the Journal of Clinical Medicine.
Thomas Abbott
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Product Management
Katerina Pascoulis
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Product Management
Katerina is a full-time Product Manager at Stripe. Previously HealthTech PM at Thriva and Lantum. Former Co-founder & CEO of Personably (2017 - 2019). Kat has spoken about her career path on the GeekGirl Meets podcast and funding her previous startup on Pursuit Podcast.
Kiran Thadhani
she/her/hers π³οΈβπ
Conflict & Culture
Kiran is a facilitator, mediator, and negotiator. She has spent over a decade working in conflict resolution in the charity sector across North America, Europe and Asia, before pivoting into working as an organisational and culture change consultant, currently at Kin&Co.
Jo Barrow
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Commercial Strategy
Jo is a former journalist turned senior commercial and marketing strategist, with seven years experience in building high growth startups as an early employee. She is now Co-founder & CEO of Curb, using technology to help people to change addictive behaviours.
Ishan Wijewardana
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Growth & Marketing
Ishan is a medical doctor and management consultant by background, with significant experience starting and scaling startups across various sectors. He is now Co-founder and CGO at Bakkali, which is making grocery shopping for cultural communities easier.
Haami Nyangibo
she/her/hers π³οΈβπ
Creative Technology
Haami is a software engineer with a background in the arts. She has a passion for digital arts and creative tech. As she transitioned from the art world to the tech world she noticed a gap in the digital fine arts market, which she is serving with her venture, Nyangibo Gallery.
Samuel Ade
he/him/his
Inspiration & Mindset
Samuel is an entrepreneur with a heart for people, focused on changing attitudes and shifting culture. He's the Founder of DESC and Ilana, empowering black designers to make it in fashion. He is also a Trustee at FAST London.
Alexander Dobb
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Media & Videography
Alexander started his first business at age 14 selling freestyle scooter parts across the UK, which led him to work with brands as a media consultant and producer. He now runs Add+ Agency, working with commercial brands to create photo, film, graphic and web content.