Founder Friday
Founder Friday
Leveraging entrepreneurship as a tool for social mobility.
That's the mission behind Canopy Community and the Founder Friday podcast.
We believe talent is everywhere, but opportunity isn't.
Too many people never start a business because they never see someone like themselves become a founder. They assume entrepreneurship belongs to people with different backgrounds, different education, different connections or different resources.
We're here to change that.
In each episode, host Stewart Noakes sits down with founders from around the world to uncover the stories that rarely make the headlines. Together they explore the uncertainty, resilience, failures, breakthroughs and defining moments that shape entrepreneurial journeys.
These aren't polished success stories.
They're honest conversations about building something from nothing.
Our hope is simple.
One story at a time, we want every listener to discover someone they can relate to and think:
"If they can do it, maybe I can too."
Because there isn't one route into entrepreneurship.
- Founders come from cities and villages.
- From universities and factories.
- From boardrooms and bedrooms.
- From privilege and from adversity.
Some are parents. Some are students. Some are immigrants. Some start at 18, others at 68.
Every journey is different, yet has similarities regardless of the origin.
Every story matters.
Every conversation helps widen the picture of what a founder looks like.
Whether you're exploring your first idea, validating an MVP, finding customers, raising investment or simply wondering whether entrepreneurship could be part of your future, Founder Friday offers practical insights and authentic stories from people who are actively building.
Produced by Canopy Community, one of Europe's leading startup communities, Founder Friday is part of a bigger mission:
To leverage entrepreneurship as a tool for social mobility by making founders more visible, more relatable and more accessible to the next generation.
Because changing one life doesn't always start with funding.
Sometimes it starts with a story.
And perhaps the next story you hear will be the one that changes yours.
🎙️ Follow Founder Friday for new episodes as they drop.
🌱 Learn more about Canopy Community: https://www.canopy.community/
👋 Connect with Stewart Noakes: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stewartnoakes/
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Founder Friday
Fear of regret drives me more than fear of failure.
This episode is only available to subscribers.
Founder Friday by Canopy Community +
Get access to our entire back catalogueRob Kramer shares his journey as a serial entrepreneur who has built businesses across Ireland, Portugal, and Brazil, driven by his "fear of regret" and desire to live life on his own terms.
• Austrian by birth but citizen of the world, having lived in Ireland, Portugal and Brazil
• Started his first wholesale distribution company while still in college
• Currently runs "the world's sexiest bakery" according to Yahoo News
• Survived a near-fatal accident at 19 that gave him a new perspective on life
• Works successfully with his girlfriend as a business partner, challenging conventional wisdom
• Finds inspiration from unusual sources including Grand Theft Auto and Arnold Schwarzenegger
• Values complementary skills and shared mission over personal affinity in co-founder relationships
• Advocates for "owning the chaos" and starting imperfectly rather than waiting for perfect conditions
Just start now and perfect it later - there's no such thing as perfect, so if you fight for perfection, you're lost.
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Canopy Community
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