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
What If The Safest Place To Speak Up Is A Game Table
This episode is only available to subscribers.
Founder Friday by Canopy Community +
Get access to our entire back catalogueWe meet Charlene and Vicky, the co-founders of Role Resolve Therapy, and hear how tabletop roleplay becomes a practical way to build confidence and communication for children. We also talk honestly about neurodiversity, co-founder dynamics, community support at Derby, and the mindset that keeps founders going when it gets hard.
• discovering tabletop roleplay as a creative therapeutic approach during counselling and psychotherapy training
• turning game mechanics into structured support for social anxiety, confidence, and group communication
• moving from testimonials to impact reporting using teacher and pupil questionnaires
• linking the work to neurodivergent needs, school support, and EHCP-related goals
• balancing entrepreneurship with parenting and using purpose to protect time
• building a strong co-founder relationship through repair, honesty, and clear communication
• learning to pitch through Derby enterprise support and feedback that raises the bar
• using Canopy to connect, refine branding, and scale delivery through a wider team
• launching Inspire as a community app for female founders with free and paid tiers
• advice for first-time founders: follow passion and build a cheerleading network
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Canopy Community
The place for founders, start ups and entrepreneurs. For more episodes, or to access coaching, events, advice, networks, education and more, visit…
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