Shows / Searching for Mana with Lloyd Wahed
Searching for Mana with Lloyd Wahed
Searching for Mana explores how technology, capital and institutions are being reshaped in real time. Hosted by Lloyd Wahed, each episode features conversations with founders, investors and policymakers operating at the frontier, from AI and digital assets to global finance and government. These aren’t surface-level interviews. They’re focused on how things actually get built, scaled and implemented. The through-line is simple: what separates those who can turn change into advantage, and those…
Episodes
Searching for Mana with Lloyd WahedWhat is SPAC? #IWD special | Betsy Cohen, FinTech Masala
Betsy Cohen is the Chairman of FinTech Masala, a sponsor of numerous Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs) also known as blank-check companies - one of…
Searching for Mana with Lloyd WahedWhy do startups fail? | Tom Eisenmann, Harvard University
Why 90% of all startups fail? This week, Harvard Professor Tom Eisenmann joins Mimi Nguyen to discuss his new book - The Fail-Safe Startup. Focusing his…
Searching for Mana with Lloyd WahedWorld’s first climate-aware net zero pension | Ben Pollard, Cushon
Ben Pollard, co-founder and CEO at Cushon, sits down with Lloyd to talk about how his company became the world’s first net zero pension fintech. After entering…
Searching for Mana with Lloyd WahedInnovation delivered | Lukasz Marczyk, Accenture
This week, Mana Labs co-founder Mimi Nguyen speaks with Lukasz Marczyk from Accenture's Warsaw office. As an innovation leader and part of Accenture's…
Searching for Mana with Lloyd WahedImproving founders' mental health | Matus Maar, Talis Capital
This week, Lloyd delves into entrepreneurship and mental health as he welcomes Talis Capital's Matus Maar. As Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Talis, Matus…
Searching for Mana with Lloyd WahedHow Google nailed innovation in the mid-2000s | Vaughn Tan, University College London
Mana Labs Co-Founder Mimi Nguyen is in the host's seat this week as she discusses product innovation with University College London's Vaughn Tan. And Vaughn…
Searching for Mana with Lloyd WahedBlockchain investing: what you need to know | Andrea Bonaceto, Eterna Capital
Eterna Capital Partner Andrea Bonaceto joins Lloyd to talk about blockchain investing. Since launching in 2018, Eterna has provided seed and early-stage…
- Searching for Mana with Lloyd Wahed
Best Of 2020 Part Two | Romi Savova, Zihao Xu, Alf Rehn, Christian Busch
It was a big year for Searching for Mana, and that means one best-of show wasn’t enough. That’s right: we’re back with another edition of amazing clips from…
- Searching for Mana with Lloyd Wahed
Best Of 2020 Part One | Conrad Ford, Joe Parkin, Ned Phillips, Adam French
As 2020 draws to a close, we look back on some of the brightest moments from Searching for Mana over the past year. And what a line-up it is! Listen through…
Searching for Mana with Lloyd WahedDigital currencies: are they inevitable? | Andrzej Horoszczak, Billon
Billon Co-Founder and CTO Andrzej Horoszczak joins Lloyd from Poland to discuss how DLT could lead to the advent of fully digital currencies. It’s an episode…
Searching for Mana with Lloyd WahedCan blockchain solve financial inclusion? | Morten Christorp Nielsen, Aryze
Aryze CFO and Co-Founder Morten Christorp Nielsen joins Lloyd to discuss how digital assets have the potential to revolutionise financial inclusion. After…
Searching for Mana with Lloyd WahedThe right way to hire product managers | Ayman Jawhar, INSEAD and Rockwae
Mana Labs Co-Founder Mimi Nguyen is in the host’s chair this week as she and Ayman Jawhar tell us how to hire product managers properly. And who better to ask…
Searching for Mana with Lloyd WahedWill crypto end traditional finance? | Alex Mashinsky, Celsius Network
We’ve got blockchain on the brain this week as serial founder Alex Mashinsky sits down with Lloyd to talk DeFi, crypto and so much more. As Founder and CEO of…
Searching for Mana with Lloyd WahedHow the best CEOs make their own luck | Christian Busch, NYU and World Economic Forum
Luck is on your side this week as NYU and LSE faculty member Christian Busch joins Lloyd to discuss his new book, The Serendipity Mindset. The Director of…
Searching for Mana with Lloyd WahedIs innovation killing your company? | Alf Rehn, University of Southern Denmark
It’s time to get innovative as Lloyd welcomes acclaimed writer and speaker Alf Rehn. From becoming the youngest university chair in Finland to serving as a…
Searching for Mana with Lloyd WahedThe future of work is multiple jobs | Louise Beaumont, techUK
Dr. Louise Beaumont joins Lloyd for a far-reaching conversation that covers the future of open banking, the history of UK FinTech and everything happening in…
Searching for Mana with Lloyd WahedThe traits that make founders successful | Zihao Xu, Octopus Ventures
The future of money is here as Octopus Ventures Partner Zihao Xu sits down with Lloyd to discuss how he finds tomorrow’s fintech behemoths. After starting his…
Searching for Mana with Lloyd WahedWill ESG revolutionise pensions? | Romina Savova, PensionBee
PensionBee Founder and CEO Romina Savova joins Lloyd to examine a sector that’s ripe for disruption: pensions. That’s the idea behind PensionBee, which Romina…
Searching for Mana with Lloyd WahedAre big banks embracing open banking? | Georg Ludviksson, Meniga
Meniga Co-Founder and CEO Georg Ludviksson sits down with Lloyd to outline how to found a successful FinTech. That’s a topic Georg has plenty of first-hand…
Searching for Mana with Lloyd WahedWhy do so many Goldman Sachs alums start FinTechs? | Adam French, Scalable Capital
Scalable Capital Founder Adam French tells Lloyd Wahed how he went from a student at LSE to the founder of a wealthtech leader that partners with the world’s…
Searching for Mana with Lloyd WahedWhy every bank wants a robo advisor | Ned Phillips, Bambu
Searching for Mana dives deep into WealthTech this week as Ned Phillips (Founder and CEO of Bambu, co-host of the WealthTech UnWrapped podcast) sits down with…
Searching for Mana with Lloyd WahedFaster SME loans are on the way | Julie Ashmore Dann, Rapid Cash at NatWest
Julie Ashmore Dann (CEO, Rapid Cash at NatWest) sits down with Lloyd to talk about how her company is making loans simple for SMEs. After entering the industry…
Searching for Mana with Lloyd WahedBrexit, BoE and big changes in Q4 2020 | Michael Brown, Caxton FX
Michael Brown (Senior Market Analyst, Caxton FX) joins Lloyd for a special Thursday episode tackling the latest economic developments in the UK. Since joining…
Searching for Mana with Lloyd WahedHow to make it in fintech | Richard Davies, Allica Bank and Revolut
Richard Davies (CEO of Allica Bank, Non-Executive Director at Revolut) joins Lloyd to discuss the state of SME lending post-COVID and what it takes to succeed…
Searching for Mana with Lloyd WahedThe one trait financial consultants need to have | Gregory Pastore, Baringa
Gregory Pastore sits down with Lloyd and tells us how financial consultancies are preparing big banks for upcoming changes to global regulations. After…
Searching for Mana with Lloyd WahedThe best leaders are master psychologists | Beatriz Carrillo Garcia and Vivianna Rodriguez Carreon, University of Sydney
Drs Beatriz Carrillo Garcia and Vivianna Rodriguez Carreon talk to Lloyd and Mana Search Co-Founder Mimi Nguyen about the hidden factors in great leadership!…
Searching for Mana with Lloyd WahedUsing design to understand customers' needs | Jyothish Nair, McKinsey
Design: it’s a fundamental way for companies to understand their end users’ needs. Jyothish Nair understands this better than anyone. A VP and associate…
Searching for Mana with Lloyd WahedWhat is Boris Johnson's superpower? | Nicky Morgan, former UK Education Secretary
On a special edition of Searching for Mana, Lloyd chats with Nicky Morgan, Baroness Morgan of Cotes. After serving for over a decade in Parliament – a term…
Searching for Mana with Lloyd WahedHow crypto is boosting financial inclusion | Teana Baker-Taylor, Binance
This week, Binance UK Director Teana Baker-Taylor joins Lloyd for an enlightening chat about career progression, crypto and so much more! A financial veteran…
Searching for Mana with Lloyd WahedWhy culture is the future for financial consultancies | Joseph George, Dufrain
On this episode, Lloyd sits down with Joseph George, Managing Director and Partner at Dufrain. In his work with both Dufrain and Deloitte, Joseph has worked…
Searching for Mana with Lloyd WahedWhat FinTech can learn from academia | Dr Karen Elliott, Newcastle University
This week, Lloyd chats with Dr Karen Elliott, a Senior Lecturer in Enterprise/Innovation at Newcastle University. Karen was voted one of Innovate Finance’s…
Searching for Mana with Lloyd WahedHow to raise $50-million rounds | Charles Delingpole, Comply Advantage
[03:45]: Charlie explains the importance of anti-money laundering efforts and why it’s ‘the hardest problem within FinTech’. [16:20] After raising $40 million…
Searching for Mana with Lloyd WahedFrom Y Combinator to dominating the lending industry | Freddy Kelly, Credit Kudos
Freddy Kelly is the CEO and co-founder of Credit Kudos, a challenger credit bureau that uses financial behaviour to measure creditworthiness. Credit Kudos…
Searching for Mana with Lloyd WahedIssuing £1 billion on funding SMEs | Lara Gilman, iwoca
4:10 how was iwoca in 2014 at Series A and the power of people behind creating products and innovations (guest Mimi Nguyen) 7:21 iwoca in 2020 funding last…
Searching for Mana with Lloyd WahedHow tech promotes financial inclusion | Joe Parkin, BlackRock
Joe is Head of the UK Banks and Digital Channels business at BlackRock - The World's Largest Asset Manager. He is responsible for delivering BlackRock’s full…
Searching for Mana with Lloyd WahedIs the Middle East a tech goldmine? | Fiona Ghosh, Addleshaw Goddard
[00:05:00] Fiona talks us through her work overseeing one of the worlds largest strategic alliances between the Volkswagen Group and the Ford Motor Company…
Searching for Mana with Lloyd WahedThe tech advantage in investments | Christian Faes, LendInvest
Christian is the co-founder of LendInvest, the marketplace platform for property finance, and one of the leading Fintech businesses in the UK. The business has…
Searching for Mana with Lloyd WahedDigitising equity management | Christian Gabriel, Capdesk
Christian Gabriel is the CEO & Co-Founder of Capdesk - a social shareholder platform that makes investments in private growth companies accessible to all…
Searching for Mana with Lloyd WahedHolding FinTech accountable | Isabel Woodford, Sifted
For episode 3 of our second season - Lloyd was delighted to be joined by Isabel Woodford - Fintech Journalist at Sifted.eu the leading (and FT backed) media…
Searching for Mana with Lloyd WahedDoes FinTech lending have an SME problem? | Conrad Ford, ex-Funding Options
Breaking: Exclusively on Searching for Mana - Conrad reveals to us the details of his latest venture Conrad Ford is the founder of, SME finance broker, Funding…
Searching for Mana with Lloyd WahedEmpowering women in data science | Anna Brailsford, Code First Girls
To kick off Season Two of Searching for Mana - Lloyd was delighted to be joined by Anna Brailsford Anna is the CEO of Code First: Girls and a Board Member for…
Searching for Mana with Lloyd WahedBest of Season 1 - Feat. Julian Sawyer | Keith Grose | Rory Stirling | David Brear | Charlotte Crosswell | Ed Vaizey | David Keene | Nick Ogden | Husayn Kassai and more
It's the Season One Wrap Party - and to celebrate we are releasing a 'Best of' episode featuring highlights from our wonderful guests. Including: Nick Ogden -…
Searching for Mana with Lloyd WahedChanging the fabric of financial services | David Brear, 11:FS
This week Lloyd was joined by David Brear - founder and CEO of award-winning Fintech Consultancy 11:FS. Having worked on both the industry and consultancy side…
Searching for Mana with Lloyd WahedMeet the inventor of e-commerce | Nick Ogden, Funding Options
“You don’t pivot, you refine” This week we were delighted to be joined by noted entrepreneur and inventor of e-commerce, Nick Ogden From building the first…
Searching for Mana with Lloyd WahedFinTech with a social purpose | Peter Briffett, Wagestream
We were delighted to be joined by Peter Briffett - CEO and founder of Wagestream, the Fintech with a truly fantastic social purpose. Recorded from his amazing…
Searching for Mana with Lloyd WahedFinTech's machine learning revolution | Husayn Kassai, Onfido
We are thrilled to have with Searching for Mana our next guest Husayn Kassai, CEO and co-founder of Onfido. He is sharing with us his 8-year journey from…
Searching for Mana with Lloyd WahedWill COVID-19 accelerate digital transformation? | Charlotte Crosswell, Innovate Finance
"It doesn't really matter what your education is, you can make that change" - Charlotte Crosswell. Charlotte Crosswell is the CEO of Innovate Finance - the…
Searching for Mana with Lloyd WahedWhat government can learn from the tech industry | Ed Vaizey, House of Lords
Ed Vaizey was the UK’s longest-serving Minister for Technology, working for UK Prime Minister David Cameron from 2010-16. During his time as Minister, Vaizey…
Searching for Mana with Lloyd WahedPivoting from FinTech to TechFin | Melanie Palmer, Nucoro
In this episode, Lloyd Wahed is joined by Melanie Palmer - Chief Marketing Officer at Nucoro. The Nucoro Wealth Engine provides solutions to automate…
Searching for Mana with Lloyd WahedWhat VCs want in a founder | Rory Stirling, Connect Ventures
Our guest in this episode is Rory Stirling - Partner at Connect Ventures - the London based Venture Capital seed firm is a product-focused, seed stage firm…
- Searching for Mana with Lloyd Wahed
The UK's first licensed crypto bank | Oliver von Landsberg-Sadie, BCB Group
My guest this week is CEO of the leading business banking challenger for cryptocurrency and blockchain companies - BCB Group. Oliver von Landsberg-Sadie has…
- Searching for Mana with Lloyd Wahed
The API giant worth $5 billion | Keith Grose, Plaid
In Episode 9 of Searching For Mana, I had the pleasure of welcoming Keith Grose to the podcast, Head of UK for Plaid. After expanding into the UK and Europe…
- Searching for Mana with Lloyd Wahed
From Goldman Sachs to the UK's homegrown API platform | Shefali Roy, TrueLayer
In Episode 8 of Searching for Mana, I was delighted to be joined by Shefali Roy, COO & CCO at TrueLayer. Shefali was a brilliant guest. She had energy, she was…
- Searching for Mana with Lloyd Wahed
Why FinTechs need to be more like Spotify than HSBC | Julian Sawyer, Gemini
On Episode 7 of Searching for Mana, I had the chance to sit down with Julian Sawyer. Quite simply, Julian is an expert in the current FinTech market. He…
- Searching for Mana with Lloyd Wahed
The backend solutions behind the UK's biggest neobanks | Ray Brash, PPS
On Searching for Mana this week I was delighted to be joined by Ray Brash, CEO at PPS. In the podcast we cover everything from Ray's 15 incredibly successful…
- Searching for Mana with Lloyd Wahed
How to create a simplified culture | Richard Wagner, Cashplus
For episode 11 of Searching For Mana, I was delighted to welcome Richard Wagner, CEO of Cashplus. Cashplus are a leading UK challenger to banks and Richard has…
- Searching for Mana with Lloyd Wahed
How side projects can drive new business | Sasha Yanshin, Strategy Desk
Episode 5 is a juicy one as I was joined in conversation with Sasha Yanshin, Founder and MD at Strategy Desk. Sasha has helped industry leading businesses…
- Searching for Mana with Lloyd Wahed
The journey from big tech into FinTech | David Keene, Funding Options
I'm really excited to share the next podcast with you all, as I was joined by David Keene, Chief Marketing Officer at Funding Options. David had been a key…
- Searching for Mana with Lloyd Wahed
Moving money around the world for less | Dora Ziambra, Azimo
Fresh off the press - Dora Ziambra comes on to Searching for Mana to announce her promotion to Chief Operating Officer at Azimo! For anyone considering the…
- Searching for Mana with Lloyd Wahed
This company is killing paper receipts | Roisin Levine, Flux
The Head of Banks at Flux, Roisin Levine, comes on to discuss her journey since she graduated in History at the University of Bristol several years ago. Since…