James Addlestone

I spoke to the BBC today about why platforms like Netflix are turning to creators like Mark Rober, Ms Rachel and The Sidemen. A few thoughts: - Creators aren’t overnight successes. They’ve cultivated audiences over years, relentlessly testing, iterating and learning. That track record makes them lower-risk bets for streamers than having large in-house development teams. - They’re multi-skilled. Creators are often, or have been, their own directors, writers, producers and editors. That agility and creative discipline is something broadcasters and streamers would love to bottle. - Validation still matters. For creator groups like The Sidemen, there’s kudos (and commercial upside) in working with Netflix - but it also hedges against the algorithmic volatility of YouTube. One tweak and views fall, and a business model wobbles. There's a symbiosis emerging, in sports and entertainment. Platforms need creators as much as creators need platforms. We're seeing a delicate dance of reach, legitimacy and risk. Fascinating times. Article in comments.

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I believe the UK has a real opportunity to lead a new, ethical model for growth with digital labour. In a recent piece for The Guardian, I shared my thoughts on how people and agentic AI can work together. Our goal is to augment human capabilities, not replace humans. We’re achieving this by automating routine tasks and freeing up teams to concentrate on strategic, high-impact work. We're already seeing the results firsthand. Our AI agents have now handled over 1 million customer conversations, showing how digital labour can alleviate routine queries and let our teams focus on the complex challenges that drive real value. I hope you'll read the full article to explore how we can build a more dynamic, hybrid workforce for the future: https://lnkd.in/eVDB_sYt

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“The UK has the best talent in the world, but we sometimes lack ambition”   Grateful for Neil Buchanan @ Lodestar Space (‘bodyguards for satellites’) inspiring and educating our emerging founders spinning out from UK Atomic Energy Authority (thank you) > If you’re pre-idea and pre-cofounder you’ll benefit from doing the Entrepreneurs First programme (if you can get on). The speed of learning and environment truly accelerate founders > Unlocking early adopter demand: LinkedIn outreach, speak to people with common interests, build networks, keep the cadence of outreach, running a customer discovery process (‘mom test’ - Rob Fitzpatrick ) > Sizing the opportunity: top down look for $10BNs to $100BNs market problems and then look bottom up with an eye to the future. Bottom up is always the sobering one and should be your north star - never lie to your team, investors and worst of all: yourself.  > Engaging VCs often: reduce the risk as much as possible (team, market, tech) show how you’re hiring to fit a few key gaps can be fine > Founders need to be confident to be selective with the investors they partner with. Being mindful if you’re taking investment from a key player in an industry (is it for their ultimate M&A activity, is it going to impact your sales). Ideally you’re ambitious and don’t want an early exit but also investment from a defence prime if you’re dual use can unlock channels > Building for dual use or defence? Prioritise USA GTM in the short term. > Finding non-dilutive sources of cash: run a process to identify relevant organisations, keep an open mind / keep it wide to keep options open. Keeping burn low you can achieve a lot prior to dilutive capital > Don’t get distracted by the shiny numbers of a big raise - it's needed for strong talent acquisition & credibility boosting but the best talent will resonate with the high impact mission & tech dev to get there - the rest of your time for focus on where it needs to be: customers and sales > Geopolitics impacting decisions on which markets to target, hiring decisions, who to have on the cap table ▪️If you’re an investor / founder and you’d like to do a lunchtime Q&A to educate and inspire our emerging founders please DM

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It was incredibly inspiring to meet Matt Clifford, co-Founder and Chair of Entrepreneurs First, Prime Minister's Keir Starmer Adviser on Al Opportunities(to step down in the end of July), the 100 most influential people in AI by TIME, at London Tech Week🇬🇧 Matt Clifford is arguably the single most influential architect of the UK's AI strategy, a unique figure bridging tech entrepreneurship, policy, and global diplomacy. His recent decision to step back as the PM's AI Opportunities Adviser for family reasons is a major moment. Here's why he stands out: 1. The Ultimate Bipartisan AI Brain: ✅ Conservatives: -Co-founded the UK's AI Safety Institute & orchestrated the landmark 2023 Bletchley Park AI Safety Summit under Rishi Sunak ✅ Labour: Authored the AI Opportunities Action Plan (Jan 2025) – and PM Starmer accepted all 50 recommendations, appointing him lead adviser. Both major parties leaned heavily on his vision. 2. From Startup Accelerator to Whitehall: As co-founder of Entrepreneurs First (EF), he lived the startup world, spotting and backing early AI talent. This deep entrepreneurial DNA informs his policy work – he understands what founders and scale-ups need. (EF's success with companies like Tractable provided his launchpad). 3. The "AI Diplomat": He didn't just advise inside government. He operated globally, brokering key meetings (Rishi Sunak/Sam Altman!) and building bridges with leading AI companies and international powers. His newsletter was a catalyst, catching the eye of Whitehall insiders years ago. 4. Tangible Blueprint for UK AI Dominance: His Action Plan isn't abstract. It's the roadmap aiming to: ▪️”Mainline AI into the veins" of the UK economy (Starmer's words). ▪️Boost sovereign capability & £2bn compute investment. ▪️Attract top global AI talent & entrepreneurs. ▪️Drive AI adoption for productivity & public good. ▪️Position the UK as an AI exporter, not just importer. 5. Institutional Builder: Beyond policy, he helped create key bodies: Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) Chair (UK's DARPA-like agency) and the AI Safety Institute. He shapes the infrastructure, not just the ideas. Matt Clifford stepping back (with the door open for return) is significant. He leaves behind a robust framework – the Action Plan being implemented, institutions built, and £2bn pledged. He proved the UK can be agile and ambitious on AI, transcending political cycles. His legacy is a UK strategically positioned, thanks to an entrepreneur who became its most trusted AI compass.

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I’m on my way to Zurich to talk agentic with the board of one of our long standing Consumer Products clients and I’m reading a piece in The Times by Kathryn Parsons MBE, founder of Decoded and co-chair of GBx about whether it’s time to hire a Head of AI. She is on-track, especially in my world of FMCG, luxury, and retail. This role isn’t about hiding behind buzz words and hopping on the hype train; it’s about a seat at board, translating AI ambition into tangible business value. The IBM Institute for Business Value’s 2025 CEO Study has framed the urgency: • Only 25% of AI initiatives delivered on expectations in the past three years • Just 16% have scaled enterprise-wide • Yet 61% of CEOs are already deploying AI agents • Investment in AI is set to more than double in the near term • 31% of AI leaders now report directly to the CEO, up from 17% in 2023 That’s a real gap between ambition and impact - one that’s costly in an industry that’s desperate to save money right now to fuel growth. Take Nestlé: in collaboration with IBM Research, they’ve developed a regenerative AI tool - leveraging a custom chemical language model and regression transformer - to accelerate the discovery of sustainable, high-barrier packaging materials that protect products while improving recyclability and reducing development time. And L'Oréal? They’re co-creating a first-of-its-kind AI foundation model with IBM to support sustainable cosmetic formulation - helping its 4,000 R&I scientists source eco-friendly ingredients, cut waste, and deliver faster product innovation aligned with their “L’Oréal for the Future” vision. These aren’t POCs or pilots - they’re real, scalable AI programmes building measurable business and ESG value. So what? Moving AI from POC to profit requires someone with both industry sensibility and technical fluency. That’s exactly what a Head of AI should bring - a strategic custodian who unifies vision, governance, and commercial delivery. #ItsAGreatTimeToBeAnIBMer Not just a consulting company #ConsumerProducts #Luxury #Retail 🔗 The Times article: https://lnkd.in/evQVzQEn 🔗 IBM IBV CEO Study: https://lnkd.in/emszmZwW

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