Advertise on podcast: Jazz Shapers

Inventor and author William Kamkwamba, and serial entrepreneur Tom Rielly are the co-founders of Moving Windmills Project, an NGO empowering young change-makers in rural Malawi. William and Tom join Elliot to talk about William's incredible journey from being been forced - aged 14 - to drop out of school during a famine, and how his attempts to solve his family’s problems by building his own windmill,  led to his story being adapted into a book, a film and now a musical theatre show.

Radha Vyas is the co-founder of Flash Pack, the adventure travel company for like-minded solo travellers.  Radha joins Elliot to chat about the life-changing impact of a viral selfie in Brazil and how, despite near bankruptcy (when the pandemic forced their business into administration) they managed to start Flash Pack all over again.

Elliot speaks to legendary musician, producer and Eurythmics co-founder Dave Stewart and serial entrepreneur and investor Dominic Joseph, co-founders of Rare Entity, a venture-builder dedicated to creating game-changing ventures that shape culture and protect artists and creators. Dave and Dom chat to Elliot about fame, trust, collaborating and what it means to try and make beautiful meaningful things.   

Priya Downes is the founder of Nudea, a B Corp certified underwear brand creating underwear and sleepwear from natural and recycled materials. Priya joins Elliot to talk about being drawn towards work with a bigger meaning' and the joy of shaping a brand to the values that matter to you.  

David Benigson is the co-founder and CEO of Signal AI, a reputation and risk intelligence company. David joins Elliot for a special Jazz Shapers Encore, returning to the show to talk about the next stage of Artificial intelligence and to share what he feels are the most useful skills for children to develop.

Kathleen Saxton is the founder of The Lighthouse Company, a leadership headhunting firm, and co-founder of Psyched Ventures, a coaching and psychotherapy business. Kathleen joins Elliot to share how the fight in her helped her overcome the impacts of becoming homeless aged 11. And she talks about her love for connecting with and understanding others.

Will Pearson is the co-founder of Ocean Bottle, a company dedicated to enabling individuals around the world to make a global impact on ocean plastic. Will joins Elliot to talk about how witnessing the side effects of plastic consumption while working as a deck-hand in the Indian ocean, led him to co-launch a business where each reusable water bottle sold, funds the collection of 1000 ocean-bound plastic bottles. 

Jonathan Simmons is the co-founder of digital agency Zone, co-founder of experiences marketplace Yuup and CEO of NPC - New Philanthropy Capital - a think-tank and consultancy helping philanthropists. Jonathan joins Elliot to talk about how although there's a culture of giving in the UK, there needs to be a culture of talking about it

Matt Harris is the Founder of Thunderbird Chicken (the fried chicken restaurant), Stripshack, (it's baby sister), and the pickle brand, Pickle Project. Matt joins Elliot to share how his dream of a professional motorsport career led to a scholarship to race NASCAR in the US and an obsessive scientific approach to recreating the fried chicken he loved in the Southern states.   

The brand new season of Jazz Shapers kicks off with guest Louise Hill,  the Founder of GoHenry, the money app helping kids learn to earn, save, spend and invest.  Louise joins Elliot to share how she created not just a business, but a whole new category of business,  and how GoHenry's 5 year campaign has led to financial education officially becoming part of the primary school curriculum in England from 2028.

For the last Jazz Shapers of the season, Elliot is joined by James Hirst, the Co-Founder and COO of Tyk, an API Management Platform on a mission to connect every system in the world. James joins Elliot to talk about leaping on the internet's potential and the joy and surprise of developing your ideas with a global community.

Dr Mick Donegan, MBE, is the Founder and CEO of SpecialEffect, a charity helping people with severe physical disabilities access and enjoy technology for leisure, creativity and communication. Dr Mick joins Elliot to chat about the very moving impact of this life-changing work and the battles won to make it possible. 

David Mansfield is the ex-CEO of Capital Radio and the creator of The Monday Revolution, aiming to help you seize control of your business life. David joins Elliot to talk about his journey from being the worst chocolate salesman in the UK to building Capital Radio into a multimillion-pound company, and the  'privilege' of  helping people reach their potential.

Renée Elliot is the founder of Planet Organic, the UK’s first organic supermarket. Renée joins Elliot to talk about the shock realisation that changed her life and the impact of getting pushed out of her own company and then returning to rescue it from administration

Oli Broom is the Founder of The Slow Cyclist, a cycle tour operator leading adventures across Europe and Africa. Oli joins Elliot to share how he left his uninspiring desk job in London, to cycle 28,000 km (over 14 months) to Brisbane,  to watch the Ashes cricket series between England and Australia. And how this life-changing adventure led to a belief that great travel experiences mean taking the time to get to know a place.