Ed Gould is Creative Director and Founding Partner at Carswell Gould, the Southampton creative communications agency he has helped run for 33 years. He went straight into work from school rather than university, building a career across creativity, technology and business. About a decade ago, that experience led him and a group of partners to establish Venturefest South, a not-for-profit network designed to connect innovators, universities, investors and businesses across the region.

Ed explains why inclusive networks matter. He has run Venturefest South's open-mic pitching for around nine years, welcoming ideas from children, older people and disabled founders as well as established businesses. He recalls two Innovator of the Year winners whose AI product went on to attract £2 million in funding, while arguing that five per cent growth across many local firms can be just as valuable as one spectacular success. Southern Creative Catalyst extends the same thinking to coders, designers, architects, music technicians and other commercial creatives.

The conversation also covers dyslexia, changing attitudes to academic routes, the effect of AI on entry-level work and the need to retain local talent. Ed urges students to strengthen their cognitive and creative capabilities, reminds founders that a world-changing business can begin in a cupboard, and asks business leaders, freelancers and listeners to stop working in silos. His call to action is simple: show up, share ideas, build trust and help create the opportunities the region needs.

Guest: Ed Gould, Creative Director and Founding Partner, Carswell Gould

Recorded for The Technology Show on Voice FM 103.9, Southampton — broadcast 16 October 2026. Listen live on Fridays at 1pm. More episodes: thetechnologyshow.uk

Sally Yates is a go-to-market adviser at Reset & Co, helping growing B2B SaaS businesses find the real obstacle behind stalled growth. Her route there began unexpectedly on an asset-swap trading desk, before she moved into journalism, writing for publications and freelancing on subjects as varied as why Britons love sandwiches. She later crossed into agency and in-house marketing, using storytelling to humanise technical products and shape longer-term strategy.

She explains why a request for “more pipeline” may conceal a different problem: buyers lack the tools to make a decision, CFOs receive the same material as CTOs, or product and sales are pulling apart. The conversation explores the 80/20 “land and expand” principle, the value inside existing customers and Natalie’s biscuit-fuelled quarterly reviews. Sally argues that maturing software companies need outcomes, proof and a clear product story, not another list of features.

They also examine AI in marketing, from intent data and HubSpot workflows to automated adverts that risk sounding like everyone else’s. Sally sees AI as valuable for repeatable work and data analysis, but says human judgement, brand, point of view and storytelling still create distinction. Her advice is to diagnose before prescribing, prioritise the three changes most likely to move the needle, learn the new tools without following fashion, and remember the value of being human.

Guest: Sally Yates, go-to-market adviser, Reset & Co

Recorded for The Technology Show on Voice FM 103.9, Southampton — broadcast 9 October 2026. Listen live on Fridays at 1pm. More episodes: thetechnologyshow.uk

James Harcourt is a Director and Software Developer at Novatura, the agency he helped build with four friends after studying computer science at the University of Southampton. He originally planned to study marine biology, but a tour of the computer science department felt more practical, hands-on and exciting. While still at university, the group took on research, web services and startup work, then incorporated when a first contract appeared through a family connection.

James talks Natalie through the reality of turning technical skills into a business: learning sales, marketing, legal and accounts; recognising that a team needs front end, back end, design and strategy; and building trust when clients are taking a risk on someone new. His advice is to start small, with a focused piece of work such as a design, audit, scope or specification, because good planning can identify 90% of the ways a project might go wrong before anyone starts building the wrong thing.

The conversation also covers Southampton's tech networks, the University of Southampton student enterprise team, the Catalyst programme at the University of Southampton Science Park, Southern Creative Catalyst, strategic partnerships with other software companies, and Novatura's focus on growth-oriented SMEs, including automotive after sales, vehicle repair and garages. James's message for founders is to stay humble, ask for help, get off social media, take useful risks and create opportunities for other people too.

Guest: James Harcourt, Director and Software Developer, Novatura

Recorded for The Technology Show on Voice FM 103.9, Southampton — broadcast 2 October 2026. Listen live on Fridays at 1pm. More episodes: thetechnologyshow.uk