Zero.24% copertina

Zero.24%

Zero.24%

Di: michael Livingstone
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Zero.24% is a UK podcast spotlighting Black and underrepresented founders. Speaking to the founders, operators and investors backing them, while navigating a funding system that still underinvests in Black and underrepresented innovators. Named after the 0.24% of venture capital reportedly received by Black founders in 2024, the show goes beyond inspiration, into the real work, real numbers, and real lessons behind startup growth, bootstrapping, and fundraising, from pre seed through seed and beyond. Hosted by Michael Livingstone, founder of Dustid.com, each episode delivers honest conversations on resilience, product, go to market, community led growth, pitching, investor readiness, and the unseen challenges of scaling in the UK startup ecosystem. Expect practical insights, unfiltered founder stories, and actionable takeaways for builders and allies who want to make opportunity less exclusive. New episodes drop every two weeks.Copyright 2026 michael Livingstone Economia Gestione e leadership Leadership Scienze sociali
Episodi
  • Getting Underestimated Founders Funded and Investor Ready

    Getting Underestimated Founders Funded and Investor Ready
    Aug 14 2026

    Kris Jones: Getting Underestimated Founders Funded and Investor Ready

    ​In this episode of Zero.24%, Michael Livingstone speaks with Kris Jones, the CEO of Magic Sauce Online, an innovative platform aligning undervalued entrepreneurs with investors.

    ​Many founders face the same challenge: they need to secure investment to scale, but they struggle to navigate an ecosystem filled with systemic barriers and friction.

    ​Magic Sauce Online is working to break that cycle by reducing the friction between founders and investors, with a clear focus on getting underestimated founders funded and helping investors access better deal flow.

    ​Michael and Kris explore how practical guidance not fluffy motivation can help founders build the things that actually move the needle before they pitch to investors.

    ​They also discuss the barriers faced by underrepresented founders, the importance of clarity and traction, and how to communicate an offer without sounding like a generic pitch deck.

    ​In this episode, they discuss:

    • ​How to reduce friction between founders and investors
    • ​Why underrepresented founders struggle to access capital
    • ​The relationship between clarity, traction, and true investor readiness
    • ​How founders can communicate their offer without sounding like a generic pitch deck
    • ​The difference between practical guidance and fluffy motivation
    • ​Why focusing on the metrics that actually move the needle creates stronger alignment with investors
    • ​How to help investors access better deal flow by presenting stronger opportunities
    • ​The systemic barriers facing underestimated entrepreneurs
    • ​Kris’s experience mentoring across programs like Carbon13 and Raise Ventures
    • ​Why hands-on founder education is critical for securing capital
    • ​How a more inclusive startup ecosystem could unlock overlooked ideas and talent

    ​About Kris Jones

    Kris Jones is the CEO of Magic Sauce Online and Head of Founder Education at Diversity X.

    ​With a wealth of experience, Kris, an esteemed startup expert, has mentored in renowned ecosystems like Raise Ventures, Black Valley, Diversity-X, Carbon13, and NeoITO. His impactful guidance has led early-stage startups to secure £50m.

    ​He is publicly credited for helping founders raise significant capital through practical guidance, helping them build clarity, traction, and investor readiness.

    ​About Magic Sauce Online

    Magic Sauce Online is an innovative platform aligning undervalued entrepreneurs with investors. The platform aims to reduce friction between founders and investors, getting underestimated founders funded while helping investors access better deal flow.

    ​Learn more about Kris Jones:

    https://www.linkedin.com/in/kris-jones-kinnovate/

    ​About Zero.24%

    Zero.24% explores the experiences, strategies and resilience of Black and underrepresented founders building businesses within an investment ecosystem where access to funding remains deeply unequal.

    ​Hosted by Michael Livingstone, the podcast features honest conversations with founders, investors and ecosystem leaders about building businesses, overcoming barriers and creating meaningful change.

    ​Follow, subscribe and share the episode with someone who is building a startup, searching for investment or considering how to navigate the venture capital landscape.

    ​Listen and subscribe to Zero.24% on your preferred podcast platform.
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    13 min
  • No Funding? Build Your Startup With Sweat Equity

    No Funding? Build Your Startup With Sweat Equity
    Jul 17 2026
    Judy Leung: Building Startups Through Talent, Ownership and Sweat Equity

    In this episode of Zero.24%, Michael Livingstone speaks with Judy Leung, founder and CEO of Sweqlink, a platform helping early-stage founders access the skills and expertise they need through fair and transparent sweat equity partnerships.

    Many founders face the same challenge: they need a strong team to develop their idea, build a product and demonstrate traction, but they cannot afford to hire experienced professionals before securing investment.

    Sweqlink is working to break that cycle by connecting founders with talented individuals who are prepared to contribute their time and expertise in exchange for a share in the future success of the business.

    Michael and Judy explore how sweat equity can help founders make progress before investment, while giving skilled professionals an opportunity to become more than employees or volunteers—they can become owners and long-term partners in the businesses they help build.

    They also discuss the barriers faced by women and underrepresented founders, the importance of making entrepreneurship more accessible, and why early-stage partnerships must be built around transparency, realistic expectations and shared values.

    In this episode, they discuss:
    • What sweat equity is and how it works
    • Why early-stage founders struggle to access experienced talent
    • The relationship between investment, talent and startup growth
    • How founders can build an initial team before raising funding
    • The difference between sweat equity, employment and volunteering
    • Why ownership can create stronger alignment and commitment
    • How to protect both founders and contributors in equity-based arrangements
    • The importance of clear expectations, responsibilities and agreements
    • The barriers facing women and underrepresented entrepreneurs
    • Judy’s experience building Sweqlink as a first-time technology founder
    • Why a founder’s background should not determine their potential
    • How a more inclusive startup ecosystem could unlock overlooked ideas and talent

    About Judy Leung

    Judy Leung is the founder and CEO of Sweqlink, a Manchester-based platform connecting early-stage businesses with skilled professionals through sweat equity opportunities.

    With more than two decades of experience across digital marketing and project management, Judy founded Sweqlink to help entrepreneurs overcome the financial and talent barriers that often prevent promising ideas from progressing.

    Her mission is to make entrepreneurship more accessible by enabling founders to build capable, committed teams while giving professionals the opportunity to invest their skills in businesses they believe in.

    Judy is a recipient of the Innovate UK Women in Innovation Award and is an advocate for greater representation, fairness and accessibility within the startup ecosystem.

    About Sweqlink

    Sweqlink is a sweat equity talent platform that helps pre-investment startups find skilled people who are prepared to exchange their expertise and time for equity.

    The platform aims to make sweat equity arrangements clearer, fairer and more transparent while opening up business ownership to a wider range of professionals.

    Learn more about Sweqlink:

    https://www.sweqlink.com/

    About Zero.24%

    Zero.24% explores the experiences, strategies and resilience of Black and underrepresented founders building businesses within an investment ecosystem where access to funding remains deeply unequal.

    Hosted by Michael Livingstone, the podcast features honest conversations with founders, investors and ecosystem leaders about building businesses, overcoming barriers and creating meaningful change.

    Follow, subscribe and share the episode with someone who is building a startup, searching for a co-founder or considering contributing their expertise to an early-stage business.

    Listen and subscribe to Zero.24% on your preferred podcast platform.
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    1 ora e 13 min
  • The Man Who Built Manchester’s Tech Scene Without Waiting for Permission

    The Man Who Built Manchester’s Tech Scene Without Waiting for Permission
    Jun 8 2026
    Episode summaryIn this episode of Zero.24%, Michael Livingstone sits down with Manoj Ranaweera, founder of Techcelerate, Deal Lite and SkilledUp Life, and one of the people credited with helping build Manchester’s tech startup ecosystem.Manoj’s story is not the polished founder fantasy. It is about failure, rebuilding, bootstrapping, community, exits, and the uncomfortable truth that most founders do not have unlimited access to capital, talent or networks.From launching his first tech startup in 2004, to building founder communities, creating the Northern Tech Awards, exiting ventures, and now helping startups access skilled volunteer talent through SkilledUp Life, Manoj has spent two decades inside the real machinery of startup survival. His work has focused on founders, commercialisation, investment readiness, and building ecosystems before they become fashionable. For founders operating in the 0.24% reality, this conversation matters. Because when funding is limited, your network, your credibility, your commercial discipline, and your ability to build with what you have can become the difference between giving up and staying in the game.Why you should listenThis episode is for founders who are tired of being told to “just raise money” when the system was never built with them in mind.Manoj brings a direct, experienced and sometimes uncomfortable perspective on what it really takes to build a startup when you do not have easy access to capital. He has built, failed, exited, restarted, and supported thousands of founders across the UK tech ecosystem. His journey shows why community, consistency, commercial thinking and founder resilience matter long before investment arrives.In this episodeMichael and Manoj explore:The reality of building when you do not have funding Why Manoj’s first fintech failure became the foundation for everything that followed How Manchester’s tech startup ecosystem was built through events, relationships and founder energy Why founders need to understand commercialisation before chasing investment The role of SkilledUp Life in helping startups access global volunteer talent Why talent, not just money, is one of the biggest barriers for early stage founders What underrepresented founders can learn from ecosystem builders Why sharing what you are building can create more opportunity than hiding your idea The difference between looking like a startup and actually building one What founders need to do when the investment landscape does not favour themGuest bioManoj Ranaweera has been building tech startups and related ventures since 2004. He is the founder of Techcelerate, Deal Lite and SkilledUp Life, and has been closely associated with the development of Manchester’s tech startup ecosystem. His ventures include Northern Tech Awards, acquired by GP Bullhound, and edocr.com, acquired by Accusoft. Through SkilledUp Life, Manoj helps tech startups access skilled volunteers from around the world, supporting founders who need talent but may not yet have the resources to hire full teams. Zero.24% angleThis conversation goes to the heart of Zero.24%.Black founders received just 0.24% of venture capital funding in 2024, but founders still have to build, survive, sell, hire, learn, and grow. Manoj’s journey reminds us that the startup world is not only shaped by investors. It is also shaped by founders who create ecosystems, open doors, build communities and help others keep going when money is not available.This episode is not about pretending funding does not matter. It is about what founders do when funding is not coming fast enough.Pull quote options“When funding is limited, community becomes infrastructure.”“Some founders wait for permission. Manoj built the room.”“The startup game is not just about raising money. It is about learning how to survive long enough to matter.”“If the system will not build around you, sometimes you have to build the ecosystem yourself.”SEO keywordsZero.24% podcast, Manoj Ranaweera, SkilledUp Life, Techcelerate, Deal Lite, Manchester tech startup ecosystem, Black founders, underrepresented founders, startup funding, bootstrapping, venture capital, startup survival, founder journey, UK tech startups, startup volunteers, early stage founders, startup ecosystem, investment readiness, founder resilienceSuggested Captivate tagsManoj Ranaweera SkilledUp Life Techcelerate Startup Funding Bootstrapping Black Founders Underrepresented Founders Manchester Tech Startup Ecosystem Founder Journey Zero.24% Venture Capital UK Startups Startup Survival EntrepreneurshipSuggested categoryBusiness Entrepreneurship Technology Society and CultureShort episode descriptionMichael Livingstone speaks with Manoj Ranaweera, founder of Techcelerate, Deal Lite and SkilledUp Life, about startup failure, bootstrapping, ecosystem building, volunteer talent, and what founders do when investment is not available.Social media captionWhat do you do when the ...
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    1 ora e 32 min
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