Piers Linney: How This Dragon Struck Gold | Episode 43

Nothing Ventured

In this episode of Nothing Ventured, Aarish Shah sits down with Piers Linney, known for his role on The Dragon's Den and The Secret Millionaire. Piers shares his journey from delivering newspapers to law, banking, and tech, discussing his 45x exit on his Dragon portfolio and thoughts on AI's impact on SMEs and nation states. They delve into DEI, ambition, and the importance of equality of opportunity. Tune in for insights from a seasoned investor and entrepreneur. Timestamps: 01:03 - Early Business Ventures and Career Path
03:01 - Transition from Law to Entrepreneurship
05:06 - Lessons from Early Business Ventures
08:14 - Learning Customer Service and Sales
09:57 - Piers Linney's Family Background
11:02 - Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)
13:02 - Ambition and Access to Opportunity
14:10 - Insights on Dragon's Den
16:07 - Valuation and Investment Strategy on Dragon's Den
18:46 - Success Stories from Dragon's Den
19:04 - Traditional vs. Tech Angel Investing
21:00 - Types of Businesses on Dragon's Den
23:35 - Entertainment vs. Business on Dragon's Den
25:03 - Importance of EIS and SEIS in Investments
25:56 - Competition Among Dragons
26:28 - Piers Linney's Decision to Join Dragon's Den
28:09 - Post-Dragon's Den Career
29:48 - Founding Implement AI
30:36 - Importance of AI for SMEs
33:35 - Augmenting Human Labor with AI
36:39 - Future of AI in Professional Services
38:14 - Types of AI Agents and Their Applications