We talk with Zilla Watson and Katie, the co-founders of Phase Space, about building a virtual reality tool that helps anxious teenagers feel calmer in minutes and why schools became the real place for impact. We share the messy, practical decisions behind evidence, funding, founder fit, and choosing a growth path that matches both ambition and real life. 
• meeting through a competitive BBC VR commission and building trust through delivery 
• founding Phase Space during Covid and shifting from “projects” to a real product 
• using an Innovate UK research grant to build an evidence base and test safely 
• learning that grant cash flow and paid-in-arrears timelines change fundraising needs 
• finding product-market fit in schools through systematic pilots and clear use cases 
• rolling out across Sutton secondary schools with NHS and university partners 
• dividing founder strengths while protecting sustainability and avoiding burnout 
• redefining success beyond headline VC rounds and “investability” narratives 
• using AI tools to speed up customer research and positioning work 
• choosing between revenue-led growth and investment-led hypergrowth 
• handling conflicting advice by asking better questions and filtering by timing 

Canopy Community

The place for founders, start ups and entrepreneurs. For more episodes, or to access coaching, events, advice, networks, education and more, visit…

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We sit down with Steve and Andy from Bristol to hear how a pocket money conversation turned into Toggle, a home device and app designed to help families put phones down and reconnect. We dig into their Manchester University backed pilot, what they have learned from running businesses for decades, and the mindset shifts that make early-stage products actually work. 

• the origin story from “learn to earn” to a family wellbeing product 
• why screen time is a whole-family issue not a child issue 
• how Toggle aims to build better habits through presence and rewards 
• the 50-home pilot and what scientific backing could unlock 
• lessons from the print trade about cash flow resilience and adapting fast 
• how incubators and expert networks fill skills gaps in marketing and digital product 
• practical founder advice on staying open-minded taking feedback and not fearing failure 

Canopy Community

The place for founders, start ups and entrepreneurs. For more episodes, or to access coaching, events, advice, networks, education and more, visit…

https://linktr.ee/CanopyCommunity

We meet Charlene and Vicky, the co-founders of Role Resolve Therapy, and hear how tabletop roleplay becomes a practical way to build confidence and communication for children. We also talk honestly about neurodiversity, co-founder dynamics, community support at Derby, and the mindset that keeps founders going when it gets hard.
• discovering tabletop roleplay as a creative therapeutic approach during counselling and psychotherapy training
• turning game mechanics into structured support for social anxiety, confidence, and group communication
• moving from testimonials to impact reporting using teacher and pupil questionnaires
• linking the work to neurodivergent needs, school support, and EHCP-related goals
• balancing entrepreneurship with parenting and using purpose to protect time
• building a strong co-founder relationship through repair, honesty, and clear communication
• learning to pitch through Derby enterprise support and feedback that raises the bar
• using Canopy to connect, refine branding, and scale delivery through a wider team
• launching Inspire as a community app for female founders with free and paid tiers
• advice for first-time founders: follow passion and build a cheerleading network

Canopy Community

The place for founders, start ups and entrepreneurs. For more episodes, or to access coaching, events, advice, networks, education and more, visit…

https://linktr.ee/CanopyCommunity

We talk with Roxanne and Joanna, co-founders of Tech Talk and Reslink, about building a careers community to 400,000 people and why a video CV link can create the human connection that job seekers are missing. We also dig into co-founder trust, what we have learned from entrepreneurship, and the habits that keep execution going when motivation drops. 
• building Tech Talk as a tech careers community and scaling an audience organically 
• creating Reslink as a video resume and video CV platform to reach hiring managers directly 
• why traditional applications and the CV alone feel less effective now 
• how our co-founder relationship works through trust and complementary skill sets 
• entrepreneurship influences from family, corporate life, and environment 
• honest reflections on female founder barriers as internal versus external factors 
• what we gain from Canopy through pitch feedback, mentors, and founder network 
• lessons from founding multiple businesses, including listening, empathy, and compromise 
• choosing systems and processes over relying on motivation 

Canopy Community

The place for founders, start ups and entrepreneurs. For more episodes, or to access coaching, events, advice, networks, education and more, visit…

https://linktr.ee/CanopyCommunity