The Purse Podcast

Vicky Pryce is Chief Economic Advisor at the Centre for Economics and Business Research and Visiting Professor at King's College London. She was previously Director General for Economics at the Department for Business Innovation and Skills and Joint head of the UK Government Economic Service. Vicky has held senior roles across the private sector, including senior managing director at FTI consulting, Partner and Chief Economist at KPMG, and Partner at London Economics, following earlier positions in banking and the energy sector. She's also co-founder of Good Cooperation, a frequent media commentator, and the author of many books, including Women versus Capitalism. Her latest book, Mismanaged Decline, co-authored with Andy Ross, will be published by Biteback in November of 2025. We cover the following: 01:15 Current state of the UK economy 02:28 Business confidence and investment 06:17 Employment trends and challenges 13:29 Impact of AI on productivity 19:57 Inflation and monetary policy 22:41 Domestic price issues in the UK 23:06 Energy costs and market structure 25:42 Trade, global headwinds, and tariffs 30:06 Pensions for growth 32:42 Autumn budget concerns 39:42 Risks and hopes for the UK economy. ***

Derek Shaw is Director of Entrepreneurship and Investment, where he leads the teams supporting Scotland's spinouts, startups, and scaling companies with wrap-around support and commercial investment. Under his leadership, Scottish Enterprise co-invests more than £50 million annually, making it Scotland’s most active early-stage investor, and the UK’s fourth largest by volume. The portfolio includes around 330 high growth companies, valued at approximately half a billion pounds. Alison Loveday is part of the extended management team and leads the National High Growth Entrepreneurship team. She focuses on ecosystem development, partnerships, and leadership programs for founders — including Pathways to Scale, a flagship initiative inspired by the 2023 Pathways Report, which supports female founders by upskilling leadership and investment readiness. Together, they're helping to shape Scotland's innovation economy. We cover the following: 00:11  Meet Derek Shaw and Alison Loveday 02:16  Overview of Scottish Enterprise 03:08 Scottish Enterprise's strategic missions 07:03 Supporting ambitious Scottish businesses 12:06  Collaborations and female founders 14:28  Challenges for deep tech companies 20:31  Case Study: ZOEX and Ash Penley 26:04 Working with universities and research centres 28:21  Metrics and measuring success 30:12  Supporting female founders 35:17  Lessons from recent successes 43:27 The future of Scotland's innovation economy. ****

Lorine Pendleton is a seasoned venture capital investor and former media and entertainment lawyer with deep expertise across sports, media, entertainment, and technology. In 2024, she launched 125 Ventures, a New York based VC fund, investing in women's sports, media and tech at the intersection of AI, data and the creator economy. Previously, a partner at Portfolia, she co-launched the Rising America Funds, top performing VC funds with net IRRs in the top 5% of their vintage, and has invested in more than 35 innovative companies as both an angel and VC. We cover the following: 00:10 Meet Lorine Pendleton 02:17 Lessons from Prince: The power of ownership 04:59 Launching 125 Ventures 10:30 The solo GP Experience 15:01 Barriers in venture capital 24:20 Female founders and investment strategies 24:41 Unique perspectives of female investors 25:16 Learned experiences 27:27 Due diligence in investment 29:11 The rise of women's sports 30:40 Media rights and market growth 31:25 Challenges and opportunities in women's sports 33:31 The future of women's sports investment 37:48 Engaging with LPs and shifting capital 40:25 Encouraging women to invest 44:05 Final thoughts ***

Ashley Penley is the founder and CEO of ZOEX, the UK's only female founded wave energy company. She transitioned from 15 years in offshore oil and gas complex installation projects to marine renewables, where she developed a modular wave energy converter that tackles the sector's biggest challenge, high cost. She's also a mother of two, Zoe and Alex, and became a British national after moving to Scotland 25 years ago for her original oil and gas career. We cover the following in our conversation: 00:11 Meet Ashley Penley 01:45 The challenges of wave energy 03:30 The 'Aha moment': Realising the gap in wave energy 05:29 Innovative solutions for wave energy 07:55 The business model and market potential 12:32 Designing ZOEX for real-world conditions 19:49 Partnerships and raising capital 23:02 Trials and commercial rollout in Turkey 25:22 Project setback and recovery 27:17 Validation and success 27:35 Global attention and future plans 28:30 Challenges and personal sacrifices 30:08 Company vision and funding 31:56 Navigating a male-dominated industry 33:29 Balancing family and career 37:12 Advice for entrepreneurs ***

Tiffany Irving joined Mesirow Wealth Management in 2021 and has 25 years of financial experience. She is a Senior Vice President, Wealth Adviser and a member of the Mesirow Inclusion Council. She provides comprehensive wealth management planning and advice to high-net-worth individuals, families and non-profit organisations. Tiffany is a member of the National Association of Women Business Owners, and Legacy Partners, an association of the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago Foundation. She is a Board Member for the Caring Place and the Women’s Impact Fund for the Porter County Community Foundation. She is a frequent speaker on the WGN radio show “Your Money Matters.” Tiffany earned her degree in Finance from DePaul University and her MBA from the University of Phoenix. She is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® professional, Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA®) and holds FINRA licenses. We cover the following: * 02:09 Tiffany's early money experience * 03:28 Generational differences in financial perspectives * 09:28 Financial literacy and confidence among women * 11:39 Common misconceptions about women and money * 17:01 Challenges in the financial services industry * 23:01 The Great Wealth Transfer: are we ready? * 25:13 The importance of high EQ in financial advisory * 25:20 Building trust with female clients * 26:18 Legacy planning and generational wealth * 29:33 Values-based and impact investing * 35:42 Female investment in female founders * 43:05 Closing the gender wealth gap * 47:15 Final thoughts