The Purse Podcast

#159: Investment infrastructure, women's financial power, and tech innovation with Symmie Swil

Symmie Swil is the UK General Manager of Europe’s leading investment infrastructure provider, Upvest. With nearly twenty years of banking and fintech experience, Symmie is passionate about broadening access to investing. Symmie has previously held positions as Deputy Chief Operating Officer & Chief of Staff at Investec, and Head of SME Banking at Starling.  We cover the following: 01:09 Symmie Swil: From banking to building investing infrastructure 02:41 What still holds women back from investing? 04:14 The gender wealth & gender pension gap explained. 07:41 What UpVest actually does (The ‘Stripe for investing’ behind the apps) 09:33 Fractional investing 101: Why lower minimums change everything 11:33 Trust in embedded investing: Transparency, security & regulation 12:53 UpVest’s UK expansion: The opportunity, the data, and responsible scaling 14:28 Five to ten year vision: Women designing the future of wealth tech 16:28 Final thoughts.

#158: Rethinking early-stage investing for diverse founders with Simon Glass

Simon Glass is the Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Qodeo, a platform created to address the challenges he observed while working across the venture ecosystem. Qodeo matches venture and private equity investors with entrepreneurs, with a particular focus on founders from diverse, regional, and female communities. Simon has previously worked at two UK venture capital firms, including Amadeus Capital Partners, the first backer of ARM Holdings. His broader career includes roles at EY in academia and media, at WPP as Deputy Chair of a publishing house, and in project finance where he supported Roy Hill, the world’s largest private iron ore mine, in raising $9 billion. Simon has written for the Financial Times, holds a BA, MA, and MBA from the University of Cambridge, and completed training in corporate finance at London Business School. We cover the following: 00:11 Meet Simon Glass: CEO of Qodeo 01:13 Exploring the venture ecosystem 02:35 Challenges for underrepresented founders 05:55 Platform: matching investors and entrepreneurs 14:05 Addressing unconscious bias in investing 19:32 Comparing UK and US startup ecosystems 28:40 Entrepreneurial boom in Europe 32:01 Cultural shifts in entrepreneurship 32:38 Moving the needle in who VCs invest in 36:58 Challenges with angel investors 49:28 Improving the startup funding ecosystem 53:43 Final thoughts. *** For more information on Qodeo, see: https://qodeo.com/ [https://qodeo.com/]  ***

#157: Investment in health, AI-driven biotech, women's healthcare, long-term vision with Julia Angeles

Julie Angeles is an Investment Manager, Partner at Baillie Gifford. She has been a member of the International Growth Portfolio Construction Group since 2017. She joined Baillie Gifford in 2008 and became a Partner in 2022. She previously worked as a management consultant at McKinsey & Company, advising firms in Denmark, Russia and Hungary. Julia obtained a BSc in 1999, an MSc in 2001 and a PhD in 2005 in Economics from the University of Aarhus, Denmark. She is fluent in Russian and Danish. We cover the following: 00:56 AI and long horizon investing in healthcare 05:24 The evolution of Moderna and platform science 13:19 AI's impact on healthcare access and efficiency 21:45 The untapped potential of women's health 24:27 The need for more women in investing 24:59 The disparity in female health investment 25:29 Male allies in women's health 26:53 Gameto: revolutionising fertility 28:15 The science behind Gameto's innovations 29:42 Ethical considerations in biotech 31:14 The future of female longevity 31:45 Brain health: the next frontier 32:42 Progress in neurodegenerative disease research 36:21 The role of AI in healthcare 37:30 Addressing gender disparities in health research 42:13 The promise of personalised medicine 43:15 The future of human health: prevention and early detection 47:18 Final thoughts and optimism for the future.

#156: Women, economics & power: challenging history's myths with Dr Victoria Bateman

Dr Victoria Bateman is an economic historian whose latest book is Economica: A Global History of Women, Wealth and Power. Victoria has twenty years’ experience teaching macroeconomics and economic history at the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge and has spoken extensively on radio and television, including as resident economic historian for BBC Radio 4’s “Understand: The Economy". In her spare time, Victoria also works as a historical consultant for period dramas, including The Forsytes (which is currently airing in the UK and comes to PBS America in 2026). We covering the following: 00:11 Meet Dr. Victoria Bateman 02:20 Victoria's journey to feminist economics 05:08 The myth of male-dominated economic history 07:22 Women in economic history: key figures and contributions 10:11 The impact of excluding women from economic narratives 20:12 Historical examples of women in finance 26:26 Non-Western female economic pioneers 32:51 Modern financial systems and women 38:31 The backlash against women's economic progress 50:34 The importance of rewriting economic history 51:55 Final thoughts ***

#155: Mismanaged decline, economic shifts, and UK's future resilience with Vicky Pryce

Vicky Pryce is Chief Economic Adviser 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: 01:16 Discussing 'Mismanaged Decline' 02:51 The UK's economic challenges 04:41 Policy missteps and industrial decline 07:09 Service sector and underinvestment 11:15 Industrial strategy and government role 16:26 Impact of Brexit and COVID 25:04 Honesty in economic policy 32:25 Regulatory developments in the UK and Europe 33:58 The role of UK leadership in crypto adoption 34:45 Concerns about crypto and global positioning 37:09 The politics of economic growth 39:20 Challenges in economic policy communication 50:11 The importance of gender inclusion in economic strategy 56:57 The need for long-term industrial strategy 01:00:12 Final thoughts on building a resilient economy ***