Hunters and Unicorns

In this episode, Peppa Wise, SVP of Go-To-Market at Multiverse, breaks down the real differences between scaling from 0 to 10 million, 10 to 100 million, and beyond. From early-stage hustle and chaos to building scalable systems, leadership teams, and world-class sales processes, this conversation is packed with lessons most operators only learn the hard way.

Peppa shares the painful mistakes that shaped her leadership journey, including the year Multiverse fell behind on productive capacity, why hiring the wrong people can quietly destroy growth, and why great leaders must learn to balance accountability with empathy.

The conversation also explores AI, workforce transformation, leadership psychology, sales rigor, emotional resilience, and why Multiverse believes the future of work depends on helping companies actually adopt AI — not just buy new tools.

If you're building a startup, leading a sales team, scaling a company, or trying to become a better leader, this episode is full of hard-earned insights you can apply immediately.

With thanks to our sponsors Aurasell.

Timestamps:

0:00 — Trailer
1:18 — Introduction & Guest Overview
2:59 — What Separates the 0-10, 10-100 & 100M+ Stages
4:48 — Early Learnings & What to Overcome in the 0-10 Journey
7:00 — What Leadership Looks Like at 0-10
8:58 — Reflecting on Your 0-10 Self & Mistakes Made
10:24 — How Mentorship Fuelled Evolution Through Each Stage
13:01 — Is It Okay to Specialize in One Stage
15:38 — What Is Your Long-Term Ambition
17:12 — Have You Changed as a Person Through This Journey
19:46 — How to Coach Leaders Being Inauthentic
21:16 — Were There Any Real Career Low Points
24:26 — What Does Maniacal Productive Capacity Mean
25:57 — What Signals Show Someone Is Ready to Promote
28:38 — Where People Go Wrong With Productive Capacity
33:10 — How to Manage Emotion Under Pressure
37:54 — What Separates First From Second Line Leaders
40:13 — Do You Hire People Similar to Yourself
42:32 — What Changes Has Donn Driven in Year One
45:45 — What Excites You Most About This Next Phase
48:13 — Why Multiverse Is Still the Destination
49:46 — Common Misconceptions About Multiverse
51:17 — Closing & Final Thoughts

What does it really take to scale a sales team inside a billion-dollar company without losing culture, performance, and leadership quality along the way?

In this episode, Peppa Wise and Euan Blair break down the real playbook behind scaling one of the fastest-growing teams in the UK. From the chaos of the 0 to 10 million stage to building sustainable systems at scale, this conversation dives deep into leadership, hiring, productive capacity, mentorship, sales culture, and the lessons most founders only learn after painful mistakes. Peppa shares her journey from one of the early hires at Multiverse to leading a 120+ person go-to-market organization, while Euan opens up about building a mission-driven company during one of the biggest shifts in the future of work and AI.

The episode also explores: - Why most companies fail when scaling teams - The leadership traits that matter most in hypergrowth - Why top performers don’t always become great leaders - The hidden cost of hiring the wrong people - How elite sales organizations maintain standards while scaling fast - The role AI will play in reshaping workforce productivity - Why culture and mentorship become even more important at scale If you're a founder, sales leader, startup operator, or anyone building inside a fast-growing company, this episode is packed with lessons you rarely hear shared this openly. With thanks to our sponsors, Aurasell.

Timestamps:

0:00 — Trailer

1:03 — Introduction & Guest Overview

2:18 — Peppa's Role at Multiverse

3:02 — How Peppa Ended Up at Multiverse

9:18 — Early Interactions & What That Dynamic Was Like

11:58 — The Transition From SaaS to Services

13:11 — Were You All In From Day One

15:27 — When Did You Start Seeing Proof in the Numbers

17:37 — Were You Ever Intimidated Bringing In Great Talent

19:34 — How the Relationship Between Peppa & Euan Evolved

23:02 — Bringing Donn Into the Business

26:55 — What Donn Brings to Peppa Personally

29:42 — Was Don's Impact Felt Instantly or Gradually

32:50 — How a Visionary Founder Stays Grounded

35:40 — What Excites You Most About the Next Few Years

39:02 — What Could Stop Multiverse From Being Successful

40:38 — Fine-Tuning Direction or Focused on Execution

41:58 — Why Multiverse Is the Right Place to Join Right Now

47:32 — Closing & Final Thoughts

What does the future of hiring, leadership, and company building actually look like in the age of AI?

In this episode, Rhys Hughes, Executive Talent Partner at GV, joins us for a fascinating deep dive into the battle for talent happening inside the world’s fastest-growing AI companies. From billion-dollar compensation packages and the rise of vertical AI startups to what founders are really looking for in executives, this conversation pulls back the curtain on how the next generation of iconic companies are being built.

We explore the reality of scaling in today’s market. Why velocity has become one of the defining traits of elite founders, how culture is becoming more important than compensation, and why networking and relationship-building are now critical career advantages in an AI-driven world.

Rhys also shares incredible insight into what’s happening inside the venture ecosystem at GV, where the biggest opportunities are emerging across AI, robotics, life sciences, frontier tech, and enterprise software — alongside the major risks and bottlenecks founders are navigating in real time.

If you're interested in AI, startups, venture capital, hiring, go-to-market strategy, or the future of work, this is an episode you don’t want to miss.

Timestamps:

0:00 — Trailer

1:30 — Introduction & Guest Overview

2:29 — The Battle for Talent in the AI Era

4:36 — Profound Differences in This New Market

6:39 — How Organizations Are Attracting Talent & How Candidates Are Choosing

9:20 — How to Evaluate a Strong Equity Package

11:41 — Are New Comp Models Like Anthropic's Driving the Right Behaviours

14:36 — How Founders Are Approaching Go-to-Market in the AI Era

17:30 — How Does a Company Stand Out

21:44 — What Velocity Really Means & Why It Matters

23:05 — What Rhys Is Seeing From Founders Right Now

26:12 — Rogue Founders: GV's Red Lines & What They Look For

29:17 — Why Building VC Talent Relationships Is Non-Negotiable

36:19 — What Sectors & Trends GV Is Most Excited About

38:14 — Specific AI Trends Shaping GV's Investment Thesis

42:50 — Biggest Bottlenecks That Could Slow Everything Down

44:29 — How GTM Talent Should Get on the Radar of Top Portfolio Companies

47:50 — The Biggest Mistakes People Make Choosing the Wrong Company

From Downing Street to Disrupting the Future of Work! What does it really take to build a $500M+ company that’s reshaping how the world learns and works?

In this episode, Euan Blair, Founder & CEO of Multiverse, joins us for a candid, high-energy conversation on building a mission-driven business that actually scales. From reimagining apprenticeships as a global workforce revolution to breaking down the science behind elite B2B sales, this episode is packed with insights most founders never hear. We dive into the reality of the journey. Key hires, tough mistakes, and the inflection points that change everything, alongside a powerful perspective on AI and why it will either transform or disrupt the future of work as we know it. If you're interested in startups, sales, AI, or building something that truly matters, this is one you don’t want to miss!

With thanks to our sponsors Aurasell.

Timestamps:

0:00 — Trailer

0:54 — Euan Blair Introduction

01:49 — Sponsor: Aurasell

03:07 — Why Euan Chose Founding Over Politics & Finance

05:11 — Was Being a Founder Always the Plan

07:36 — Shaping the Vision & Early Surroundings

09:00 — Why VCs Invested in Multiverse

11:10 — Preparing for First Fundraise

12:34 — Life After Getting the Money

14:20 — Jeremy: The Game-Changing Hire

22:44 — Building the First Sales Team

26:10 — Tough Learnings & Biggest Mistakes

28:30 — Moments of Self-Doubt as a Founder

30:36 — What Really Motivates Euan

33:55 — AI & Workforce Displacement

36:04 — Why Euan Appointed Don D'Arcy's

40:22 — Keeping Pace with AI Change

42:32 — How the CEO Role Is Evolving

43:50 — Multiverse vs Typical SaaS Model

46:00 — What It Takes to Succeed Here

Today we sit down with Doug May, SVP of Productivity at Harness, to discuss one of the most critical yet overlooked aspects of a healthy organization: Sales Productivity. Doug has had an illustrious career at elite organizations including Datadog and Databricks, and he brings that expertise to Harness, where he has cut ramp time in half and increased per-rep contribution by 43%.

We explore the "F1 engineering team" analogy of GTM support, why productivity metrics are the ultimate indicator of a company’s health, and the specific questions every candidate should ask to de-risk their next career move.

🙌 Thanks To Our Sponsor! Aurasell AI: https://www.aurasell.ai

 

🏹 Key Topics Covered

00:00 - In this episode

02:44 – What is Sales Productivity Strategy?

04:00 – The F1 Analogy

05:15 – Measuring Every Step of the Process

07:45 – Cutting Ramp Time in Half at Harness

09:05 – Optimizing the Hiring Profile

12:02 – How Investors Use Productivity as a Health Signal

13:57 – Questions to Ask During Recruiting

18:23 – Benchmarks for Rep Attainment

20:00 – The Six Secrets of Excellence

25:34 – Productivity Leadership and the CRO

31:12 – Understanding CAC and Scalability

42:45 – The 5X Win Rate Improvement

 

💥 3 Biggest Lessons:

The F1 Engineering Team Approach: Doug views the productivity function as the engineering team behind an F1 driver. Elite sellers are the drivers, but they shouldn't be dropped into any car. A world-class productivity strategy provides the fuel (pipeline), the GPS (RevOps), and the tools to optimize every contributor's horsepower to ensure they reach "elite" status.

De-Risk Your Career with Data: Candidates should scrutinize an organization’s health through productivity metrics, not just OTE. Key indicators include ramp time (e.g., 7 months vs. 15 months), the percentage of ramped reps achieving quota, and average deal size. If a CEO does not list sales productivity as one of their top three success metrics, it is a sign that the organization may view sales as a cost center rather than an investment engine.

Decision Velocity is Critical for Growth: In a high-growth environment, waiting to make decisions is not an option. Doug highlights the concept of one-way vs. two-way doors: identifying which decisions are reversible so the team can maintain high velocity. This agility allows an organization to respond to data in real-time and win the competitive race.

💬 Notable Quotes

"We are basically there to optimize the horsepower of every single seller in the organization." "Any change is incremental until you pile them on top of each other."

"If sales productivity is not one of [the top three metrics], I should probably walk away." "Great talent... can make hay in any field if they’re supported properly."

"You have to be willing to do the hard, hard stuff."

🙌 Thanks for listening! This episode was hosted by Simon Kouttis and Ollie Kuehne, founders of Hunters & Unicorns, and post-produced by the team at videoforce.pro. If you enjoyed this episode, please drop a like/share and subscribe to our channel!

🦄 Connect with Hunters & Unicorns

Website: http://huntersandunicorns.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/HuntersUn1corns

Instagram: http://instagram.com/huntersandunicorns

Blog: http://huntersandunicorns.com/blog

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