WHY DESIGN?

• Designing a Better Future with Seaweed: Georgios Gkotsis on Replacing Plastics at Scale

  “There’s a huge amount of innovation in sustainable materials—but very few are truly built around the problem.”In this episode of Why Design, I’m joined by Georgios Gkotsis, CTO at Kelpi, a Bristol-based startup creating high-performance seaweed-based coatings to replace fossil plastics in long shelf life packaging.Georgios has built a career at the intersection of material science, sustainability and engineering strategy. From early R&D at Procter & Gamble and Unilever to cutting-edge biomaterials at Xampla and now Kelpi, he’s seen firsthand what it takes to take an idea from lab bench to supermarket shelf.We talk about Kelpi’s mission-first approach, the commercial and technical complexity of replacing plastic, and Georgios’ personal journey from hands-on scientist to startup CTO. If you’re working in deep tech, materials innovation, packaging, or care about solving the plastic problem in a commercially viable way—this episode is a must-listen.Key Takeaways:🟢 Mission Before Tech – Why Kelpi started with a bold question, not a breakthrough material.🌱 The Power of Seaweed – A renewable, fast-growing feedstock with real promise for circular packaging.📦 Replacing Plastic Isn't Plug-and-Play – A deep dive into shelf life, barrier properties, and realistic client expectations.🧪 From MVP to Market – Why minimum viable products don’t need to be perfect, but they do need validation.⚙️ Transition to Leadership – How Georgios shifted from doing the work to setting strategy and building a world-class team.🔁 The Startup Balancing Act – Navigating limited runway, client partnerships, and scaling without owning a factory.🧠 Using AI in R&D – Why machine learning could accelerate material science and cut years off innovation cycles.🚀 What's Next for Kelpi – Scaling to tonnes, launching with brands, and expanding the product development team.📌 Memorable Quotes:💬 “You can’t just swap plastic for a new material and expect it to behave the same. It’s a journey—not a transaction.”💬 “If you don’t design for the whole lifecycle—materials, performance, shelf life, disposal—you’re not solving the problem.”💬 “As CTO, your job shifts from doing things to building the team that can do them better than you ever could.”💬 “AI won’t replace chemists. But it will speed up the work they do—and that’s how we close the sustainability gap faster.”Resources & Links:🌍 Learn more about Kelpi🔗 Connect with Georgios Gkotsis on LinkedIn📩 Contact the Kelpi team – [email protected]👥 Join the Why Design community!Sign up for events, online huddles, and workshops: teamkodu.com/events🔗 Follow Chris Whyte on LinkedIn – linkedin.com/in/mrchriswhyte🎧 Listen to Why Design on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and Amazon Music.PS – Don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode!

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• Why Most Hardware Startups Fail (and What Damon Bonser, CEO of British Design Fund Looks for Instead)

  "There’s a huge amount of design talent in the UK—we just need more founders brave enough to commercialise it."In this episode of Why Design, I sit down with Damon Bonser, founder and CEO of the British Design Fund—a team of operators-turned-investors backing early-stage product businesses with real-world impact.Damon knows firsthand why most hardware startups fail—because he’s been through it himself. After launching over 400 products, navigating stock finance headaches, and scaling a business across the UK, US, and Asia, he sold his company and switched sides of the table. Now he backs founders with the potential (and grit) to build something meaningful.We talk about the real markers of investability—TRL5+, commercial clarity, protected IP—and why pitch decks and pretty prototypes don’t cut it. Damon shares his take on cashflow mastery, reshoring opportunities in the UK, and the red flags he sees too often when meeting founders.If you’re building a physical product, thinking about raising, or want a brutally honest take on early-stage investing—this one’s for you.Key Takeaways:🔹 Built, Scaled, Sold – Damon’s journey from novelty bottle openers to running a 400-SKU business with global operations.🔹 Why Most Hardware Startups Fail – Poor cashflow planning, overengineering, no route to revenue—and no real need for the product.🔹 What the British Design Fund Looks For – A clear problem, TRL5 or above, manufacturing viability, and a founder with domain obsession.🔹 Cashflow is King – Why understanding your margins and stock finance is non-negotiable in physical product businesses.🔹 Sustainable Hardware That Matters – The BDF backs engineering-led solutions to real-world problems—not gadget fluff.🔹 Red Flags for Investors – Founders who don’t know their numbers, haven’t tested assumptions, or treat manufacturing as an afterthought.🔹 UK Hardware Advantage – Why the UK’s funding ecosystem, engineering talent, and reshoring momentum are aligned for growth.🔹 From Founder to Funder – Damon’s switch from doing it all to helping others do it better—with lessons learned the hard way.📌 Quotes That Hit Hard:💬 “Most founders overengineer the product, underthink the business, and don’t plan for scale.”💬 “We didn’t raise a penny—we bootstrapped the whole thing through sheer bloody-mindedness and cashflow juggling.”💬 “You can’t outsource conviction. If you’re not obsessed with solving the problem, no one’s backing you.”💬 “Don’t come to us with a pretty prototype—come with a plan to take it to market.”Resources & Links:🌍 British Design Fund Website💼 Connect with Damon Bonser on LinkedIn📬 Apply for Funding – Check the criteria and submit your startup.👥 Join the Why Design community!Sign up for events, online huddles, and workshops: teamkodu.com/events🔗 Follow Chris Whyte on LinkedIn –

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• “You Quoted What?!” – Josh Valman on Pricing, Growth, and Painful Lessons

  “We had no clue what we were doing. We quoted a massive job… way under… and then had to figure out how to deliver it without losing our shirts.”That’s how Josh Valman, CEO of RPDK, describes one of the earliest—and most painful—lessons from scaling his product development business. In this episode of Why Design, we dive into the unfiltered reality of building a hardware startup from scratch.Josh’s journey is anything but conventional. By age 10, he was designing robots. By 19, he was consulting for global corporates on manufacturing and supply chains—while still in school. What followed was the growth of RPD into a 100-person team working across design, engineering, and global production before being acquired by Kinara International.We talk about what most founders get wrong, the messy middle between prototyping and mass production, and why investors care less about your idea and more about your plan. Josh also shares what he’s up to now—backing founders through the British Design Fund and filming a new TV show to shine a light on what really happens behind factory doors.If you're building a hardware product, thinking about scaling, or just want a brutally honest take on how products get made, this episode is a must-listen.Key Takeaways:🔹 Started Young – Josh was consulting before clients realised he was still a teenager.🔹 Pricing Lessons – Why quoting too low nearly broke the business—and how they clawed it back.🔹 Design to Scale – Why the “middle” (certification, tooling, sourcing) is where most projects fail.🔹 Spec Work That Pays – How early projects for Bosch and Unilever helped prove RPD’s capabilities.🔹 No Degree, No Problem – Why Josh skipped uni, and how he built a career by doing, not studying.🔹 The Founder’s Job – It’s not the product—it’s planning, cashflow, forecasting, and doing the hard stuff.🔹 British Design Fund – What investors actually want to see from hardware startups.🔹 TV Project Incoming – A behind-the-scenes series exploring how everyday products get made.Resources & Links:🌍 Connect with Josh Valman on LinkedIn🏭 Learn more about RPDK💸 Explore the British Design Fund📺 TV series coming soon—watch this space!👥 Join the Why Design community! Sign up for events, online huddles, and workshops: teamkodu.com/events🔗 Follow Chris Whyte on LinkedIn – linkedin.com/in/mrchriswhyte🎧 Listen to Why Design on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and Amazon Music.💬 PS – Make sure you subscribe so you never miss an episode!

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• The Missing Skill in Design? Tim Perry on Why Commercial Awareness Matters

  In this live episode of Why Design, recorded at Blue Garage, I sit down with Tim Perry, a seasoned innovation and design strategy consultant with over 20 years of experience helping creative businesses sharpen their commercial edge.From scaling consultancies and steering agency acquisitions to guiding in-house teams at major brands like Nokia, McLaren, and Logitech, Tim shares his unique perspective on the intersection of design and business.We explore why designers and design consultancies often overlook commercial awareness, how consultancies can rethink their positioning in a crowded marketplace, and why commercial skills should be developed just as early as creative ones.Tim also talks about the common challenges agencies face around business development, the tricky art of saying “no,” and why sometimes less is more when selling your services.If you’re a designer, consultancy owner, or anyone working at the crossover of creativity and commerce, there’s plenty of actionable advice here.Key Takeaways:🔹 From Designer to Strategist – How Tim transitioned from packaging design to leading agency growth and design strategy at Nokia and beyond.🔹 Lessons from Scaling & Selling – Insights from scaling Web deVlam and overseeing its sale.🔹 The Positioning Problem – Why agencies often dilute their message by trying to be everything to everyone.🔹 Specialism vs. Niche – Why focusing your positioning is key, but you can still take on a variety of work.🔹 Building Commercial Confidence – How designers can develop business development and negotiation skills early in their careers.🔹 The Power of Networking – Tim’s take on why generosity and curiosity are vital in client-facing roles.🔹 The LinkedIn Effect – How LinkedIn can help creatives spark conversations and create business opportunities—when used with authenticity.🔹 Negotiation Lessons – Tim’s real-world story of a high-stakes negotiation that almost went wrong, and what it taught him about holding your ground.Resources & Links:🌍 Connect with Tim Perry on LinkedIn🎯 Check out Tim’s Commercial Skills Training (includes free sample courses)🎙️ Learn more about Blue Garage – A creative community space in Lewisham, London.👥 Join the Why Design community! Sign up for upcoming events, online huddles, and workshops: teamkodu.com/events🔗 Follow Chris Whyte on LinkedIn – linkedin.com/in/mrchriswhyte🎧 Listen to Why Design on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and Amazon Music. Don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss future episodes!

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• Making Space for Makers: How Michael Korn's Blue Garage is Empowering London’s Hardware Community

  In this episode of Why Design, I sit down with Michael Korn, founder of KwickScreen, the modular screen company supplying every NHS trust in the UK, and Blue Garage, a unique makespace and creative hub in Lewisham built to support hardware entrepreneurs and product designers.We unpack Michael’s fascinating journey, from studying manufacturing engineering and design at the RCA, to bootstrapping KwickScreen into a successful healthcare business. Michael shares hard-won lessons about the challenges of starting a hardware company in London, why manufacturing shaped his design thinking, and how listening and tenacity have been key to his entrepreneurial path.Michael also takes us inside Blue Garage, a space created to provide hardware founders with the facilities and community he wished he’d had when starting out—think WeWork, but with machines.If you’re curious about bootstrapping hardware ventures, creative collaboration, or building community-driven spaces, this episode is packed with inspiration.Key Takeaways:🔹 From Engineering to Design – How Michael’s manufacturing background influenced his user-focused, entrepreneurial approach to product design.🔹 The KwickScreen Story – How a student project to solve infection control in hospitals evolved into a nationwide healthcare product.🔹 Bootstrapping in London – The gritty reality of starting a hardware business without outside funding or proper facilities.🔹 Listening & Learning – Why Michael credits his success to persistence combined with listening deeply to users and stakeholders.🔹 The Birth of Blue Garage – How Michael turned a 38,000 sq ft former Travis Perkins into a vibrant makespace for London’s maker and hardware community.🔹 Supporting Founders Differently – Why founders don’t always need accelerators or awards, sometimes they just need space, tools, and community.🔹 Team & Legacy – How early hires at KwickScreen, including its now-CEO, have grown into leaders and founders themselves.🔹 Community Events & Collaboration – How Blue Garage is helping freelancers, startups, and creative businesses collaborate and scale in the heart of London.Resources & Links:🌍 Learn more about Blue Garage🏥 Explore KwickScreen🔗 Connect with Michael Korn on LinkedIn👥 Join the Why Design community! Sign up for our upcoming events, online huddles, and workshops: teamkodu.com/events🔗 Follow Chris Whyte on LinkedIn – linkedin.com/in/mrchriswhyte🎧 Listen to Why Design on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and Amazon Music. Don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss future episodes!

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