A David and Goliath Story That Changed Everything
Alex's origin story is genuinely compelling. At just 15 years old, whilst revising for his GCSEs, developers came knocking on his mother's door with plans to demolish their home and their entire working-class London community. Rather than accept defeat, Alex taught himself property law and fought back—literally arguing his case in front of the Mayor of London against a team of Magic Circle lawyers. He won.
"Why is it David and Goliath if we all have equal rights before the law?" This question became the catalyst for everything that followed, driving Alex's mission to democratise access to justice through AI.
The Startup Journey: Three Key Takeaways
1. The Talent War is Real (But Winnable)
Alex identified three categories of AI talent in today's market—and only one category actually matters:
Outdated researchers: Brilliant CVs, but stuck in pre-ChatGPT methodologies
Recent graduates: Superficial master's degrees that don't translate to real research capacity
Elite scientists: The handful of tier-one computer scientists from leading institutions who worked at Google DeepMind, Meta, or OpenAI before the Gen AI boom
"There are only a few thousand of these people in the world. It's not easy. But if you can offer them decent pay packages and the opportunity to have a formative impact, you start to build a compelling case."
2. Investment Mindset Matters More Than Capital
Alex experienced a stark cultural divide between US and UK investors:
US investors: "How can I help?" Optimistic, mission-focused, willing to take calculated risks
UK investors: "How will this fail?" Sceptical by default, debate-oriented, obstacles-first approach
95% of his funding came from North America. The lesson? Seek investors who believe in you, not just your spreadsheet.
3. Proprietary Technology is Non-Negotiable
In an era where AWS, cloud platforms, and big tech companies dominate every layer of the stack, building defensible IP is essential.
"It's never been easier to start a business, but it's never been harder to create something of your own... You need to think of your exit opportunity as a Google or OpenAI."
The Thomson Reuters Acquisition: Speed and Strategy
Rather than chase the traditional venture funding ladder, Alex raised aggressively from family offices and individual investors, grounding valuations in real-world IP logic rather than optimistic projections. This firepower attracted Thomson Reuters, who initially planned to lead a Series B round before pivoting to acquisition.
Remarkably, the entire team stayed together post-acquisition, maintaining their startup culture and academic freedom through a dedicated frontier AI lab with Imperial College London.
Why You Need to Listen
This episode cuts through the noise of startup hype and delivers genuine, battle-tested insights. Whether you're wrestling with talent acquisition, navigating investor conversations, or trying to build defensible technology in the AI space, Alex's story offers a masterclass in strategic thinking.