In this episode of Independent Minds, we sit down with João Calvete, CEO of Vendo, a former Sotheby's insider who is "recoding" the traditional real estate model. João explains why the industry is trapped in a 1990s mindset, relying on high commissions and unnecessary bureaucracy and how his startup is scaling to 1,000 listings by cutting costs by 80%.

João takes us from the high-prestige world of Sotheby’s to a sweltering warehouse in Portugal, where he and his co-founders began making sales calls at 35°C with nothing but a fan and a vision. We discuss the "fear mindset" that big agencies use to protect their fees and why the future of property belongs to those who prioritize the client over the commission.

This conversation explores:

• The 5% Efficiency Gap: Why technology like Idealista has made traditional agency fees obsolete.

• The Portuguese Riviera: An inside look at the supply shortage and the influx of foreign capital.

• Corporate Fear vs. Startup Pragmatism: How big firms create "attrition" to justify their presence.

• The Pilot Mindset: Why João’s unconventional background allowed him to see the market differently.

Essential watching for property investors, tech founders, and anyone interested in how "outsider" logic can disrupt a stagnant multi-billion dollar industry.

⏱ TIMESTAMPS 0

0:00 • Introducing João Calvete and Vendo 01:30 • The Warehouse Grind: Sales calls at 35°C

04:00 • The Real Estate Explosion: Geopolitics and the Riviera Bubble

06:00 • Sotheby’s vs. Vendo: Breaking the "Fear Mindset"

07:45 • How the Land Registry works: The truth about Portuguese law

10:15 • Why the best talent is "disillusioned" with 90s agency tactics

12:00 • Rent-to-Income: The highest disparity in the developed world

15:00 • Maximizing the Algorithm: How to sell a house in 2026

17:30 • Scaling to 1,000 properties: Porto vs. Lisbon

19:40 • International Expansion: Dubai, Spain, and Brazil

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• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@IndependentMinds

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/independent-minds-podcast

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🔗 FOLLOW VENDO & JOÃO CALVETE

• Website: https://www.vendo.pt

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joaocalvete

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vendo.pt

After 12 months of conversations with founders, a few patterns kept repeating.

In this special anniversary episode of Independent Minds by Pictet, we reflect on a year of unscripted conversations and distil the most important lessons into a single Founder’s Review.

From early-stage entrepreneurs to seasoned leaders, this episode brings together the ideas that defined our first year. We revisit defining moments across the series, from the rise of AI literacy to the psychological realities of leadership, and explore what actually matters when building, scaling, and eventually stepping away from a business.

This is a synthesis of the patterns, tensions, and decisions that shape founders over time.

What you will learn

• Why the real risk of AI is not replacement, but falling behind
• How AI literacy is becoming the new competitive advantage
• Why loyalty is becoming the most powerful and measurable marketing tool
• The difference between solving a need and trying to create one
• Why changing consumer behaviour is one of the hardest challenges in business
• The Solomon Parable and how founder ego can limit a company’s potential
• Why great founders eventually learn to step aside
• How confidence is built through risk, failure, and repetition
• Why strong teams and culture outperform individual brilliance
• What it really means to build a business that can survive without you

Timestamps

00:00 One Year of Independent Minds: The Anniversary Format
01:10 Ideja on AI: Literacy, tools, and the calculator moment
03:00 Matthew (Squid): Why loyalty is the most powerful data tool
05:40 Ed McDermott: Why solving a real need matters
08:10 Dame Anne Glover: The Solomon Parable and founder ego
09:50 Confidence as a muscle: Learning without a manual
13:10 Dominic: Why a real business must run without you
16:40 Key Takeaway 1: The power of figuring it out
18:20 Key Takeaway 2: Letting go and trusting others
19:50 Key Takeaway 3: Building culture and strong teams
21:40 Key Takeaway 4: Growth through experience and adaptation
22:10 Key Takeaway 5: Redefining success and long-term impact

Follow Independent Minds by Pictet

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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/independent-minds-podcast
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/independentmindspodcast

Subscribe for new episodes every two weeks.

Private jet brokers can quietly add 30 to 40 percent to a flight before the client ever sees the invoice.

At 17, Charles Robinson was inside that system.

By 24, he decided to rebuild it.

In this episode of Independent Minds by Pictet, we sit down with Charles, founder of Interjet, a technology platform connecting private flyers directly with vetted aircraft operators.

Charles began brokering flights from the back of a classroom using Instagram and publicly available “empty leg” flight data. What started as a teenage side hustle exposed him to a largely unregulated industry built on opaque pricing, floating commissions, and information asymmetry between brokers and clients.

Rather than simply benefit from it, he chose to engineer something different.

In this conversation, Charles explains how traditional private aviation brokerage works, why commission structures can distort pricing by up to 40 percent, and how Enterjet's fixed-fee model aims to introduce transparency into a market that has historically avoided it.

We explore the operational realities of scaling a high-ticket service business, the hidden complexity of payment processing in travel, and why aircraft operators are the true “product” behind the platform.

We also discuss the generational shift reshaping private aviation. The era of champagne and white linen is fading. A new customer, average age 33, values speed, efficiency, and clarity over spectacle. Interjet’s rapid growth among female members and younger flyers reflects a broader wealth transfer already underway.

This conversation is not just about jets.

It is about what happens when a young founder sees inside a broken system early, understands its incentives, and decides to redesign it around trust instead of margin.

This episode is essential listening for founders, operators, and anyone interested in how technology can modernise legacy industries from the inside.

• How Charles brokered his first private jet deal at 17
• Why private aviation brokerage remains largely unregulated
• How hidden commissions distort pricing in luxury travel
• Why a fixed transaction fee changes customer behaviour
• The operational risks of processing high-ticket travel payments
• Why aircraft operators, not brokers, are the true backbone of the industry
• How Enterjet grew a younger, more female customer base
• Why Gen Z views private aviation as efficiency, not status
• The strategic importance of specialisation in luxury markets
• How to build trust in industries historically built on opacity

00:00 Introduction to Charles Robinson and Enterjet
00:14 What Enterjet is and how it removes traditional brokers
00:34 Brokering private jets from a classroom at 17
01:27 The unregulated reality of early aviation brokerage
02:41 How brokers structure deals and where margins hide
03:56 Why Enterjet refuses to become a luxury generalist
05:18 The shift toward specialisation in premium markets
06:22 Launching Enterjet post-Covid and timing the market
08:23 Why operators are the real product
09:51 Building a lean team from solo founder to structured company
11:10 Marketing as the primary growth engine
12:41 B2B strategy in a small, relationship-driven market
15:18 Why Instagram remains critical for premium positioning
16:27 Expanding female membership in a male-led industry
18:16 Why the average flyer age has dropped to 33
19:38 The end of champagne-era aviation
21:30 Beyond luxury: medical and insurance-driven private flights
22:45 Entering new markets including the US and Brazil
23:45 The origins of brokerage commissions
25:21 How 30 to 40 percent markups happen
26:53 What “self-regulation” means in practice
28:04 Aircraft inspections and enforcing aesthetic standards
29:38 Why younger customers demand full transparency
31:15 Final reflections on the future of Enterjet

Follow Independent Minds by Pictet
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LinkedIn: Enterjet
Website: https://www.enterjet.co

In this episode of Independent Minds by Pictet, we sit down with Dame Anne Glover, co-founder and CEO of Amadeus Capital, one of Europe’s most influential technology-focused venture capital firms.

Anne’s path into venture capital did not begin in finance. It began on factory floors, in engineering roles, and through a deep curiosity. After a decade working in manufacturing and consulting in the United States, Anne returned to the UK at a time when European venture capital was still in its infancy.

In this conversation, Anne explains how venture capital evolved in Europe and why backing technology requires patience measured in decades rather than quarters.

We explore why most failed investments are not caused by bad technology, but by human factors such as ego, leadership rigidity, and misaligned incentives.

This episode is essential listening for founders, investors, operators, and anyone interested in how innovation is built over the long term.

In this episode, you will learn

Why Anne Glover left engineering to enter venture capital
How Europe’s venture ecosystem developed differently from Silicon Valley
Why raising capital is easy but building great companies is hard
What venture capitalists really look for in founders
Why founders must learn when to step aside
How deep tech companies are built over 20-year timelines
The human mistakes that destroy otherwise great businesses
Why complementary teams outperform individual brilliance
How venture capital balances risk, patience, and long-term vision

Timestamps

00:00 Introduction to Dame Anne Glover and Amadeus Capital
00:16 Factory floors to venture capital
00:35 Discovering entrepreneurship through Junior Achievement
01:08 Why Anne chose startups over big business careers
01:36 Returning to the UK when venture capital was still small
01:58 What “development capital” meant in post-war Europe
02:18 When Europe began to recognise the power of technology
02:59 Early internet, DARPANET, and spotting tech inflection points
03:28 Ten years in manufacturing and consulting in the US
03:48 Why Anne rejected traditional corporate hierarchies
04:16 Self-discovery, risk-taking, and pushing personal boundaries
04:56 The US entrepreneurial mindset
05:33 Why the UK eventually caught up culturally
06:40 Early venture deals and learning by doing
07:06 Investing in early virtual reality and backing Nvidia
08:49 Choosing technology investing
09:17 Realising Europe lacked tech-focused VCs
10:10 Writing the Amadeus thesis
10:43 Why Europe’s universities were an untapped advantage
11:01 Pitching the vision to investors and finding a partner
11:39 Meeting Hermann Hauser and forming a complementary partnership
12:42 Why differences in founders and partners matter
13:12 Raising the first fund and securing anchor investors
13:43 Raising £50 million in six months
14:13 The moment the capital arrived and responsibility began
14:52 Doing deals is easy, doing good deals is hard
15:18 What venture capitalists really look for in founders
15:44 Listening, adaptability, and long-term execution
16:27 Why no founder can succeed alone
17:01 The risks of forcing partnerships
17:28 Why complementary teams outperform individual brilliance
17:54 Successful investments in Bluetooth, genomics, and diagnostics
18:23 Backing Cambridge Silicon Radio and Bluetooth’s rise
18:52 DNA sequencing, healthcare breakthroughs, and Illumina
20:15 Optos and transforming retinal disease detection
21:35 Why deep tech success takes decades
22:12 AI, regulation, and the future of innovation
23:25 Conversational AI
24:49 Mistakes that kill startups
25:18 Why founder ego can destroy companies
26:03 Learning when to step aside
27:05 Misaligned investors and dysfunctional syndicates
27:52 Final reflections

Follow Independent Minds by PictetInstagram: @independentminds.podLinkedIn: The Pictet GroupWebsite: https://www.pictet.com

Follow Amadeus Capital partnersLinkedIn: Amadeus Capital PartnersWebsite: https://www.amadeuscapital.com

In this episode of Independent Minds by Pictet, we sit down with Eve Laurier, Global Head of Marketing and Communications at Bombardier, one of the world’s most iconic private aviation companies.

Bombardier designs, manufactures and services some of the most advanced business jets in the world, flying in over 100 countries and serving ultra high net worth individuals, global CEOs, governments and leading corporations.

Eve shares what it really takes to market and sell in one of the most exclusive industries in the world, and how Bombardier successfully rebuilt its reputation after a major transformation.

We explore what luxury truly means at the highest level, how billionaires make purchasing decisions, and why service, trust and long term relationships matter more than the product itself.

From leadership and confidence to brand storytelling, career risk and building world class teams, this conversation offers rare insight into both private aviation and the mindset required to operate at the top.

This episode is about leadership, confidence, resilience, reputation and learning to figure things out without trying to do it alone.

In this episode you will learn:

• What Bombardier does and how private aviation really works
• How billionaires and ultra high net worth individuals buy private jets
• What luxury actually means beyond products and price
• How Bombardier rebuilt its reputation after years of transformation
• Why service and customer experience matter more than aircraft specs
• How complex private jet manufacturing and supply chains really are
• Eve’s career journey from advertising to global leadership
• Why “figure it out” is a critical leadership mindset
• How to build confidence through risk taking and responsibility
• Why the best leaders learn to get out of their own way

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Intro Who is Eve Laurier and what Bombardier does

01:10 What Bombardier builds and why business jets matter

02:20 Eve’s role as Global Head of Marketing and Communications

03:40 The challenge of marketing to ultra high net worth individuals

05:00 What luxury really means at the highest level

06:30 How billionaires actually buy private jets

08:10 Inside the private jet customer experience

09:50 How private jets are manufactured and why it is so complex

12:00 Craftsmanship interiors and aircraft customisation

13:40 Eve’s career journey and the “figure it out” mindset

16:00 Rebuilding Bombardier’s brand and reputation

18:10 Leadership lessons and building world class teams

20:00 Confidence risk taking and career growth

22:40 Why successful leaders do not do it alone

24:50 The explosion of demand in private aviation

27:30 Why private jets are growing faster than ever

Follow Independent Minds by Pictet

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LinkedIn: The Pictet Group

Website: https://www.pictet.com

Follow Bombardier

Instagram: @bombardier_jets

Website: https://bombardier.com/

In this episode of Independent Minds by Pictet, Rushil, co founder of Urban Greens, shares how three friends left successful corporate careers to build one of London’s most recognisable healthy fast food brands.

Urban Greens was created to change how people think about fast food by proving that healthy, fast and great tasting food can coexist on the high street. What started as an idea during their corporate years became a carefully built brand focused on quality, experience and long term sustainability.

We explore how Rushil balanced a demanding finance career while building Urban Greens, why the founders waited years before going all in, and what it really takes mentally to become an entrepreneur in the food and beverage industry.

From branding and customer experience to pricing strategy, digital growth and social media awareness, this conversation goes deep into what it means to build a food brand designed to last rather than chase hype or exits.

This episode is about patience, calculated risk, resilience and creating something meaningful in a highly competitive market.

In this episode you will learn

What Urban Greens is and how it redefined healthy fast food in London

Why fast food in the UK has traditionally been associated with unhealthy choices

How the founders built the brand while working full time corporate jobs

When and why Rushil decided to leave finance and go all in

The mental pressure and resilience required to be an entrepreneur

Why grit often matters more than having a perfect product

How Urban Greens approached branding store design and customer experience

Why UK consumers respond differently to food brands than US consumers

How social media builds awareness rather than instant revenue

Why Urban Greens prioritised steady growth over fast expansion or exits

TIMESTAMPS AND CHAPTERS

00:00 Intro Who is Rushil and what is Urban Greens

00:35 What Urban Greens is and why healthy fast food was missing in London

01:40 Why fast food in the UK had a negative reputation

02:55 Finding inspiration from Europe the US and Scandinavia

04:10 Building Urban Greens while working corporate jobs

05:20 Using networks instead of consultants to build the business

06:45 Balancing finance careers with startup calls and negotiations

07:40 When the idea shifted from side project to full commitment

09:05 Deciding to leave stable careers to build a salad brand

10:30 The mental toll of entrepreneurship and uncertainty

12:05 Why grit and resilience matter more than perfection

13:40 Educating the market and pricing healthy food confidently

15:20 Branding psychology differences between the UK and the US

17:05 Designing Urban Greens as an experience not just a product

19:00 Influences from Scandinavia Japan South Africa and California

21:15 Social media awareness versus direct sales

23:00 Why Urban Greens prioritised steady sustainable growth

24:30 The problem with exit driven entrepreneurship culture

26:10 Fulfilment money and redefining success as a founder

28:00 Risk taking calm decision making and long term thinking

30:00 Final reflections on building something that lasts

Follow Urban Greens

LinkedIn: Urban Greens

Website: https://www.urbangreens.co.uk

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Website: https://www.pictet.com

In this episode of Independent Minds by Pictet, Dominic Ponniah, co founder of Cleanology, shares how he scaled a family run cleaning business into a £25 million national facilities management company serving blue chip corporates, law firms, broadcasters, car brands and even the Royal Household.

We discuss how Cleanology grew from a small London operation into a nationwide provider across 17 cities, what it really takes to scale a labour intensive services company, and why the biggest challenge in facilities management isn’t operations, it’s people.

From early Google Ads hacks and strategic acquisitions to running 120 hour workweeks, surviving Dragons’ Den, and now stepping into the Chairman role after 22 years, Dominic explains the full journey of building a company that can operate without the founder.

In this episode you will learn:

What Cleanology does and why blue chip clients trust them

How the company won the Royal Household contract through Google search

Why scaling nationally requires new systems, people and structures

How a single acquisition transformed the company’s profitability

The real challenges of hiring, retention and evolving the team as you grow

Why founders must learn to let go if they want their company to mature

How Dominic expanded into Manchester and why it worked

What Dragons' Den taught him about resilience, rejection and PR

Why Cleanology moved from founder led to professionally managed

What Dominic plans next: writing a book, learning to fly, and new ventures

Timestamps

00:00 Intro: Who is Dominic and what is Cleanology

00:32 What Cleanology does and how they serve blue chip clients

02:10 How the Royal Household found them on Google

04:28 The family origin story and working with his mother

06:45 Early growth, Google Ads and £80 per click competition

09:12 The acquisition that changed the company’s trajectory

11:05 Expanding from London to Manchester, the pivotal moment13:18 Launching 17 cities in 12 months after COVID

15:40 Scaling challenges, people, culture and evolving roles

17:28 Hiring by instinct, team buy in and hard lessons

19:40 Dragons’ Den, why Dominic was rejected

23:10 The rickshaw startup and 120 hour workweeks

26:50 Why he never worked for anyone else and why founders value freedom

28:15 On being “unemployable” and hiring entrepreneurial personalities

30:04 Building teams, autonomy and internal entrepreneurs

31:42 Advice for young founders entering traditional industries

33:20 Stepping down as CEO after 22 years, why now

35:55 Preparing the business to run without the founder

37:25 What’s next, book, pilot licence, new ventures and possibly politics

39:10 Final reflections on leadership, scale and legacy

Follow Cleanology LinkedIn: CleanologyWebsite: https://cleanology.com

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GroupWebsite:https://www.pictet.com

In this episode of Independent Minds by Pictet, Bilal, co-founder of Moneco, shares how his Y-Combinato-backed-neobank is building a cross border financial platform for French speaking Africa and its diaspora.

We discuss why so many African economies are still cash based, why traditional banks have struggled to serve the mass market, and how neobanks, stablecoins and hard currency accounts can open up global opportunities for freelancers, entrepreneurs and families across the continent.

From private banking in Geneva and strategy consulting at BCG to building infrastructure and compliance rails that actually work for emerging markets, Bilal explains what it really takes to launch and scale a regulated neobank for Africa.

In this episode you will learn:

What a neobank is and how Moneco works in practice
Why banking in French speaking Africa is lagging behind and how that affects growth
How inflation, fees and lack of trust push people toward cash and away from banks
Why Moneco started with the African diaspora and built growth around word of mouth
The business model behind Moneco and how the company makes money
How stablecoins can simplify cross border payments and investing for emerging markets
What it takes to get into Y Combinator and raise a pre seed round for a fintech
How Bilal and his co founders divide roles, make decisions and handle conflict
The next chapter for Moneco from B2C to B2B2C and investment products

Timestamps

00:00 Intro - Who is Bilal and what is a neobank
00:40 Why Moneco focuses on French speaking Africa
01:20 Cash based economies, trust issues and why banks missed the mass market
02:40 Inflation, hard currencies and building trust with African customers
03:40 Why most neobanks ignore Africa and how Moneco got licensed
05:05 Who uses Moneco today - freelancers, e commerce and Airbnb hosts
06:04 Cash vs cards - how customers spend locally and abroad
06:55 Typical Moneco user profile and average transaction volumes
07:27 Pricing, subscriptions and why Moneco is more expensive than Revolut
08:24 User numbers so far and early traction
08:43 Bilal’s story - from Geneva private banking to energy, BCG and Africa
10:06 Seeing the service gap between private banking and African retail banking
10:52 Deciding to become a founder and refining the idea
11:21 Meeting co founders and splitting roles in a three person team
12:42 Bootstrapping, getting into Y Combinator and raising a pre seed round
13:56 From serving diaspora in France to opening accounts directly in Africa
14:52 Why Moneco took its license in Canada and had to build its own stack
15:44 Team structure today - tech, support and compliance
16:12 Growth targets and why 50,000 active users is the next milestone
16:41 Building a private bank style experience for emerging markets
17:11 Stablecoins explained and why they matter for cross border value
18:04 Using stablecoins to move money outside SWIFT
18:31 Education, diaspora and how financial knowledge travels back home
19:14 Remittances, P2P transfers and the waterfall acquisition effect
20:05 Influencer marketing, referrals and word of mouth growth
21:30 The hard part of scaling - compliance and customer support
22:27 Where chatbots help and where they still fail
22:54 Raising the seed round and making infrastructure more robust
23:23 Moving into B2B2C with African financial institutions
23:50 Bilal’s advice for founders applying to Y Combinator
24:38 Why passion for the problem matters more than money

Follow Moneco

LinkedIn - Moneco
Instagram - @moneco.app

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LinkedIn - The Pictet Group
Website - https://www.pictet.com