Scaling Belief - masterclasses in storytelling
Scaling Belief The power of storytelling for founders
Every startup is built twice: first as a story, then as a company.
Before there is scale, there has to be belief. Investors back conviction before certainty. Talent joins a vision before proof exists. Customers trust before they buy.
Which makes storytelling a strategic tool for fundraising, hiring, positioning, and cultural relevance.
The companies that win are often not the loudest but the clearest. They know what they stand for and they know how to make others care.
On the evening of Wednesday 6th May, Curzon Soho becomes the venue for something a little different: a series of miniature masterclasses, live conversations, and behind-the-scenes breakdowns from practitioners who have built narrative at the highest level - for Apple, Airbnb, Snapchat, Deliveroo, and Europe's own emerging generation of company-builders.
7:00pm — The crisis of storytelling Nicolas Blaettry
7:20pm — Three stories from the inside James Vincent
7:45pm — Crafting a story from what you already have Christian Cargill
8:00pm — Project Europe screening + filmmaker conversation with Michael Fitzpatrick from Solvent
Nicolas Blaettry has spent 15 years in the creative industry, shaping narratives for some of the world’s biggest brands. Today, through his own firm, http://partners.cc/, he helps founders find relevant and radical ways to tell their story. Most recently, he brought Taktile’s lobster to Wall Street.
James Vincent spent over a decade in the room where it happened - chairing Steve Jobs's weekly Marcom meeting and building the narrative behind the iPod, iPhone, iPad, and App Store - before founding FNDR, where he now works peer-to-peer with the founders shaping the next era, from Brian Chesky to Evan Spiegel.
Christian Cargill is a documentary director. His first film ‘Heart Valley’ (The New Yorker/BBC) had its world premiere at Tribeca Festival, where it won Best Documentary Short, and went on to win the BAFTA Cymru Award for Short Film. His Oscar-longlisted second film ‘Recomposing Earth’ premiered at London’s Barbican Hall before an award-winning festival run. Christian is currently in post-production on his debut feature about musician Patrick Wolf, narrated and Executive Produced by Tilda Swinton. He was nominated for a Grierson Award in 2023, is a Camerimage-nominated cinematographer and was selected to join BAFTA as a Connect Member in 2024.
And the evening closes with a screening of Project Europe's documentary that marks its one year anniversary, about the founders who don't build because it's high-status, but because they have no other option. With a fireside chat with the Solvent team behind it, Michael, Jay and James.
250 seats. Founders, builders, operators, investors.
The show starts at 7pm sharp.
If you're building something in Europe, this is for you.
Join us for a drink afterwards.