How to launch a startup
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How to launch a startup

Design Thinkers Podcast #11
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Organisational design

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About this podcast 

Despite the many business closures of 2020 due to the pandemic, it also saw the launch of a record number of start-ups. Around 407,510 new businesses were formed during this period in the UK and one of those was Plateaway – an online platform that enables users to create their favourite restaurant dishes using meal kits. 

Meal kits feature all the ingredients and instructions needed to help make your own version of a restaurants signature dish. Think a DIY version of Deliveroo, that can touch all parts of the country and not just those local to the restaurant. Plateaway was born when one of the founders, a former Design Thinkers Academy London open course delegate, Harry Slagel, decided that there needed to be a centralised platform where all these kits were available. Working fast, Harry and his brother Lewis brought this idea together and Plateaway was formed. 

What is Plateaway? 

Plateaway allows you to order kits from separate restaurants in one checkout, and also provides 1-minute-long video guides on each kit, showing you how to make and plate these delicious dishes. Plateaway launched with 6 restaurant partners back in July 2020 and now has signed up more than 70 such restaurants and chains. With a variety of cuisines to choose from including vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options for specialty diets, there’s something for everyone. 

We first met Harry back in 2019 when he attended both our Design Thinkers Bootcamp and Design Thinking Facilitation courses. In this edition of our podcast we talk to Harry about starting Plateaway. We look at the lessons learned when launching a startup, and the role of design thinking for entrepreneurs. Make sure you stay listening to the end in order to access a little Plateaway surprise for followers.