BIOGRAPHY

I am a creative entrepreneur, building, advising and investing in startups with a focus on consumer Internet, creative industries, wellbeing and consumer/D2C brands. Including: Mixcloud (audio streaming platform); Spoke (meditation reimagined); Qube (music studio community); Wax Poetics (world’s best music magazine); Fiit (top rated fitness app); Bulb (clean energy provider); Heights (braincare); Something&Nothing (best tasting seltzer drink); and others. I am energised by supporting mission driven founders on their journeys.

I cut my teeth as an entrepreneur as founder of Mixcloud — the global community for audio culture — where I worked with my brilliant Cofounders Nico, Mat and Sam, and the incredible team to grow the company from a couple of guys in a warehouse in NW London to the world's biggest community of DJs and music curators, reaching 20 million people a month. It was a rollercoaster ride and I learned a lot about building teams, products, community, partnerships, brand and business models. We also incubated a creative/culture agency within Mixcloud called LOUD, alongside founding partners Ben and Kazim.

My social impact interests centre around social justice, wellbeing and sustainability. I am the founder of All In, a D&I pledge for startups/scaleups in the UK. I was a trustee for the brilliant dance charity East London Dance, and advisor to the empowerment and anti racism organisation You Make It. I am co-owner (with a fantastic group of “woodmates”) of a 21 acre piece of woodland in Sussex, with a mission to protect the land and encourage biodiversity. I am also a pledger and active member of the Founders Pledge community, taking a keen (and questioning) interest in the effective altruism movement.

I love things at the intersection. That applies to business and art.

Creatively, I have a passion for music — I DJ, play jazz piano and run an electronic music record label/clubnight, MakeMusic. I love dance & movement, and formed a project called Dance Club, which sits at the intersection of a dance class and a clubnight. I facilitate a creative community of 60 people who completed The Artist Way together and continue to support each other’s creative pursuits.

Another passion is wellness (some friends mock me with the nickname “Chief Wellness Officer”, I’m owning it!). I enjoy practicing yoga and completed a 250 hour teacher training with Carl Faure and Calli Popham at the brilliant Stretch Studio in Hackney. I also enjoy participating in endurance sports, and I’ve completed a number of triathlons, half marathons, multi-day cycles and a 14km swim marathon — although it would be an overstretch to call these “races” for me, I’m there for the ride.

Hit me up on Twitter (@nikhilshah), Insta (@nikhilashah), Linkedin or here to talk about interesting projects.