On this episode of the Scouting For Growth podcast, Sabine VdL talks to Chris Hutchinson, CEO of Canopy, a company on a mission to revolutionise renting and help people grow, both financially – by creating a better life for themselves – and easier financial resilience.

As the CEO of Canopy, Chris is an optimistic result orientated senior leader with clear interest in building highly effective teams.

During the course of the podcast, the pair discus how Chris moved from his CFO role to landing the top seat of Canopy, why financial resilience is such an important topic across markets, and the three most important takeaways from scaling a startup during an economic downturn.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• It’s really important to have a background with numbers. Businesses are inherently all about delivering a product for your end customer. But, fundamentally a business isn’t going to be viable and successful unless it comes down ultimately to numbers. The other key thing to remember is that a lot of the finance people (CFOs, Finance Directors, Head of Finance) are often second in charge to a founder of a CEO prior to moving into the CEO position and as such have a much broader breadth of understanding of a company than most people in an organisation do before they take that hot seat.
• One of the things I absolutely love about the modern age of business is that it feels that we’ve really moved on from negotiation, win/lose economics, and being taught to get one over on the competition, even in a partnership scenario, into something which is far more prevalent like a win/win partnership solutions where you both benefit.
• I’m very good at seeing quickly which ideas are worth executing and then executing and delivering on it. I feel this is powerful because it’s a skill often overlooked in startups where vision is always seen as incredibly valuable and the passion of the founder is undoubtedly one of the most important things that gets it off the ground. Inherently, the reason most startups fail between seed and series A stages probably isn’t because they don’t have a great idea, it’s because they are unable to execute on that idea.
• Canopy is trying to shake up the rental industry in the UK initially, but then broadening to international expansion in the future. Essentially we’re a tech-driven company that improves the lives of letting agents and tenants by offering a solution that identifies the right tenant for the right property really quickly, really easily. We then help build a brighter future for those renters by building their financial health, resilience and trying to create an equal opportunity for them whatever their background and goals.

BEST MOMENTS

‘As you grow in your career in finance you have a relatively unique position where you’re involved in pretty much every area of the business while also sitting on top of big, key, strategic positions and decisions.’
‘Are you building a team because they’re going to deliver for you and you’re going to demand everything of them and they’re going to need to meet those expectations, or are you hiring people who are really, really good at what they do and they have the expertise that you don’t have?’
’70-90% of renters aspire to being a homeowner, but lots of them just want to enjoy their lives while living in a property, have a little bit more money in their pocket, to save up for a holiday/car/etc.’
‘You can definitely do more with less. Whatever you think you can do, you can do more with the same amount or you can definitely do the same that you’re expecting to do now but with less. You’re spending too much money, you’re definitely doing stuff that you don’t need to do, you can optimise, you can cut down, focus prioritise and deliver more return on investment.’

ABOUT THE GUEST

Chris Hutchinson: Results driven. People focussed. Eternally optimistic.

Strategic senior leader with significant experience in the FMCG and Financial Service sectors.

A proven track record of success across diverse roles in both Unilever and Bupa Global now driving start-ups through sustainable growth and funding.

• Worked Canopy. Advisor
• Startup CFO
• Started career with BUPA.

About Canopy

We’re on a mission to revolutionise renting and help people grow, both financially and towards a better life. That means making things faster, easier and fairer for everyone – renters, agents and landlords alike.

At the heart of our system is the RentPassport, a totally free digital profile that takes the hassle out of house moving. Renters can create a profile in minutes and use it every time they move, and agents and landlords can instantly pre-screen tenants – saving everyone’s time and cash and getting renters moving faster. We believe every new move is a chance to grow.

That’s why we help renters grow their credit rating by tracking their rent payments – improving their financial wellbeing, one month at a time. It all adds up to a comprehensive profile that reassures landlords – and turns the house-moving slog into a stroll in the park.

Want to join the movement? We’re growing fast and always looking out for the next bright spark to join the team. Check out our job listings below, or just drop us a message and say hi.

Canopy, InsureStreet and Insure Street are trading names of InsureStreet Limited which is an appointed representative of Resolution Compliance Limited which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 574048) to carry on insurance distribution activities.

Website: https://www.canopy.rent/

ABOUT THE HOST

Sabine is a corporate strategist turned entrepreneur. She is the CEO and Managing Partner of Alchemy Crew, a venture lab that accelerates the curation, validation, and commercialization of new tech business models. Sabine is renowned within the insurance sector for building some of the most renowned tech startup accelerators around the world working with over 30 corporate insurers and accelerating over 100 startup ventures. Sabine is the co-editor of the bestseller The INSURTECH Book, a top 50 Women in Tech, a FinTech and InsurTech Influencer, an investor & multi-award winner.

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