A different way to think about building

We spend a lot of time in venture talking about starting companies. Raising capital, building from zero, and scaling as fast as possible. It is the default narrative, the one most people absorb without ever really questioning.

But there is another path that far fewer people consider.

Buying an existing business and running it.

What Unsung is about

That is what Unsung is about. It is a new community and podcast focused on entrepreneurship through acquisition — on small businesses, and on the people choosing to build their lives by taking over companies that already exist.

These are businesses that are often profitable, often overlooked, and often full of untapped potential.

We are launching Unsung together with Will Maunder-Taylor because we believe this is one of the most important and most underexplored opportunities in Europe today. Not everyone should start from scratch. For many people, this path is not just viable. It is better aligned with how they want to build their careers and their lives.

Episode 1: Peppa Wise, Multiverse on Meritocracy in Action: How Great Sales Leaders Are Made

Why this episode matters

This first episode is a good example of why these worlds overlap more than you might expect.

Whether you are building a startup or taking over an existing company, the fundamentals remain the same. You are still solving for talent, for sales, and for how to build teams that perform at a high level over time.

In this conversation, Will Maunder-Taylor sits down with Peppa Wise, a sales leader at Multiverse and one of the most experienced operators in high-performance sales environments in Europe.

Her career challenges many of the assumptions people hold about experience and progression. She was leading teams in her early twenties, not because she followed a traditional path, but because she operated in environments that recognised and rewarded talent early.

What comes through clearly is a different way of thinking about potential. The most effective organisations are not those that simply hire for experience, but those that understand how to identify and develop the underlying traits that actually drive performance — intelligence, coachability, and above all, drive.

What the episode covers

00:00 — What Unsung is aboutCareers, small business ownership, and the overlooked path of buying and growing existing companies

01:00 — Peppa Wise’s early career & rapid progressionPeppa Wise’s career from joining Darktrace as a graduate to leading teams early in high-performance environments

03:00 — Talent vs experienceWhy the best companies prioritise potential, drive, and coachability over traditional CVs

10:00 — Building a career that compoundsBalancing short-term earnings with long-term learning, development, and trajectory

13:00 — Hiring great peopleDefining your ideal candidate profile and how to assess real talent beyond experience

24:00 — Building high-performance teamsCreating meritocratic environments where people are pushed, supported, and rewarded

31:00 — Pipeline & executionWhy outbound, consistency, and pipeline generation are the foundation of great sales teams

36:00 — Operating rhythm & forecastingHow top teams run cadence, manage deals, and build predictable performance

43:00 — Advice for founders & operatorsHow to hire better, take smart risks on talent, and avoid common mistakes

47:00 — Closing thoughtsReflections on careers, opportunity, and choosing a different path

What you’ll take away

This is not a theoretical discussion. It is grounded in practical insight.

The episode explores:

* How to define what great talent actually looks like

* How to build systems that allow people to succeed

* How to create environments where performance compounds over time

* Why sales remains one of the clearest meritocracies available

It also highlights something often overlooked: careers, like businesses, do not need to follow a single, predefined path.

The third path

Most people think their options are to climb the corporate ladder or to start something from zero.

But there is a third way.

You can buy something that already works and make it better.

That is the lens Unsung is built around.

Listen & follow

If it resonates, make sure to follow Unsung and start thinking about what your own path could look like if you stepped outside the default options.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theemergingvc.substack.com

Unsung: What if corporate isn’t the only path?