Oliver Yonchev

Oliver is an entrepreneur, speaker and the founder of cocreatd - a private investment office that builds new startups. 

Previously he served as CEO of Flight Story, the global group he co-founded with Steven Bartlett in 2021. Exiting in 2024.

For over a decade, Oliver has been at the forefront of marketing, media and tech, helping guide some of worlds most successful companies: Amazon, Apple, Coca-Cola, TikTok, Google, Disney & Uber to name just a few.

Currently building: Foundrs, Meet-Ting, Potentially, Unreasonable, Perspectiv, NineSixteen, CreatdStudio, Discovrd, Prompt University, System7 + more coming soon.

Chief Executive Officer | Co-Founder

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT 👀… 

I remember when ChatGPT 3 was released, it felt like a significant technology moment…

While experimenting, I started to consider how the work I was doing would change; the second order impacts. What happens in a world where we get to the answer, the product or service, instantly? 

Where the gatekeeper is a new form of intelligence we don’t yet fully understand…

I shared my thoughts on LinkedIn, thinking out loud about what I believe to be a new world, a new world of discovery, how it could influence business, how it was going to affect marketing, and how skills and value in marketing would change.

So when James, Paul, Simon and I launched cocreatd 18 months ago, we were really keen to get involved in the new era of search and discovery at some point….

Then last summer we met the amazing Francesca Brookes.

We started to discuss the search industry, and beyond some insightful and thoughtful takes - it was the sheer excitement and optimism for what comes next. Her understanding that change is a massive opportunity - and now was a moment to capture, not sit by idle.

Soooo we decided to co-create a new company together… 4 months of experiments, quiet testing, working with some institutions and technology companies, we landed on a thesis, developed our offer, augmented our methods with technology, and we’re now ready to go public! 

Discovrd - the AI search and intelligence agency.

If you’re interested in speaking with us, we’re offering a FREE mini audit for your company, either leave a comment with your website link, or send me a DM. 

(Also got to give our folk their flowers… Exceptional work from Perspectiv on website (in the comments) and NineSixteen Studios on the launch video 🤌)

cocreatd.com | entrepreneur | investor | speaker

I've raised tens of millions and pitched hundreds of times - and despite all that experience, it's always bloody HARD!

That's why I partnered with Notion to help launch their AI Founder's Kit.

It's a FREE pack for founders.

You get:

• $300 Supabase Credit
• $60 Vercel Credit
• 1 Year Framer launch 
• Upto 6 months of Notion Business with AI to run your startup from one place

Even more valuable (in my opinion):

• A vetted list of 30,000+ investors, incubators, and accelerators 
• 50 pitch decks from YC, a16z, and Sequoia-backed startups 
• Guides on pitching and fundraising from founders who've been successful

If you're a founder, building a business, or ever plan to raise money, this is for you!

Leave me a comment with the word "NOTION" and I'll DM you #AD

WANT TO START A COMPANY? 👀

cocreatd and Foundrs are hosting a FREE LUNCH SESSION to help at Oneder in Shoreditch London; 22nd January….

Starting a business is filled with unknowns. Its intimidating. It can be confusing. 

But despite that, I truly believe that there is no better time to start than today!

So if you’re someone who wants to demystify starting and building we’ll be discussing:

1 - business admin: how to set up correctly.

2 - investment: how to pitch and access funding. 

3 - technology: how to use AI and automation to do more with less.

4 - tell alls: (possibly the most valuable part) our personal business building horror stories so you can avoid! 

I’ll be joined by two of the founders we work with:

Callum Sommerton, co-founder of Foundrs, former Mishcon de Reya LLP lawyer and youngest appointed CEO of a London PLC.

Daniel B., founder or Meet-Ting and former Global Head of Social at TikTok and global director at adidas.

If you’re interested in attending, DM me or leave me a comment and I’ll share you link to sign up 🫶

graphical user interface, application, PowerPoint

Hey y'all... we're very, very, VERY excited to partner with Google and VEED.IO for a FREE in person PROMPTING WORKSHOP next week...

Prompt University is a community, that exists to help the world learn to prompt. We believe prompting, is the most valuable skill of this decade, and most still don't know the fundamentals.

So we're hosting our first ever in person "PROMPT CLUB"...

We'll be debating, workshopping, networking and more, at VEED HQ in Shoreditch, London on Wednesday 4th February.

This is a rare opportunity to learn and work directly from leaders at Google and VEED, get hands on with Veo, Nano Banana, Gemini, and VEED Fabric, and have a great time, whilst walking away with some new skills! 

The format: meet up, then a discussion on what's coming in 2026, the ethics of AI content, and best practices + followed by a series of workshop of prompting best practice for concepting + image and video creation. 

Join... myself co-founder of Prompt University + the amazing Lisa Vecchio, Global Marketing Director at VEED + Antony Hill, Partner and Gen AI Creative Industries Leader at Google + Lucas Perraudin, the Founder, AI Partners.

We're looking for marketers, creatives, and content leads who are serious about AI and creativity...

LIMITED SPACES (only 50 spots) - everyone gets free VEED credits to use during the session.

SIGN UP NOW: https://luma.com/o8p0vjm5

Pls share or TAG anyone you think would benefit from joining us!

CONFESSION: I've not been active on LinkedIn for two reasons:

1 - Priorities... focused on other things.

2 - Inspiration... like most people, I've grown jaded with the formulaic, news aggregation and AI slop that fills our feeds… there's no shortage of content, but there's certainly a shortage of original thoughts or daring commentary that provokes…

Sooo I made a decision: if I'm going to contribute anything online, I'll try my best make it meaningful, or at the very least, useful!

I've been building startups for 10+ years now. Exits, IPO’s, failures the ever growing list and THIS MOMENT feels different… the tools, the speed, the rules, the possibilities, all changed…

And of course we’re all just figuring it out, but I believe this would be a nice challenge for me to take on, when it comes to what I share - so I’m going to try and get some level of consistency writing longer form.

Writing helps me crystallise sporadic thoughts and experiences into something useful… so what I'm working through may resonate with others…

I'm calling my newsletter Day Zero. It's about building companies in the age of AI. 

I wrote my first piece, which sets the scene: the irony of building a business today. Have a read, if you like it, pls sign up and share your thoughts!

There's a poetic irony to the world we live in. Technology has made it easier than ever to start a business. You don't need the resources you once did

Open article: The Business Paradox: Easier than ever to start. Harder than ever to stand out. by Oliver Yonchev • 7 min read

The Business Paradox: Easier than ever to start. Harder than ever to stand out.

Tomorrow (Thursday) I'll be doing a FREE lunch and learn on BUSINESS BUILDING....

With the wonderful Callum Sommerton and Daniel B. at Oneder in Shoreditch.

If you're London we have a few places left... simply sign up here: 

https://lnkd.in/ehNMxYGE

Brands don’t win because they post more content.
They win because they own something no one else can copy.

That “something” is IP — stories, characters, worlds, systems, and cultural assets that compound into long-term value.

Intellectual Property (IP) is becoming the core strategic asset behind modern brand entertainment and cultural ecosystems.

For over 20 years, I worked inside some of the world’s most influential entertainment and consumer brands — Disney, Warner Bros., Nickelodeon, PUMA — shaping global franchises, managing multimillion-euro IP portfolios, and learning how brands evolve when they move beyond campaigns and into entertainment, culture, and ownership.

Today, as the founder of unmtchd., I work at the intersection of brand, entertainment, and IP — designing IP-led, entertainment-driven ecosystems as long-term strategic assets.

My work sits at the intersection of three pillars:

→ IP & Brand Strategy
Identifying and structuring what makes a brand truly unmatched — its unique assets, meaning, narrative, and signature.

→ Brand Entertainment & Ecosystem Design
Turning IP into characters, formats, products, content, partnerships, communities, and scalable revenue streams that live far beyond social platforms.

→ Cultural Positioning & Future Readiness
Helping brands evolve intentionally so they remain relevant, differentiated, and culturally meaningful in a fast-shifting world.

The outcome?
Brands that don’t just participate in culture — they build it.
Distinct by design. Scalable through IP. Built to last beyond the algorithm.

If you’re a brand leader or founder exploring how to move from content to IP, from campaigns to owned worlds, let’s connect.

Oana Leonte 💬

I need to be honest… 
I have mixed feelings about this.

I’ve worked for PUMA for 10 years.

I know the brand well — 
its internal tensions, its unreal creative firepower, and the gap between what PUMA is and what it could be.

That’s why I was hoping for a different buyer.

Because this move isn’t just about money.
And it’s not just about distribution.

It’s about what kind of future you create for a brand when you truly understand IP.

PUMA doesn’t lack awareness.

It doesn’t lack product.
It doesn’t lack athletes, moments, or cultural relevance.

And it certainly doesn’t lack legacy. 

What it has always struggled with is clarity around its core IP:

what must stay sacred
vs. what can hype, license, evolve, and compound.

Because PUMA is not just a sportswear company.

It’s a brand ecosystem that spans:
– sport
– fashion
– performance
– music
– heritage
– street culture

Handled well, that’s an incredible IP engine.
Handled poorly, it becomes one of many.

I say this with lots of care and love for the brand.

PUMA’s potential was never about being a “winner”.

It was about going back to its essence.

More intentional about the space it owns.
More disciplined about what it builds.
More confident about what it stands for. 

This is why these moments matter so much for a legacy brand like that. 

Who owns the brand determines:
– how IP is protected
– how meaning compounds
– how legacy survives leadership changes

I want PUMA to win.
Deeply.

But I also know this:
brands like PUMA don’t need “operators”.

They need IP architects.

Curious to hear other perspectives,
especially from people who’ve lived inside legacy brands and felt this tension firsthand.

Oana  Leonte

IP is the new influence → Brand Entertainment & IP Monetization Strategy → Founder of unmtchd. • Ex-Disney, Warner Bros., Nickelodeon, PUMA • Speaker

Simon Jacquemus just named his grandma the official face of the brand.

And it says more about brand meaning than a thousand celebrity campaigns.

To be clear, 

this isn’t a PR stunt.
It’s not “authenticity” as a tactic.
It's not "let's make an emotional campaign".

It’s simply brand coherence, 
and consolidating his brand IP.

Simon isn't borrowing meaning.
He formalised what was already there.

In the announcement image which you can see here, Liline Jacquemus is carrying The Valerie Bag, a bag inspired by her daughter. Simon’s mother.

The product isn’t just a product.
It’s a vessel of memory.
Of family.
Of continuity.

You can’t fake this kind of meaning.
You can’t replicate it with influencers.
You can’t outspend it.

For years, his grandmother has been part of the Jacquemus universe:

the south of France,
family tables,
sun-bleached memories,
Simon's childhood folded into fashion.

By naming her officially, Jacquemus did something very few brands dare to do:
→ turned emotional truth into owned brand equity.

No influencer could replicate this.
No campaign budget could manufacture it.
Because this only works when the story is real and repeatable.

Because this is what real brand IP looks like:
– emotional truth
– encoded into product
– scaled without dilution

Jacquemus isn’t selling just good fashion.
He understands that what fashion needs is meaning.

And that’s why it works.

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The Battle

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