Tom & Adam: The Founders Behind Noggin — London’s People’s Choice Winners

At October’s London Demo Night, run in partnership with City Ventures, the energy was electric. Founders, investors, and students from across the city gathered to see the next wave of innovation — and when the votes were counted, Tom Watkinson and Adam Reynoldson took home the People’s Choice Award for their startup, Noggin.

Noggin is tackling one of the toughest problems in the startup ecosystem — connecting founders and investors in a meaningful, human way. Every day, more than 137,000 startups are born around the world, and yet, the process of meeting the right investor is still dominated by cold outreach, static profiles, and thin networks.  Investors also feel the pain, they are growing considerably in numbers but say their biggest problem is relevant, high-quality deal-flow, so it’s a two sided problem.

Tom and Adam’s solution? A smart AI-driven agent that “speaks fluent Founder and Investor.” Noggin creates warm introductions, designed to make that first meeting between startup and funder feel natural and productive — like starting a conversation that’s already halfway in.

“We built Noggin because we’ve both lived this pain,” Tom shared. “You can pour your heart into building something amazing, but finding the right investor can still feel impossible. Noggin exists to fix that.”

Building from Frustration to Validation

Tom and Adam’s journey began when both were early in their entrepreneurial careers — working in the startup ecosystem, feeling the friction of trying to raise capital without the right networks. Adam was building software while working in banking; Tom was working as a founding operator, hungry to do something more impactful. They met through the London founder community, clicked instantly, and soon made the leap to build Noggin full-time.

Their idea was rooted in experience and frustration — the best starting point for any founder. At Canopy Community, we often remind emerging founders that the best startups come from solving your own problem first. Noggin embodies that principle beautifully.

When they took the stage at Demo Night, Tom and Adam didn’t just pitch — they demoed. Live. Risky? Sure. But powerful. They showed the room exactly how Noggin works, and the response was electric. The audience of founders and funders voted, and Noggin won.

“It’s validation,” said Adam. “We’ve been building behind closed doors, but showing it live to a room full of founders and investors confirmed that the demand is real.”

The Magic of Momentum

Since meeting just a few months ago, the Noggin co-founders have moved fast — quitting their jobs, securing early grants, and preparing to launch their first version in November. They’re now raising a £150K pre-seed round to scale their platform and reach critical mass.

Their dynamic partnership is key. As Tom puts it:

“Co-founder matching is everything. I worked with others before, but when I met Adam, it just clicked. We share the same mission and the same chip on our shoulders.”

And that chemistry shows. The pair balance vision and execution — Tom’s energy and storytelling meet Adam’s quiet technical confidence. Together, they embody what we often call the 1+1=7+ effect — that exponential power that happens when two founders amplify each other’s strengths.

Why Demo Night Matters

For both Tom and Adam, the London Demo Night was more than just a stage — it was a catalyst.

“The feedback was incredible,” Tom shared. “People asked us questions we’d never even thought about. That kind of honest conversation helps shape what we build next.”

That’s exactly the spirit behind Canopy Demo Nights: a space for founders to share ideas, get real feedback, and connect with mentors, peers, and potential investors — in an open, collaborative environment.

If you’re a Founder or Investor, you should absolutely try Noggin. It’s a product built for you, by people who’ve walked in your shoes.

And if you want to meet the next generation of innovators like Tom and Adam, come along to the next Demo Night — hosted in partnership with City Ventures and Canopy Community.

All the event details are available at lu.ma/canopy and https://www.cityventures.co.uk/whats-on 

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