Why This Non-profit Started Accepting Bitcoin | Dr Sheela Sharma #219

A nonprofit in West London is accepting Bitcoin donations to fund the next generation of entrepreneurs — and it all started with one conversation at a judging panel.Sheela Sharma is CEO of Portobello Business Centre, a 30-year-old nonprofit that helps underserved entrepreneurs — 70% of them women — start and grow their own businesses. Before that, she spent 14 years in investment banking, including as an equity analyst at Merrill Lynch covering medical devices and pharma. She came in knowing nothing about finance. She left as a COO.🇬🇧 Portobello Business Centre are members of BBN. Join the UK Bitcoin Business Network here: https://bitcoincollective.co/bbn/Contact Sheela:Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-sheela-sharma/Website: https://www.pbc.co.uk/00:00 Opening clip — Bitcoin donations for entrepreneurs00:40 Introduction and welcome01:30 From Oxford DPhil to Merrill Lynch — the unlikely pivot03:30 Learning to value medical technology companies05:30 "What is a share price?" — the interview moment06:30 14 years in investment banking: analyst to COO07:30 Why she left — and what pushed her out08:30 Joining Portobello Business Centre as chair, then CEO10:00 The brands PBC has supported — Innocent Drinks, Charlie Bigham's, Karen Millen12:00 Why PBC started accepting Bitcoin14:00 Getting set up: Strike, Coin Corner and the Sustainable Society Trust16:30 Understanding Bitcoin six months in19:00 The utility of Bitcoin as a payment and store of value21:00 Financial education in the UK — what's missing24:00 Should entrepreneurship be taught in schools?27:30 The scrunchie business — born at age 1131:00 Roberta Huntington, Vinted and the power of simple ideas34:00 Entrepreneurship as mindset — can it be taught?39:00 The businesses PBC supports today44:00 Why storytelling wins pitches45:00 B Corp certification explained48:00 The Bitcoin and B Corp community overlap53:00 Bitcoin's future role in funding early-stage entrepreneurs59:00 One piece of advice for anyone thinking about starting a businessLISTEN / SUBSCRIBE:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/06sBiOznJDxuhafDmkE9VK?si=3f0a8bb8abd64eecApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-bitcoin-collective/id1561573613Fountain: https://fountain.fm/show/AYHiNhTTv0HOgGEjRjWNYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@bitcoincollective?sub_confirmation=1This episode is for educational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice.⸻EDITED BY JAMES PEARCELinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-pearcesf/Available now on YouTube and all major podcast platforms.