Above: Jamie with Simon Squibb on Simon’s What’s Your Dream? livestream.
In October 2025, entrepreneur and investor Simon Squibb invested in Talamo. It started a few weeks earlier, with an invitation to pitch at a festival in Hertfordshire.
Pitching at Ideas Fest
Ideas Fest 2025 ran on 10 and 11 September 2025 at Pendley Manor in Tring, Hertfordshire: two days of talks, workshops and live pitching for founders and business leaders.
We were invited to pitch Talamo on 10 September, and we won. Simon’s investment followed a few weeks later.
On the DreamLand stage at Ideas Fest 2025.
The audience at the DreamLand stage, Ideas Fest 2025.
Who is Simon Squibb?
Simon is an entrepreneur and investor, and the founder of HelpBnk. He was the headliner at Ideas Fest 2025, and the festival’s DreamLand area was his space for founders. He’s also behind the Doorbell of Dreams, where founders ring a doorbell and pitch their idea in 60 seconds for feedback from established entrepreneurs.
A busy week
The pitch came the day after I had spoken in Parliament, at a meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Dyslexia on early identification and screening, chaired by Juliet Campbell MP. I made the case for universal screening, and for identification that is accessible and affordable. You can read about the meeting in Talamo in Parliament: speaking at the APPG for Dyslexia.
Why it matters to us
For a small team, backing from someone who has built businesses himself means a lot. Simon has spent years helping founders get their ideas off the ground, from HelpBnk to the Doorbell of Dreams, and we’re grateful that he chose to back what we’re doing: helping schools understand every pupil’s needs earlier.
He has also helped more people hear about Talamo. After announcing the investment, he featured us on his own channels, and I joined him on his What’s Your Dream? livestream, which is where the photo at the top of this post comes from.
Follow our news
We share news like this on Instagram (@talamo__) and LinkedIn. And if you work in a school and want to see what Talamo actually measures, explore our three assessments.
Dacorum Borough Council (7 October 2025): Ideas Fest makes successful return to Dacorum (dates and venue)
Virgin StartUp: Inside Ideas Fest 2025: Founders, Community & the Doorbell of Dreams (Simon Squibb as headliner; DreamLand as his space at the festival; the Doorbell of Dreams)
HelpBnk on Instagram: Simon Squibb’s reel featuring Talamo (October 2025)
British Dyslexia Association: All-Party Parliamentary Group for Dyslexia and the meeting summary, 9 September 2025
