Investors all tell startup founders to build a painkiller, not a vitamin.
But how do you turn a vitamin product into a real painkiller?
When she started Wholepal, Victoria Lawson set out to build an all-singing, all-dancing wholesale CRM to fix communication gaps between wholesalers and their partners.
But when she talked to suppliers, she learned something important. Their biggest struggle wasn’t managing relationships—her CRM was just a vitamin.
Key Takeaways from the episode
In episode 90, Victoria reveals how she built Wholepal. You’ll take away from the episode how:
✅ Wholepal eliminates manual data entry and streamlines supply chains using AI
🚀 She turned Wholepal into a true painkiller business
💡 Shifting her mindset gave her confidence in investor conversations.
🎧 Ready to learn how Victoria is building the future of wholesale with Wholepal? Tune in on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube. Or hit the play button below👇.
How Wholepal is Building the Future of Wholesale with Victoria Lawson | Ep. 90 – Women Disrupting Tech
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- Key Takeaways from the episode
- Want to help build inclusive technology? Change starts here!
- The Magic in This Episode 🪄
- The Two Zero-Cost Ways to Support Women Disrupting Tech
- What stands out
- About Victoria Lawson
- About Wholepal
- Your Opinion Matters!
- What’s coming up?
- More episodes like this?
The Magic in This Episode 🪄
“I think everyone needs to address their own subconscious biases“
What if the biggest problem in your industry wasn’t innovation?
What if, instead, the main headache of the industry were outdated, manual processes slowing everything down?
That’s exactly what Victoria Lawson discovered when she set out to build a wholesale CRM. Instead of sticking to her original plan, she made a bold pivot. One that changed everything.
In episode 90 of Women Disrupting Tech, Victoria shares how she built Wholepal, an AI-driven platform that cuts out manual data entry altogether and makes supply chains run faster, smoother, and with fewer costly mistakes.
We learn:
👉 Why manual input in FMCG is not just a time and money drain. Errors in labeling can have serious health consequences.
👉 How the use of AI reduces risks and cuts processing times from 12 weeks to just seconds.
👉 Fundraising as a female founder. She shares how self-confidence changed her investor conversations, and why it made all the difference.
When you’re ready to listen and learn how Wholepal is building the future of wholesale, click the button below to tune in on Spotify.
The Two Zero-Cost Ways to Support Women Disrupting Tech
If you want to support my guests in making women in tech by the end of 2032, you can help them by doing these two things:
- Share the podcast with friends, family, and co-workers. This way, you give the women disrupting tech the platform they need to make it happen. Use the buttons below to share.
- Follow the podcast on your favorite podcast platform. Better yet, leave a rating or review from one up to five stars. You’ll help other people discover the podcast and help me improve.
What stands out
AI is a kind of magic on its own. But what I really love in this conversation is how this British founder goes all out with her language. Victoria’s description of one of her pivots is a perfect example: going from “an all-singing, all-dancing, trying to solve all problems in the world” type of product to a laser-focused solution for the industry’s biggest headache.
Another magical moment, both in the episode and in her mindset, happens about halfway through. In the space of three minutes, you get a masterclass on how to present yourself to investors and why self-confidence makes all the difference.
Finally, we dive into the pros and cons of being a solo founder. Victoria shares an interesting perspective: part of her decision to go solo was to build stability at the core of the business, especially in the fast-moving startup world.
🎧 Ready to discover the rest of the magic in this episode? Tune in to the episode on Apple Podcasts using the button below.
Or click the image with the quote to watch the episode on YouTube.
“If somebody says ‘developer’, ‘engineer’, or ‘CTO’, immediately the image in my mind is masculine. And I think it’s about unraveling that.”
Victoria Lawson, Founder and CEO of Wholepal
About Victoria Lawson
Victoria Lawson is the founder and CEO of Wholepal. Her journey started far from tech: she grew up riding and caring for horses before realizing she needed a more sustainable career path. After studying business at Oxford Brookes, she found her way into FMCG, where she worked with food and beverage brands before starting her own consultancy firm and later Wholepal.
You can connect with Victoria on LinkedIn.
About Wholepal
Wholepal is an AI-powered platform that transforms the way wholesale businesses manage product data, eliminating manual entry and reducing costly errors. In industries like FMCG, where supply chains are complex and data inconsistencies can cause major delays, Wholepal streamlines the process by digitizing product information and enabling instant data transfer between suppliers and wholesalers. You can learn more on the website and by following Wholepal on LinkedIn
Your Opinion Matters!
What do you think is the biggest challenge of being a solo startup founder?
1️⃣ Convincing investors to back your vision
2️⃣ Wearing too many hats at once
3️⃣ Building confidence and overcoming self-doubt
4️⃣ Finding the right team to support your growth
Tell me what you think in the comments. There are no wrong choices here.
And if you would like to suggest a guest or a theme for the podcast, please let me know via email or send a DM on LinkedIn.
What’s coming up?
Do we have some magic coming your way in the next few weeks? Yes, we do!
In episode 91, Daphne Laan teaches us the art of putting a heart into tech. It’s an inspiring story that starts in Gouda and takes us to Silicon Valley and beyond.
After that, we explore the journeys of two women in early-stage startup investing. First, we learn how Sophie Heijenberg found her way into VC as a woman.
And then Esther Bisschop teaches us how she leveled up from being an employee to employer to founder to investor.
So, stay tuned for more inspiring stories on Women Disrupting Tech! And if you want to be the first to learn about new episodes, subscribe to updates or follow me on Substack.
Until we meet again in the next episode, keep being awesome.
More episodes like this?
If you want to listen to other episodes related to B2B SaaS or mindset, you can check out the following three episodes:
– In episode 44, Fatoumata Diallo reveals how she overcame imposter syndrome to build the foodie platform Gamaal.
– In episode 27, Estelle Roux underscores the importance of female founders being role models to others.
– In episode 26, Nancy Shenouda shares her journey with Tradesnest, a platform that enables innovative brands to put their products on retail shelves.
Women Disrupting Tech | The Podcast 